Girl on a Plane

by Cassandra O'Leary

  He breathed in her clean, airy scent at the side of her throat. The spot beneath her ear made him want to bite her. He could kiss her all day. Every day.

  What the hell?

  One time with a woman and he was losing his reason. He couldn’t be feeling … some emotion he didn’t even have words for. It went to show how hopeless he was at feelings, and stuff.

  Before he said something dangerous, he wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her tight. “How about that champagne, beautiful?”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  He led Sinead into the other room. She sat on the bed, pulling the crisp white sheet up over her gorgeous body. It was so tempting to whip the sheet right off her. Instead, he found the champagne and rustled up glasses, then popped the cork and proposed a toast.

  “To my sexy Irish date.” He poured them each a glass.

  She paused for a moment, biting her damn lip, then raised her glass. “Sláinte!” The Irish word sounded wonderful on her lips.

  Gabriel climbed into bed next to her, sitting up against a pillow. He tasted his champagne and wrapped an arm around her, needing her close.

  He let out a breath and leaned back so he spoke to the ceiling. “Sad as it sounds, I reckon this is the best date I’ve ever had.”

  She nodded. “Me too.”

  “Really? I would’ve imagined you’d have proper dates lined up around the globe. Hearts and flowers, and stuff.”

  “Not so much. Anyway, all I need is a big dirty man who knows how to make me feel special. You, Gabriel.” She poked him in the chest, then stroked his arm.

  Her touch was hot. Fiery.

  Gabriel didn’t know what to say. No-one had ever said he made them feel special. He liked it. He liked her, more than he probably should. He didn’t do relationships and hearts and flowers. Anyway, he had to leave tomorrow. They each had their separate lives on opposite sides of the planet. But he liked her, and there was no reason he shouldn’t make the most of this time with her.

  “So what do you want to do now?” He’d purposely lowered his voice, pressing his lips against her throat.

  She shivered. “Honestly? I’d like to cuddle.”

  “Cuddle?” He rolled the word around his mouth and the unfamiliar concept around his mind. “Cuddle. Okay, show me.”

  Sinead put her glass on the bedside table and curled up on her side. “Now you lie behind me and spoon me.”

  “Spoon you?”

  He raised his eyebrows but did as was told. Snuggled up behind her, his arm around her waist, he realised the position had its advantages. The feel of her butt pressed against him, not to mention access to those incredible breasts if he let his hand wander. Definite advantages. Spooning for the win.

  He stroked one of her nipples which instantly peaked, and nuzzled her neck. “Like this?” he asked.

  She breathed out on a sigh. “Oh, yeah.”

  He was getting hard again. Holding her close made him want to lose himself with her, to get even closer. Would she think he was a sex fiend if he made another move?

  She’d gone quiet. Was she trying to ignore him? He leaned over to examine her face. Her eyes were closed, long lashes fanned against her pink cheeks. She was asleep in his arms. With any other woman, this turn of events would freak him out. But now, with Sinead, it felt right.

  Trying not to disturb her, Gabriel lay beside her and let his own tiredness win. It had been a long couple of days.

  He needed a rest. Understatement of the century.

  Sinead wriggled, the press of manly flesh at her back, fingers clasping her naked hip. His hand was massive, a great hulking claw of a thing. So hot. Was there anything more wonderful than a strong male body pressed up against her? So safe and warm. At least, it seemed so.

  She could wake him with a kiss, or more than a kiss. But he’d been unwell the night before. She’d let him sleep a while.

  She staggered out of bed to the windows. The weather situation probably wasn’t worse, but it wasn’t better either. Pressing her palm to the cold glass, the vibration of pelting rain made her teeth chatter. A couple of trees had been uprooted, splayed across the road.

  Shaking her head, she moved to the bedside table and checked her phone. No messages, no airline updates. She wasn’t sure when Gabriel would be leaving, but it seemed they’d have another night together. Gabriel was asleep, so she would have her planned girl time. It wasn’t quite as appealing as it had been earlier, before she realised she had other, nakeder options.

