by Aliyah Burke
He stared at her. Lauren was a beautiful woman. Her blonde hair, green eyes, and creamy skin made an extremely attractive package. But one that did nothing for him.
“Right.” He strode off, beer in hand.
As he approached the table, he was met by grins and smirks. “I see Lauren tracked you down,” Lizard said. “From the look on her face she’s gonna get to be with Casanova tonight.”
Gio sat in a chair across from Jaydee who drank…water. Holding her gaze, he took a slow drink of his nearly empty beer. He cut his gaze to Lizard and gave him a small, untelling smile. His friend roared in laughter.
“I knew it.”
Gio swung his attention back to Jaydee. She paid him no attention. In fact, she no longer sat there—he was treated to the natural sway of her hips. As he watched, she, Puck, Tessler and Tinman began to play a game of pool.
Lust slammed him as Jaydee caressed her pool cue before bending over to break. He felt heat course through him and his cock pressed insistently against his jeans. Christ! That ass of hers would make a monk sin. Given that he wasn’t even remotely close to a monk, it did way more than that to him.
Anger churned at his gut as he watched her laugh and mingle with those around her. She was so reserved when interacting with him—polite yet reserved. Hell he’d stopped by her place a few times since the incident and she’d never even answered the door. He’d been unable to get her alone. And that fact drove him crazy.
“Evening, Casanova.” The deep voice preceded his CO lowering his body into a vacant seat.
“Good evening, sir.” He straightened up in his chair and tore his hungry gaze from Jaydee’s ass.
The man’s grey eyes meandered between him and the four at the pool table. “No pool for you?” he asked.
“Not this game, sir.”
Captain Fentress, aka Renegade, rose, took a drink and said, “Let’s play.”
He dutifully followed his CO to the table next to the one that Jaydee played at. He ensured he brushed past the woman who made him hornier than a young man while he grabbed two cues, and he grinned at her sharp intake of breath.
“Excuse me,” he breathed softly.
“Not a problem.” Her response was bland and hid the emotion he knew simmered beneath her composed surface.
He longed to drag his tongue along the shell of her ear, press her against him, and tell every slobbering fucking male in the establishment she was his. Beyond everything, he saw Lizard and Lauren talking and his gut clenched. Not with jealousy but uncertainty. The gleam in Lizard’s gaze made him wonder what nefarious plan he had put into play.
Playing a game with one’s CO was hard enough, but when you added outside forces to the mix it became damn near impossible. He did his best to concentrate but he continually grew hard and distracted by Jaydee. The way she touched the pool cue, how delectable her ass looked when she bent over for her shot, and even the sound of her laughter.
Pathetic? Perhaps, but he couldn’t help it.
For those reasons and more, he lost. Fentress laughed as he began to rack them a second time.
“Mind’s not on the game, Casanova.”
“He’s got a hot date with a blonde later on. I’d be distracted too.” Lizard spoke up.
Fentress nodded. “Ahh, I understand. Up for another game?”
Gio shared a glance with Lizard before rolling his shoulders. “Yes, sir.”
Puck came and joined them, so it was he and Lizard against Puck and Renegade. Still, his attention meandered to where Tessler and Jaydee stood talking and laughing back along a wall.
“Focus, man,” Lizard hissed in his ear.
“I am.”
“Bullshit. Well, perhaps not, but I need you to focus on the game, not her.”
Catching a waitress’ eye, he ordered another drink, using the time to ogle Jaydee. She walked with Tessler towards them.
“Are you leaving?” Puck tilted her head as she asked.
Jaydee smiled, another innocent action that slammed into him hard.
“Yes. I have things to attend to. It has been an honour serving with you.”
Puck stood. “You too.”
The women embraced before Jaydee moved on to the others who were leaving. With a quick glimpse at him, Lizard, and Captain Fentress, she strode off with nothing more than a goodnight. Gio watched her leave from beneath lowered lashes.
