Love on Landing

by Heather Thurmeier

  "No. Absolutely—" Tali's protest was cut off as Roger crushed his mouth to hers. Really? Not again. "Get off," she demanded against his mouth, but her words were garbled as he stuck his tongue into her mouth, forcefully exploring her.

  His fingers, which only moments before had been gently twirling strands of her hair, were now tangled in her thick mane. The fine hairs at the base of her skull screamed in pain as his grip tightened, pulling the hairs taut. His other hand cupped her breast, squeezing and kneading the tender flesh in ways that should have been appealing. But given the current situation, all she felt was fear rising in her throat.

  This was worse than in the hotel room. Roger had her pinned between the wall and the seats and she had nowhere to go—no leverage to wiggle out from beneath him. Damn it, no way to get her knee to connect with the one place she knew would make him stop.

  Roger dropped his hand from the back of her head and roughly pulled down the shoulder of her shirt, exposing the top of her breast to the cold cabin air. He kissed a path along her jaw, hungrily nibbling her collarbone as he made his way to her breast.

  She opened her mouth to scream, but no words came out. Tears pooled in her eyes, blurring her vision. Her thoughts spun out of control. How could this be happening with Gavin so close?

  Gavin.

  She blinked away her tears and focused on the cockpit door. Please hear me.

  "Help," she yelled as loud as she could, but her voice came out strained, barely more than a whispered.

  "Oh, yeah, babe. I'll help you. You help me right now, then I'll help you get daddy to understand."

  No. She wasn't going to let this happen. She strained her body beneath him, trying to wiggle free or throw him off of her in any way she could.

  "Gavin," she yelled. This time her voice was loud and clear. A moment later she heard the cockpit door open and slam into the wall.

  Chapter Eleven

  "What the fuck?" Gavin cursed at the sight of Roger on top of Tali, her hands pounding his chest and back. Her eyes met his for a fraction of a second and he instantly knew why she'd called out to him. She needed help.

  He gripped Roger by the shoulders and pulled him off of Tali, freeing her. She scrambled back toward the window, looking tiny in the oversized seat. He attempted to keep the fury out of his voice as he spoke. "What the hell is going on here?"

  "None of your business, dip shit. That's what," Roger said, puffing up his chest. The gesture did little good as Gavin towered over him.

  I could break him like a twig.

  "Return to your seat," Gavin said through clenched teeth. Keep it together.

  "Sure, no problem." Roger moved to sit in the free seat beside Tali and she shrank away from him, pressing her back against the outer wall of the plane.

  "Not that seat." Gavin pointed across the aisle to the seat Roger had originally sat in at the beginning of the flight. "That seat." No way was he going to let Roger sit anywhere near Tali when she was so obviously scared of him. And he couldn't blame her.

  Roger smiled and turned on the charm. Gavin was sure Roger used his moderate good looks and his stuffed wallet on anyone he wanted anything from. Little shit probably usually succeeded too. But not this time.

  "Come on, man." Roger patted Gavin on the shoulder as if they were lifelong buddies. "We're all friends here. Tali doesn't mind the company do you, babe? What with our new engagement and all, we've been using the flight to get reacquainted with each other."

  "Engagement?" Gavin directed his question at Tali. No way. That wasn't possible.

  She shook her head. "No. He asked and I said no, then he forced himself on me." Her voice cracked as she said the words.

  The vein in Gavin's neck pulsed as his heartbeat raced. He could practically see the fury clouding his judgment, but he forced it away. As long as he was pilot of this aircraft, he had to remain in control, no matter what situation came up.

  He turned to Roger, grabbed him by the arm and not so gently tossed him toward his seat. That's control, right? I didn't punch him.

  "You will sit your butt in your seat for the remainder of the flight and keep your thoughts—and hands—to yourself or you'll find a sky marshal waiting for you on the tarmac when we arrive in the States. Understand?"

