by Trish Wylie
Adam blinked a couple of times. ‘So you’ve been waiting around for Mr. Right. You should know from the get-go—I’m not him.’
‘Obviously.’ The corners of her mouth twitched.
‘I mean it. Don’t fall for me.’
Roane rolled her eyes. ‘Do you ever actually listen to what comes out of your mouth? I mean, seriously?’
‘Just laying out the ground rules…’
‘Uh-huh.’ She blinked at him. ‘Do I get a say in any of these ground rules?’
‘That depends.’
‘On what?’
‘On whether or not I like what I hear…’ he smiled in challenge as he lifted his bottle to his lips again, eyes sparkling at her ‘…though never let it be said I’m not open to suggestions…’
When he waggled his brows a burst of incredulous laughter left Roane’s mouth. ‘You’re unbelievable.’
‘I told you you’d learn to like me when you knew me better.’
That was just it, though. She couldn’t. Not if she stood any chance of coming out of the other end of whatever they were doing with her heart still intact. It was a survival thing.
Adam Bryant was way out of her league…
CHAPTER FIVE
ADAM TOOK AS deep a breath as his lungs would allow, his chin low and his gaze focused straight ahead. He could beat this. He’d been in New Orleans when the full force of a furious Mother Nature had sent the world crashing down around his ears so he could most certainly beat the violent need to throw up when faced with a pretty little blue and white light aircraft.
Ignoring the trickle of cold sweat working its way down his spine, he set his shoulders. Mind over matter.
‘I checked the weather; we might hit a little light turbulence before the approach to the Vineyard, but that’s it…’ Roane’s voice was softly feminine and confident at the same time.
But still smacked of sympathy to Adam.
‘We could have another flying lesson, if you like.’
He looked at her from the corner of his eye. ‘Yes because the last one ended so well for me.’
Roane looked back up at him with sparkling blue eyes, her teeth catching one side of her lower lip before a smile broke free. ‘Well, you see, last time you didn’t understand the most important ground rule. Or sky rule.’ She shifted her gaze upwards and considered that for a moment. ‘I’m not quite sure which one it is when we’re up there…’
They stopped at the tip of one wing, Adam turning to look down at her. ‘Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the rule?’
Her chin jerked up and a more mischievous smile appeared. ‘Up there, I’m in control—you’re on my turf—any control I give you is on my terms. Therefore rubbing me up the wrong way isn’t the brightest move you could make.’
When she added a determined nod to the end of the sentence Adam lifted a brow. She was sassy when she set her mind to it. Adam had always been a sucker for sassy. And feisty. And frisky. Frisky most of all…nothing quite like a frisky woman, he felt…
He allowed himself another leisurely examination of what she was wearing—his sixth or seventh since she’d met him that morning. Again he wondered how she’d managed to stay so inexperienced. The woman dressed in a way that suggested she was way more sexually confident than she actually was.
Not that she was blatantly sexual in the way she dressed. Knowing what he did of her, he knew the very fact it was sexual was probably unintentional. Being five feet five at best, she chose heels to boost her height, heels that made her walk the way women did in heels: with the gentle sway of hips that drew a man’s attention. Then there was the way they made her legs appear longer, the zips and tassels on her low-hipped burgundy combat trousers inviting a man’s imagination to explore, unzip, untie…remove…
But it was her jacket that had him most fascinated. She had a thing about fitted jackets. Bit buttoned down for Adam’s preference under normal circumstances, but on Roane they were different—they cinched in at her impossibly small waist, lovingly hugged her pert breasts…created the kind of silhouette that said she might be small, but man was she beautifully formed.
The one she was wearing was a dark purple, long-sleeved, high-collared, with seams that ran vertically to highlight that tempting silhouette. Fairly conservative, until she was facing forwards—then it changed completely. Large circular rings lined the front edges, but Roane had left the hooks that held those edges together undone at the top and the bottom. There wasn’t just the tempting V down to the valley of her breasts, but an even more tempting inverted V at the bottom that showed mesmerizing glimpses of the feminine curve of her stomach. It made Adam’s palms itch to reach out and touch, to push the edges back so he could splay his fingers and feel how soft her skin was.