All he wanted to do was follow her. Kiss her. Fuck her. He bit back a groan and forced his attention on the game. It took a while but eventually her face settled in the back of his mind.
When he finally called it a night, said his farewells to those leaving, and headed to his car after paying his tab, he found Lauren resting against the side of his convertible.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” She had a coy look in her eyes.
“Not tonight, Lauren. I’m exhausted.” And he was. He wanted his bed. Although he had no doubts that if Jaydee called him up asking for sex he’d find some energy. A hell of a lot.
“You’ve never been too exhausted before,” she whined.
The sound grated on his nerves. “Don’t push, Lauren, it’s unbecoming.” He gently lifted her away from his door and opened it. “Lizard is inside if you want him.”
“No, I want you, Casanova.” She pressed against his back and rubbed. “I’ve always wanted you.”
The feel of her pert breasts against his back failed to stimulate him, even remotely. “Goodnight, Lauren.” He climbed in and drove away, leaving her there in the lot, probably furious and definitely alone. He knew she didn’t like being ignored.
He mulled over it all while he drove. It wasn’t a one-time thing anymore. He wanted no one but Jaydee. The feel of another woman had no effect on him, whereas the mere thought or glimpse of Jaydee could send him close to coming in his pants.
He took a long shower—a cold one—when he got home, to try to negate the power Jaydee had on him. Nothing worked. With a muted groan, he flopped naked onto his California king-sized bed.
Tomorrow was a day off and he knew exactly where he was going in the early morning. The thought calmed him a bit and he eventually began to relax.
* * * *
Jaydee sat on the edge of the table, her booted feet swinging back and forth as she waited. The room was silent except for the hum of the computers. She tucked some wayward hair behind one ear without stopping her feet. Palms on the desk, fingers curved about the edge, she lifted her head and stared at the person in front of her.
He was an imposing man. Tight black hair clipped close to his head. Tall and broad-shouldered, he filled out the white lab coat he wore. He had skin the hue of pumpernickel. He wore small rectangular glasses and had on a turtleneck and slacks under the coat.
She, on the other hand, wore steel-toed boots, jeans, and a T-shirt. Honestly, she felt a bit underdressed. Not that he would care—it was her problem, her hang-up. Not his.
He raised his head and pinned her with ochre eyes. A heavy sigh before he glanced back down to the tablet PC he held.
“Are you positive about this?” he questioned. His voice was as authoritative as she recalled.
“Yes, sir.”
“And you filed a report with your CO?”
“Yes, sir. An exact duplicate to what you’re reading now.”
“You don’t think this is like the Spirit of Kansas, where there was moisture in the aircraft’s Port Transducer Unit which appeared during the air calibration?”
Jaydee shook her head and jumped off the table before approaching him. She barely reached his shoulder. But she wasn’t scared, she knew her shit. And knew he knew she did, too.
“Not at all. There was no distorted information sent to the air data system like what happened with B-2 89-0127. Plus, this accident didn’t happen during take-off. Had he had an extra thirty-degree pitch he could have corrected, regardless of the negative angle of attack. It’s not the same thing.”
He stared at her without blinking and took a deep
breath. “So you’ve concluded it happened because of the antigravity—”
The door swung open and brought their conversation to a halt. In walked Captain Fentress and he was followed by a few other men she didn’t know. Only when the last man entered and closed the door behind him did her breath catch. Gio.
He wore his flight suit and it was all she could do to keep her moan contained. He had the look of just getting out of the shower and she shifted her feet. Like a predator, his gaze snapped to her and burned her to the soles of her feet. It took more work than normal but she managed to remain composed, and to continue with her coolly professional demeanour.
Gio stood at the back of the room while the others sat down at two of the tables, facing her and the man beside her. He crossed his arms over his chest and fixated his stare on her. She barely heard Captain Fentress introduce the man beside her since she was so tuned in to the man at the back.
