CHAPTER 16
Nick
“Ready for maneuvers?” Nick shifted his gaze from the blue sky beyond the windshield to those blue eyes that seemed to grow more beautiful each time he looked into them.
“Sure.” Her scent filled the cockpit, driving him crazy; it was all he could do not to lean in and shove his tongue into her pretty mouth.
Speaking of her pretty mouth, she caught him looking at her, and her lips curved into a knowing smile. She knew what she did to him during these lessons, and she seemed to enjoy his torment.
Professional. We stay professional up here.
But he had a very unprofessional plan for tomorrow.
And he couldn’t wait.
Nick schooled his expression, suppressing the grin that threatened to appear. “Let’s do some slow flight, and then we’ll go into some stalls.”
“All right.” She slowed the airplane to sixty knots while performing clearing turns to ensure they were still alone in the practice area. “Controls are feeling mushy,” she muttered.
“OK, let’s do some shallow turns. Don’t let your altitude vary.”
She executed the turns with ease. He could see a clear difference in her level of confidence compared to the first lessons, and pride swelled in his chest. “Very nice. Now let’s do a clean stall, recover at the first indication.”
He watched her steady the airplane and slowly pull back on the throttle, correctly using a little trim to hold the nose up. He knew she needed a lot of muscle to pull on the yoke, but Jannie didn’t seem to struggle.
Right on cue, the stall warning blared throughout the cockpit, and he felt a slight buffet through the airplane.
“Stall, stall!” Jannie called. Immediately, she lowered the nose through the horizon. As speed increased, she smoothly applied full power and began to bring the plane back to its original altitude.
Nick grinned. “Well done!”
He had her perform a departure stall, then an approach-to-landing stall, which she handled with equal competence. The woman was born for this. Why was she a doctor?
“Time for some instrument flying,” he said.
She nodded. “My airplane.”
“Your airplane.”
Jannie put on the visor, which limited her ability to look out the windshield, forcing her to see only the instruments.
“November 290 Fox Delta, turn left to a heading of three six zero, descend and maintain 2,500 feet,” he said, playing the air traffic controller.
“November 290 Fox Delta, left turn to three six zero, descend and maintain 2,500 feet,” Jannie repeated.
Flashing him a quick smile, she proceeded to turn and descend at the same time.
Nick felt the plane slipping a little and was about to tell her to look at the ball, but she gave it a bit more left rudder.
He relaxed in his seat. Apparently, he didn’t need to say anything, so he just watched her, smiling, the sight of her hands on the yoke replaced by a hot recollection of her hands on him.
“Nice coordinated turn,” he said, blinking away the erotic image.
“Why, thank you.”
She looked exuberant, and he really wanted to pull her to him and kiss the living daylights out of her.
Aviation excited him. Add Jannie to the mix, and it was a whole different level.
“How about some unusual attitudes next?” he asked.
“OK.”
Those unexpected aircraft positions used to trigger the worst stomach-churning feelings for him, and he didn’t like the training required to learn how to handle them.
Jannie, however, appeared to have no problems. On the contrary, she seemed to enjoy herself as she flawlessly executed the nose-high and then the nose-low one; recovery of the airplane passed the grade with flying colors.
The woman was a natural. No other way to describe it. She’d be ready for a checkride in no time.
“Should we try a landing?” he asked.
“We should do better than trying, don’t you think?”
He chuckled. Yeah, she even had the attitude of a pilot. “Yes, Captain.”
·
Jannie
Jannie tilted her head back to drink the last of her water, then dragged her arm across her brow.
It felt great to be back in the gym, and even better to watch Nick lift an insane amount of weight.
The man did curls with hundred-pound dumbbells, grunting and sweating, and she was getting more and more turned on as he forced the reps with the help of a spotter.
Draping her towel around her neck, she moved to the abductor machine and settled in, leaning forward to adjust the poundage.
Slowly, she pushed out, then let the pads return her spread-wide legs to the starting position, pausing after a few reps to slightly increase the weight.
She hadn’t lost her muscle tone, which was good and also surprising since she had forgone workouts after …
After what happened. She hated the word miscarriage. By now, she would have been nearing her third trimester, and the babies would be … no, she couldn’t let herself go there.
Avoid, avoid, avoid.
She pushed through the weight, focusing on performing each rep with proper form, even as her muscles screamed for mercy.
She felt eyes upon her and smiled, turning her head to see …
Not Nick.