But if he touched he knew he wouldn’t stop. Not when merely looking at her was enough to have his body thrumming with awareness and his jeans too tight for comfort.
Roane hooked her thumbs into the belt loops of her trousers, cocking her hip just enough for him to drag his gaze back up to her face. She lifted an accusatory brow at him.
‘Is there any chance you could stop looking at me like I’m chocolate-coated?’
‘Actually, that I could work with…’ His gaze tangled with hers. ‘I did say I was open to suggestions.’
When her mouth dropped open he blinked lazily, allowing his gaze to rove down over her body and back up, ‘You should be used to it when you dress like that…’
Her chin dropped. ‘What’s wrong with it?’
‘Oh, sweetheart, there’s nothin’ wrong with it.’ He felt his body grow painfully hard as another thought occurred to him. ‘You’re wearing something under that jacket, right?’
There was a moment of hesitation and then she looked up at him from beneath long lashes. ‘It doesn’t really need anything under it.’
He was half a step closer when she grabbed hold of his wrist and turned him towards the plane, her voice firmer. ‘If it helps to distract you from flying, then you can wonder if I have on any underwear at all. Knowing you, that should keep your mind occupied…’
‘Remember we talked about you pushing me?’
‘Oh, I remember.’ She opened the door to the cockpit and stepped back to make room for him. ‘But you also said the mind was the largest erogenous zone. Maybe I’m just testing that theory.’
‘You know what they say about payback, don’t you?’
‘I’d heard a rumour. Get in the plane, please.’
When she let go of his wrist he folded his arms and studied her face with hooded eyes. ‘And once I’m in there you’re in control.’
‘Uh-huh.’
He stepped closer. ‘I have to do whatever you say.’
‘You do.’
Adam thought it over for a second, his fear of flying taking a back seat to a sudden plethora of possibilities. ‘Okay, then.’
Unfolding his arms, he set his hands on her hips; his thumbs on the curve of her stomach as he yanked her closer. When he dipped his thumbs beneath the waistband of her trousers her eyes darkened, the muscles in her abdomen trembling. ‘If you’re looking to distract me I have a challenge for you…’
Her eyes widened with a sexual awareness she didn’t try to hide from him. Learning already, wasn’t she?
Adam smiled a slow smile. ‘What I want to know is just how far you’re prepared to stretch this window of opportunity. ’Cause call me weak, sweetheart—but I’m not prepared to chance another accidental slip of your foot on the rudder…’
Roane looked repentant. ‘You deserved it.’
‘Maybe.’
‘No maybe about it—you were an ass.’
‘You rattled my cage—’ his fingers tightened on her hips ‘—so if I’m stepping onto your turf and relinquishing control I’d like to know just how far you’re prepared to go to distract me this time…’
Curiosity shimmered across her expressive eyes. ‘What exactly are you suggesting?’
‘It’s a one-
time offer. I’m putting myself in your hands. Consider it lesson number three…’
She watched as his arms returned to his sides, unable to believe what he was saying judging by her expression. ‘Wouldn’t you prefer it if I devoted my attention to flying the plane?’
‘You said clear skies for most of the way.’
‘I did.’ Her voice was filled with caution.
‘Well, then, you can use that autopilot thing of yours again, can’t you?’ He rocked forwards and quirked his brows in challenge. ‘And a little imagination…’
Her eyes widened. ‘You’re asking me to—’
‘Take charge. Yes, I am.’ He rocked back and nodded firmly. ‘I’m guessing that’s something you’ve never done with a man before.’
The familiar flush on her cheeks was answer enough.
