Love on Landing

by Heather Thurmeier

  "Good, then let's get going. Fabulous boots aren't going to buy themselves."

  Chapter Five

  "Oh, look at these," Tali said pulling Gavin into the shop where she'd spotted the most amazing jeans in a window display. Jeans that screamed to be worn by her tomorrow—make that today.

  "What now?" Gavin followed her into the store, the weariness more evident in his voice with every passing credit card swipe.

  "These." She held up the jeans to show him her prize. Surely he would agree they were worth the—two hundred thirty-five Euros. Really, three hundred dollars American wasn't much for denim this soft and a cut this flattering. If her usual shopping girlfriends where here, they would absolutely agree.

  "They're jeans. Can't you buy jeans back in the States when you get home?"

  "Not these jeans." She walked into a nearby change room and slipped quickly into the jeans. The soft material hugged her in all the right places as she did a squat in front of the mirror. Not too tight. I don't even need to break these in.

  She opened the change room door and did a little twirl for Gavin.

  "How's my cargo looking?" she teased, looking over her shoulder as she wiggled her butt for him. She planned to buy them regardless of what he thought. Still, it was fun to see his initial reaction when she first showed him something new.

  "Just as good as it did in your other jeans."

  She clucked her tongue at him. What did he know? Her butt looked completely amazing in these new jeans—not nearly as plain and ordinary as before. As she twirled, she caught a glimpse of a stunning blue corset top. It would look unbelievable with these jeans and her new boots.

  Tali stopped twirling and skimmed through the corsets until she found the right size. "One more thing."

  Gavin groaned behind her as she closed the dressing room door again. "It's always one more thing. You know we've been shopping for hours. Haven't I been a good boy and earned the privilege of dinner yet?"

  "Want some grapes and stinky cheese with your whine? Just let me try this on and then we'll go. I promise. This will be the last thing I try on."

  "I've heard that a few times already today. I'm not sure I believe you."

  Tali pulled off her top and bra and slipped the corset up around her torso. The top was even more stunning than she thought it would be. She quickly adjusted her breasts into the rounded cups and held the edges together behind her back. Now she just needed to tie the laces running along her spine. Impossible.

  "Gavin, can I get your help in here for a minute?"

  She heard a loud groan and the chair in the waiting room squeaked as he stood. Her door clicked open and Gavin peeked inside the tiny room. His tired eyes instantly lit up at the sight of her reflection in the mirror. Exactly the kind of reaction she hoped an outfit like this would stir in someone. Especially someone as hot as Gavin.

  "Can you lace up the back for me? It's a bit tricky to reach."

  "Um—sure," he said quietly, taking the edges of the material from her hands. His gaze shifted to her back and she was suddenly aware of the lack of clothing between her skin and his fingers.

  Apparently he was aware of her naked flesh too.

  His large fingers fumbled with the laces almost letting them slip. She quickly held the top tight against her stomach so it wouldn't fall to the ground. Not that a situation like that would be completely unwelcome with a guy like Gavin, but she'd prefer not to have it happen in a changing room if possible. Her hotel room? Well, that was different.

  Why was she so attracted to him?

  'Cause he's hot. And fights back. And hot.

  "Sorry," he mumbled, taking the laces and pulling them tight across her shoulder blades. "Is that too tight?"

  "No, it's fine."

  His fingers stopped moving halfway down her back and his gaze found hers in the mirror. The heat radiating out of his expression was enough to make her feel flushed. She'd asked him to help her get the top on, but now she wished he would tear the damn thing off.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat unable to shake the feeling he might be thinking the same thing. Tali turned her head to look at Gavin without the aid of the mirror. "Is everything okay? Did the laces get stuck?"

  "Everything's fine," he said softly, only breaking his gaze with hers long enough to shift it from her reflection to look directly in her eyes.

  She hadn't realized how close he stood behind her until now—his mouth only inches from hers. With the tiniest effort, she could wrap her hand around the back of his neck and bring his tempting mouth to hers. Oh God, she wanted to get a little sample of his mouth.

  "I'll just finish tying this," he said, finally looking away.

  He focused on her back again and she let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "That should do it." He rubbed his hands along the smooth material, resting them gently on her hips.

  The urge to lean back into him so he could wrap those hands across her stomach was overwhelming. Something looked so right about their reflection in the mirror. Almost as if she were staring at a framed photo as they stood there together. An unexpected ache flared inside her chest. She wanted more than anything to be with someone—to have a future with someone, a real future, not one that would get taken away from her again.

  Roger would have a picture with Samantha in the paper soon and it would probably look like this. The thought made her feel a little sick to her stomach.

  Tali closed her eyes and willed Roger from her mind. She was with Gavin—at least as a friend—and she wasn't going to let anyone ruin her time with him. Not even Roger and annoying Samantha.

  "What do you think?" she asked Gavin's reflection.

  He smiled. "You look amazing. And you should for—" He glanced at the price tag dangling from the bottom hem of the corset and coughed. "How can this possibly cost so much?"

  "It's a steal. Look at the craftsmanship."

  "This cost more than my hotel room. You realize that, right?"

