Chapter one #3
I drop my hands back down as she follows suit. “Yeah, haven’t you seen Friends?” I ask, chuckling to myself because only a true fan would know why I knew I was going to win this game from the moment I suggested it.
“The TV show?”
“Yeah. Fire beats everything, at least according to Joey Tribbiani.”
Cashlynn blinks at me, still trying to process what just happened, but I reach for her hand just as the plane starts careening forward, the speed climbing higher and higher. She closes her eyes and whispers, “Oh my God, oh my God…”
“Shhh, it’s okay,” I murmur and squeeze her hand, stroking it with my thumb, and wrap my free arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to me. Big mistake.
Fuck. She smells incredible, like citrus and vanilla, with a hint of coconut in her hair. And the way she leans into me, her breasts press into my bicep, doing things to me that are not at all helpful right now.
“Just breathe, Cashlynn.”
“I hate this.”
“It will be over before you know it.” Just as the words leave my lips, the plane lifts off, climbing toward the sky. Cashlynn squeezes my hand so hard, I swear I hear a bone crack. “Easy there, Tiger.”
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay, I just really need my hands for work.”
Her grip loosens slightly. “What do you do?”
“I’m a vet,” I say proudly as the force of the plane sends us back into our seats. My ex wasn’t as proud of that title, opting to tell people I was a doctor instead—because saving animals wasn’t as impressive as saving humans in her book.
Fuck, now’s not the time to think about Sasha, Parker.
“That’s a pretty demanding job,” Cashlynn says shakily as the plane continues to soar.
“It can be, but I live in a small town, so it has busy days and slow ones.”
“Where do you live?”
“Carrington Cove. Ever heard of it?”
Her eyes widen slightly before falling to her lap, and I wonder if I said or did something wrong. “I, uh…haven’t.”
She’s quiet for a moment before she clears her throat and asks, “Why are you flying to Philadelphia, then?”
“For a dental hygiene conference.”
She snorts, the tension in her shoulders easing just a little. “Sounds like a party.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know that veterinarians are fun people when we want to be,” I say a little too defensively.
“I’ll take your word for it.” Her lips twitch up with a hint of a smile.
As the plane starts to level out, Cashlynn’s grip on my hand finally loosens. “How are you doing?” I ask.
“Can you do me a favor and shut the window thing?” She flicks her head in the direction of the window behind her.
“Of course.” Keeping her hand in mine, I reach around her, pressing our bodies even closer together, which doesn’t help the tent forming in my pants. Once I’ve closed the shade, I slide back into my seat. “Window thing is closed.”
She leans back and looks up at me. “Thank you.”
Our eyes dart back and forth between one another, and neither one of us speaks.
Fuck, her eyes are mesmerizing. They’re like warm honey swirled with chocolate, dotted with flecks of gold around her irises. And those lips. Jesus, I’m seriously cursing the man upstairs for putting me in this situation.
My brothers would have a field day if they could see me right now. They’d read me like a book and pressure me to make a move.
But do I want that?
It has been a while since I’ve flirted with a woman, hoping it might actually lead somewhere.
It’s not something I actively seek out anymore.
After the way my engagement ended, it just doesn’t seem worth the risk.
I’ve been in no hurry to put myself in that position again, not that I expect anything to happen with Cashlynn.
But there’s something here, and I can’t help but wonder if I should play my chances and see how things pan out.
Shit. I’ve been staring way too long.
“Anytime.” My voice comes out rough, betraying my wayward thoughts.
Cashlynn looks down at our intertwined fingers. “Do you need your hand back?”
“That’s up to you. Like I said earlier, I am fully prepared to spend this entire flight with only one functional hand.”
She smiles softly, amusement flickering in her eyes. “I know your hand won’t save me if we plummet to our deaths, but…it’s nice not to feel alone.”
Damn. She has no idea just how hard that hits home.
***
“So how long is the conference?” Cashlynn asks after the flight attendants serve us drinks.
I opted for a Coke, my usual go-to, while she ordered a ginger ale.
We separate just long enough to open our Biscoff cookies, and once we’re done, she reaches for my hand again.
I’m surprised by how much I like that she still needs me.
“Friday through Sunday, but I’m staying a few extra days. My boss insisted.”
“Sounds like a nice boss.”
“He could tell I needed a break. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a workaholic.”
She chuckles. “That checks out for a doctor.”
