Love on Landing

by Heather Thurmeier

  Slipping into the dress, she gasped as the smooth silk caressed her skin. The blues and greens swirled along the fabric as she moved, mesmerizing her. She stared at herself in the mirror, unable to see anything except the beauty of the dress. The colors dancing on the dress were like gazing at an oil painting hanging in the Louvre—simply breathtaking.

  Tali pulled open the dressing room door and stepped out to show Gavin, still feeling dazed. His eyes met hers and traveled down the length of her body. She suddenly felt naked under his gaze and the longer he looked at her, the quicker her pulse pounded.

  She liked when he looked at her like a desirable woman instead of the spoiled brat he'd called her. She liked the way his eyes took in her curves—her breasts and hips especially accentuated by the cut of the dress. She wondered what it would be like to feel his hands roaming her body instead of his eyes. The thought made her feel even more lightheaded.

  Gavin's gaze reached hers again and she could see his approval. He liked the dress on her that much was obvious.

  She broke their gaze and did a little twirl, spinning a full rotation before stopping to face the mirror. She glanced back over her shoulder at him and smiled when she saw his eyes focus on her rear. Again.

  Gavin stared at Tali's behind as she stared at herself in the mirror. Her curves and contours looked beyond amazing, hugged by the silken material. What he wouldn't do to tear it from her body and pull her onto the chair on top of him.

  No. Can't.

  He reluctantly pulled his gaze from her behind and settled on her reflection in the full-length mirror instead. She was stunning in the dress, that was a given. But the way she looked at herself was what really captured his attention. She acted as if she were in a dreamy state, tracing the swirls of color with her fingers across her flat stomach. Watching her was hypnotizing.

  What was she thinking? She definitely didn't seem like a normal spoiled brat at that moment. A spoiled brat would look at the garment for about five second and ignore the price while they ran to the register with their purchases. But that's not what Tali did at all.

  She appeared to be admiring the garment. Taking in even the littlest detail and examining each stitch of thread fully. He wished he could read her mind to know what she was thinking as she stared at it. She looked so thoughtful, so intellectual—so absolutely gorgeous.

  "So," he started, trying to break the spell in the room, "are you going to take that one? Seems a shame to leave it here when you obviously love it."

  "I do love it. It's so perfect and imperfect at the same time."

  He crinkled his forehead and took in the dress again. Nothing about the dress looked wrong. What was she talking about, imperfect?

  "If there's something wrong with the dress, maybe you should leave it. You don't want to pay that kind of price for something with flaws."

  She shook her head slowly. "Not flaws. Just—oh never mind. I can't explain what I mean." She stepped back into the dressing room, still shaking her head at him.

  "What? You said it was imperfect. It looks fine to me."

  "You don't understand. You don't see what I see."

  Gavin got up from the chair and stood beside her door, leaning against the frame as he waited. "I guess I don't." He shrugged. He didn't know if she was annoyed, upset, angry or simply disappointed he couldn't see the dress the same way she did. And he didn't understand why it bothered him.

  He crossed his arms and leaned his head against the doorframe. He was exhausted after their flight the day before and he wondered how much longer Tali would want to shop before returning to the hotel. He hoped for a nap before dinner.

  Gavin closed he eyes and yawned, letting out a long, slow breath.

  "Nice," said Tali. "Just what I wanted to see, a close up of your tonsils."

  He snapped his mouth shut and his eyes sprang open. Tali had opened her door and he hadn't heard her. Now she stood only a few short inches from him.

  "Sorry," he started to say, but was distracted by her eyes. They were even darker up close and under the florescent lights of the store—pools of liquid chocolate. Now that she hadn't cried for a few hours, the whites were crisp against the dark brown. There was a warmth growing inside of him as he realized how happy and relieved he was to see her eyes white instead of pink and puffy.

  "What, no witty comment to make back at me this time? Just sorry? Lame." The corners of her lips pulled up into a sly smile, instantly reminding him of how feisty she really was. Beautiful, but feisty—a lethal combination to any man.