  Roger nodded and fastened his seatbelt before turning to face the window. Gavin took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to stay calm. He could beat the crap out of Roger after they were safely on the ground in the States. For now he'd have to be content to threaten him—threats he would happily follow through with later.

  Gavin sat in the seat next to Tali and wrapped her in his arms. "Are you okay?" he asked her softly.

  She nodded and gripped his shirt in her hands. "I'm fine now. Thanks to you."

  "I'll always protect you." He kissed her on the forehead. "What happened? Did he really ask you to marry him?"

  She pulled away from him a little and he could see the pain behind her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Cameron the co-pilot spoke over the intercom.

  "Captain Taylor, you're needed up front immediately, please."

  The line crackled for a minute as Gavin waited to hear more, but nothing further was said. Odd. Normally Cameron would tell him what he needed.

  "I better head up front and check this out. Cameron's a great co-pilot, but he can only be in charge of the controls for so long. We'll continue this conversation when we land, okay?"

  "Okay. Do you think something's wrong?"

  "I'm sure everything is fine, not to worry." He stroked his hand along her jaw and gave her a quick, soft kiss on the cheek. The tingle of her skin against his mouth was enough to stir the familiar fiery heat in his groin, but that too would have to wait.

  He stood and strode back to the cockpit door, then turned back to his passengers. Leveling Roger with a stare that hopefully evoked a bit of fear, Gavin addressed his next comment at him alone. "If you try anything—even speaking to Tali while this plane is still in the air, I swear I'll have an air marshal waiting when the door opens. Don't push me. Got it?"

  Roger grunted a reply and sunk down into his seat a little further.

  "Good."

  * * * *

  Tali sat with her eyes closed, gripping the armrests of her seat with both hands. Her white knuckles ached under the pressure. She gasped when the plane jumped with turbulence as they approached the runway.

  The last half of the flight had been troublesome. Not only because Roger was a complete asshole and forced himself on her, but also because they'd run into a large weather system stretching almost the entire length of the US coastline and covering a large portion of the Atlantic. Gavin had warned them shortly after returning to the cabin of the approaching weather and had assured her they would be fine.

  As much as she believed and trusted him, it was impossible not to be nervous as the plane bounced around above the Atlantic Ocean like a pinball in the clouds. She did her best to stay calm and wondered how on Earth Gavin managed to stay cool in the face of so much pressure. He was so much stronger than she could ever hope to be.

  Tali felt the telltale bump of the aircrafts wheels hitting the runway and sighed deeply with relief. Outside, rain streamed down the windows and covered the ground beside the runway in puddles. Off in the distance she could see blue sky beginning to break through. The storm had almost passed.

  "So that's it then?" Roger asked, breaking into her thoughts. He'd been silent the rest of the flight. She'd almost forgotten he was still on the plane. "You're going to walk away from your family and everything they've been working for and run off with this pilot. This blue-collar nobody."

  "Yep. You've got me all figured out." She held her breath and counted. She didn't want to talk to Roger about her decision anymore. The choice was hers to make, and she'd made it. Any doubt she'd had back in Paris was gone.

  Now she knew what people like Roger were willing to do to someone else to get what they wanted. No. She could never be hap
py if she were a part of that world. Her dad would have to figure something else out.

  Roger grunted.

  Sexy.

  "You're disgusting," he sneered. "I always knew you were selfish but this is too much, even for you."

  The jet came to a stop and the engines shut down.

  "I think it's time for you to get on with your own life and leave me alone." Tali glared at Roger, daring him to try something again. Now they were back on the ground and she could have help here in seconds to haul him away. Go ahead. Just try it.

  "Afraid I can't do that. See I already emailed your father and requested a meeting. Soon, your father and I will be like this," he said, twining his fingers together. "He'll be so thankful to finally have the son he always wanted."

  Tali narrowed her eyes at him. No way. There was no way she was going to let Roger treat her this way, then waltz into her family like he had a right to be there. Nope.