I smile. “Guilty as charged.”
She licks her lips. “Can I ask why you became a vet?”
Her question feels genuine, the kind people usually ask when they find out what I do. “If I said it’s because I’ve always loved animals, would that just add to my list of clichés?”
She shrugs, but her lips are lifted in a soft smile. “If it’s the truth, then I don’t see the problem.”
“We don’t deserve pets,” I say, easing into my story.
“When I was ten, we had to put down our family dog, Daisy Mae, because of old age. She was the best fucking dog,” I say, thinking back fondly to our sweet puggle that gave my family fifteen years of her love and loyalty.
“I just remember crying so hard, yelling about how it wasn’t fair.
That there had to be something we could do to save her. ”
Cashlynn’s bottom lip juts out. “You’re gonna make me cry.”
I huff out a laugh. “Sorry. The point is, that was the day I decided I wanted to make sure that all animals got to live their best lives like she did.” I look away. “I don’t know… That moment stuck with me, so I pursued veterinary medicine.”
She gently rubs the back of my hand with her thumb. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
When our eyes meet again, something shifts in my chest, and I try to ignore the dull ache building from the memory and from opening up to this woman that I just met.
“So what do you do?” I ask, wanting to know more about this woman the longer we sit here, especially given that I’ve shared more with her than most of my family and friends.
“Oh, I’m, uh…” She looks away from me, biting her lip.
“Did you forget what your job is?” I tease.
“No,” she says with a nervous laugh.
That’s when I notice the paint under her fingernails. “I’m going to guess artist or teacher.”
She looks down at our clasped hands. “What makes you say that?”
“The paint under your nails. I figure that means you’re either doing arts and crafts with tiny humans, or you’re an artist yourself. Either way, you just became even more interesting to me.”
She tilts her head, her lips curving into a smile. “That detail made me more interesting? So you were already interested?”
I take a sip of my Coke, my eyes locked on hers. “I shouldn’t be, but I am, Cashlynn.” I can practically see the wheels turning behind those gorgeous eyes, but she shakes off the thought, saying nothing. “Does that mean that you’re not interested?”
“No, I am I just…” She sighs. “This is the last thing I expected when I jumped on this flight.”
You and me both, beautiful.
I take a sip of my Coke and decide to steer the conversation to safter territory. “So what brings you to Philadelphia this weekend?”
“Philly’s home now. I flew down for a meeting in Raleigh.” She shudders slightly, as if recalling the experience.
“Did your seat mate offer to hold your hand on that one?”
She shakes her head with a grin on her lips. “No, she didn’t even speak to me. She was knitting the entire time with earbuds in. I’m pretty sure she was listening to a spicy romance novel.”
I raise an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”
“Well, she would stop knitting and stare off into space at some points. Then she’d start shaking her head and fanning herself, and I mean”—she shrugs—“seems like something was getting her all worked up.”
Laughter erupts from me. “Fuck, you’re probably right.” I swear, I’m having so much fun talking to her that I’m almost wishing we were flying to the West Coast so we could have a little more time together.
“Maybe. Either that or she was having a hot flash.”
“Also a valid guess. So, you had a meeting in Raleigh…” I say, prompting her to continue.
“Yes, and now I’m flying back home.” She darts her eyes to the side, avoiding my gaze. “Uh, where is Carrington Cove by the way?” When her eyes return to my face, she smirks. “It sounds like a magical place.”
God, I love that this woman is sarcastic and has a sense of humor. “It’s on the coast by Camp Lejeune, north of Wilmington.”
“Have you lived there your whole life?”
I nod. “Yeah, except for the time I spent at UC Davis getting my veterinary degree.”
“That’s a lot of schooling.”
I shrug. “I actually made it through in record time. I took some college classes while I was in high school, so I only had a year and a half to spend on my bachelor’s before moving on to the veterinary program at the best school in the country on a scholarship .”
“Damn. Smart and handsome.” She shakes her head at me, the curve of her lips drawing me in even more. “How am I supposed to resist you?”
I lean toward her a bit more. “Does that mean you’re trying to resist me?”
Our eyes bounce between each other. “Let’s just say that meeting a handsome stranger wasn’t expected, let alone one who makes me wish the flight were longer.”
I stroke the back of her hand with my thumb. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She chuckles. “You should. Especially since you now know how I feel about flying.”
***