  His mouth curved up to mirror hers. She did have an awfully nice mouth. He imagined what it would be like to touch it, to taste it, to feel her breath against his tongue. Gavin swallowed, finding his voice. "I guess I've gone brain dead from too much shopping to be able to make witty remarks anymore."

  "Brain dead, huh?" She smirked at him and arched her eyebrow. "That didn't take much. Shopping isn't supposed to be a contact sport. Don't hurt yourself or anything."

  Such a smart mouth on this girl.

  The urge to silence that smart mouth of hers with his was surprising, but welcome. Yes, kissing her would certainly bring an end to her comments, at least for a little while. He suddenly felt more awake.

  "Let's go, brain-dead boy," she said. She walked off in the direction of the checkout counter, leaving him staring after her.

  This girl had far too much control over him. Somehow she made him bend to her will and now she was clouding his judgment. Time to take back a little control, starting now.

  Chapter Four

  They left the boutique a few minutes later with another shopping bag gripped in Gavin's hand and headed down the street. Tali gasped and gaped at the storefronts as they passed, commenting at each window about the treasures she spied inside. Gavin only saw dollar signs—lots of them.

  "How about we head back to the hotel for a little while and take a break from shopping?" He tried to sound casual about the idea, but inside he truly hoped she'd say yes. He didn't want to be a whiner, but he wasn't used to pounding the pavement like this for so many hours at a time. Shopping was backbreaking.

  Tali paused, her face a fraction of an inch from another windowpane. She trailed her finger down the glass, outlining the necklace displayed on a black velvet background. He peered over her shoulder to get a closer look at what captivated her attention this time. Behind the glass sat a simple necklace, one much simpler than he would have expected to draw her attention.

  The piece was beautiful in its simplicity. A modern rectangular pendant hung from a thin silver chain. The pendant was a miniature picture, framed by more silver. Dozens of tiny brush strokes created a scene of…nothing. He couldn't tell what the hell it was supposed to be.

  "It's amazing, isn't it?" Tali asked, still gazing at the jewelry.

  "Sure it's pretty. I'm not sure what it's supposed to be though."

  "That's the point silly. This pendant can be anything to any person. Everyone who looks at this piece will see something different. It's perfect."

  Gavin shrugged. "If you say so. Listen, Tali, what do you think about heading back to the hotel for a bit? I'm tired. I could really go for a nap."

  "I think you should have worn more comfortable shoes." She laughed and looped her arm through his, steering him down the sidewalk. "Come on, sleepy head. I know the best remedy for jetlag and the cure has nothing to do with a nap in the middle of the afternoon."

  She pulled him gently down the sidewalk and he fell into step beside her. He liked the feel of her arm looped through his, her tiny body snuggled up beside him. He wondered what it would be like to stroll along with his arm around her shoulders, but that was a little much for friends, if they could even call each other friends. Looped arms, however, was perfectly acceptable, and surprisingly welcome.

  Tali turned a corner and headed off the main road down toward the river. They walked halfway down the block before she stopped to pull open a red door. As they stepped inside, scents of pastrie
s and fresh breads greeted them making his mouth water with unexpected hunger. An espresso machine growled in the corner as the barista foamed milk.

  Tali sauntered to the counter. "You're deciding on dinner, so I'm taking it upon myself to choose our snack and rest location. Cool?"

  He smiled. There was something so easy about letting her take charge. "Do I have a choice?" he teased, knowing full well he wouldn't put up a fight if she wanted to force him to consume something that tasted as delectable as this placed smelled.

  "Nope. But I promise you'll love it."

  I'm sure I will.

  Gavin stood back and waited patiently as Tali ordered something in French he couldn't pronounce. Her accent was flawless, almost as if she were a native Parisian instead of an American tourist. The way she fit so easily into this world impressed him. She definitely wasn't quite the marshmallow he'd originally thought she was. He wasn't used to having a woman take charge of a situation the way she did. Not that he minded so much right now. On dates, he was usually the one who chose where they ate and what kinds of things they did. Of course this wasn't exactly a date, was it?

