And that’s one thing Rhett won’t mind one bit. Not in the slightest.
Chapter Five
Maria
The plane starts to shudder slightly before steadying. Maria finds herself squeezing the armrests like Rhett was doing earlier. She’s never been afraid of flying before, but turbulence this bad is definitely a new one for her. An audible gasp goes out around the plane as it drops and it reminds her of a rollercoaster ride. The feeling of your stomach trying to escape through her throat is not a feeling Maria enjoys and that’s precisely why she’s always avoided those kinds of rides like the plague. She closes her eyes as if not being able to see what’s going on around her will make it go away. She knows otherwise, but that doesn’t change the lame idea from flowing through her head.
A baby crying comes from behind her and the tension in the mom’s voice is obvious as she tries to soother her scared infant. She walked past their seat earlier when the seat belt light went off, so Maria knows she’s all by herself and young. The kind of stress she must be under right now? It’s unimaginable. Maria couldn’t even fathom trying to keep her own cool and attempt to soothe her child. The fear that must be traveling through her that she has to push off to the side to take care of her child. She’s the real superhero here.
There’s a crackling in the air as the captain’s voice comes over the overhead speaker, “This is your captain speaking. We’re passing through some unexpected light turbulence. We should be over it pretty quickly but until then I apologize for the bumpy ride. Once we pass through this storm, it should be smooth sailing until we land in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, this does delay your in-flight drinks. I will let the flight attendants know when they can start serving your refreshments. But until then, everyone please remain seated until the seat belt light goes off. Thank you.”
The captain’s confidence doesn’t have its desired effect. Maria still has a feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach and her fear is palpable. She didn’t even want to fly out to Florida. When she left that place, she vowed to never return. Fuck the whole reason why she’s in this situation is because of him, but she would never tell her mom that. No, she’d rather that her mom live in the faux bliss that has surrounded her life. All the years of abuse seem to have been forgotten. How fucked up is that? She pushes those memories to the back of her mind where they belong and ignores the tears that threaten to fall over.
“You okay?”
She shakes her head and forces a smile, that probably looks more like a grimace than anything else, on. “I’m great, why do you ask?”
“You’re squeezing the life out of the armrests like they killed your puppy,” Rhett says with a laugh.
Maria can’t help but laugh at his repeat of her earlier words to him. With her eyes still closed tight she says, “Yeah I’m okay. I’ve just never flown through turbulence before. It has me a little on edge.”
The plane rocks to the side and a woman screams somewhere on the plane. Maria waits for any response from Rhett, but it never comes. She starts to wonder if her fear has gotten to the both of them. She really needs to get herself in check. This is his first plane ride after all and he still has to fly back home after his trip. She starts to open her eyes, but before she can his breath lightly blows across her lips. Buzzing energy travel back and forth between the two of them as he gently places his lips on her own. The air around them becomes electrically charged and Maria glides her fingers across the side of his face and tugs on the small strands of hair at the back of his neck. She pulls his head even closer to her and holds him in place, with plans of never letting go. His tongue runs along her bottom lip and they pop open of their own accord.
The moment their tongues touch, she lets out a moan she didn’t even realize she had in her. His hands graze her cheek and he tangles his fingers in her hair. They’re completely pressed together but she leans herself forward as much as she can, cursing these damn seat belts for being in the way. She’s tempted to throw caution to the wind and unbuckle so she can climb into his lap.
His hand slides down her face and comes achingly close to her nipple but he continues right on past it and grips her waist. She groans at the almost contact but continues her attack on his mouth. Never in her life has it ever felt like this before. Maria’s heard women call kisses intense and consuming but she’s never believed a word they said. Usually she doesn’t even kiss guys. Most of them have no idea what they’re doing and it gets old real fast trying to deal with limp slugs in your mouth.
But this is the kind of kiss that makes you forget everything around you. She wants this kiss to go on forever and she’s dying to find out what else he’s good at.
A noise dings above her head and a small cheer goes out around them like a bucket of cold water to their mini make-out session. She pulls back but his hand is back on her head and he’s holding her to him as he rests his forehead against hers. Their breathing comes out heavy and labored and all he says is, “Sorry.”
What the fuck?
“It’s okay…” She doesn’t even know how to respond to that. She pulls away harder this time and his hand drops away, letting her go. Her skin suddenly feels cold from the lack of his body against her, but also from the coldness of his words. How is it that she just received the best kiss of her life and now the dude is apologizing? Maria used to think she was a good judge of character, but obviously, she got Rhett Walker figured out all wrong. She obviously can’t read people as well as she used to.
His breathing is still heavy as he says, “No, that’s not what I meant. I’m not sorry I kissed you. I’m sorry that I didn’t ask first. It’s just you were freaking out and I didn’t think. I figured it would force you to not think about what was going on around us instead. But I’m not sorry about the kiss.”
Damn it. It’s the whole gentleman thing all over again. This guy really is the real deal. “Just so you know, in the future you probably shouldn’t let the first words out of your mouth after a fucking mind-blowing kiss like that be ‘sorry,’ it’s the best way to make a girl feel like shit.”
