6. Cici
CICI
The cockpit door clicked shut behind me.
Finally, a barrier.
Not much of one considering who was sitting twenty feet behind me, but I'd take what I could get.
I slid into the left seat and began my preflight checks.
Everything felt familiar.
Comforting.
Predictable.
Unlike the last forty-eight hours.
Unlike Collin Todd Archer.
My copilot, Mike, settled into the right seat and began working through his portion of the checklist.
Outside, the mountains surrounding Aspen disappeared beneath a blanket of fresh snow. The storm had finally moved through, leaving behind blue skies and enough sunshine to make everyone forget how badly it had stranded them.
I wished I could forget.
Unfortunately, every time I closed my eyes, I saw a pair of light brown eyes and a crooked smile.
And every time I opened them, I remembered exactly who was sitting in the cabin.
My client.
The man I'd slept with.
The man who apparently traveled with a stunning brunette who looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine.
The same brunette who had arrived with him in the SUV, whom he had a pet name for...
Bunny. The way they interacted, they clearly were in a relationship, and let's not forget the huge diamond glittering on her left ring finger.
I flipped a switch with slightly more force than necessary.
Mike glanced over.
"Everything okay, Captain?"
"Perfect."
He raised an eyebrow.
I smiled.
"Ready when you are."
He wisely let it go.
A few minutes later the flight attendant stepped into the cockpit.
"Passengers are seated."
Passengers.
Plural.
Todd.
And her.
Fantastic.
I completed the final checklist.
The engines came alive beneath us.
Work mode.
That's all this was.
Work.
Nothing else.
The climb out of Aspen was smooth, and for the first thirty minutes I managed not to think about him.
That had to be some kind of personal record.
Then the intercom chimed.
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
"Captain Connelly?"
His voice rolled through the speaker.
Deep.
Calm.
Entirely too familiar.
"Yes, Mr. Archer?"
A pause.
"I was hoping you'd call me Todd."
Professional.
Stay professional.
"Is there something you need, Mr. Archer?"
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"No."
"Then I'll return to flying the aircraft."
Mike coughed into his fist.
I shot him a look.
He suddenly became fascinated with the instrument panel.
The intercom clicked off.
Good.
That should settle that.
Ten minutes later it chimed again.
I stared at it.
Mike grinned.
I ignored him and answered.
"Captain Connelly."
"I have a question."
Of course he did.
"What is your question, Mr. Archer?"
"Are you always this friendly?"
I nearly laughed.
Nearly.
"Only on days ending in Y."
Silence.
Then a low chuckle.
The kind that had gotten me into trouble in Aspen.
The intercom disconnected.
Mike looked over.
"So... you two know each other?"
"No."
"Sure sounds that way."
"No, it doesn't."
"Right..." He stretched out the word like he didn't believe me.
I stared at him.
He held up both hands.
"Just trying to understand why you're talking like that."
I turned back to my instruments.
"Fly the airplane, Mike."
His laughter filled the cockpit.
By the time we touched down in Charlotte, I was exhausted.
Not from flying.
Flying was easy.
It was the pretending that was exhausting.
Pretending I didn't remember every second we'd spent together.
Pretending I wasn't aware of him every time he spoke.
Pretending it hadn't bothered me seeing him with Miss Perfect Bunny.
The wheels touched down smoothly.
I taxied to the private terminal.
The moment the parking brake was set, relief washed through me. My mission was accomplished.
He'd go his way. I'd go mine. Exactly how it should be.
I completed the shutdown checklist and gathered my things.
As I stepped into the cabin, Todd stood near the exit.
The brunette stood beside him.
Beautiful.
Polished.
Perfect.
She smiled warmly.
"Great flight."
"Thank you."
Todd's gaze held mine a second too long.
"See you soon, Captain."
His words landed with an unsettling weight.
I offered a professional smile.
"Have a good afternoon."
Then I watched them head down the stairs, Todd's hand resting on Bunny's back.
Cheating scumbag!
Gone.
Good.
I exhaled.
Finally.
Freedom.
"It was nice meeting you both," I said, turning to Mike and Julie. "It was a pleasure flying with you, Mike."
"Likewise." Mike's gaze followed Todd's retreating back then settled on me. One corner of his mouth twitched. "Are you sure you two don't know each other? The look on your face says that you do."
Julie laughed, "Stop being so nosey. Get home safe."
Mike gave me a nod. "Take care of yourself, Captain."
"I will. Bye, you two."
I grabbed my overnight bag and headed toward my car.
Halfway there, a terrible realization slammed into me.
I stopped walking.
No.
No, no, no.
I had signed a contract.
A three-month contract.
Three months.
Ninety days.
Ninety days of seeing Todd Archer.
Ninety days of pretending we'd never spent a night tangled together in a hotel bed.
I closed my eyes.
"Fucking fantastic."
Forty-five minutes later I pulled into my driveway on Lake Norman.
Home.
Thank God.
I dropped my bags inside the front door.
Kicked off my shoes.
Changed into leggings and an oversized T-shirt.
Then I collapsed onto the couch.
For the first time in days, silence surrounded me. I grabbed my phone and took it off airplane mode.
My phone buzzed.
I ignored it.
It buzzed again.
And again.
And again.
With a groan, I reached for it.
Twenty-three text messages.
Seven missed calls.
Three voicemails.
What the hell?
The first text was from my friend Megan.
CALL ME.
The second wasn't any better.
Tell me that wasn't you.
The third:
CICI. ANSWER YOUR PHONE.
I frowned.
The fourth included a screenshot.
My stomach dropped.
No.
No way.
I opened it.
There, frozen in crystal-clear high definition, was the back of a woman walking through a luxury hotel suite.
Blonde hair.
Bare legs.
Black underwear.
And a very recognizable wings tattoo on her right shoulder blade.
My wings tattoo.
"Oh my God."
A fresh text appeared.
Please tell me you weren't the half-naked woman on that morning news show.
Another immediately followed.
Because if that's you, the internet is having a FIELD DAY.
My heart stopped.
Slowly, very slowly, I clicked the video link.
The screen filled with Todd.
Wearing a dress shirt.
Suit jacket.
Tie.
And absolutely no idea what was about to happen.
A second later, I walked through the background.
Half naked.
On national television.
"Oh my God."
I hit play again.