  After visiting the bathroom, she dressed in her clean white T-shirt and underwear and hummed contentedly while she made a cup of coffee in the tiny kitchenette. A milky coffee was a perfect complement to the chocolates Gabriel brought her earlier. She hopped into bed beside him with her treats.

  Next, she needed a chick flick to watch on the flat screen. She flipped through the channels with the remote.

  “No boring sports, thank you.” She kept flicking, then stopped and clapped her hands with delight. “Yay! How lucky is that?”

  Love Actually. Starting right now. Her favourite romantic comedy of all time. Bliss.

  She sighed, watching the famous scene of people arriving at airports, being welcomed home by the ones they love. Such joy on their faces. It’s what she wanted to be perfectly happy – someone to love her and always welcome her home.

  Wherever in the world that might be.

  Gabriel woke, his head heavy as a tonne of bricks. Sinead sat in bed next to him, chilling out, watching TV. This was the type of relationship he could get on board with. Wait, what was he thinking? It wasn’t a relationship. Just a casual thing.

  “What’s on, Irish?” he mumbled, propping himself up with a pillow.

  He feigned ignorance, but he knew the movie. He owned the DVD. He’d bought it for his mum a few years back, but he’d ended up watching it. More than once. He liked the movie, although he hadn’t admitted it to anyone but his PA, Martha.

  Sinead turned to him and smiled, lighting up with happiness. “Love Actually. It’s my absolute favourite.”

  It was the part where Emma Thompson found the necklace her husband had bought, and she assumed it was her Christmas present. But he actually bought it for the skank secretary who was trying to steal him away. This part of the movie was so sad, he flicked his eyes away from the screen. He had no intention of blubbering in front of Sinead, but watching her expression was nearly as bad. She looked like her pet kitten had died.

  “This bit is so sad. I hate the skanky secretary,” Sinead commented.

  Was she plucking thoughts directly out of his head now?

  “It’s a silly movie. Hugh Grant’s dancing ruins it for me.” Stupid mistake. Too late to rein it back in. Being overly familiar with the plot was a dead giveaway.

  He covered up by leaning over and running his fingertip along her cheekbone. “How is my naughty little trolley dolly this afternoon?”

  Sinead met his gaze, her mouth hanging open. “What did you call me? What a rude way to refer to a professional flight attendant.”

  “Naughty. Little. Trolley. Dolly.” He punctuated each word with a hot kiss – on her earlobe, her throat, her cheek, her lips. Then lower, lifting her T-shirt and pressing kisses on her belly.

  “Oh,” she moaned. “But don’t you want to watch the movie? It’s your favourite too, isn’t it? Go on, admit it.”

  “Stop talking.”

  She giggled. “You’re distracting me.”

  He pressed his body into hers and she gasped.

  Oh yeah.

  “One big hard distraction, coming right up.” He aimed to please.

  Sinead lay in Gabriel’s arms, stroking her bare belly. Mmmm. So deliciously satisfied. The room service dinner had been delectable, the hot man in her bed, even more so.

  She scanned the room, now in total disarray. First she glanced at the sofa, a blush heating her cheeks at all the mischief they’d managed. He’d taken her there. Next she peeked through her fin
gers at the coffee table. He’d taken her there too. Then the bed – she’d taken control that time – and he loved it, going by his moans of appreciation.

  Gabriel rustled the sheets and stretched out beside her, displaying finely honed chest muscles and contoured abs. He was in peak physical condition. Quite the marathon man. And she didn’t mean running!

  She flicked on the bedside lamp and glanced at her phone. After 10 p.m. And there was an email briefing from the airline. She sighed. She snuggled back against Gabriel’s body. He smelled so good. A musky, spicy scent. Was it weird that she was sniffing him? She didn’t care. It would be nice to be stranded here a bit longer. A few days, maybe a month.

  But no such luck. The briefing said the airport would most likely re-open at 5 a.m. A new flight schedule would be posted in the morning too. Her heart thumped in her chest at the thought of leaving Gabriel.

