Page 31 of The Flight Risk

“That doesn’t make any sense, Tess.” A full smile appears on his face and it warms me up more than these damn space heaters have all night. Then he does something that nearly stops my dancing efforts completely. He grabs the sides of my face and looks at me intently, his eyes like glimmering emeralds under his thick brows. “And as previously discussed, other than when I’m on the ice, I’m not much of a dancer.”

I make a pouty face. “Not even for me?” I don’t know if this is going to work, but I might as well try.

He sighs, releasing my face and before the chorus begins again, he says, “Only for you.”

And then dancer Oakley makes his appearance. His moves mainly consist of silly dad moves like the sprinkler, attempts at body rolls, and a sprinkle of disco. It’s like looking at a sub-par John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever. But somehow, it’s so attractive. He is completely goofy– stoic, serious Oakley has disappeared. He is giving into the silly and uninhibited version of himself and I’m here for it. I dance alongside him and I don’t care who is watching us. At this moment, we are completely ourselves. No pretense. No image to uphold.

He turns me so that my body meets his and he dips me like we are in our own personal rom-com. My heart races and I feel like I might stop breathing. I’m taking in the view of the most beautiful man I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

“Satisfied?” His voice rasps in my ear and my head starts to spin.

I can’t hear the next song over my beating heart. “Yes,” I respond breathlessly. I never want to forget this moment. Because this is the moment I’m falling in love with Adam Oakley.

17

Inearly have to carry Tess out of the restaurant. She probably had one too many espresso martinis and I’m very glad I rarely drink during the season, because she’s in no position to drive. Brooke is in a similar state, but the difference between me and Tristan is that he can actually carry his fiancée to the car and no one would think twice about it. As much as I want to have Tess in my arms, I fear it would shift something inside of me. Make me crave carrying her in my arms for the rest of my life.

Tess falls asleep on the way home. I can’t help but look over at her at every stoplight and admire how pretty she is. When I turn off the ignition, she awakens and groggily looks over at me. “Where are we?”

“Home,” I say. Thinking she might freak out with me calling my home our home, I clarify, “My house.”

“Hmm,” she says and her eyes close again. I open my door and walk around my car to open her side. She doesn’t budge when the door opens. Okay, I guess I’m carrying her inside. I suppose it’s okay now that we are at my house, where no one will take a picture of us and post it on the internet where it can spread like wildfire. Not that I would mind people thinking we’re together. Hell, I told that asshole at the bar that I was her boyfriend. I unbuckle her and scoot her to the point where I can easily pick her up. She rests her head on my chest and I think I might explode from excitement. She feels safe with me and that’s all I want. For her to feel safe and so undeniably wanted. The only reason I’ve been holding back from making another move is because I don’t want to mess it all up.

I carry her upstairs and once we reach my bedroom, she kind of wakes up again. “You’re carrying me.”

I swallow hard. “I am. Is that okay?”

She tightens her grip around my neck. “Yes.”

I set her down on the bed. I kneel down, unclasp her heels, and slide them off of each foot. I focus on the task at hand rather than ogle her perfect body because it is indeed perfect.

“Thank you, Oakley. I could’ve done that myself, though.” She props herself up on her elbows.

“I didn’t want you to get dizzy. The spins are the worst.”

She snorts. “I’m not that drunk.”

Yes you are. “Better safe than sorry.”

“On that note, can you help me up? I never go to bed without doing my skincare. Drunk or not. It’s a rule that I have.” She dangles her delicate hands in front of me. I chuckle. I’m a sucker for her and hopefully my actions tonight persuade her of that.

She wobbles toward the bathroom, leaning over to retrieve what I’m assuming are her pajamas. She nearly topples over in the process. Before I can leap to her aid, she says, “I’m good, Oakley, really. You can go to sleep.” She closes the bathroom door and I switch on the bedside light. I turn down the bed for her and sit there waiting. I’m not leaving this room until she’s comfortably in bed and I can be certain she isn’t going to vomit everywhere.

She opens the bathroom door and stretches her arms up. She might as well have come out naked because the bright red booty shorts and matching tank top, with no bra I might add, leaves nothing to the imagination. Jesus, she is trying to kill me. I stand and move over slightly because I don’t know what else to do with my body in this situation. She settles into the bed and I cover her. Tess is one of those women who is gorgeous with or without makeup. While she looks stunning fully done up, I prefer this version of Tess.

I brush some of her hair out of her eyes. She looks at me tenderly. “You danced for me.”

My heart tugs in my chest. I know how much me dancing with her meant and it was honestly the most fun I’ve had in my life. She brings out this goofy side of me that I’ve never explored, and she makes me feel safe while doing it. “Like I said. Only for you.” I push back playfully, “But don’t expect that pouty face to work on me again.”

“I think I found your Achilles heel, Adam Oakley,” she says smugly, knowing full well she has me in the palm of her hand. The sound of my full name coming from her lips sends a buzz through my body. She sure has found my Achilles heel. What she doesn’t realize, though, is that it’s not just her pouty face. It’s her. It’s all of her.

Still, I try to save face. “I don’t have one.”

“Sure you don’t.” She grazes her fingertips on my forearm. “You were jealous tonight, weren’t you? When that jerk put his hands on me?”

Fuck yes I was jealous. I can’t pretend to deny this. So I tell her the truth: “Immensely.”

As much as I want to climb into bed with her and show her exactly how I feel about her, basic human decency overrides any carnal instinct. I am not that guy who has sex with drunk girls. I’ve known and written off too many of those guys in my life. Even guys I considered friends at one point.