Finally, for the first time in days, she felt marginally in control again.
Gavin groaned as the cockpit door slammed. "Wow. Seriously, what the hell is with that girl?"
Another stuck-up girl from the Meadow to make my life complicated.
"You better watch your mouth around Tali. She doesn't react well when people push her buttons. She can be a real firecracker."
"Come on, Cameron. You can't possibly be afraid of that princess. She's a marshmallow."
Cameron laughed. "Be afraid, dude. Be very afraid. If you think she's just a princess, you are so wrong."
Gavin knew she was more than just a princess. She may initially come off as a beautiful and charismatic ball of fluff, but she was a ball-breaker in every other way. He could see the fire in her eyes as she met his gaze and challenged him. This girl wouldn't take shit from anyone, and certainly not from him. Knowing that fact almost made him want to push her buttons more. There was something strangely arousing about fighting with her. Every time she fired back at him with hot words, he felt the stirring of something more.
Squelch it, dumbass. Hot words don't equal hot sex. No, more likely hot words would equal big headaches as always. He wouldn't let another Meadow girl take advantage of him. When the whole "pilot" novelty wore off, he'd be left empty handed and out of a job again. This time, he was keeping his distance and his job. He wouldn't be anyone's toy—or slave.
He'd been warned to watch out for the boss's daughter, but somehow he'd imagined her being a bit different. He had expected Tali to be like the other rich girls he was used to. The girls who simply got their nails done and went shopping and otherwise remained fairly quiet—seen and not heard, that type. He hadn't expected a girl who would stand up for herself. A girl with fire and fight.
He liked this unexpected twist. A lot.
This girl with the feisty personality was someone he could imagine spending time with. Except for one small problem—she annoyed the crap out of him. How was it, someone who looked so sweet and innocent could spar with him so effortlessly? And why did he enjoy interacting with her so much when all he really wanted to do was ignore her?
A smile played on Gavin's lips again at the thought of Tali's hip pushed to one side as she stood before him, challenging him. Good thing he knew better than to get involved with a princess. Some unsuspecting poor bastard was going to be in for a ride getting involved with her.
No thanks. He shook his head. Better to stay away from that mistake.
He was free and he wanted to stay that way. No way would he ever allow himself the chance to get mixed up with a girl like Tali—no matter how smokin' hot she was.
"Listen," Cameron started, "if I were you, I'd keep my opinions to myself from now on when it comes to Tali. That girl can make your life in this job a living hell if you let her. I don't know about you, but I think this job is too cushy to risk messing it up by pissing off Tali."
"She can attempt to make my life as awful as she wants. But if she thinks I'm going to kiss her ass because she's the boss's daughter, well she's in for a harsh reality. Besides, if the Radcliffs don't want me to fly for them because I won't suck up to the girl, well then there's always another rich family who will want me."
I can't wait to have my own charter company. Then I'll choose who I fly.
"Whatever you say, dude. It's your life."
"Exactly. Which is why I'm not going to let some spoiled brat make me her slave."
Gavin flipped a switch and leaned back into his chair to relax as the plane flew itself on autopilot for a while. He closed his eyes and sighed, enjoying the silence filling the small space. A few more hours and they'd land in Paris. Then he'd be free of Tali while she shopped her heart out.
He planned to enjoy every single second of Tali-free time he got until she snapped her fingers for him to bring her back stateside.
Chapter Two
Gavin stood on the top step of the stairway leading down to the tarmac below and took a deep breath of air, filling his lungs as he stretched his arms above his head. Nothing compared to those first few breaths of fresh air after a long flight. He loved to fly, but he hated the recirculated air onboard. He slowly exhaled with a sigh.
"You gonna stand there all night stargazing or do you plan on moving sometime soon?" Tali's voice behind him was as crisp as the early-evening air.
Without a word, he stepped aside.
"Thank you." She brushed passed him, her flowery perfume scenting her wake. "Would you grab my bag, please?"
Well, at least she asked nicely.
He stepped back into the cabin of the plane and opened the storage closet nearest the cockpit. Tucked inside sat her Louis Vuitton luggage. Only one piece.
She packs light.
Gavin hauled her suitcase out of the cabin and down the narrow metal stairs. For a small suitcase, the bag was surprisingly heavy. At the bottom of the stairs sat two more pieces of luggage, which must have been retrieved by the ground crew from the underbelly of the plane. A memory of counting bags clicked in his brain. Of course they'd been hers. No way did a girl like Tali travel light.
Figures.
"This way," she said. She spun on her heel and walked off with only her handbag slung on her shoulder.
Gritting his teeth, he propped her smaller bag on top of one of the larger ones and his overnight bag onto the other and followed her. He only had to put up with her for a few more minutes and then he'd be free to lounge, undisturbed in his own room. She could be across town in her fancy five-star hotel ordering around the bellhop and he would happily grab a greasy burger at the two-star airport hotel bar. Perfect. If she took a week to finish her "business" before she called him to fly her home, that would be fine with him—as long as he wasn't expected to spend the week at her beck and call.
Tali stopped in the customs line with her passport in hand, grumbling under her breath and looking from one customs agent to another. Gavin simply stood still waiting and shuffled forward as the line inched ahead.