  The conversation she’d been putting off couldn’t be avoided much longer. They needed to talk about what happened next. They couldn’t stay in the hotel suite forever, locked away from the world in their isolated bubble, even if she wished to. But she didn’t want to say goodbye and fly back alone to her tiny flat in London.

  She wanted to keep him.

  Wearing her rational hat, Sinead knew it wasn’t going to happen. He’d already said he didn’t do relationships, he never had. Anyway, he lived in Melbourne and she was based in London, in the completely wrong hemisphere.

  She could move to Melbourne. Ridiculous. The idea flitted through her head anyway. She’d lived there for three years while working for the airline, before London. It had been her home. Old friends still lived there. The airline would probably approve a transfer flying the Melbourne to London route.

  She huffed out a breath and pinched her arm, hard.

  She’d only known Gabriel for a couple of days. It was stupid to want to uproot her whole life because of him. Then again, some of her “smart” choices over the past few years had ended up being big mistakes.

  Hot man stirred beside her. Gabriel stroked her arm and kissed her shoulder, sending shivery tingles shooting down her spine.

  He was so lovely, now she’d got to know him a little, which made it all the harder to leave.

  “What are you thinking?” His voice was croaky.

  “You really want to know?” She sighed as he nodded against her shoulder. “I don’t want to go home to London without you. I want to keep seeing you, Gabriel.”

  His body went still, tension emanating from every inch of him. It was all the answer she needed. He spoke anyway, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t do relationships. For good reason. I don’t have anything to offer. My company takes up all my time.”

  She watched his face in profile. “It doesn’t have to. Other people have jobs and still have partners and families. What makes you so different?” Why did she even bring it up? She didn’t bother to hide her annoyance.

  “It’s the way I am. I work long hours, travelling for days or weeks at a time. Sometimes I go surfing or skiing for a few days. That’s all. It’s been working fine for me.”

  “What about women? Love? Don’t you want someone special in your life?” Don’t you want me? She bit her lip and willed it not to wobble.

  He faced her, his lips thinned and jaw clenched. “There have been a few women, but no one special.” Sinead didn’t want to hear anymore, it hurt her insides. But he turned to her and continued. “I’m always leaving. I can’t offer you anything more. You know how it goes.”

  He sounded defeated. For whatever reason, he wouldn’t even consider a relationship with her. Wouldn’t take a risk and try to make it work between them. For a smart man, he was obviously kind of stupid when it came to his personal life. It made her want to kick him, or hug him. The kicking instinct was winning.

  “Yes, I know how that goes.”

  She tumbled out of bed and stood, keeping her back to him. Retreating to the bathroom, she closed the door and leaned against it. The cool wood panel at her back grounded her.

  “Why’d you have to be a typical man?” she whispered.

  She ran a bath and leaned on the rim, waiting. He didn’t come to her. She sniffled, and swooshed fancy lavender bath oil into warm water. Oil and water didn’t mix. The elements separated, pretty swirls of rainbow decorating the surface, but never going deeper.

  Tears threatened to spill over her cheeks, the hot prickle behind her eyes felt like gritty sand at the beach. She rubbed at her closed eyelids with the backs of her hands. A few minutes of privacy, that’s what she needed. The chance to think back on the last two days with some distance from Gabriel’s overwhelming presence.

  At the same time, he was only on the other side of the door. She could call out for him if she wanted to. But she couldn’t. She wasn’t so brave, or so confident she wouldn’t be completely rejected.

  In the morning, they’d both be getting back on a plane, then he’d be beyond her reach. It was already too late for anything more.

  Bugger it.

  Gabriel had totally stepped in it. When Sinead walked away, his heart pounded in his chest. When she closed the bathroom door behind her, his stomach churned. He’d made a mess of things again, like every time he’d met a woman he liked. And Sinead was different – he already liked her more than any of the other women he’d dated. He knew it already. He couldn’t make it worse by going after her.

  The click of the lock echoed in the silent room and it sounded so final. He only had himself to blame if she didn’t want to talk ever again. He’d dismissed her like an employee who’d failed him. Standard operating procedure for a guy who’d become a workaholic loner.