“Yes, like your captain said, my name is Dr Thompson.”
That got her attention and she swiftly moved to a vacant chair off to the side where she could see and listen. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Gio move so that he lingered more in her peripheral line of vision. With a groan, she determinedly ignored him and focused on the lecture.
“Commander.” A voice whispered in her ear.
She looked over her shoulder and found Fentress there on his haunches by her.
“Sir?” She glanced at him only to be met with a blank expression. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“You’re going up. Keel’s waiting for you so get changed and get moving.”
Going up? This morning she’d been informed her day was to be spent here analysing the results with the fellow scientists. Dr Thompson had asked for her to be there. Seeing Captain Fentress and Gio had thrown her, as she’d not expected them to stop in. It wasn’t unheard of having pilots come by to listen, but mostly it remained just the geeks.
“Amos, now!” The order fell firm with no room for dispute.
“Sorry, sir.”
She slanted a glance up to where Dr Thompson continued to talk. He gave a nod without breaking his speech and she immediately rose and crept to the door, eyes purposefully down to avoid the penetrating and heated stare from Gio. Even so, she could feel his gaze upon her.
In a short time, she strode across the grounds to where her bomber waited for her along with Keel. Helmet tucked under her arm, she drew up at the wheel to her plane. Yes, hers.
“Hey.” Keel gave her a nod.
“Do you know what’s going on?”
“No clue, Dusti. Hell, we weren’t even on the schedule to go up today.”
They did the pre-flight checks in silence before stopping by the steps again. She held his light brown gaze and quirked her lips. “Oh well, good thing I love being up in the air. Let’s do it.” Keel nodded and climbed up while she faced her mechanic. “Are we all good, Sedin?”
The man smiled. “Right as rain, ma’am.”
The wind blew and ruffled over her skin like a lover’s caress. Immediately she envisaged Gio and his touch. Lifting her chin, she hesitated for a bit and just enjoyed the breeze. She could smell the jet fuel and a soft smile filled her expression.
“Excellent.” She clapped him on the shoulder and scampered up into the waiting stealth bomber.
Once she and Keel were both ready, she contacted the tower and took them up into the endless sky.
“I never thanked you, Dusti.” Keel’s baritone split the quiet.
Flicking him a glance, she arched a brow. “What do you feel the need to thank me for?”
“Keeping us alive.”
Her belly unconsciously clenched as the memories flashed to the surface. Maintaining a composed expression, she swallowed before responding.
“You never have to thank me. We fly together.”
“I know, but I still want to thank you. So does my wife. She would love to have you over for dinner.”
Shocked, she gaped at him. Sure, she’d been invited out to the bars with the other pilots but had never had any home invites prior to this.
“Please. At least think about it?”
“Alpha Two.” The radio crackled.
Snapping her mask on, she nodded her consent to Keel and responded to the orders that came in. They ran repeated landings and take-offs. As if they were doing traps on a carrier. Was she curious as to why? Yes. Did she verbally question her orders? Hell no. That was not her way. She liked order. She followed orders. She didn’t do waves or ripples.
Except when it came to Giovanni Cassano. With him, all bets were off.
They screeched down and her attention went back to the task before her. Powering back up, the black bomber rose gracefully back into the sky. The plane trembled and instinctively she corrected, all the while checking the numerous panels displayed before her.
“Keel?”
“I’m checking, Dusti. I don’t know.”
The wings rocked and she had to use a lot of strength to keep her steady.
“Tower. We’ve got something going on here.”
“Bring her in, Dusti,” Fentress’ voice reached her.
“Roger that, sir, we’re on our—”
Another shudder that rolled the bomber to about a forty-five degree angle.
“Shit!”
She corrected, muscles beginning to strain with the effort to hold them level. The plane went again and this time she had to get Keel’s help to hold her.
“What the fuck?” she muttered.
“What’s going on, Alpha Two?”
