by Mary Winter
Cali took a deep breath. “Then what? I’m not sure I can go back to flying planes right now. I sure can’t afford one and I don’t trust my employer.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose and tried not to sigh again. “Flying is all I’ve ever known. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.” She reached out and caressed his jaw. “Until you came along. What happens to us when this is all over?”
“Sweetheart,” Wings said, leaning close enough to kiss her lips. “I’m not going anywhere. And I understand about flying, more than you know. Except for me it was jumping out of airplanes. I’ve got some money saved. I don’t know. It sounds crazy with the PTSD rattling around in my head, but with you, I’d like to learn how to fly a plane. Jump again? Maybe not. But that’s the future and nothing has to be settled right now. We’re not checking out until the morning anyway. He cupped her cheek and drew her close, “I care for you, Cali. I think I might even be falling in love with you. Until you say the mission is done, I’m by your side. After that, sweetheart? It’s your call, but if you tell me to go I’ll fight for us, because I sure as hell don’t want to.”
He kissed her in a hard, possessive kiss that thrilled her to her toes. Finally, he wasn’t holding himself back, and she caressed his lower lip with her tongue. When he opened his mouth, she explored further, using a hand on his shoulder to push him back to the bed. She straddled him, taking the control he offered and using to bunch up his shirt so she could explore his chest, first with touch, then with her lips and tongue, kissing between his pectorals and down the brown arrow of hair leading to the waistband of his jeans.
She swept her hand back up, loving his groan of delayed pleasure. He removed his shirt and leaned back inviting her to do what she wanted with him. She liked that—a lot. She kissed him again, teasing him with her tongue and lips until he cupped her hip to draw her down to him. Settling against him, she rocked against ridge of his erection. Oh how she needed this. Not just the words they’d said, but also the actions. Leaning back, she pulled her shirt over her head, then with a mischievous grin unhooked her front clasping bra and drew the straps down her arms. She tossed both garments off the edge of the bed.
The hungry look in his eyes heightened her arousal. She reached forward to grab the edge of the headboard and Wings met her halfway, palming her breasts before drawing a nipple into his mouth. While he licked and sucked on one, he caressed the other until she was moaning and rocking her hips. He trailed his fingers down her stomach and unbuttoned her jeans. She let him, so when he opened her fly and pushed both denim and cotton panties over her hips. He traced the triangle of hair at the junction of her thighs, then stroked her pussy, grinning when he found her wet and ready for him.
“Yes,” she whispered as he slid a finger to trace her opening, then stroke toward her clit until he was toying with the swollen nub. She tried to hold back her moans of pleasure, but as her channel tightened in preparation for him, wanting to be filled, needing to be filled, she couldn’t keep quiet.
“Come for me,” he said and slid two fingers inside her. Using his thumb, he played with her clit and drove her even closer to the edge.
Having him watch her like this only increased her arousal. She loved the dark look in his eyes, the way he focused on her breasts and how he reached up to caress one with his free hand. Her juices coated his hand and the wet sounds of her sex mingled with their heavy breathing. She tried to hold on and couldn’t and frankly didn’t want to, not when his fingers were so deliciously erotic against her heated and slick flesh.
She came with a gasping cry, her inner muscles tightening around his fingers and her body almost too sensitive to touch. Wings stroked her one more time, then reached for his jeans. He unfastened them, then grabbed a condom from the nightstand and sheathed himself. She needed no invitation. Letting him guide her, she sank down onto his cock with a happy sigh. His hands went to her hips to guide her, and she started to move.
Neither of them said anything. They didn’t need to. Instead, she focused on his face, looking deep into his eyes as she made love to him. She rose and fell on his cock, taking him deep into her body. And when she came again, this time it was with a joyous moan, one that sent him over the edge and he came a few moments after her.
She leaned forward and struggled to regain her breath. She didn’t worry that she was too heavy for him, not like this, but she moved anyway because her thighs were hurting and she felt as if she were on the verge of going to sleep. She moved off of him and rolled to the side. He rolled away long enough to remove the condom and then finished taking off his jeans and pulled her into his arms.
“We go to Dallas tomorrow,” she said. “I need this done before I can go on with my life.”
“I understand,” he said, and they held each other until sleep claimed them both.
Cali awakened before dawn the next morning. Wings had slept through the night, a rarity she was learning from their time together. Carefully, she slid out of bed without waking him and went to the shower. They’d arrive in Dallas probably eight or nine at night. They’d meet with the local FBI agent handling the case, then she’d text her boss asking for a meeting in the morning with both her and Kevin Stopek. She’d go in with a wire, and with Wings as backup, and hopefully get the information that they needed quickly. She didn’t want to spend any more time with them than necessary.
When she emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her, Wings was awake and checking the weather. The civilian version of pre-op planning he’d said. She understood. She did it before her flights too.
Flying. Once this was over, she could go back to the sky. This time, she’d be there with Wings by her side. Honestly, she couldn’t wait. She dressed quickly while he used the shower, and as the sun crested the horizon they were packed and ready to go. Wings took the luggage to the rental car they’d picked up yesterday, and she went to the complimentary breakfast to get some food before they left. Wings joined her at the table.