“Sorry.”
“Seriously? Do you not know how to use any other words besides sorry?”
His cheeks redden and his face drops down. “My grandma raised me to be a gentleman or more like pounded it into my brain. I think it’s permanently etched on there and I don’t know how to be any other way.” He pauses and then a grin overtakes his entire face, “Wait…did you say mind-blowing kiss?”
Shit, he caught that part. So much for freaking word vomit. “Don’t let it go to your head cowboy. It was a good kiss, that’s all.”
“Just good?”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
He shakes his head and something about the expression on his face forces it out of me.
“Fine, if you really must know it was fan-fuckingtastic. I was half tempted to ignore the rest of the plane and climb into your lap. Although I’m sure it probably wouldn’t go over to well if I stripped down right here in front of hundreds of people…so I guess it’s a good thing the seatbelt light went off when it did.”
“Wow.” His voice comes out quietly, just above a whisper.
“Wow what?”
“It’s just I don’t think I’ve ever had that effect on another woman before. So…yeah wow.”
She has to stop herself from laughing. She can’t say she’s ever experienced a guy not bragging about the fact that she’s so lucky to be with him. If there’s one reason why she’s sworn off men lately, it’s because they’re dicks with a capital ‘D’. And she’s not referring to the one in their pants. “You’re kidding me, right? With the way, you look? I bet all of the girls back home throw themselves at you constantly.”
“I don’t think so. And if they do, I’ve never noticed it before. I’m not that kind of guy and besides, I don’t really get out much. I work long days and by the end of the night I more likely to have dinner with my grandparents and then crash.”
Dinner with his grandparents. That’s sweet. Unless…“You still live with your grandparents?”
“Not really. I have my own house but it’s on their property. I work on their ranch. Always have as far as I can remember.”
“Ahh, so you are like a real-life cowboy then.”
“Why because I’m from Texas and I work on a ranch?”
“Don’t forget about the sexy cowboy hat and obviously, all that hard work has done your body good.” She runs her eyes up and down his body, just imagining what he’s hiding underneath those tight jeans and flannel button-down shirt. For the millionth time, today her tongue jets out at its own accord and runs along her bottom lip. Yeah, she can guarantee she’d be very satisfied with what he’s hiding beneath all of those layers of clothing.
He ignores her compliment and chooses to look out the window instead. Most guys will become dicks when you stroke their ego, but Rhett seems the exact opposite. In fact, the whole thing seems to make him uncomfortable which just makes her like him that much more. It’s not often you come across a guy like that.
Chapter Six
Rhett
The constant ding, ding, ding of the slot machines nearby pulls Rhett’s focus from the beautiful woman standing in front of him. Why do they even have slot machines in the airport anyway? She twirls her hair and lets out a small sigh and a slight smile. “I guess this is where I leave you. It was nice getting to know you and I hope you have fun at your buddies wedding.”
He nods but can’t ignore the twinge of pain shooting through his stomach. It doesn’t feel right to just leave now. Not after the connection they’ve made. That makes him sound like a fucking wimp, but he can’t remember a time where a woman really and truly captivated his attention.
“I’m sure it will be great. Thanks for keeping my mind off the flight. It wasn’t so bad when I wasn’t thinking about dying every forty seconds.”
“You did great.”
She starts to walk away and a nagging feeling has him calling out her name, “Maria?”
“Yeah?”
His heart rate ticks up a notch and he starts to fumble his words, real smooth. “Would you? Do you think? Fuck.” What is his problem? He’s never in his life had issues talking with a woman before.
“Check this out,” one of the frat boys from the parking garage back in Dallas starts laughing along with his buddies.
Rhett tries to ignore whatever the hell they find so humorous and gives Maria his full attention.
Her eyes go wide and she almost drops the bag in her hand. “Excuse me?”
“Can I have your number?” His voice cracks a little and he cringes slightly. Come on Rhett, get your shit together. This is one tiny, fucking gorgeous woman.
Her mouth falls open and this time she does drop her bag. “Oh. Um, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Low blow man. Low blow.” Now he knows that they’re laughing at him. Without even thinking about Maria, Rhett picks up the bag she dropped and grabs her hand. He pulls her away from the idiot college guys and drops her bag on the floor next to the wall. A tight smile frames her lips and she wiggles her hand out of his grasp. She takes a small step away from him and the wall.
Shot straight to the heart.
“Why not? Why is it not such a good idea for you to give me your number?”
She looks down at her feet and kicks her foot back and forth on the slick floor. When she looks back up the sadness in her eyes shoots straight into his soul. “Listen, Rhett, you’re a great guy. And if I met you anywhere else besides a plane, I would give you my number in a heartbeat.”
“But?”
“But I did meet you on a plane.”
She’s not making any sense at all. “What does that have to do with anything? Do you have bad memories from plane rides or something?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I live here in Vegas. And you’re here for a trip and at the end of this weekend you’ll get back on that plane and head back home…to Texas. Your life is there and my life is here. Why not just leave this at what it was? A nice little trip where we met a new friend. Nothing good can come from us trying to turn it into something more.”
