CHAPTER 17
Jannie
“I told you. It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises,” Jannie muttered.
“You’ll love this one, I promise.”
Jannie tapped her foot, impatiently clicking her seat belt as she looked out the window of the enormous Global 7500.
On the tarmac, Nick had driven right past their little Piper and headed straight for this plane, something she really didn’t expect on a sunny morning perfect for practicing maneuvers.
“You won’t give me a hint?”
“Nope.”
“Not even a little one?”
He smirked. “When have I ever given you a little one?”
She ignored his innuendo, although his words immediately caused that familiar hot pulse between her thighs. “Is this a long trip?”
He shook his head. Just when she thought she’d managed to wrench a clue out of him, he said, “Not telling.”
What had he planned? When he parked at the airport, he told her there was no flight lesson today, pulled two suitcases from the back of his truck, and announced that they were going somewhere. That’s all she knew.
Her eyes widened. “Rolf!”
“Taken care of. I called David this morning. He’ll be by to pick him up in an hour. Rolf will be at doggie training camp, having the time of his life.”
Jannie smiled. David Winters, a friend of Nick’s and a veteran Military Working Dog handler, owned the dog boarding and training facility where Rolf went when Nick took her flying.
Sometimes, she swore the big stinker didn’t want to come with her after a fun day working with David and romping with other dogs.
It was so very dark in the plane. Every shade but this one was still drawn, and he wasn’t letting her raise any of them yet, so it was impossible to see if anyone approached in a golf cart carrying suitcases. And this behemoth was too big to even hear the compartment door being opened or closed.
Damn. Her spine stiffened.
“Let go, Jannie.”
That was equivalent to someone telling her to relax. If his voice and presence didn’t affect her like warm bourbon, that would have pissed her off.
“Don’t tell me to—”
He hooked a hand behind her neck and pulled her to him, sweeping his hot tongue along her lips. “I will tell you. Let go. Let me do things for you.” He kissed her cheek, then feathered kisses along her jaw, finally moving to speak directly in her ear. “Please, Jannie.”
And she melted. The way he said “please” worked every time, damn him.
“OK, then, please me.” She fisted Nick’s crisp white shirt, feeling his rock-hard pecs beneath the fabric, catching his nipples between her fingers.
He jumped, reaching up to grab her hands. “Don’t do that,” he murmured, “unless you want us to stay grounded for at least an hour. With—” he gestured toward the front, where another pilot came into view as he climbed the stairs “—an audience.”
A violent, tingling thrill shot through Jannie, and she shuddered, exhaling sharply before she could conceal her visceral reaction to his words.
“Hey, Kent,” the pilot said, “everything looks good outside; you ready to go?”
Nick cleared his throat. “Yeah, ready,” he said, but he stayed seated, his heated gaze fixed on Jannie.
The pilot nodded, flashing her a smile. “Welcome aboard, ma’am.” He hastened to get settled in the cockpit.
A wicked, knowing smile spread across Nick’s face. “Does the thought of an audience turn you on, Jannie?”
Yes. God, yes.
She opened her mouth to deny it, but he was staring straight into her, and she knew he could clearly read her mind.
This man had an uncanny ability to tap into her deepest, most secret erotic thoughts, and as her body continued to become aroused by the tantalizing, forbidden scenario, she pulled him close again, sucking his lower lip into her mouth and biting gently, then kissing him with all the pent-up frustration she possessed.
He kissed her back, making a low noise that vibrated deep within her.
He broke the kiss. “Gotta go.”
Her eyes widened. “You are going to fly this plane?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t know you were type-rated in this thing.”
He flashed a cocky grin that made her stomach flutter. “Well, now you do.”
She gave him a little shove. “Go fly the plane, then. I’ll raise the shades.”
He stood and briefly cupped her cheek before heading to the cockpit, and Jannie watched his broad back, her gaze lowering to his fine ass, her mind flooded with illicit images she had to quickly push away.
·
“From the flight deck, Miss Larssen, this is your first officer speaking,” came Nick’s sexy, cocky pilot voice over the speakers.
“We’ve started our descent. We’re expecting some bumps, so please make sure your seat belt is securely fastened.
” He lowered his voice even more. “Nice and tight.” A pause.
