Nell had felt too poorly to follow her usual route, which would have been to insist she could take care of herself. And, damned if it hadn’t felt pretty great to lay there in bed while he tended to her, got her some water, and then showed her to the shower. When she got out, a glass of unidentifiable green liquid rested on the bedside table, with a note in a masculine scrawl.
“Drink this. Mama’s hangover cure-all.”
Nell had sniffed it and discovered it was nearly the same as the one she used herself, except with a kick-ass spice that seared her throat and seemed to be clearing out the remaining dregs of tequila. When she’d made it downstairs, intending to head out as quickly as possible, Agata had been manning the stove, and turned to her with a sympathetic smile.
“Sit. I’m making a breakfast to cure the evils of tequila, for you and for Olivia.”
Nell had realized that Olivia sat at the breakfast table already, head in her hands, face pale.
“I can’t hold my liquor anymore,” she’d moaned, winced when one of the twins called “Mama!” from the next room.
Agata had hurried to the doorway, pointed her spatula at what must have been Alex or Adrian and admonished them to take the kids outside.
And so, Nell had sat, chatted with Agata about her cure-all recipe, commiserated with Olivia. Halfway through breakfast, with Alex, Adrian and the twins also gathered around the big table, she’d realized she felt completely at ease. She’d bantered back and forth with the two brothers, enjoyed the twins and their curiosity and energy. In the end, she’d stayed until mid-afternoon, and left only after exchanging numbers with Olivia, promising to see her the next time she was in Seattle.
Thinking about the cozy family scene now, as she pulled into her parking spot at the airport, left an ache in her heart. Truth be told, she’d started mulling over the idea of ending things with Adrian. The way he’d childproofed his house, made ample room for his family to stay, his obvious joy and affection for his nieces—all signs that despite the playboy act, he was raring to get married and settle down. Which, he’d told her, sure, but she hadn’t really believed him at first.
She’d done quite a bit of thinking since Tate’s death. She’d been all hearts and flowers over Paul but clearly, that hadn’t worked out. And, maybe deep down, where she’d been too afraid to look, she’d known it’d be that way. Because it was easier to pine over someone unattainable than to put in the hard work to commit to anything. She was, after all, her father’s daughter. She just had enough of her mother in her to not be an asshole and make promises she couldn’t keep.
So, she’d considered calling things off with Adrian, because maybe things were heading down a path towards Seriousville, and they’d agreed to keep things casual. But then he’d called with the invite for today, and maybe she was selfish, but she took him up on it. He was a grown up and could take care of himself, she’d told herself. It’s not like he’d made a declaration of love. In fact, she was the one that twined herself around him in her sleep, a thought that still made her squirm.
Shaking off her thoughts, she headed directly into the hanger to begin her pre-flight checklist. Before she’d gotten halfway through, Adrian sauntered into the hanger. Nell squinted a bit, as the mid-morning sun streamed in behind him, rendering him into a silhouette. A broad-shouldered, long legged sexy silhouette that she could instantly identify.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he said when he drew near. He leaned in to plant a quick kiss on her lips, his dark eyes studying her face. Studied it just long enough to head past casual into “I’m checking in on you” territory.
It hit her like a ton of bricks.
“You did this on purpose,” she said, jabbing a finger into his chest.
His brows drew together. “I like to kiss you, so sue me.”
“Oh, no. Don’t pull that innocent act on me.” Fuming, Nell crossed her arms, hugging her pre-check clipboard to her chest. The look she sent him should have singed the hair off his head and blasted him back halfway across the hanger. Instead, he just cocked his head, met her stare levelly. “Who told you about Tate’s wake being today?”
“Oh.” Adrian rocked back on his heels, stuck his hands into his pockets. “Brooke did.”
“So typical. I’m fucking fine, and I don’t need a fucking babysitter.” She stormed off toward her office.
“Hang on a minute.” Adrian hustled to catch up and grabbed her arm.
Nell whirled and considered bashing him over the head with her clipboard. “Hands off, Perez.”
