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“Nah, everything is out there,” Finn says with an easy smile that makes my stomach contract. “The entire world is right there, and this plane can take you wherever you want to go.”
“I guess so.”
“Where do you want to go, Ivy?” he asks in a low, almost seductive voice. His question catches me off guard. “If you could go anywhere?”
The ironic thing is I’m exactly where I want to be. I’ve been thinking about Finn for months and now we’re 30,000 feet up in the air together. “I’m not sure,” I say, thinking over his question. “I haven’t done much traveling.”
“There has to be some place you’ve always wanted to visit.”
The image that pops into my mind is Finn’s bungalow near the beach. Pulling in a deep breath, I try to push the alluring thought from my head. Drown out the rhythmic crashing of the waves that run on a loop in my mind. I certainly can’t tell him the truth, so instead I say, “Okay, I know it’s not very exotic or anything, so don’t laugh.”
“I would never,” he promises, giving me puppy dog eyes and the Boy Scout salute.
He’s so flirty that sometimes I don’t know if he’s being genuine or not. Struggling not to roll my eyes, I say, “I’ve always thought it would be cool to see the Redwoods.”
“They’re beautiful. How about I fly you up there one day?”
“Do you extend that offer to all the women in your life?”
“There are no women in my life.” His voice carries no hint of the playfulness I’m used to hearing, and his eyes lock onto mine.
My heart skips a beat and I fight the breathy gasp and swoon that struggle to escape. I want to believe him. I really do. But his history and reputation also occupy a large part of my thoughts, so I tilt my head and give him my “yeah, right” look.
“What about you? How many men are knocking your door down?” he asks.
The weight of that question coupled with his intense concentration on me are too heavy, and I glance away, back out the windshield. “Shouldn’t you be paying attention to flying?”
“It’s on autopilot, so you’ve got my full attention.” He leans forward, eyeing me like a hawk. “Does that make you uncomfortable?”
Yes.Ridiculously, amazingly, deliciously uncomfortable. Especially as my panties grow wetter by the second. “I don’t know,” I say slowly. “What exactly are your intentions?” My voice is teasing and deceptively light because I don’t want this conversation to get too serious. Falling for Finn is far too dangerous.
“My intentions?” He chuckles. But then the amusement fades and his amazing greenish eyes seem to smolder in the soft glow of the instrument panel. I can’t quite figure out what shade of green they are, but they’re alluring, entrancing, and distracting all at the same time. “How about get to know you better?”
“Why?” My voice sounds ragged. If I’m not careful, he’s going to tear through my carefully-constructed defenses. But I can feel them bending and shifting, wanting to allow him inside. Despite knowing it’s a very bad idea.
“Because I like you, Ivy. Because I felt something when we first met.”
Past tense. My heart sinks.
“And I still do,” he continues. “Why did you run? I know you felt something, too.”
When I open my mouth, on the verge of contradicting him, he shakes his head.
“Don’t even try to deny it. Your body gave you away.”
That low, throaty tone in his voice sears through me, and I squeeze my legs tighter together, my fingers digging into my thighs.Damn him, he’s right.And he knows it. I don’t know how he can read me so easily. Maybe because as a pilot, he’s attuned to those things. Or maybe it’s this insane connection we’ve had since day one. An attraction that is refusing to be ignored.
“You’re trouble,” I tell him, voice husky, unable to look away from his mesmerizing eyes. It suddenly hits me—they’re Russian green, and the gray in them makes them look even darker right now. And if I look deep enough, I might almost believe him. “And I made a mistake.”
I don’t even sound convincing to myself, so I know he’s going to take advantage and strike. Seduce me further. Maybe it’s the dull, rhythmic lull of the jet engine or the way he’s staring at me or the fact that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about our heated encounter, but I’m helpless to his charms like I’ve never been before.
“You think our kiss was a mistake?” When I don’t answer, he makes a face. “Well, that sucks because it was the hottest damn kiss I’ve ever had.”
“You just want what you can’t have,” I insist, fighting the attraction that’s overwhelming me.
“Damn straight. I want you and you seem to want nothing to do with me. It’s starting to give me a complex.”
“I highly doubt that.”