  Nope. Not a date. So why did his mind go there?

  Tali handed him a take-out cup and he gingerly sniffed the liquid inside. The aroma of chocolate and coffee was appealing even though he wasn't really a fancy coffee kind of guy. He usually drank his coffee strong and black.

  "Just try the drink, Mr Tough Guy." Tali smiled up at him as if she could read his thoughts. "You're still filled with testosterone if you drink a mocha, no worries. Besides, no place makes a mocha like this place. Anywhere—in the whole world. Trust me, I've looked."

  He didn't doubt she had. She was the kind of girl who could fly around the world trying to find the best mocha available. But was there really anything so wrong with that?

  No.

  Yes, when you consider all the money she spent on flights could have been used to save gorillas in the Congo. Since when do I even care about gorillas? Touché.

  Gavin took a sip of the coffee concoction. Damn if the girl wasn't right. Best coffee he could remember having. "This is great."

  "I knew you'd like it. Everyone always falls in love with mochas when I bring them here."

  "So is this where you bring all your new boyfriends then?"

  She grabbed the paper bag from the counter while cocking an eyebrow at him. "Are you my new boyfriend? I must have missed the memo."

  "That's not what I meant." Gavin's cheeks burned. Blushing? No damned way. There was no way this girl was going to make him blush. Guys do not blush—certainly not when they're also drinking a mocha.

  Yet you blush. Idiot.

  "I just—oh, never mind." He sighed and pushed open the door, happy to get back out into the fresh air so maybe he could start thinking straight again. Yes, he'd blame his little faux pas on the sugary smells of the patisserie clouding his otherwise normally clear head.

  "This way," she said, ignoring his blaring embarrassment and leading them down toward the river he could now make out beyond a little stretch of park.

  They strolled into the park and walked along the path running beside the river until they found an empty bench facing out to the Seine. As they sat, Gavin glanced around the park. Artists stood at easels, carefully capturing the beauty of the scenery around them, each perspective a little different from their neighbor. Gavin was amazed all of the artists could paint in the exact same area and yet each could see something completely different. Sort of the way Tali had spoken about the pendant.

  The paper bag in Tali's lap crinkled, bringing his attention back to her. Tali reach into the bag and pulled out two take-out containers of food and a couple of knives and forks. She handed him one set and a container and then opened her own. He followed her lead.

  Inside the container was a crepe folded into a triangular packet with its filling spilling out the top. His mouth watered as he cut a bite from the delicacy. Warm creamy berries and nutty chocolate filled his mouth. He sighed and leaned back against the bench, stretching his legs out in front of him. This was the life.

  "Agreed." Tali mirrored his posture on the bench as she ate. He hadn't spoken, yet she'd understood his gesture as clearly as if he had said his thoughts out loud. He wasn't sure how to respond to the connection they obviously shared, but he liked it.

  He couldn't help but watch her. She'd been nothing but pleasant all day—a stark contrast from their first meeting in the plane while they were over the Atlantic. Today was turning out much better than he'd originally thought it would. Maybe he'd been wrong about Tali after all.

  "I'm sorry about yesterday," he said. "I shouldn't have called you those names. I wasn't being fair to you."

  "Thanks." She smiled at him, and took a sip of her drink. "But you were at least halfway fair. I am spoiled, but I do try my best not to act like a brat. You happened to catch me on a really bad day and I kind of took my frustration out on you. So I'm sorry, too."

  "If you don't mind my asking, what happened yesterday that made it so bad?"

  She set her food down beside her on the bench and took a long sip of her mocha. He watched little lines appear on her forehead as he waited for her to respond.

  "Sorry. It's none of my business. I shouldn't have asked." He took another bite of crepe, trying to fill the silence with sounds of eating.

  He didn't like to see this new expression on her face. He didn't want her to have to talk about whatever had happened that caused her such obvious pain.

