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“Men don’t change,” I scoff, my jaded side taking over.
“That’s not true,” Eden states. “Look at Colt. He used to be such a dick.”
“Thanks, baby.”
“You’re welcome.” She tosses him a sassy wink. “It’s true, though. We met on a mission, both after the same item, and I beat him to it.”
Colt clamps his jaw tighter and I think he already knows what she’s about to say next.
“Don’t even deny it, Mr. Law. If I hadn’t gone up to your room to hide out until things cooled off, I would’ve disappeared long before you ever found that chip hidden in my ring.”
“If you say so, baby.” Colt looks at me and subtly shakes his head. “I just let her do all the hard work. Then I turned around and stole it from under her.”
“You were rivals? It’s a miracle you two ever got together.” Must have been some steamy rivalry since they’re married with a baby daughter. And I’ve never seen a tighter couple. It’s almost like they can read each other’s minds, and there’s no missing the love shining in their eyes when they look at each other.
Unlike the experiences from my dreary dating history and seeing my parents’ disaster of a marriage, it seems like Eden and Colt are lucky enough to have found the real thing. I don’t think I’ll ever be that fortunate, and it’s enough to make a girl jealous.Miss Lonely Hearts forever, table for one.
“It isn’t always easy,” Eden admits, and looks over at Colt. Their hands reach out at the same time, fingers lacing together, and I wonder what that feels like. To be so innately on the same page with someone, so completely in tune with another person’s soul, that your very hearts beat the same rhythm. On some deep, hidden level I don’t explore very often, I know I want the same thing so very much.
“But it’s worth it,” Colt finishes.
I’m happy for them, but the sad truth for me is sometimes it’s just easier to accept the loneliness rather than trying to have a relationship. My picker is off when it comes to choosing the right man. Unfortunately, it always has been. I’m drawn to men who always seem to be searching for the bigger, better deal. I’m fun for a brief time—until someone else comes along who’s a little shinier, a little younger, a little perkier in all the right places.
Bigger, better deal guys suck and they will let you down every single time. They never stick around and have a perpetual wandering eye.
It happened to my mom. And it continually happens to me.
I stifle a sigh as those two get lost in their own little world. Being surrounded by so many happy couples isn’t easy and when I look around lately, it’s all I see. From the couples I photograph to Kennedy and Aidan to the entire Slater team. They’re all so much in love and it’s all heart eyes and hot sex.
It’s also forever. Despite being jaded, I can’t deny it. I can see it in the way they gaze at each other. Even right now with Colt and Eden. Studying them, I’m pretty sure they’ve forgotten all about me even though I’m only a few feet away.
Damn, constantly being the third wheel gets depressing fast.
Kennedy once described how her stomach flutters every time Aidan walks into the room. And, dammit, there’s only one person who’s made my belly flip-flop faster than dropping down a rollercoaster hill.
“Good evening, ladies and Colt,” Finn says, interrupting my thoughts and exactly on cue. His tone is laced in humor and I’m sure he has jokes. “Thank you for choosing Night Stalker Express for your travel needs. We’ve currently reached cruising altitude and expect smooth skies ahead. After the flight, we kindly ask that you fill out the emailed survey and remember—we aim to please.”
Colt snorts a laugh. “He’s on a roll tonight.”
“He’s always on a roll,” Eden says dryly.
I roll my eyes. Clearly, the man cracks himself up.
“Flight time is 6 hours, 32 minutes—challenge accepted—but your dashing and daring pilot extraordinaire will most likely have you safely landed on the tarmac sooner than that. The in-flight entertainment is Colt. Enjoy him, Mrs. Law. Miss Monroe, your immediate presence is requested in the cockpit.”
My brow creases in confusion, but before I can ask, the cockpit door swings open.
“I think our dashing and daring captain wants your company,” Eden says with a grin.
“Oh,” I murmur, then slowly unbuckle my seatbelt. I stand up, send one last glance over to Eden who’s now unbuckling her belt and turning to Colt, and head up the aisle. When I reach the door, I pop my head inside.
“C’mon in,” Finn invites, lowering his headset.
Carefully, I move into the cockpit, closing the door behind me and gingerly lowering myself into the empty seat, terrified I’ll accidentally bump something and send us into a death spiral. My awed gaze travels over all of the lit-up buttons and switches. Hundreds of them. It’s amazing that Finn knows what they all mean and possesses the talent to utilize them all in the exact, extremely precise way to keep us up in the air and flying.
“Buckle up, sweetness,” he says, reaching for the harness and helping me pull it over my head.
After I snap it in place, I lean forward and gaze out at the black sky and even blacker ground below. Up ahead, I spot some city lights, but it’s mostly a dark hole of nothingness and the roar of the engine. “Wow,” I murmur, a little intimidated. “Nothing out there at all.”