‘Yeah, I thought so. You’ve never told a man what you wanted or what felt good. Consider this a test run. In the air I’m your temporary slave—emphasis on the word temporary. Remember that.’
The uncertainty radiating from her was palpable, so Adam reached out and tilted her chin up, his voice as low as he could allow it to go to still be heard over the ambient airport sounds surrounding them. ‘Do anything you want. Or don’t…and I’ll just go right ahead and focus on how much I hate planes…’
One small hand shoved him hard in the centre of his chest. ‘That’s emotional blackmail.’
‘If you say so.’
‘I should white-knuckle you from here to the Vineyard for that—it would serve you right.’
‘But you won’t.’ He stepped back and rubbed his palms together vigorously. ‘Can’t say I’ve ever looked forward to a flight as much as I am right this second…’
Roane stood on the tarmac for a while after he folded his large frame into the cockpit. She frowned as she closed the door behind him. Then she took her time walking around the tail, glad she’d completed her pre-flight check before he got there. There was no way she’d be able to concentrate properly after his challenge. And challenge it was.
More than he could know.
He was leaving it all down to her: the method of distraction, the execution of it—he wasn’t going to do anything? So if she wanted to touch him he would just sit there and let her? If she wanted to kiss him he wouldn’t kiss her back? Or he would but he wouldn’t initiate it?
It was like being given a tiger to play with.
But, boy, was it tempting!
It would just be so much easier to give into temptation if there weren’t a very real chance of her making a complete fool of herself. What did she know about seducing a man?
Imagination, he’d said. Okay. She just needed to think about it for a bit. She would focus on the everyday business of getting them safely into the air and out of New York airspace and by the time they got to clearer skies she might have had a stroke of genius.
Mentally she crossed her fingers as she stepped into the cockpit. ‘Buckle up, Bryant.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
Roane shook her head as he saluted her.
It was the low tuneless whistling that eventually galvanized her to action. Apparently even thinking about what she might come up with had been enough to settle Adam’s nerves. He’d only gripped his knees a little during take-off, swiped his palms a couple of times as they’d ascended to their designated altitude, been pursing his lips just enough for her to know he wasn’t one hundred per cent comfortable. Roane found each and every one of the telltale signs endearing. Worryingly…
But the whistling made her crazy. ‘That sound is magnified in the headsets, you know.’
‘What sound?’
‘You’re whistling.’
‘Am I?’ He stretched as much as the cockpit would allow. ‘Must be passing the time till my distraction gets here…’
‘You can be as irritating as a rag-nail when you put your mind to it,’ Roane complained beneath her breath, checking all the readouts before she reached for the autopilot. Then she turned to consider him, her mind reaching for a possible solution in the absence of any imagination. What to do…hmm…and how to do it without giving away just how nervous she was?
Adam turned her way, resting his back against the door while he smiled a smile that softened the green in his sensational eyes. ‘Don’t know what to do, do you?’
‘I’m weighing up the options.’
‘Chicken.’
She cocked a brow and angled her head. ‘I can make you reach for a sick bag in about thirty seconds, you know. The Meridian is a versatile little plane.’
When his eyes sparkled with light she found it hard to stop the smile from making its way onto her face. Darn it. Even when she was supposedly in charge he still had the upper hand on her. Then somewhere out of left field came a glimmer of an idea. Work with what you’ve got, they said. She’d always found flying sexy so maybe she just needed to transfer some of that to Adam?
Okay. She could do this. She just needed to give it a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
‘Put your hands on the stick.’
‘You’ve had all this time to think of something and the best you could come up with was another flying lesson.’ He shook his head. ‘Man. We’ve got a long way to go with you, don’t we?’
‘This is my turf—remember?’ She scowled at him. He wasn’t making it any easier. ‘You have to do as you’re told.’
‘Bossy can be sexy. That’s a start.’ He moved back into place and reached his hands out, curling his fingers around the stick with more care than he’d used the first time.
