Page 75 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

“That’s what I said.” But even as the words left my mouth, I knew how unconvincing they sounded. Hell, I wasn’t even convincing myself. “Janna was scrambling. I couldn’t⁠—”

Chief cut me off. “That’s not who you are. Wanna try again?”

I noticed a couple of people watching. I wasn’t going to start drama. Damn, I hated the high school bullshit. “Shit hit the fan. She started losing control. I went to help her. Period. End of story.”

“Procedures exist for a reason. You know that. Shit gets messy fast. You broke flight plan. You could have put all of us in danger.”

“Yes.” I didn’t argue. “I judged it to be an acceptable risk. To help someone who needed it in the moment.”

Chief nodded. “You did look out for the team. It was her first full shift, and it was a tough one. She handled it well.”

“Yeah, she did,” I said with a nod. “Flying through fire is a hell of a lot different than flying through rain or snow. But she’s got a feel for it now.”

“Alright, good. Let’s not make this a habit, Herc. Broken rules can save someone one day and kill someone another. Next time, if you need to change the game plan, run it by me. Then I can coordinate with everyone. Got it?”

“Understood,” I said.

He was right. Changes happened but the right move was to call it in and work it out with everyone. Not take matters into my own hands. I knew better. How many other people picked up on the fact I acted out of character?

Did everyone know Janna and I hooked up? Shit. Hookups happened all the time during the season. Laser and Wild Bill had a thing and that had turned out horribly. People talked about me enough. Usually, it was about the fact I was an asshole. I was fine with that. I didn’t want them talking about my sex life.

I heard a plane coming in and turned. It was Janna and Laser. The plane touched down, bounced, and then glided across the tarmac. And holy shit, I actually felt relief. Like I could take a full breath again.

I didn’t like the idea of Janna being in danger. I knew exactly why I had forgotten the rules. If something happened to her, I would never survive.

I stood there watching as the plane taxied toward the hangar, my heart still hammering harder than I wanted to admit. When it finally came to a stop, I found myself holding my breath until I saw the cockpit door open.

Janna climbed out first. She’d been rattled up there, more than she’d let on over the radio. But she was acting cool.

Pickle was the first to reach her, clapping her on the shoulder with a grin. “Hell of a first run, rookie. You handled those thermals like a pro.”

She managed a smile, nodding.

Gilbert joined them. “Not bad for a newbie,” he said, and I could hear the genuine respect in his voice. “That was some choppy air up there.”

More of the crew gathered around, offering congratulations and war stories about their own first runs. I watched her face light up at the praise, saw how she stood a little straighter with each compliment. This was what she’d wanted, to prove herself, to be accepted as part of the team.

Then her eyes found mine.

Instead of the gratitude I expected, instead of relief or even exhaustion, I saw something else entirely. Fire. Not the kind we’d been fighting all day, but something hotter, more dangerous. Her jaw tightened, and even from twenty feet away, I could tell she was pissed as hell.