  "No it's okay. I need to talk about what happened. I need to deal with everything." She sucked in a deep breath. "I came on this trip alone because I needed to get away from the Meadow for a while."

  The Meadow was an elite, gated neighborhood in upstate New York where Tali had lived her whole life. Exactly the kind of place a blue-collar pilot like Gavin would never be welcomed. No, outsiders were never encouraged to become part of the community. Well, maybe someone like Donald Trump would find the welcoming committee on his front doorstep, but no one else ever would.

  "What happened?" What could cause her so much pain she would run away all by herself to a foreign country last minute? He'd only been given a few hours' notice before their flight. Just long enough to secure their clearance and submit paperwork for the flight.

  "My boyfriend broke up with me."

  "Is that all?" He chuckled a little despite his concern for her. A little break up with the boyfriend-du-jour hardly seemed worth this kind of reaction.

  "And then I saw him making out with a close friend a couple of hours later."

  "Ouch." Okay, maybe that was a little more painful than he'd originally thought. "Sorry to hear that. Are you sure they were really making out and it wasn't some misunderstanding?"

  Tali looked down at her coffee, staring at it so long he wondered if she'd heard his last question. "It wasn't a misunderstanding." She shook her head. "Nope. On the flight, right before I found you at the controls and we—spoke—I went online and found out he's now engaged to my former friend."

  "So definitely no misunderstanding." He shook his head. The tears from the day before finally made sense—she'd lost not only a boyfriend, but also a friend. That was rough for anyone. And he'd been a total jerk to her.

  Good one, jackass.

  "Nope. Not unless 'engaged' suddenly has a new meaning I'm not aware of."

  He sighed. "I'm sorry. Now I really wish I hadn't been such a jerk to you yesterday."

  "Really, it's okay. I shouldn't have been a—let's call it even and start over, okay?" She peeked up at him, her eyes clearly asking to move on and leave their brief past in the past where it belonged. How could he deny her one little courtesy after learning what she'd just been through?

  He nodded. "Sounds good."

  Starting over did sound good. The more time he spent around her, the more he wanted to get to know her. Maybe she wasn't exactly the person he thought she was at first glance. Maybe there was more to this girl than he realized.


  "Are you done with your manly crepe and mocha yet? 'Cause I still need to hit Louis Vuitton and find a kickass pair of boots before we call it a day. Oh and I need to stop at this little boutique to pick up some clothes for my little cousins. They look so adorable in matching outfits." She stood and threw her empty containers in the trash. "I can't remember the last time my credit card had this much fun in one day."

  He sighed. She really was something else. Maybe he was wrong about being wrong about her. Maybe she really was a spoiled brat. Fun to be around and beautiful, but still spoiled.

  "What?" she asked, her lip-gloss brush swiping back and forth across her lower lip. The bright cherry color stained her lips, making them shine in the afternoon sunlight.

  Does she taste like cherry, too?

  He shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts suddenly taking up residence in his mind—images of his tongue stroking a path across her lips, plunging into her mouth, tasting her. He rubbed the napkin across his mouth, wiping away the last traces of chocolate. God, he wished that napkin were her skin. Surely her skin would be soft and silky and warm against his mouth. Much better than the scratchy paper napkin.

  "What?" she asked again louder, the impatience clear in her tone. "Why are you staring at me? And what was that huge sigh about?"

  "Nothing." He forced his unwanted thoughts of Tali to the back of his mind. He would deal with them later, when he had time to figure out exactly what they meant. Later, when he didn't have Tali looking at him with those slightly pouty, sexy lips. "I didn't think we had so much more shopping left to do. I guess your credit card never gets tired, huh?"

  "You're not going to start with the whole spoiled thing again are you? Because if you are, I'm going to have to kick your butt with the new boots I plan on buying."

  He laughed despite his best effort not to. "No, I'm not going to call you spoiled even though you clearly are. You're perfectly entitled to spend your money any way you see fit."