  Tali rolled her eyes. "Of course it does. It's a designer piece." Really? Had this man never shopped before?

  Tali pulled the tags carefully off of the jeans and corset top and slipped into her boots. She stuffed the clothes she had been wearing into one of their many shopping bags.

  "What are you doing?" Gavin asked, motioning at the tags in Tali's hand. "You're going to pay for those, aren't you?"

  "Absolutely. I just figured we had to work pretty hard to get me into this corset, I may as well stay in it for a little while." Tali stopped at a display of watches on her way to the checkout counter. "You should get this." She held up a gorgeous silver watch that would look fantastic on Gavin. She could already imagine him wearing the timepiece while flying at thirty thousand feet.

  He glanced at the price tag. Why did he always look at the price first?

  "I can't afford that."

  She clucked her tongue. "Sure you can. You just need to put it on credit and then pay it off over a couple of months. This watch is totally worth a few extra interest payments."

  Gavin took the watch from her hand, his fingers gently brushing against her palm. A rush of sparks danced across her skin, awakening nerve endings that had lain dormant for a long time. The sensation excited her.

  "You're something else, Tali." He shook his head and put the watch back on the display and walked away.

  "Something else in a good way, right?" She called after him but he walked out the front door of the boutique without answering her. What the hell is his problem? It's only a watch. What's the big deal?

  Tali quickly paid for her purchases and struggled to gather her heavy bags. He hadn't even carried her bags out for her. Nice.

  "What's your problem?" Tali thrust a handful of bags into Gavin's hand. His mood swings were really starting to annoy her. One minute he was friendly, flirty and teasing her, the next he was grouchy and rude. What the hell?

  "Nothing. Let's go."

  "No, I'm not going anywhere until you tell
me what the hell just happened." She put her hand on his arm, stopping him when he tried to walk down the street. His biceps bulged under her fingers and she couldn't help but squeeze him a little tighter.

  Gavin turned to face her. He bent down until his face was level with hers, his mouth hovering so close to hers that she could stick out her tongue and lick him. God she wanted to lick him.

  But she wouldn't. That wouldn't exactly be appropriate behavior for two friends while walking down the streets of Paris.

  "I said it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

  Lick him.

  She licked her own lips instead, urging her internal voice to shut the hell up. "It is something. You're lying to me."

  "You're right, there is something wrong." He stared at her for a long moment, his mouth so close to touching hers, she could practically taste him already. "You promised me dinner of my choice and I'm starving. Let's go eat."

  She tried to mutter a response, but her tongue didn't seem to work anymore for anything other than kissing him. How could he think about eating right now? All she could think about was the heat of his body melting into her, warming her right to her core.

  "I'll take your answer as a yes. This way." He took her hand in his free one and guided her down the street.

  Tali groaned as she sat on the chair in the middle of a crowded restaurant. There was a small bar along one wall of the restaurant, another wall had windows facing out to the busy street so diners could watch the pedestrians pass by. The rest of the place was decorated in dark colors with pictures of grapes and vineyards hanging on the wall.

  The decor was all a little tacky in her opinion, but she tried to relax and not share her thoughts since Gavin seemed quite happy to be there. And she was happy to be with Gavin peacefully and not fighting for a few moments.

  The last thing she wanted after a long day of retail therapy was to sit on the world's hardest chairs, shoulder to shoulder with half of Paris, yet here she was. She could think of about a million other places she'd rather be—in bed with Gavin topped her list.

  There'd been two almost-kisses already today. She hadn't been able to think clearly since the first in the dressing room, but the second, wonderful almost-kiss on the street had just about put her over the edge. The whole walk to the restaurant, she fought the fog filling her brain. Then when she thought she'd finally gotten her head clear and could hold some semblance of a conversation, or even string together enough words to find out where he was taking her for dinner, she'd look at him and be at a loss for words all over again.

  Her mind kept replaying the heat in his eyes as his mouth hovered near hers. She couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like to have the warmth of his hard body molding into hers, his strong hand on the small of her back. She suppressed a groan as the images flittered through her mind again.

  Gavin smiled at her from across the table. What was he thinking right now? Was he thinking about their almost-kiss too? Or had their moment of closeness meant nothing to him? Maybe he was used to being so close to women. Maybe that was how he normally spoke to them. She couldn't even remember what they'd said to each other before the almost-kiss moment happened.

  She focused her gaze on his lips as he took a sip from his wine glass. She'd never expected to be drinking the Beaujolais nouveau with a pizza, yet here she was—watching the dark red liquid pass over the softest looking lips she could ever hope to have the pleasure of experiencing. Her head swirled and she'd only had a few sips from her glass.

  "This place is nice," she said, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't lead to them fighting again. She wanted to have a nice relaxing meal while she tried to figure out what the hell had happened between them on the street.

  "It's one of my favorites. I come here every time I'm in Paris."

  "Really? There's so many other great restaurants in the city. Maybe you should try a new one sometime."

  He smiled, the little dimple in his cheek appearing again for the first time that day. He must really be happy in a place like this.