They’d started like this back in Eagle Rock. She with her juice and yogurt, he with bacon and eggs. She went back for a bowl of cereal and as soon as they were finished they checked out. Then, it was time to get on the road. The car was gassed up. He’d done his pre-trip checks. This time, she was just the passenger and planned to enjoy the ride.
Chapter 10
The female agent who helped Cali with her wire was brisk and efficient, assuring her that the microphone would pick up whatever was said in the room. A confession of an attempt to kill her would be ideal. They could work with anything else, so long as it pertained to the case. She had no way of talking to them; they could only listen. If something horrible happened, she hoped they’d come in before it got too bad.
She stood in the elevator, after nodding to the security guard, who acted as if he knew nothing of the plane crash. She guessed the authorities had kept it out of the news. She was the first to arrive in the conference room and she sat and made herself comfortable. Her boss, Edward, was the first to arrive. He closed the door. “There’s been some FBI agents sniffing around. Do you know anything about that?”
She shook her head. “No. And I wouldn’t think it’d be related to the crash.” She breathed deeply and clasped her hands in her lap. “Though I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. You’re fired.” Edward stood. “I don’t know what kind of stunt you’re trying to pull, but doing it with my aircraft and my employees is unacceptable. He turned toward the door.
Kevin burst in, a tall, balding man whose stomach stretched the buttons on his shirt. “CalliAnne! I didn’t expect to see you here.” He swallowed hard and looked from Cali to Edward. “I don’t know why she pulled me into this meeting.”
“Actually, CalliAnne asked for it, and I agreed. That way I could tell you both, you’re fired.”
Kevin spun on her. “You bitch! What did you say?”
“Nothing.” She struggled with processing that she’d just lost her job. She’d expected it in
a way. A pilot who crashes planes, even when it wasn’t her fault, usually didn’t keep her job long. She expected maybe to be put on administrative leave, something to give the impression that the company cared. She should have known better.
“I don’t believe you. There was a reason why certain clients always asked for you. I’m sure we both know what it is.” Kevin didn’t bother to pull out a chair and sit at the table with them. He leaned against the wall, glowering.
“I don’t know what you’re insinuating, but I don’t like it.” The FBI had instructed her not to mention the sabotage on the plane or the attempt on her life. He had to bring it up, and the idea of sitting there rankled.
“Well I don’t deserve to get fired. I’m not the one who crashed the plane. I’m not the one who had one of her passengers commit suicide rather than fly with her.” Kevin pushed himself off the wall and leaned on the table. “You shouldn’t even be here.”
“And what do you mean by that?” She asked coolly. “I’m an employee.” She turned and glared at Edward. “Or at least I was until a few moments ago. I have every right to speak with my supervisor, and according to federal law I have the right to confront my sexual harasser.”
“Sexual harassment?” Kevin snorted. “Look just because an uppity piece of ass like yourself rebuffed my advances, doesn’t make it sexual harassment.”
“Actually, Kevin, it does. Which is why I fired you. CalliAnne isn’t the only person to come forward with complaints.”
“If she’d died like she was supposed to, then there wouldn’t be any complaints,” he snarled.
Edward stood. Cali had never seen her boss angry. Upset, yes. Frustrated over flight delays, certainly. But the anger on his face made her actually fear for Kevin’s safety. “What do you mean by that? I’ve been told some very upsetting things about her plane crash. Willful destruction of company property, not to mention the fact that we operate under guidelines far beyond what most companies do. I think it’s time you came clean.”
“Look. Michel told me he’d take care of my problem if I paid off his gambling debts. My wife left me. I’m dying anyway. Without a liver transplant, I’m as good as dead. I thought why not. It’s not like I can take the money with me, and I’ve no one to leave it with. Apparently the bitch doesn’t even think I’m good enough to ask alimony from. A last stand, as it were.” Kevin pulled out a chair and sat. “But I guess it’s all coming out now. They know what I did to the plane.”
Cali struggled to hide her shock at how simply he’d laid things out. The defeat in his expression made her want to have empathy for him. She couldn’t. He was a grade A jerk, a womanizer, and he held some pretty archaic views about women in the workplace. That he might die before he saw justice seemed like an injustice to her. “What did you do?” she asked in a calm voice.
“Frayed a couple of belts. Cut some backup electrical wires. Nothing that’d be easily visible unless you started tearing apart the engine. My guy in Montana was pretty good, even if he did get caught.” Kevin shrugged. “You stole everything from me, CalliAnne. You took my jobs. The money that came with them. I heard through the grapevine Edward was even thinking about firing me and giving you my job. I couldn’t let that happen.”
They had enough. She knew it, and sitting in the room with these two men any longer would turn her stomach. She stood. “You can’t fire me, Edward. I quit and you can expect a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company. I see now you knew about Kevin’s actions toward others and you didn’t do anything about it.”
