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“Smells like freedom to me, pretty girl.”
I nod because he’s right. No matter what happened or what comes next, right here, right now, I’m free.
“You want to tell me what that was?” he asks me quietly, gripping my hip, when the plane starts moving down the runway. “Here, let’s strap in while we take off. I should have done this first. Sorry.”
He takes my hand and leads me back out to the seating area. He walks me to where the four seats are and indicates with his head for me to sit near the window, so I do. I let go of his hand, but he doesn’t let go of mine; instead, he slips into the seat next to me.
“You good?”
I nod again. Reluctantly, he lets go of my hand and reaches over to clip my seatbelt in place. It’s oddly intimate, but it doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable. He buckles himself in and takes my hand again.
“My brother is an excellent pilot, but he’s excellent at most things. Don’t tell him I said that because I’ll deny it.”
I feel a small smile grace my face. “And what are you good at?”
“Hmm… Now that is a loaded question. I make the best mac and cheese you’ve ever tasted. I’m the king of mini-golf and hold the self-appointed title of world’s best uncle. I have the mug to prove it. I’m also good at making pretty ladies smile.”
“You’re a flirt,” I say with a chuckle.
“With a face like this, the man upstairs knew I was going to be trouble, so he loaded the deck in my favor and made me funny and humble too.”
“Yes, humble is definitely the word I would use to describe you.”
“Really?”
“No.” I laugh.
He grins back, and I realize I’ve shaken off the panic and have relaxed, thanks to the man beside me.
“Thank you. I say that a lot, huh?”
“Your smile is thanks enough.”
Laughter peels out of me, surprising us both.
“I took it too far, didn’t I?”
“Little bit. You weren’t aiming for laughter?”
“I was hoping for some swooning, but that’s okay. We can work up to that.”
His smile fades, but his grip on my hand remains firm. “So back there…” he nods toward the shower.
I blow out a breath and look ahead, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes. “It was the door. As soon as I closed it, the room shrank, and there just wasn’t enough air.”
“Given what we just pulled you out of, it’s not surprising.”
The plane lifts off, making me squeeze his hand tighter, and soon my ears pop.
“How about you leave the door open? There are only the three of us on board. Me and Zig will be flying, so you don’t have to worry about being perved on.”
“Are you saying if you weren’t flying, you’d perv me?”
He smiles wickedly. “It’s uncanny how well you know me already.”
The plane stops climbing, and everything evens out. Reaching over me once more, Oz unclips my belt before undoing his own. He pulls me to my feet before kissing the back of my hand.
“Do whatever makes you comfortable. You’ll get zero judgment from us. Now I’m going to head up to Zig. You can come find us when you’re done.”