Instead of letting go, he grabbed her other arm, and while his fingers were gentle, she couldn’t struggle free from his iron grip. A glance at his arms, the muscles of his biceps straining against his black t-shirt, reminded her he was bigger and stronger than she was. The sliver of desire that flashed an arrow of heat through her body infuriated her even more.
“First of all,” Adrian told her, frowning, his dark eyes glittering. “I’m not your fucking babysitter. You are a grown ass woman, and, I’ll add, the most stubborn one I’ve ever met. I asked you out today because I thought you might feel lonely.”
Nell opened her mouth to snap back at him, but he gave her a small shake.
“Shut up,” he told her, and she was so surprised that she closed her mouth. “You don’t want to talk about your dad, fine. But, I thought you might like a friend, and if you spent the day with me, Brooke and Jan wouldn’t be calling you every ten minutes to check on you, and neither would Hannah or Amy, or any of the other hundred people on this Island, who, God forbid, actually care about you.”
Oh, yeah, he was angry, too, and Nell cursed her slutty body that was responding to the hard set of his jaw, that enjoyed the feel of him holding her captive.
“I thought you might actually enjoy taking me up on your plane, and ziplining and all the other stuff I packed into this day so you wouldn’t have to think about what was going on with your dad’s wake. If you weren’t being such an ass I wouldn’t have had to bring up any of this stuff, and we wouldn’t be talking about inconvenient things like feelings, and all that other shit, as you would so eloquently put it.”
He glared down at her. Nell sighed, her anger draining away as quickly as it had arrived.
“You were being thoughtful,” she admitted, looking down so she wouldn’t have to meet his eyes.
“Yes, it’s terrible of me, I know, but I was looking out for you.”
Nell took in a deep breath and met his eyes.
“I don’t need anyone looking out for me. But.” She brought up her hand to rest on his chest when he shifted impatiently and opened his mouth. “I appreciate it. And, I pissed you off. I really hate saying I’m sorry.”
Adrian waited in silence until she met his eyes. “I noticed you’re not actually saying you’re sorry.” His words had lost some of their bite.
Nell leaned in and brushed her lips against his, once, twice, feeling his grip on her loosen. “I’ve been a bad girl.”
This surprised a laugh out of Adrian, and his hold relaxed completely. “Really? Are you kidding me?”
She grinned at him. “Just thought I’d help you get rid of some that frustration.”
He eyed her for a minute, then quick as lightning, crushed her to him and slanted his mouth over hers in a hot, hungry kiss. His lips were hard, rough against hers, and Nell opened for him, letting her own anger out, meeting his tongue stroke for stroke. She twined her arms around his neck, and he slid his hand up to cup her breast, his thumb flicking across her nipple without preamble, sending a throb of desire straight down to her center. Adrian pulled her closer, deepening the pressure of the kiss until she was utterly lost in the feel of his mouth devouring hers, his solid, muscular thighs pressed against her. When he pulled away, she shuddered in disappointment, looking up at him with eyes she was sure were heavy with desire.
“That helped,” he said, his voice rough. He slapped her ass, making her squeal, and then laughed. “So, are you going to run off and
pout, or are we going to have a great day together?”
“I don’t pout,” she said with dignity.
She finished up her pre-check, assuming that he’d head into the office to talk to Anna Sue. Instead, he followed her, asking her questions about each step of the process. Soon, she had him buckled in to the vintage bi-plane that the tourists loved. He didn’t look askance at the helmet and goggles like some people did, but instead leaned forward in his seat, peering over her shoulder at the controls.
“You’re going to let loose with all the tricks, right?” he asked as she flipped on the engine and the propellers started whirling.
“I’m not a trick pilot but I can do a few maneuvers,” she assured him, radioing in to let them know she was taking off. When she got clearance, she taxied down the runway and lifted into the sky.
As always, in that first moment the wheels left the ground and the plane hovered in the space between ground and sky, she caught her breath then let it out with a whoosh, her worries streaming behind her as the wind whipped around her face. As predicted, the clouds had cleared, and when she gained altitude and tipped the wing slightly banking a turn, she enjoyed the contrast of the bright yellow wing against the jewel-blue ocean beneath. Like magic, she relaxed, and chatted with Adrian over the headset while she took him on a quick tour around the Islands, pointing out landmarks along the way.
