6. Viktoria
6
VIKTORIA
I swept the sheer white curtain back from the double-portal windows in the jet’s bedroom and grimaced. We were on the ground, but where the hell were we?
Beyond the small airfield, acres and acres of tall green cornstalks stretched to the horizon. In the distance, I spotted a pair of red roofs—a house and a barn was my best guess. I hustled to the bathroom and peered out the portal between the shower stall and toilet. On the other side of the plane, the view wasn’t much better, showing nothing but mowed grass and dirt beneath a line of prop planes… Oh, what was the English term…sprayers? Crop dusters? Two long, squat buildings completed the airport: a mid-sized hangar and what had to be the terminal.
How small was this airport? Were we even at an airport or just a private runway on someone’s farm?
Pushing away, I spied my pale reflection in the mirror. I wanted to recoil from it, but I faced it instead, clasping my still-trembling hands together. Even after forty-five minutes of pacing, I hadn’t fully calmed down. My heart just kept pounding, thumping my ribs, and a thick, nervous lump had lodged in my throat.
I’d even attempted to talk to my father, but I’d hung up when I’d gotten his voicemail. This wasn’t something he should hear about in a message. Aleta offered no distraction either. My assistant didn’t pick up the phone until the jet started to descend, then complained of a mild fever, so I kept the conversation brief, only letting her know we had switched airports to refuel. Then, I’d told the woman to go back to bed.
As hard as I tried, I couldn’t block out that terrifying moment when the copilot had knocked Jeff out, then clamped onto my arm so hard I couldn’t break free. I’d been helpless. Caught. Never in my life had I felt so powerless. All the training I’d put myself through—judo, kickboxing, women’s self-defense—flew out of my head. I’d barely gotten one punch in. Pathetic. Weak. I’d let my skills slip, and it showed. When I got home, I was replacing my exercise routines with martial arts training.
Bracing my weight against the sink, I allowed my mind to settle on the one thought I’d been running from since I’d shut the bedroom door: I’d needed Lee in that moment, needed his rescue. I’d been struggling and screaming for Lee in my head, or maybe aloud. Somewhere deep inside, I’d known he’d save me. He’d make the nightmare end, no matter what. Then he’d swooped in like an avenging angel—and, yes, he’d saved me. How those words rankled! I wasn’t some damsel in distress. I never had been, and never would be.
Except, I sort of had been.
And Lee had been right there, just like he promised.
My father’s words drifted through my head again, but I pushed them away. Lee’s voice took their place, warm and soothing. I promise, I’ll keep you safe. Even if it means jeopardizing my life. I’ll never let anything happen to you . The intensity rolling off him had told me he meant every word.
Lifting my hand, I still felt him caressing my skin like I was the most precious thing in the world?—
Knock. Knock.
“Yes?” I cleared my throat and stepped out of the bathroom.
“It’s Lee,” came his voice, rumbling through the wood. “Can I open the door?”
“Yes,” I said again, snatching my hand away from where it was clutching the base of my throat.
Lee filled the doorway, his eyes sweeping the room before landing on me. No way did he miss the bed perfectly made up, me in the same clothes, and the bath towels untouched. He’d rightly surmise I’d been pacing, and that revealed weakness. I couldn’t show Lee that. Couldn’t let him see. Men wielded women’s weakness like weapons, and Lee was a man. He’d turn this against me. Use my fear to make me compliant.
I scowled. Screw that. I already had a plan in place so I’d be prepared next time. If Lee thought I’d be some meek mouse after this?—
“We’ll be grounded for hours,” he said, edging into the room.
The professional tone and lack of challenge in his eyes threw me off-balance. “Where’s here?”
“Tiny airport near the border of Kansas and Missouri.” Lee smoothed a hand down his shirt, and I followed the action with my eyes, taking in the way the tight cotton hugged his sculpted chest. “The plane needs a full safety check after what happened in Wichita. And the mechanics are busy, it being crop dusting season.”
“Oh.” I had been expecting him to gloat and say, I told you so . Or insist I admit I had been wrong.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” he said instead. He moved a little closer but didn’t touch me. “If we’d run a full background check back in San Diego, we’d still have been running it on the wrong guy.”
“But we might’ve been grounded long enough to get the news. To hear about the carjacking and stop the plot in its tracks.” It hurt to push the words out, to admit I’d been wrong. To admit it to Lee, of all people. To watch him?—
“Maybe,” he said. “Then again, maybe not. Boom only heard about the carjacking when we were about to touch down. I missed his call while we were arguing about you staying on the plane.”
I flinched, feeling stupid. If I’d kept my mouth shut?—
“I mean it,” said Lee. “It’s over and done. It doesn’t matter whose fault it was, just that you’re safe.”
I felt something warm unfurl in my chest. Something had shifted between us, relaxed, opened up. I’d first felt it when I snapped at him and he hadn’t snapped back. When he told me, instead, that he’d never let me get hurt. I thought I’d seen something in him, a look in his eyes. A warm light, almost like?—
Lee’s brows furrowed, and I realized I’d been staring silently for too long. “Right,” I said. “How’s Jeff?”
“He’s awake?—”
Relief washed over me. The man had gotten hurt trying to protect me.
“—but he needs to be checked out by a doctor before he can return to active duty.” Lee glanced over his shoulder, and I followed his gaze. I spied Mike helping Jeff to his feet. “He’s heading into town now and his replacement is on the way. That’s another reason we’re staying grounded a while.”
“What about a copilot?”
An easy grin stretched over Lee’s face, stealing my breath. “I love a smart woman. That’s reason number three.” He held up three fingers. “Boom—er, my boss—has someone who’s been completely vetted and trustworthy already on the road. We’ll have to wait for him to arrive too.”