‘You have to be quiet so I can concentrate.’ She placed her hands over his and adjusted the angle, her body leaning close to his and her breast pressed against his upper arm.
She could feel the heat radiating off him through her clothes, the responding jump of awareness in her pulse. It was just like last time. Except this time it wasn’t Adam backing her into a corner and forcing her to feel things she didn’t want to feel. This time it was Adam inviting her to feel those things, to explore, to take what she wanted…
It was the most erotic thing she’d ever experienced.
Adam’s voice was deeper above her head. ‘I don’t remember being told not to speak…’
‘Adam?’ She said his name somewhat huskily, then leaned back a little and looked into his eyes, her voice deliberately low as she smiled at him with meaning.
He smiled back at her—that lazily, deliciously sexual, slightly lopsided smile of his. ‘Yes?’
‘Shut up.’ She batted her lashes, beginning to enjoy her position of control over him.
The smile remained, so with a shake of her head Roane went back to checking everything before she removed one hand long enough to reach over to the autopilot. ‘You have the stick now. Just keep it even. Now don’t move from there. You see this dial?’
She pointed to one and looked at him long enough to smile at his frowning nod. ‘That’s your horizon. Keep the line straight and we’re good. Got it?’
He nodded again.
Okay, so far so good. Leaning back and letting go of his hands, she checked to make sure he was focusing on what he was doing before starting. She damped her lips. She could do this. No matter what the violent thudding of her heart, her dry mouth and her suddenly clammy palms said to the contrary.
Adam had his profile to her, his ridiculously thick lashes flickering as his gaze shifted from the stick to the horizon to the sky and back to the beginning again. So Roane took a deep breath, her voice husky even to her own ears.
‘Now I’m going to tell you a few things about the airplane. So listen up.’
He glanced at her with raised eyebrows that furrowed his forehead.
And Roane nodded. ‘Yes—the plane.’
When he rolled his eyes the way she normally did Roane chuckled, leaning in so her face was closer to his. ‘Focus on what you’re doing; feel the vibration of the engine through your hands and underneath your seat…and listen to my voice…’
>
Adam glanced briefly at her from the corner of his eye and Roane could see the combination of suspicion and curiosity there. She’d sparked his interest, hadn’t she? It was quite the confidence booster.
So she kept her voice low and the words slow, not caring if her own rising arousal was showing. ‘You are sitting in two million dollars’ worth of precision engineering. She’s a thing of great beauty and strength and has more than enough under the hood to make an aficionado shudder with pleasure…’
When he glanced at her again she saw the darkening of his eyes. It told her he knew what she was doing—that he could read the subtext where Roane told him about the kind of woman she would dearly love to be. It gave her a sudden rush of adrenalin, so she swiped her tongue over her lips and let her lower lip slide between her teeth. ‘A plane like this comes with a beautifully glossy brochure. I read it from cover from cover. Shall I tell you my favorite part?’
He nodded.
‘Anything is possible…’ She breathed the words, her eyelids growing heavy as she inhaled his sensuous scent and continued, ‘People are said to reach a meridian in their lives—a time at which their powers and prowess are at their apex. A time at which anything is possible, and all the objects of desire are suddenly within reach.’
When she glanced down she saw his throat convulse, so she kept going. ‘It is a height hard-won, and deeply satisfying. A height from which one can see into the light of things…’
Further down she could see that his breathing had changed, his wide chest rising and falling in shallower breaths, so she let herself get lost in her passion for the subject. ‘It’s how this plane makes me feel when I’m flying. Up here I’m free, I’m exhilarated, I’m turned on by it…Every. Single. Time.’
As free and exhilarated and turned on as she was by what she was doing with Adam…
His breathing stilled while Roane resisted the temptation to allow her gaze to slide down to his lap, instead following it back up to the column of his neck where she could see his pulse throbbing temptingly just beneath the collar of his shirt.