  "You're going to email my father and cancel your meeting or I'm going to tell my father and the cops what you did to me on this plane. What you would have accomplished if Gavin hadn't come to my rescue. So unless you want your name splattered across the news and magazines about how you're an attempted rapist, I'd suggest you move on quickly and quietly."

  "I hate you."

  "Not as much as I loathe you."

  The cockpit door opened and Gavin strode out looking even more amazing than Tali remembered. Maybe it was the bumpy flight or maybe it was the realization about what she really wanted in life, but Tali couldn't wait to be with him again—forever, if he'd have her.

  "Do I need to radio for the air marshal or are you ready to leave quietly?"

  Roger rose from his seat. "I'm going. Have a nice life, Tali. I hope you're happy ten years from now when your trust fund runs out and your 'art' has to sustain you. Mr Blue-collar himself certainly won't be able to."

  With that, Roger stepped through the open door and descended the steps without waiting for her to reply, which was fine with her since she didn't have anything left to say to him anyway. The only one she needed to talk to now stood right in front of her.

  She swallowed hard, suddenly nervous at the prospect of what could happen with their conversation. Good or bad—whether he thought she was making the right choice or not, she wanted to tell him what she'd decided to do. Her decision was final.

  "Did you still want to talk?" She mumbled the words as her nervousness got the better of her. "I think you said that before the turbulence. Or, um, if you don't want to talk, that's fine too. I can go. I should probably go, right?"

  She reached for her handbag and shouldered it as she made her way quickly toward the open door. She was stupid to think he'd still want to talk to her after everything she'd said to him. It would be better for everyone if she left now before more was said that couldn't be taken back.

  "Wait," Gavin said, putting his arm up across the entrance, blocking her path to the door. "I do still want to talk. Will you stay?"

  Hope sprang into her chest, her head going slightly dizzy with possibility. Of course she would stay if he wanted to talk. How could she refuse him when she wanted to work things out?

  How could she refuse when he stood so close to her, towering over her in the small jet—the scent of his now-familiar cologne filling the tiny space? She could smell his scent for a million years and never tire of it. If that were actually to happen, she'd have to build up some kind of tolerance to it since her knees were suddenly threatening to go weak on her again.

  Every. Time.

  "Yeah, sure. I can stay for a few minutes." That was casual enough, right?

  "Good."

  She expected a smile from him, but his solemn face didn't crack. This probably wasn't going to be the conversation she'd hoped to have. She could feel her happiness, her hope, sliding away like the smile on her own face. Tears from concern, from stress, or from all of the crappy emotional shit she'd been through over the last few days, pricked the backs of her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. Again.

  She swallowed the hopelessness rising in her throat. No. She wasn't going to break down and cry. She deserved whatever it was she would get from Gavin. Now wasn't the time to cry. Now was the time to put on her big girl panties and take whatever heartbreak she was given.

  "It's that Kerry girl, isn't it? I slapped you and then you ran off into her arms. I understand and I deserve it. Just tell me so I can move on."

  Gavin leaned in, narrowing the gap between them, his eyes never leaving hers. "I don't want anything to do with Kerry."

  Woo hoo!

  His face was so close to hers now she could feel his breath on her lips. Maybe this conversation wouldn't be a conversation after all. Maybe they'd skip the boring talking and move directly to the make-up sex part instead. That part was always more fun than talking ever would be.

  She licked her lips, trying to capture the faintest hint of his breath on her tongue. To taste him the way she'd been longing to since they'd first been together. His lips parted as if to answer her unspoken need for him.

  "We done here, boss?" Cameron asked, stepping out of the cockpit and completely killing the moment.

  She groaned, unable to stop herself before the sound was out of her body and floating in the air around them.

  Cameron's gaze flickered back and forth between Gavin and Tali, taking in their close proximity. "Sorry to interrupt. I'll get out of here." Finally, he understood and would leave so Tali wouldn't have to kick him out of the plane.

