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“No, you are.” She raised her hand and touched his hair. It slid through her fingers silkily.
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Dinner, Ms. Carlson, Mr. Landry?”
They were surprised to realize that the airplane was already airborne. They’d been so preoccupied with each other that they hadn’t even noticed the takeoff. Which was just as well. The helicopter ride hadn’t been so bad for her because she hadn’t had time to anticipate it. But as the day stretched out, the thought of flying to Los Angeles had filled Rusty with apprehension. It would be a while, if ever, before she was a completely comfortable flyer.
“Dinner, Rusty?” Cooper asked. She shook her head. To the flight attendant he said, “No, thanks. They fed us several times today.”
“Buzz me if you need anything,” she said graciously before moving down the aisle. They were the only passengers in the first-class cabin. When the flight attendant returned to the galley, they were left alone for the first time since being rescued.
“You know, it’s funny,” Rusty said musingly, “we were together so much that I thought I’d welcome the time when we could be apart. I thought I missed being with other people—” she fingered the pocket of his shirt “—but I hated the crowds today. All that pushing and shoving. And every time I lost sight of you, I panicked.”
“Natural,” he whispered as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’ve been dependent on me for so long, you’re in the habit. That’ll go away.”
She angled her head back, “Will it, Cooper?”
“Won’t it?”
“I’m not sure I want it to.”
He said her name softly before his lips settled against hers. He kissed her ardently, as though this might be his last chance. There was a desperation behind his kiss. It persisted when Rusty looped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder.
“You saved my life. Have I thanked you? Have I told you that I would have died without you?”
Cooper was frantically kissing her neck, her ears, her hair. “You don’t need to thank me. I wanted to protect you, to take care of you.”
“You did. Well. Very well.” They kissed again until they were forced to break apart breathlessly. “Touch me.”
He watched her lips whisper the words. They were still glistening from their kiss. “Touch you? Here? Now?”
She nodded rapidly. “Please, Cooper. I’m frightened. I need to know you’re here—really and truly here.”
He opened the coat that the Canadian government had supplied and slipped his hand inside. He covered her breast. It felt womanly and warm and full beneath her sweater.
He laid his cheek against hers and whispered, “Your nipple is already hard.”
“Hmm.”
His fingers played with the tight little bead through the knit. “You don’t seem surprised.”
“I’m not.”
“Are they always like this? Where were you when I was fourteen?”
She laughed softly. “No, they’re not always like this. I was thinking about last night.”
“Last night lasted a lifetime. Be specific.”
“Remember when...” She whispered a sultry reminder.
“Lord, yes,” he groaned, “but don’t talk about that now.”
“Why?”
“If you do, you’ll have to sit on my lap.”
She touched him. “To cover this?”