“Shutting off autopilot, flying manually.” She did it and felt the jet lurch immediately to the left when she took one hand to flip the switch.
The response the plane gave made a grin crack her visage. Something had gone wrong with the stabiliser. She knew that now. The plane had thought they had been flying inverted and had been trying to fix the problem. Which was why she had switched to manual control.
“Alpha Two?”
“On our final approach now.” She glanced to Keel. “Did you see anything different with the AI? Did it invert?”
“No.” Keel relaxed his hands and helped her line up for landing. “I thought maybe it had, but no.”
Great. Another issue. No time to worry about that right now. She had to get this bird down safely.
Landing on manual had always been harder than on auto. But Jaydee was one hell of a pilot. No matter what people might have said about her, she was one of the best. Hell, hadn’t she managed to get them out of the previous thing? Yes, she had. This was much easier—she had all engines and no flames.
Still, her breaths only came without hesitation once the large bomber had coasted to a stop. She unfurled her fingers from the control stick and glanced at Keel. His brown eyes contained a mixture of relief and excitement. She knew hers were the same. For a pilot, the rush was everything. That pumping adrenaline made the job.
“That was fun,” she said, trying for a joke.
His gaze twinkled. “Never a dull moment with you, Dusti.”
“Alpha Two, it’s going to be a bit before you can leave. We have to wait out the lingering static.”
“Roger that.” She shook her head. And another problem. They’d not used the EG today, so that shouldn’t have even been an issue. And yet…apparently it was. Sure, they could lower their ladders and risk it but why do that? Ending up in the hospital because of a shock would be foolish.
Slipping from the seat, she stood and made her way back to the makeshift cot they had and sat on it. The bomber even had a little kitchenette for those very long flights. Bottom line—these jets weren’t your average ones.
Keel sat beside her and sighed heavily as his chin dropped to rest on his chest.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, an added precaution on the off-chance they could be overheard. She had no desire to let everyone else hear her apology.
“What for?” His question was posed in the same low tone.
> “I’m beginning to feel like a jinx given what’s—”
“Stop it.” His interruption was harsh.
She snapped her mouth shut, just now remembering how superstitious pilots were. How could I have forgotten? She was analytical, not one to go on superstitions.
“Right.”
“Look at me, Dusti.” His words were calmer now. Licking her lips, she lifted her gaze to meet his. “Are you doubting yourself?”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “No.”
“Good. I’m not, either.”
Jaydee understood and she smiled her thanks. “May I ask you something?”
He flashed a grin that showed her a devil-may-care attitude. “Of course.”
She knew they should be doing work, or at least keeping in contact with the tower. Instead, they sat together on the cot.
“Who did Lieutenant Walker go up with that day?”
Keel stiffened. Slightly, but she noticed.
“He didn’t.”
She frowned. Her report and findings had been based on the knowledge that the pilot known as Sidewinder had been with another pilot in the jet. Even though talking to that person wasn’t an option. A pilot named Wicked was unable to be located.
“I thought he had someone with him.” She kept her tone gentle with the hint of curiosity. Yes, the B-2s were technically two-pilot bombers, but they were so advanced one person could fly solo.
Keel sighed and leaned closer. Jaydee waited with bated breath for his response.
“Casanova and Lizard were scheduled for that flight.”
Her palms grew damp and her heart skipped a beat at the thought of never having met Gio.
“What happened?”
“Casanova injured his shoulder two days prior and wasn’t cleared to go back up. Sidewinder offered immediately to fly the mission in his plane. Fentress agreed.” He shifted and his leg brushed hers. “I’m not sure why, but Lizard wasn’t available the day of. Scuttlebutt said he was in the ER. Apparently, whatever happened between Sidewinder and Fentress resulted in Mike going up alone.”
Unease filled her and she made her way to the kitchenette. Before long she’d found the bottled water and had handed one to Keel. All the while, she mulled over his words.