"So, any idea how many days you'll need until you'll be ready to head stateside again?"
Tali shrugged. "Not sure. Why, you ready to go back? We just got here."
She had her head turned to look at him and didn't seem to notice the line had moved again while they spoke. As he placed his hand on the small of her back to suggest she step forward with the line, a flash of electricity shot through him.
Instantly Tali's eyes flickered up to meet his and he pulled his hand back, shoving it into his pocket where he would be safe from any more unwanted shocks. He hadn't felt something like this before—this current of energy passing between them. The feeling wasn't bad exactly. In fact it was a great feeling, one that made him feel stirrings of something more below his waist.
But he didn't want to feel this—whatever this emotion was—for Tali.
She was a spoiled brat. And he wanted nothing more to do with her than fly her around the globe at her whim. She could walk her Pradas all over whomever the hell she wanted to, but that someone wouldn't be him. Nope.
"I'm in no rush to go back." He cleared his throat, getting his thoughts back in order and off of her. "I was only curious how long I'd be hanging around the airport."
She glanced down at her hands before meeting his gaze. "Why don't you come stay at the hotel with me. Well, not with me—but you know, at the same hotel—but in your own room." Her gaze flickered away from his and focused instead on her hands as she wrung them together tightly, almost as if she were suddenly nervous.
He smiled as her cheeks turned a subtle hue of pink with her words. A crack in the hard shell? "Thanks, but I'll be fine at the hotel here."
A loose strand of hair fell across Tali's face as she stepped forward with the line. Without thinking, he tucked it behind her ear, his thumb brushing against her cheek accidentally. Another shot of electricity coursed through him and he smiled in response before quickly pulling his hand back.
Damn it. Stop that.
"I'll charge your room to mine so the cost won't inconvenience you," she offered quietly.
That's generous. But he couldn't accept. "You don't have to worry about me."
"Actually, I was sort of worrying about myself."
"Shocker." He muttered under his breath, but when he saw her hand tighten around her passport he realized she'd heard him. Oops.
"I only meant I normally don't travel alone, especially not to foreign countries. I thought having you nearby might be nice so I wouldn't feel so alone."
Tali turned to face the front of the line, which had disappeared as they'd chatted. She shifted her weight back and forth as she stood on the white line waiting in silence.
He should say something. He hadn't thought travelling alone would bother her. If being alone was a problem for her, why hadn't she brought a girlfriend on the trip? Hell, why hadn't she brought her boyfriend with her if she was really so worried about staying in a strange country, in a strange hotel room by herself?
"Next," a customs agent called from a few booths away.
Gavin watched as Tali wandered off to the booth and handed her passport across the counter. She looked so confident and sure of herself, standing there smiling and batting her eyes as she answered the man's questions. He never would have guessed she was uncomfortable. Or lonely.
Gavin stepped up to the nearest booth when he was called forward. He showed his passport and his airline credentials, answered a few quick questions, and before he even had a chance to get uncomfortable, the agent stamped his passport. He took his identification back and crossed into the luggage area to wait for Tali.
As he watched, Tali started shifting her weight back and forth again from one foot to the other. She turned her head toward the line-up and then quickly scanned the booths before settling on him in the baggage claim area. He was almost certain he saw her shoulders drop and a sigh escape her mouth as her gaze rested on him. Her head snapped back to the customs agent as he spoke and she grinned as she retrieved her passport and quickly walked away from the counter.
Why was she so seemingly uncomfortable on a trip she wanted to take? Maybe she really did need someone with her, well nearby at least.
She crossed over to Gavin with her carry-on luggage in tow behind her. "Do you mind helping me get my bags to a car before you leave me?"
Leave her? He wasn't exactly abandoning her. "Sure."
He grabbed her bags and together they left the customs area. Right outside the security doors, a man stood with a large whiteboard with Tali's name scrawled across the surface in thick black marker.
"I guess he can help me with my bags from here." Tali motioned toward the driver with a curt nod. "I don't want to keep you from whatever plans you had here at the airport."
Damn it. She looked so defeated. Did she always have those big bags under her eyes or were they something new? Rich girls usually looked completely put together at all times, but now when he got a better look at her, she wasn't done up at all. In fact, she looked like crap. What was wrong with her? Had she been crying on the flight? Why?
Damn it again.
"It's okay. I'll go," he said.
"No really. You don't have to. I forgot there would be a driver to help me with my bags, so you're officially off-duty until otherwise notified."
"That's not what I meant." He sighed. Why was he agreeing to more frustration than he was paid to put up with? "I'll go to the hotel with you if you still want me to."
He thought her face might explode with the size of the smile that sprang to her lips. "Really?" She clapped. "That's awesome. Really awesome. I'm so excited!"
Gavin couldn't help but smile while watching her bounce around excitedly. Her enthusiasm was contagious. "Okay, okay. That's enough. Let's not get too carried away. I said I'd stay at the hotel with you. It's not like I agreed to fill in for your girlfriends and go shopping with you or anything."
Her eyes widened. "Oh, shopping. That's a great idea. Let's do that tomorrow after the jetlag wears off."