In the reflection of the mirror she had pointing towards the backseat, she could monitor her passengers, and she saw that Adrian was completely entranced, a huge grin on his face as he tried to look everywhere at once. The man should have looked ridiculous in his helmet and goggles but she still wanted to climb back there and nibble on his mouth. When they headed out over the open ocean toward Seattle, she took him on an easy loop de loop, to see how he’d handle it. Unsurprised when he pumped his fist in the air and cheered her on, she took him through a few rolls, then a hard and sharp loop de loop that had her own heart pounding in triple time.
He whooped, yelled out, “That was awesome!”
Since he got a kick out of it, she did it again, then flew nice and easy to the airport. She’d made the flight hundreds of times before, with hundreds of different passengers, but Adrian’s comments and questions made her see the familiar scenery in a new light. Nell took them in for a smooth landing and easily hopped out, unfastening the door for Adrian.
“Amazing.” He pulled her in for a quick, hard kiss. Enjoying the mile-wide grin on his face, Nell grabbed his shirt and brought him back in for another kiss, which she intended to be brief before she secured the plane. Instead, Adrian’s hands molded over her hips and pulled her close, and she felt the hard length of him press against her. Evidently, he’d really enjoyed his flight, she thought, about to pull away with a joke, but distracted by the long, lazy strokes of his tongue against hers.
Nell relaxed against him and enjoyed his lips pressed against hers, slid her tongue to dance with his. When he shifted and planted a trail of kisses down her throat, lingering on the curve where her neck met her shoulder, she sighed, shivery with desire. Then he bit down, gently, and she let out a soft moan, twined her arms around his neck. He captured her mouth again, hard and hungry this time, and she pressed against him, feeling her nipples harden against his chest when his hands cupped her ass and brought up against his erection. She rocked against him, slow, teasing, and his grip tightened, his kiss deepened. Knowing the likelihood of anyone walking into the hanger and seeing them was slim, as there wasn’t another flight landing for another hour, Nell drew him back to the plane, until her back was against the cool metal. She wrapped one leg around him, drawing him closer, loving the feel of him hard against her.
Adrian pressed her against the plane, ground into her until she gasped, her head falling back, and he ran his teeth down her neck. He slid his hands up her body, and she shivered at the feel of those long fingers brushing her waist, then over her breasts. Her nipples hardened to the point of pain when his mouth made its way down to the V of her shirt, when he licked the curve of her breast. She arched up, rubbed against him, her breath coming in pants.
“Christ,” he muttered, sliding his hand back to her breast, his thumb brushing over her nipple. She felt his touch burn even through the fabric, and she groaned, pulled him back to her mouth, devouring him until she was so wet and throbbing with desire she thought she might come then and there. She found herself cursing the fact she hadn’t brought the cargo plane, or she would have dragged him inside and fucked him right then and there. But wait…
“The office,” she said, struggling to catch her breath and speak in a coherent sentence. “Door. Desk. Lock.”
When he just picked her up and draped her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold, making a beeline for the door across the hanger, she snorted out a laugh, unable to remember the last time she’d felt so damn turned on and amused at the same time. He put her down inside, closed the door, and pushed in the flimsy button lock.
“No one uses this?” he asked, his eyes intent on her, backing her up to the desk.
Nell was already unbuckling his belt. “No. It’s a waiting area of sorts if you’re stuck between flights.”
Adrian stepped out of his pants, began tugging down her jeans. When he caught sight of her barely there black thong, he groaned. When she whipped off her t-shirt, revealing her nipples hard against the black lace of her low-cut bra, he laid her back on the desk, immediately fastening his mouth over her nipple. Now it was Nell’s turn to groan, and she reveled in the feel of his wet mouth, his tongue circling her nipple.
“I want to taste you,” he growled, pulling away and moving down her body.
