Chapter 9 #2
Lance’s arms flexed around her. He tilted the controller, and the dashed white lines on the screen flew past quicker until the plane left the ground.
Her breath came in shallow bursts. She’d never been a snuggler—when she was married to Ron, she’d never wanted him to hug her after a bad day. She’d slept on her side of the bed, and he stayed on his side.
She’d also never told Ron she was afraid to fly.
“You know how lift works,” Lance said. “Flying’s just a matter of keeping the wings and tail in order.”
The ominous thunderclouds rose up again, but he tilted the controller, his fingers doing something to the right buttons. The view of the world angled and the thunderstorm disappeared in the bottom right corner while his body leaned left, pulling her left along with him.
His fingers shifted again, and the view lazily returned to a normal bearing lined up with a big body of water on the horizon.
Kaci slowly eased back until she was resting against his solid chest while they straightened as well. The water wasn’t real. She couldn’t get hurt. “You play this game a lot?”
“I fly a lot.”
She tried to suppress a shiver, but she didn’t quite manage it.
“Got a real good crew,” he said while he turned the plane on the screen to bring a distant island into view.
“They keep the aircraft in top-notch shape. I test everything before I take any bird up in the air. Rather be grounded for nothing than up in the air with something, and I’ve never known a pilot who felt different. ”
“Have you…” She shook her head.
She didn’t want to know. Not if he’d ever had engine trouble. Not if he’d ever done an emergency landing. Not if he’d ever lost a friend.
“You sure you want to go to Germany?” he said. “This island looks pretty damn nice to me.”
Didn’t look to be many places a girl could get in trouble on an island.
Her momma would like that, but Kaci might get bored.
“We could see who could build a better slingshot for all those coconuts,” he continued.
Her lips parted, and she felt a pang, but this one wasn’t in her heart.
It was much lower.
“Make a bet. Could probably come up with some pretty good stakes.” His breath tickled the hair behind her ear while he steered the plane around the island, giving her a better view of the impressive graphics of the tropical paradise.
“Whoever flings the coconut farthest gets a…favor from the loser.”
“Ain’t so sure I trust you not to cheat.”
“Might lose on purpose just so I owe you a favor.”
If he was half as capable with a woman’s body as he was with a video game controller…
“You wouldn’t do that.”
His chuckle rumbled across her back. “Probably not.”
He leveled the plane and pointed it out toward the open sea. His arms tightened against her, and his breath tickled her hair.
He had nice arms. Lean and long and defined as though he spent as many hours swimming and slicing through water as he did flying planes.
He took one hand off the controller. She flinched.
“Here.” He palmed her hand and guided it to the controller. “You can fly.”
Could she?
The view out the window on the TV wobbled, but Lance’s hand was sure and solid around hers.
He guided her other hand to the controller too. His skin was hot, his legs propped on either side of her, his chest pressed against her back. Her belly quivered.
She needed to focus. She was here for help getting over a little discomfort flying so she could go to Germany. Not for a tumble with a flyboy.
But he was obviously interested.
What was the harm in having some fun on the side?
“Little more speed,” he murmured.
His thumb pressed hers against the thrust button. The view on the TV became nothing but blue sky. Her belly dipped.
His arms tightened at her sides. “Beautiful.”
“This supposed to teach me how to fly that dang plane when my pilot has a heart attack?”
“You’ll be telling people you defied death and landed that bird even though it’s all autopilot these days. Don’t pretend you won’t.”
“Says you.” The man had figured her out. And she couldn’t decide if that was comforting or terrifying.
Most days, even her own momma didn’t understand her. Kaci understood herself. Since her second semester of college, when she’d finally stood up for what she wanted to do with her life, she was the only person she’d ever truly counted on.
“You’re all talk, Dr. Boudreaux.”
“And fire and catapults. You forgot that part.”
“And hog thief.” He chuckled again, that warm, delicious sound going straight to her core.
“Now you’re making stuff up.” She felt a smile growing.
Huh. Smiling while her body and mind were half-convinced she was flying. No small miracle there.
“Level her off.” He touched her thumb again, and she released the pressure on her throttle control. Spots of land appeared in the distance.
“That doesn’t look like Germany.”
“All right, smarty pants. You take us to Germany.” Lance released her hands.
She shrieked. She jerked the controller, and the view pitched and wobbled. A giant mass of sea loomed beyond the plane’s nose.
“Making it too easy, Dr. Boudreaux.” He covered her hands again, and with three easy flicks of his thumbs, the screen righted itself again.
Her heart flung itself against her ribs as though it had been launched out of a cannon. “Don’t do that again.”
His chest shook against her back.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“No.” But there it was again. That vibration. Along with a suspicious cough-snort.
She twisted around.
He dropped his gaze, but not before she caught the amusement dancing in his dark eyes. His lips wobbled, and he seemed to be sucking in his cheeks.
Kaci launched to her feet.
He was laughing at her. She was getting all hot and bothered, and he was just playing. “Thank you for your time, Captain Wheeler. Obviously, this isn’t gonna work.”
“It’s fine and dandy for you to give me shit over geography and who can fling a coconut farther, but I can’t give it back?
Sit down and get over yourself, Miss Know-It-All.
Turbulence happens, and the plane keeps flying.
Did I let you crash? No. And you know what?
The pilot flying a commercial jet won’t crash either.
You’re in more danger in a car than you are in the air. You’re not going to crash.”
Ice crystallized over her skin, and her lungs couldn’t take in enough air. “Tell that to my daddy.”
She didn’t wait for understanding to dawn.
She couldn’t.
She needed fresh air, and then she needed to go blow something up.