He shook his head. "No. No way." He waved his hand at her to make his point. "I agreed to the hotel change. I did not agree to shopping. No."
"Oh come on. It's fun to walk around Paris and window shop."
"I think that sounds like torture, not fun."
"What else are you going to do at the hotel while you wait for me? Watch French television? 'Cause that sounds like a whole lot of fun."
"Maybe I will. Or maybe I'll stay in bed. Or maybe I'll go out to eat. Or maybe I'll go to the Louvre. I don't know yet. I do know I will not be going shopping while in Paris."
Tali's dark eyes twinkled like the night sky. "Well, we'll see what tomorrow brings now won't we." She turned on her heel and followed the driver out to the black town car waiting in a parking stall near the front doors.
Great. He had to open his big mouth and give her the idea of him coming with her while she walked around Paris, spending money and buying new things she surely didn't need. Way to go, big guy.
Tali handed over her black credit card to the front desk clerk at the hotel. She tapped her nails on the counter as she waited for the man to swipe her card and give her the room keys for herself and Gavin. Her heart did a quick somersault in her chest at the thought of him staying near her.
She was glad he'd changed his mind and decided to stay with her. She wasn't used to travelling completely alone and since she'd left the States so quickly, no one had been available to join her. Staying in the hotel room alone was fine, but being completely alone in the city was a little more than she could currently handle. Knowing Gavin was safely down the hall from her would put her at ease so she could rest and relax enough to put Roger behind her for good. She was happy to know Gavin was here if she needed him.
Sure, Gavin had been a bit of an ass on the flight, but he was also a pretty fine piece of eye-candy. Even though his comments had been completely uncalled for—albeit correct—sparring with him in the plane had been strangely exhilarating. And seeing the dimple in his cheek still made her feel slightly lightheaded.
Strange.
She didn't usually have such visceral reactions to people. She was usually a more calculated romantic. She wasn't one of those girls who got swept off her feet by every man who glanced in her direction. Nope.
She turned away plenty of hot guys without a second thought, so what was it about this guy that made her want him near her even if it meant she was going to have to put up with more of his mouthy comments?
"Here are your keys, Mademoiselle." The man behind the counter handed her two sets of keycards. "You are in room 318 and Monsieur Taylor is in room 350. Please enjoy your stay with us at the hotel and don't hesitate to ring us if you need anything at all to make your stay more comfortable. Bonsoir."
"Merci." She took the keys and handed one to Gavin.
Gavin Taylor. Nice. Tali Taylor. Could be even nicer—stop.
There was no way "Tali Taylor" was ever going to happen. He was not her type of guy. She only had marriage on her mind because of seeing Roger's stupid engagement to Samantha plastered all over Facebook.
She didn't want to get married yet. Ever. Okay well, maybe that wasn't entirely true. Maybe she did want to get married one day but she wasn't going to get married to some asshole like Roger.
And she certainly wouldn't marry some jerky, smart-mouthed pilot like Gavin either.
"Here you go." Gavin set her bags in front of her room door. "I'm pretty sure you can handle it from here right?"
She nodded. "Sure. Of course."
She unlocked her door and pushed it open with her foot, grabbing her bags by the pull handles and tugged them together toward the door. The bags collided with the doorframe with a noisy thud.
"Oops." She giggled, backing up the bags and giving them another tug toward the door, which was now crushing her toes as they poked out the tip of her very strappy sandals.
Gavin sighed. Loudly.
"Oh just let me do it already." He strode fo
rward and grabbed the two bags from her hands.
She stepped back against the door, holding it open with her body instead of her poor sore toes. Gavin pulled the luggage back out into the hallway and maneuvered one bag so it pointed forward in front of him, and dragged the other behind him. As he passed through the doorway, his shoulder glided past her with only an inch to spare. She inhaled a fleeting whiff of his cologne and a stirring of butterflies came to life in her stomach as she gripped the door handle tightly to steady her suddenly nervous knees.
Roger had never smelled that good.
She forced herself away from the door and into the room. She didn't want to stand there like an idiot, gawking at him. Instead, she crossed the room and sat down on the bed, slipping off her sandals and rubbing her feet.
"Thanks again for staying here with me and helping me with my bags and everything."
Gavin shrugged setting the bags on the luggage racks against the wall. "Sure. I don't know what you would have done without me." He turned to face her with his arms crossed. "Anything else you want me to take care of for you before I give in to jetlag and hit the sack? Fix your air conditioner or fluff your pillows?" He grinned as if he thought he was being funny.
He might smell great, but damn it, he was a total jerk.
Enough already, sexy-pilot guy. Enough.
"Why are you in such a huff? What is it? The super nice hotel you get to stay in for free? You'd rather stay in the crappy airport hotel than here because you had to help me with my bags for two seconds? Thank you so much for your valiant sacrifice. I don't know what I would have done without you."
"I just flew eight hours across the ocean you know, so excuse me if I'm not up to the usual pleasantries. I'm tired and I want to rest, not follow your sorry ass around, answering to your every whim. At least at the airport hotel, I wouldn't have to play bellboy to every spoiled brat I meet."
Love on Landing Page 2