“The others didn’t seem to mind,” he muttered.
“Bullshit. The receptionist? Our booker? No doubt they thought they had to put up with things to keep their jobs. There are only a few women in this company. It’s not hard to figure out who it might be, and none of us deserved to work with this person. Good bye.” She stood and left, giving only a passing nod to the security guard.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t stay there one moment longer,” she said into the mic, hoping the agents still heard her. “I don’t know what I’ll do next, but I’m glad it won’t be working for them.”
Wings’ hug as soon as they’d met up at the designated point, as well as his whispered “I’m so proud of you,” did more to soothe the wound her former employer had left behind than anything. The female agent removed the wire, and both agents assured her they had everything they need. They wouldn’t contact her until it was time for the trial, which could take a while, so please keep them posted on her whereabouts. Wings and she returned to the hotel room.
It was well and truly over. She changed out of her business casual dress pants and blazer with an off-white silk blouse and into jeans and a t-shirt. She stretched out on the bed, her arm thrown over her eyes. “I can’t believe they fired me. Seems a bit harsh, especially since I know other pilots have gotten leave after their mishaps, rather than being fired.” She sighed. “But I can’t go back. Even if they hadn’t fired me, I couldn’t go back.”
“Let’s go back to Montana and figure things out. Shall we drive or fly?” Wings stretched out next to her and offered an arm.
Cali willingly moved into his embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder and picked up her phone. “Well, it’s either 20 hours by car or less than three with a nonstop flight. I have to say I’d prefer the flight.” She turned and grinned at him. “At least I won’t be at the controls, right?”
Wings chuckled and kissed her temple. “Honey, I’d prefer you were at the controls. But I’m with you. I just want to be home.”
Home. Until meeting Wings she really hadn’t thought of Montana as home. She had a virtual mailbox for mail and pretty much carried her life in a suitcase. There were items in storage near here after the friend she’d shared an apartment with had moved, but after that she’d spent so much time in the air it’d become easier to live out of a long term residence hotel. Not a lot of belongings, but things she’d like to get someday.
“What do you propose we do once we get back to Montana? Were you serious about learning how to fly?”
“Yep.” He closed his eyes and she sensed he was battling the inner demons. “You have no idea how much it helped to watch you, to see what went into things. I’m staying with Hank and the Brotherhood Protectors.”
“There’s a school not far from there. A pilot’s school. I hear they’re looking for good instructors. Once this is all settled, including the lawsuit against my former employer, then maybe. We’ll see.” Right now it was good to have the freedom to do what she wanted. “Probably spend this afternoon talking to attorneys and we can fly back tomorrow if you want. There’s seats available on the next plane.”
Wings turned toward her and propped up his head on his hand. “There’s one more thing I want to ask you. Sometime in the future, would you like to be Mrs. Bolton Jeffries. We could even call you Mrs. Wings if you want.”
She gasped and he kissed her open mouth. Anything she might have said was swallowed by the kiss. He rolled her onto her back, and she welcomed his leg draped across hers. When the need for air parted them, she grinned. “Only if you let me drive the plane.”
He laughed. “Honey, you flew into my life and to my rescue. I think that’s a fair trade.”
“Good. Then yes. I agree.” He kissed her again. The time for talking was done.
Wings texted Bull back, assuring him that he was all right and would be back in Montana tomorrow. He watched Cali sleep on the bed, thinking he was making a habit of that. This time it hadn’t been a nightmare that had awakened him, but someone being loud in the parking lot. He already had started to look for apartments in the area, at least until they settled on a place to live and found a house. He looked out the window at the parking lot and marveled at just how far he’d come from the broken man who’d come out of the service. The physical wounds had healed and his leg hurt less these days, he thought. The head, well, it’d still take a while to fix, but the fact that he was even contemplating getting on one of those little
puddle jumper commuter jets for a three hour flight back to Montana meant a lot. Never mind that Cali’s jet had been smaller. He’d also known the pilot personally.
When he’d awakened in the hospital after his injury, he’d barely had the strength to think about the future. To wonder if there’d even be a future for a man like him. The months of therapy, both physical and mental, had gotten him to some semblance of productive. But this mission, this woman, had brought him the rest of the way home. They might be flying back to Montana tomorrow, but something told him that they weren’t done here yet. Cali would have to come back for the trial, not just her harassment suit, but also the trial against her coworker for his crimes. At this point, when it came to their future, the sky was the limit.
Wild Horse Rescue
Brotherhood Protectors World
Mary Winter
About Wild Horse Rescue
See how it all began in Wild Horse Rescue (a Brotherhood Protectors World novella)
After her friends at the 2 Hearts Rescue allowed her to stay with them after a bad breakup, acclaimed wildlife photographer, Erika Alberts, eagerly went to the Crazy Mountains in Montana to photograph wild horses for their fundraising calendar. Everything isn’t adorable foals and beautiful sunrises though, because her camp has been sabotaged and things just aren’t adding up. She’s afraid her ex is back and he’ll stop her at any costs.