  He disappeared before either of them had a chance to confirm or deny his assumption. It didn't matter what he thought anyway. The only one who mattered right now was Gavin. The air was silent and thick between them as Cameron's footsteps faded away. The quiet was too much for her.

  "I'm sorry," she said quickly before Gavin had the chance to speak. "I'm sorry for being such a spoiled brat. I'm sorry for treating you like a servant, for yelling at you when you were only trying to help me. For everything, I'm so sorry."

  Her breath hitched in her throat as she fought her tears, waiting agonizingly long seconds for him to respond. But instead of replying like she expected him to, he pressed his lips to hers. Her head swam with confusion and happiness mixed into one giant ball of crazy. She didn't know why he was kissing her, but she didn't care.

  Tali ran her hands up his chest and gripped his tailored shirt in her fists, pulling him closer to her—as close as she could possibly get him. She wanted to taste him, touch him, savor every inch of him.

  His tongue plunged into her mouth, exploring her. She groaned in response, arching into him and wrapping her hands around his head, tugging on his short hair. A growl of pleasure came from him, sending a spike of heat through her body. God, she loved this man.

  I love him?

  Tali giggled into his mouth. The instant pleasure of realizing how she really felt was amazing. She couldn't believe it took her so long to figure it out for herself, but it had. She loved Gavin and the thought of losing him and how it tore her up inside, was merely proof of that. She giggled again, happiness making her feel as if she were drunk.

  Gavin pulled away from her and peered into her eyes, his brow creased with confusion. "What's so funny?" His voice was husky with need. "This isn't exactly a good time to laugh."

  Tali laughed out loud. Damn he was cute. And I love him!

  "I'm sorry. It's not funny but I can't help laughing. I just realized the most ridiculous thing—I love you." She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Had she really just put that out there for him to hear? She could almost see the words lingering in the air.

  "You love me?" he asked.

  She nodded. Yep. God help her, she loved him in a way she'd never experienced before.

  She bit her lip as he studied her. What if he didn't love her back? What if he'd only been kissing her goodbye forever and wanted nothing else to do with her?

  "I know I haven't treated you very well," she said, "and I haven't been very
honest with myself about who I am and what I want in life. I don't expect you to love me back, not when I'm only just learning to love myself. I'll understand if you want to ignore what I said and walk away from me. I'll—"

  "Shut up, woman, and kiss me." He pulled her against him, cupping her butt with one hand so her body pressed fully against his. "I love you, too," he whispered.

  He pressed his mouth to hers gently at first as if trying to tease her. His tongue flicked across her lips. His free hand disappeared under her shirt, quickly unfastening her bra with ease. Skimming his hand over her flesh, he left a path of tingles in his wake. He kneaded her breast and thumbed her nipple.

  "I love you too, Tali," he again said, pulling back from her enough to get the words out. His forehead rested against hers as his hands continued to explore her body. "Since the first moment in the cockpit when I learned your mouth was just as hot tempered as my own, I knew you were the one for me. I just kept trying to fight it. I'm stupid."

  "No, you were right to fight your feelings. I wasn't ready." She ran her hand along his jaw, cupping it. "You were right about me. I wasn't being honest with myself or my family about what I really wanted in life. I tried to live a lie that would never make me truly happy. You—you showed me I can be who I really am and it's okay. That's why I'm going to tell my father he needs to find someone to replace me. I won't be taking over the job of running the company."

  "Really? Are you sure? I thought we were coming home because your father needed you, some crisis or something."

  "There is a crisis. He does need me and I won't let him down right now. But I will tell him I'll only help until Stanley is on his feet again or until I hire someone to fill my spot. Then I'm to be set free. For the first time ever in my life, I'll be free to do what I choose to do and not what's been chosen for me. And I owe it all to you, Gavin."

  "I'm so proud of you. And I'll be with you every step of the way—if you'll let me."

  "I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides," she giggled. "Who else would I have fly me all over the world to paint my great masterpieces?"