Page 77 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

He cut me off. “And I absolutely had to. It’s what you do when someone you care about isn’t responding. You help. You step in. That’s what I did.”

I snorted then, but it was bitter. “Care about me? You? Since when?”

He met my gaze. “Since before I knew your name.”

Okay, fuck. That bruised my armor. I swallowed hard and almost didn’t hate him for it. But I couldn’t let him see.

“You don’t care about me. You don’t know me.”

His eyes raked over my body. “Yeah, I do.”

All my anger deflated. Damn him.

“So you care about me?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged.

“I thought you didn’t care about anyone,” I said.

“So did I.” His voice was deep and low. The same voice he used when he had been on top of me, inside me. He was staring directly into my soul.

“What are we supposed to do with that information?” My voice was breathy. I couldn’t look away from him. It felt like he was weaving a spell over me.

He smirked. “Shoot it in the head and bury it behind the hangar.”

“Wow. You’re a real romantic, huh?”

“Good thing I don’t do romance.”

“Don’t want it,” I replied.

“We can’t get serious.” He reached out and took my hand. The contact sent heat rolling through my body.

“I know that.”

“If it ever came down to the job or you, I’d choose you. Every single fucking time. And that makes me unfit for this job.”

I could feel blood pounding in my fingertips.

“And that’s why this thing between us, it has to stay just like it is.”

“Which is?” I asked quietly.

“Fucking. We’re fucking. I cannot get involved with you Janna.”

I felt myself shatter. Not mad. Not betrayed. Just disappointed. I knew why Dalton was setting the boundaries. It made sense. And I could walk away. I didn’t have to accept his terms.

But I shrugged. “Fine.”

“Fine?”

“Fine.” I said again. “But I don’t want pity or hesitation. You said you make the rules. Okay. Then your rules say there’s no emotional entanglements.”

“I didn’t phrase it that way, but yeah, that’s the only way this can work.”

“Great. Don’t go near me emotionally. But if this is gonna be physical, then rock my fucking world.”

He stared hard. Unblinking. The air between us sizzled.