“If you look to your right, once we clear these clouds, you’ll be able to enjoy some great views of our destination. ”
Jannie returned her seat to the upright position, eagerly looking out the window at the blue sky and the blanket of fluffy clouds that obscured her view of the ground.
She could have cheated and plugged the tail number into FlightAware, but Nick wanted to surprise her, and she knew he’d be disappointed if she did that.
So, for the past five hours, she had read her Kindle book, snoozed, and done her best to relax.
The plane entered the clouds, and suddenly all she could see outside was white.
Jostled up and down, Jannie tightened her belt a little as the air currents tossed the aircraft.
She grinned. Ever since she was a kid, she’d loved this.
Forget roller coasters; give her a good, rough airplane ride any day.
They descended quickly, clouds streaked past, and suddenly they cleared to reveal a familiar skyline in the distance.
Oh my God, Manhattan!
Nick had brought her to New York!
Her heart began to pound, and she clasped her hands in elation. The last time she was here, it was for a conference, and she’d barely had a chance to leave the hotel.
She shifted in her seat, leaning forward as she spotted the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, and the Chrysler Building.
It was all she could do to keep from storming the cockpit and throwing her arms around Nick.
Excitement rushed through her veins. Yes, she always loved visiting New York, but being here with Nick with nothing to do but explore would make it even better.
What did he have planned? Hopefully, at least one Broadway show. She also wanted to see Rockefeller Center again, climb to the top of the Empire State Building this time, and maybe visit Lady Liberty.
Landing seemed to take forever, but at last, the plane floated endlessly above the runway, and finally, the wheels touched down, so softly they seemed to kiss the ground.
Even before the marshaller finished guiding them into a parking spot, she unbuckled her seat belt and sprinted down the aisle, reaching Nick just as he shut off the engines and started to pull off his headset.
“Nice landing.” Leaning down, she gripped his chin to turn his face to hers, planting a kiss on his smiling lips.
“Thanks. I take it you’re OK with this?” he asked, his smile widening into a grin.
“Yes!” She turned to the captain. “Thank you. It was a great flight.”
·
The drive from Teterboro took nearly an hour due to heavy traffic, but with Nick beside her in the limo and flutes of champagne to enjoy, Jannie didn’t mind.
“How long have you been planning this trip?”
“Since I was asked to help deliver that Global to New York. The owner couldn’t find a second pilot, so he’s showing his gratitude.”
“How?”
A mysterious smile. “You’ll see.”
To the right, the Hudson River gleamed in the sun, and soon the USS Intrepid came into view, the famous aircraft carrier berthed near Pier 86. The Intrepid, she knew, had survived World War II, kamikaze attacks, and torpedo strikes, too.
She grabbed Nick’s arm. “Oh, look at the planes on deck!”
“I see a few helicopters.” Nick squinted against the bright sunlight. “Would you like to visit that museum?”
She sat upright, bouncing a little, feeling like a kid at Christmas. “Can we?”
“Of course.”
It took a while for the limousine to reach the city.
Moving slowly through the busy streets, Jannie rolled down the window to better take in the sights and sounds.
She craned her neck to look up at the skyscrapers that seemed to rise at every corner, her nostrils flaring at the combined smells of exhaust, food, and something that could only be described as big city.
“Are you finally going to tell me where we’re staying?”
A smile played about Nick’s beautiful lips as he sipped the last of his champagne. “Just around the corner.”
The limo turned, and to Jannie’s surprise, a familiar control-tower-shaped structure came into view. “That looks like the Mile High!”
“That’s because it is.” Nick’s eyes twinkled. “The guy who built the Vegas version had his architect add condos to this one.”
The building, she observed, was connected to the adjacent one via some sort of bridge.
Jannie’s eyes widened. “And is membership here also restricted to pilots?”
“No. Aviation executives, too. If you work in an aviation-related field or own an aircraft, you have a shot here, if approved.”
“We’re staying in a condo?”
“We are. The owner of the Global owns both buildings, and we have use of one of the units for the weekend.”
The car rolled to a stop, and a bellhop rushed to open the door. “Welcome to the Mile High!”
Mile High, indeed.
Jannie smiled, tilting her head back to admire the towering buildings.
As Nick turned to tip the driver and see about the luggage, her gaze fixed on his broad shoulders, beautifully showcased by his fitted pilot shirt.
This was going to be a memorable weekend.