He nods his head and shakes off the rejection, ignoring the sting, and how much this is affecting him. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I guess I just got caught up in the fun times we were having.”
“Don’t worry about it. It happens to the best of us.”
She walks back toward him and leans up on the tips of her feet. Her lips lightly graze my cheek and she whispers in my ear, “Goodbye Rhett Walker, it was nice meeting you.”
And then she’s gone. Turning away and walking out of his life forever. He doesn’t know why but it shouldn’t feel like part of him just left with her. Shit, he barely even knows the girl. But something tells him that she means more than just a random stranger that he got to spend a few hours with. He watches her disappear into the crowd but doesn’t get a chance to think about it any longer when his name is being called. There’s only one person he knows that could yell loud enough over the noise of the crowded airport.
“Rhett! Dude are you okay?”
He shakes his head and forces himself to forget about the gorgeous brunette that just walked out of his life and turns his attention to his friend. The reason why he’s even here in the first place. He lets out a small chuckle at what must be Jax’s normal rock star look. When he first met Jax and Erin, they were visiting in Texas at Erin’s grandparent’s ranch. Or more like they were getting away from the real world because Jax got sucked into the rockstar lifestyle a little too much and he needed to be brought back to reality.
When they were in Texas Jax spent his days working hard on the ranch and his clothing represented that. Now? Not so much. His skintight jeans look anything, but comfortable and his shaggy blonde hair is sticking up all over the place. Not that it’s hurting himself in the women department, because every single one that he passes stops in their tracks to stare. “Hey, Jax. You really owe me, buddy. I’ve officially decided that I hate airports and after this trip, I don’t think I ever want to step foot on a plane again.”
Jax cringes and tries to force a smile. “Yeah, sorry about that. Erin told me you had never been on a plane before. She said you wanted to drive up here for the ceremony but we didn’t give you enough time.”
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I like you two then, isn’t it?”
“I guess it is. Well c’mon we need to get going. We need to get a tux for you and then it’s off to the bachelor party.”
He has to wear a tux? Rhett packed his nicest suit and figured he could iron it in the hotel room, but didn’t count on wearing a tux. Guess there’s a first time for everything though. Wait did he say bachelor party? “Seriously? I didn’t think that you and Erin would be into something like that.”
“Well, I wasn’t but the guys and the ladies wouldn’t let us out of it. So, we’re being forced against our will to get wasted and all kinds of debauchery before tomorrow. And get this, they aren’t even letting us stay the night together. What kind of bullshit is that?”
“Isn’t that the normal thing to do?”
Jax wraps his arm around Rhett’s shoulders and asks, “Maybe, but is there anything about me that screams normal to you?”
“Yeah, you’re right. If there’s one thing that I know, Jax Hartley is the furthest thing from normal.”
“Okay well, do you need to get your bags or…”
Lifting his duffle bag from the ground, Rhett holds it in the air and says, “Nope I’ve got it all in here.”
“Well let’s get this show on the road.”
He glances one last time in the direction that Maria walked off to and hopes that wherever she’s going, at least she’s happy. That’s all he ever wants for all the people he cares about. True happiness. And maybe someday he’ll find it himself. But for now, they’ve got a bachelor party to get ready for.
***
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nbsp; The last thing that Rhett expected when he followed Jax into the hotel room was to see a bunch of guys lounging around in front of the TV playing video games. They’re all rockstars after all and have been on the road all summer long on tour. They’re in Las Vegas and maybe it’s a little cliché, but he expected more alcohol being poured and maybe some half-naked women running around. But definitely not the intense focus toward the fictional battle.
Jax stops in front of the television which causes a bit of an uproar and he looks pointedly at all of the guys in the room. “Why aren’t you all ready yet? I don’t want to spend the entire night watching you kill each other. I didn’t have Rhett fly all this way for him not to experience Vegas the right way.”
At the mention of his name, all of the other guys in the room swing their heads around and switch their focus toward him. He’s never been a shy guy but he suddenly feels uncomfortable with all eyes on him. Like they’re all silently judging him. Rather than make things awkward he drops his bag to the floor next to him and takes a small step forward.
“Hey, I’m Rhett. You must all be in Jax’s band?”
They all start cracking up laughing and one of the guys who looks eerily similar to Jax says, “Yeah, he wishes this was his band.”
Jax smiles and says, “What my jackass brother is trying to say is it’s our band, not just mine.”
Rhett doesn’t really see what the big deal is but he shrugs and doesn’t bother asking for clarification. If he were being honest with himself he would much rather hang out here than go out wandering. It is his first time in Las Vegas but the day was already pretty crazy and he’s a lot more tired than he normally would be after a long day on the ranch. Before he can say anything about being fine with staying in one of the other guys stands up from the couch.
The dude has long dark hair styled similar to Jax’s and he’s dressed similarly in tight jeans and a t-shirt. He tosses his controller onto the couch and asks, “Okay, that’s it. Who’s ready to go hit up a strip club?”
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Rescuing Maria (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 3