Nell propped her arms up to look at him and spread her legs, taut with anticipation as he slid her thong aside with his fingers. When he licked her with a short, teasing stroke, she nearly came off the desk. He did it again, just a hard flick of his tongue against her clit, and she moaned out his name.
“You said you’d been a bad girl,” he said, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he tilted his head and looked up at her. Then he leaned down and licked her again, and it felt so fucking fantastic but oh, so not enough.
“Oh god,” she breathed out.
He licked her, long and slow, up her center, and then alternated with a short, hard flick, back and forth, each time getting a little deeper into her clit, but still not nearly enough until she was mindless with desire. Her nipples throbbed, so she slid her hands down and caressed herself, watching the bulge in Adrian’s boxers twitch as she did so. He slid his tongue inside her, bit by torturous bit, swirled around, and she convulsed around him, this was it, she was going to come—and then he withdrew, leaving her aching.
“Please, Adrian, please,” she begged—and she never begged. “Fuck me.”
“Oh, I will,” he assured her, with that smile, and stepped out of his boxers.
She licked her lips at the sight of his huge erection, watching while he slowly slid a condom over his length, his eyes intent on hers. He leaned onto the desk, bracing with his arms, the muscles in his biceps bulging, and bent his head to lick her nipples, one after another, as she writhed, the pressure building yet again. Desperate, she twined her legs around his waist, pulling him closer, and reached down to guide him into her. He groaned at the feel of her, and teased her yet some more, rubbing against her folds, bending his head to suck on her nipples, and she rocked against him, lost in the sharp flares of heat building in her body.
Adrian buried his face in her neck as he entered her slowly, and she moaned with satisfaction at the feel of his hard length inside her, thrusting her hips as he pulled out, then slid in again. He filled her with long, deep strokes as the heat coiled tighter and tighter, and Nell could only hold onto his shoulders, nails digging in, her head thrown back. When he angled her legs up and slid in even deeper, she gasped, and rocked against him, urging him on. He thrust in faster, harder, until she convulsed around him, calling out his name and nearly crying with relief at the intense release
and waves of pleasure. With a groan, he lowered his head and pistoned his hips against her wildly, letting go with his own release.
They lay there, gasping, sweaty, on the desk. Nell knew she’d never look at the shabby office—and especially the scarred wooden desk—the same way again when she used this hanger for her Seattle flights. Her limbs felt like water, but as she slowly came back to herself, she shifted, easing his heavy weight off her.
“Well, I enjoyed the adventure park,” he said, eying her as she shimmied back into her jeans.
“Haha,” she remarked, trying to be sarcastic but unable to stop the goofy “I just had amazing sex” grin from spreading across her face.
She ran a hand through her hair, and gave him a once over as he sat, still naked, on the desk. “Not that I’m not enjoying the view, but I’m hungry.”
He smirked. “I’ll take care of that, baby.”
“I don’t think you’re up to the task,” she said with a pointed look at his limp penis, which, she was amused to see, quivered a little under her gaze as if trying to rise to the occasion.
“There are other ways,” he said, standing up and wandering over to her, a gleam in his eyes.
She smiled, and put her palm against his chest, keeping him at arms length. “Get dressed and take me out to eat.”
Adrian had arranged for a rental car, so they drove into downtown Seattle and ate at a small seafood restaurant with counter service near the Pike Place Market, keeping it quick and easy. From there, Adrian drove her thirty minutes outside of the city and down a bumpy gravel road overshadowed by towering pine trees, ending at the adventure park. Three different obstacle courses covered the campus, each outfitted with safety nets and a variety of challenges, from fifty-foot rope ladders to balance beams at staggering heights to ziplines that led from tree to tree.
They had to check in at the small building off to the side, and then sit through a safety video, which Nell rolled her eyes at. If she could fly a plane, she could certainly climb a damn rope ladder without killing herself. Adrian caught her eye during the video and grinned at her. He leaned in, whispered, “I signed us up for the expert level. Think you can handle it?”
Love in the Air: Lopez Island Series #2 Page 20