“I see.” I cocked my head, flushed with relief. A smart woman, Lee had called me. He really didn’t blame me for what had happened to Jeff? Or was this what it looked like, Lee using my fears against me? I narrowed my eyes. “So…are you about to tell me I’m going to be locked inside this jet for the next however many hours while all this happens?”
Lee sighed and scratched the back of his head. “How successful would I be if I did say that?”
“How safe could you keep me if I did venture out?” I let an edge of challenge creep back into my voice. In all fairness, I shouldn’t argue with Lee after what had happened, but it wasn’t just the need for control that had me prodding. The thought of remaining on the plane for hours tightened my gut. I needed to move. To walk. To do something active to escape my thoughts. “No one knows we’re here, right?”
Lee’s frown deepened. “The pilot filed the flight plan in the air, and this isn’t on your father’s schedule.”
“So we should be safe.”
“We should’ve been safe at the other airport,” Lee retorted. “And our hiding spot could be discovered at any time.”
“Lee,” I drawled, smirking at the way his expression hardened. “I need to walk around. Get away from this plane and put what happened behind me. If I did that, could you keep me safe?” I realized I’d stopped trembling, and my smile widened. Sparring with Lee, it seemed, was just what I’d needed. A distraction—a fun one.
“That doesn’t work on me,” Lee said. “Challenging my masculinity— could you keep me safe? I see what you’re doing.”
“That wasn’t a no.” I leaned closer, and Lee shuffled back. He scrubbed his hands over his face—big hands, rough and manly—and sighed long and loud.
“All right,” he said. “There’s a diner a couple of miles away, seems to be sort of the town hotspot. No Michelin stars, but it’s got four stars on Yelp. I’ll take you there, but not dressed like that.” He motioned toward my body.
“I beg your pardon.” I snapped straight. “There’s nothing wrong with the way I’m dressed.”
Lee marched to my suitcase and started going through my things, letting out a huff of frustration as he rejected all my suits and dresses.
“Don’t you have anything that doesn’t scream expensive ?”
“Why would I?” I crossed my arms. “I’m not on vacation. This is a business trip. Everything I’ve packed is for meetings, parties, and public engagements?—”
“In a town like this, you’re going to stand out like a dog in a room full of cats.”
“Did you just call me a dog?”
Lee’s amber irises flashed devilishly. “Well, you can’t be a cat. There’s only one Puma allowed in this territory, and I’m it.”
My hand flew up to cover a laugh. This man was positively lethal. Underneath his gruffness, he had a quick, cheeky sense of humor, the kind that sneaked up on me and made me laugh without thinking. He turned to me, a wicked gleam in his eye. It did sinful things to me, that spark, that smile…
I opened my mouth to say something, but Lee had already left the room. What ?—
He strode back in with a duffel bag. Dropping it on the end of the bed, he unzipped the top and rummaged inside. “Aha!” A light blue button-down shirt emerged, clutched in his hand. “Put this on.” He shoved it toward me. “It’s the only one I brought, so try not to stain it.”
“You’ve got to be joking.” I curled my lip, not moving to take it.
The crease between his eyes deepened, and he straightened up. “Once we’re in town, we can find you something more suitable.” He thrust the shirt at me again. “This is my condition, if we’re going to go out. You need to wear this with your least noticeable pants.”
I took it from him and shook it out. “It’s all wrinkled. Haven’t you heard of an iron? Or better yet, a hanger? Don’t you know not to fold it up like a T-shirt?” A new thought hit me like a hammer. “Someone could recognize me. They could take my picture, walking with you, wearing a shirt that’s clearly yours. They could tweet it, or sell it to some gossip rag. We could be all over social media by dinner tonight.”
“What, like a walk of shame?” Lee stepped closer, brow raised. “That could be arranged.”
“First off.” My chin shot up. “I don’t do ‘walks of shame.’ When I have sex, I own it.”
Lee fanned himself. “Jesus, that’s hot.” Almost all the amber had disappeared from his eyes, his pupils expanding as he took in my body. He shifted, muscles rippling beneath his tight shirt. The air around him crackled, and I clenched my fists to keep from closing the distance—grabbing him, kissing him, biting his shoulder. I stepped back instead and cleared my throat.
“ Furthermore .” I raised my voice to hide the catch in my throat. I ached for his touch on my bare skin, the graze of his rough palms across my taut nipples. An electric tingle raced through my lower belly. “Furthermore,” I repeated, “I don’t kiss and tell. Meaning, I keep my sex life private and out of the news.”
Lee shifted his gaze to the cabin and relaxed his body, dispersing the tension pulsing between us. “So, the shirt?” he said.
I inhaled and got a whiff of Lee’s soap, mixed with a scent I guessed was just him. It unnerved me, how much I drew comfort from it.
“No one’s going to recognize you,” he said, getting us back on track. “That’s the whole point of you wearing my shirt. But if the prospect’s that horrible, we’ll stay on the plane and have Mike pick up a pizza.” He zipped the duffel bag closed. “Your safety always comes first.”
With that, he strolled out of the room and shut the door behind him. I stood slack-jawed. I wanted to scream. How dare Lee use logic to turn my head? Why couldn’t he be like his Neanderthal brethren, beating their chests and demanding their way? Because I’m the man and I said so . Me Tarzan, you Jane. That, I could deal with. I’d always been good at putting chauvinistic assholes in their place. But Lee wasn’t as easily dealt with. He was a challenge, an actual, real challenge.
I lifted his shirt again. He was right, and I knew it. With rows of cornfields beyond the plane and the diner being the town hotspot, I would stand out in Chanel and Gucci.
That could be arranged, he’d said. Had he really meant…sex? Just the thought made my skin itch, and my body felt hot.
“Fine, Lee McCallister,” I muttered into his shirt. “You win this round, but don’t get used to it.”