  She took another sip of her wine while she waited for their pizza and settled back into her chair. She had let him order their dinner since he enjoyed the food here so much. Now she was nervous about what she would be eating. Better drink more wine.

  "I know there's other places, and I've tried a bunch of them, too. But when I want pizza, there's nowhere better than here. Wait until you try a slice. I bet you'll agree."

  She smiled back. There was something about him that made her feel so relaxed and at ease. "I bet you're right."

  They sat silently for a few minutes. She enjoyed listening to the chatter of conversations around them. She didn't even mind the silence between them. There was something strangely comforting about it. She usually felt like she constantly had to make small talk with people, but that didn't seem to be true with Gavin.

  Of course the longer she sat there staring at him, the more she imagined what it would be like to peel off his clothes and examine the muscles she'd felt underneath his shirt first-hand. Damn.

  "So what do you like to do for fun when you're not flying?" The question was the first thing that came to mind to get her thoughts back from the gutter where they were starting to wander.

  "All kinds of things. Sometimes I like to go to the movies, sometimes I like to visit the local museums, sometimes I just want to sit and have a drink and people watch. It's different depending on where I am."

  "What's your favorite thing to do in Paris?" She was genuinely curious. She wanted to learn more about this man who challenged her like no one else ever had.

  "That's a tough call. I have a bunch of things I like to do here. One of which is this." He motioned to the restaurant. "I love to be out among the people of the city, listening to their conversations, watching their mannerisms. Even though I only speak a little of the language, it's amazing how much I can understand just by watching couples together. It's fascinating to try and submerse yourself in another culture, even if it's only for a few days. Even if the language around me is completely unfamiliar."

  She hadn't expected an answer like that. She didn't quite know how to respond. "So, no shopping sprees for you?" She tried to make a joke of their afternoon since it was now painfully obvious to her how difficult a day of shopping was for him to do. She'd only wanted company since she wasn't used to being alone in the city. She hadn't intended to trap him into doing something he hated.

  She sighed. Had she really cared about whether or not he wanted to be out shopping with her? Hadn't he sort of made his opinion about her shopping clear all day?

  Cringing, she set down her wine glass and rested her head in her hand. She was such a spoiled brat that she hadn't been able to see her selfish actions. She hadn't once considered there might be something else Gavin would rather be doing than following her around.

  She really had lived up to his opinion of her. No wonder he'd been infuriated by her. She was suddenly embarrassed by her actions.

  "I'm so sorry." She spoke quietly, too mortified with her realization to announce it to the tables closest to them.

  "What was that? It's loud in here, I didn't quite hear you." Gavin leaned across the table toward her.

  She leaned forward and met him halfway. "I'm sorry," she said louder this time. "I shouldn't have forced you to come shopping with me. I just didn't want to go alone, but I should have realized how selfish that was of me. You probably had other things you would have much rather done besides hanging out with me all day in shops."

  His expression softened with her words. "It's okay." He put his hand on hers where it rested on the table between them. The warmth of his hand soothed her, made her feel at peace with him. "I know I've been giving you a hard time about shopping, but the day wasn't all terrible."

  "It wasn't?"

  Gavin squeezed her hand. "Okay, maybe shopping was terrible, but it made you happy and I'm glad I was the one to make you feel that way today after making you cry yesterday.
So it's all fine. No worries."

  "So if I cry again tonight does that mean you'll go shopping with me again tomorrow? There are a few stores I still wouldn't mind hitting." She was teasing, but she didn't tell him that.

  "No way," he said, waving his hands in front of him, but smiling nonetheless. "I'm done shopping. Tears or no tears, you're on your own from now on."

  "I promise I'll try my best not to cry on you again."

  "Your pizza." A waiter set down a large pizza in the middle of the table.

  Tali eyed the concoction suspiciously. This wasn't like any pizza she'd seen in the States, and the place she usually ate in Paris didn't serve anything looking remotely like this. "What is that?" She scowled at her dinner.

  "It's pizza."

  "No, that isn't pizza. This thing sort of looks like pizza and it sort of smells like pizza, but where I come from, pizza doesn't have a raw egg jiggling around on top of it."

  Her stomach turned at the sight of the egg whites jiggling gently in the middle of the pizza as Gavin took a slice and placed it on her plate. "You don't really expect me to eat this do you?"

  He laughed. "Yes, of course. The egg isn't raw, it's just not well-done. It's good." He pushed her plate toward her and then took a slice for himself. "Trust me."

  "I don't know you well enough to trust you."

  He laughed again, harder this time. "You said dinner was my choice, so eat it. There's no backing out now." He took a big bite of his pizza and sighed happily. He nodded at her to follow his actions, but she really didn't want to. "Don't make me force you to try a bite."

  "I'm going to need more wine," she grumbled, filling her glass.

  Chapter Six

  Gavin watched as Tali took a tentative bite of her pizza. She was such an interesting girl—frustrating, infuriating and challenging, but also intensely interesting. "How is it?"

  "Not as bad as I feared." She swallowed her bite then took a big gulp of wine. "Goes good with the wine."

  "I can see that." He laughed. "You better slow down or I'll have to carry you out of here."