  He rolled over in bed, grabbing her pillow and slamming it down over his face. Her scent surrounded him, sweet jasmine and her sleepy, warm skin. A groan rose up from deep inside. It could’ve been a scream if he let it out. He sucked in a deep breath and threw the pillow back down.

  They couldn’t get involved, there were plenty of good reasons. The biggest one, the one worrying him most, was the state of his head. He wasn’t losing the plot, it wasn’t so extreme, but the migraines were coming on fast and furious. It was time he took his health more seriously. His doctor had warned him months ago, stress was a major migraine trigger. Without some lifestyle changes, the migraines would go from bad to worse. The “worse” part of the prognosis had him clenching his jaw.

  What if he ended up like his Mum? She was totally unaware of her surroundings, unable to recognise him or her lifelong friends. It’d been years since she was able to look after herself financially. He’d stepped up, of course. But who’d step up to look after him, if he needed it?

  It was the real reason he couldn’t tie himself to any woman. She might end up looking after him, as if he was a child. He wouldn’t be such a bastard. The type of man who marries a nursemaid.

  Sinead was on the other side of the world, but he had to stay in Melbourne for his Mum’s sake. A short trip to London was one thing, but he couldn’t jump on a plane and disappear. When he got back from this trip, he had to sort out the situation at home. He’d put it off as long as he could.

  A girlfriend couldn’t be expected to understand the baggage he dragged behind him through life. Even someone special. Someone caring. Someone like Sinead.

  Gabriel’s hands formed fists in the sheets. Staring blankly at the ceiling, willing a solution to magically appear, he focused on the swish of wind and steady beat of rain on the windows. Sleep would help, only it wasn’t going to happen in a hurry.

  Rising, he headed towards the bathroom, one foot in front of the other, heart in his mouth. He needed to apologise to Sinead, and see if he could smooth things over.

  He turned the door handle with a squeak. It wasn’t locked after all. Maybe she wouldn’t shut him out.

  A dripping wet Sinead reclining in the bathtub filled his vision. Heat thudded through his veins. With her eyes closed, pale hair fanned
out over her shoulders, she looked like a dream. Swirls of colours on the water’s surface barely covered her breasts. The rose pink tips taunted him. He wanted to lick them, lick all of her. But this wasn’t helping him sort out his head.

  She didn’t speak, but she didn’t tell him to get lost either.

  Stepping forward, his footsteps a hushed whisper on the marble floor. “I’m sorry.”

  He hoped she believed him. The last thing he wanted was to leave in the morning with this weird vibe between them.

  “Are you?”

  “Yes, more than you know.” He waited for a response.

  Her eyes popped open. She looked up at him and gasped, then promptly squeezed her eyes closed again. “Blimey! Gabriel, you could have put on a robe or something.”

  “It would have ruined the effect.”

  “Which effect?”

  “The naked man wanting to show you how happy he is to spend one last night with you.”

  He was relieved when she opened one eye and peered up at him, scrunching her face adorably. Then her face blanked. Coldness washed over him.

  “Go, Gabriel. Just go.” She shook her head and turned away, wet strands of hair sticking to her cheek.

  The flame flickering inside him was snuffed out. It’d been too much to hope that she’d want to be with him again. Too much like good luck.

  There was something about her – the way she’d taken a chance on him – that made him wonder. What if he could have someone in his life? Sinead was passionate and fiery, the type of woman who’d keep him on his toes and call him out when he was being a grumpy bastard, which was most of the time. But he couldn’t expect her to fit in with his life, with all the issues he was facing. He wouldn’t do that to her.

  He clenched his fists by his sides. “I’ll take the sofa.” He walked to the door got out of the room.

  He grabbed a pillow and lay down alone, as per usual. Waited for sleep to come.

  He was so tired. So damned tired.

  She sat alone in the now-cold bathwater. The last remnants of ridiculously good loving still vibrated through her body. Sinead shivered, gripping her knees.

  Her marathon man had wanted her, but she’d sent him away. What kind of idiot was she? The kind who’d been disappointed before. The kind who’d learned to protect herself.