A very attractive, muscular Black man was staring at her, and when she met his hooded gaze, he grinned and nodded. She returned his nod politely and resumed her reps, not looking at him again and trying hard to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that she was being ogled.
The next moment, she sensed him move in her peripheral vision, all swagger and confidence in his approach.
“Hello, princess.”
Suavely spoken.
Jannie finished bringing the weight stack back with a clang, slid the towel off her neck, and briefly buried her face in it, hoping he’d go away.
But no. He came to stand beside her. “This is my favorite machine. And you handle it with beauty and grace.”
“Thank you.” What else could she say? She’d heard the snarky innuendoes men made about the thigh blaster.
“No need to thank me, darlin’. That’s an impressive amount of weight you have there. You work out often, I can tell.”
The man had a lilting Caribbean accent and an easy, cordial demeanor to match. Though he was undeniably trying too hard to be friendly, he didn’t give off creepy vibes. On the contrary, she found him quite attractive. Not wanting to be rude, Jannie smiled. “Let me guess. Cayman Islands.”
He pointed at her, a huge grin spreading across his face. “Correct!”
“You sound surprised.”
“Most people guess Jamaica. As a matter of fact, no one ever got it right on the first try.”
“That’s because they don’t go to Grand Cayman nearly every year.”
His grin widened. “You know Grand Cayman?”
“Very well. My family’s choice when we go to the Caribbean.”
“Your family has excellent taste.” He leaned against the machine, flexing his huge biceps as he did so. “I haven’t seen you here before. Believe me, a woman like you, so gorgeous and fit, I would have noticed. I also notice you aren’t wearing a ring.”
“What she’s wearing or not wearing,” came Nick’s smooth voice from behind her, “is none of your damn business.”
Jannie tensed. Nick’s eyes flashed as he made direct eye contact with the chatty guy.
The man pushed off the side of the machine and stood up straight.
Unfazed, he regarded Nick with amusement.
“Ah. Of course. I might have known. A lovely lady like this would be taken by none other than Master Kent himself.” He chuckled, raising his hands as if in surrender.
“Can’t blame a man for trying. No worries, yeah? ”
“None whatsoever. Matter of fact, I could use a spotter. Would you mind?”
“No problem.” The man thrust out his hand. “How are you, man? Long time no see!”
Jannie relaxed. Apparently, they knew each other.
“Doing good.” Nick gripped the man’s proffered hand.
“How come I haven’t seen you lately at—”
“Been busy,” Nick interrupted. Frowning a bit, he motioned with his chin. “Jannie, meet Reginald Ebanks, personal trainer and shameless flirt. Reginald, this is my girl, Jannie.”
My girl.
The sound of it made warmth spread all over her insides.
“Jannie!” Reginald exclaimed. “A fitting name for a Barbie princess! It is a true pleasure.”
Barbie princess? Really?
“Likewise.” She had to laugh and extended her hand, and he took it in both of his.
His hands were warm and big. He reminded her of balmy beachside nights, cocktails with colorful umbrellas, and lilting music—many happy memories of this man’s homeland.
Jannie liked him. But he held her hand and gaze a tad too long, and something in the way he regarded her made her the first to look away.
Nick cleared his throat. He leaned down, and when she looked up, his eyes gleamed with annoyance as he bent farther to press a soft kiss on her lips. “All good?” he murmured.
She nodded, unable to stop herself from smiling at the look in his eyes.
She clearly saw determination and … yes, possession in his gaze.
He eyed her weight stack. “Don’t overdo it.”
He clapped Reginald’s back in a friendly gesture, but the set of his jaw told a different story.
Well, well. Could it be that Nick Kent was jealous?
With her heart beating a little faster, she watched the two men as they strolled toward the heavy barbell section. Reginald said something that clearly didn’t sit well with Nick, who shook his head and glared at him.
But Reginald just laughed, evidently not intimidated.
Soon, Nick lay on his back on a narrow bench, his thick legs spread wide apart, his arm muscles beautifully corded, bench-pressing a massive barbell as if it were made of Styrofoam.
The loose legs of his shorts offered Jannie a glimpse of the red boxers like the ones she’d yanked off him last night, and she shifted, feeling her nipples pebble.
Behind him, Reginald grinned broadly at her and winked.
Her mouth was dry, whether from the sight of Nick working those muscles she liked to touch or because she’d pushed herself too hard, she didn’t know.
Nick was right, though. Best not to overdo it the first time she exercised after such a long break. Rising, she headed to the concession stand near the gym entrance.