One Chance With You

by Denise A. Agnew

  His mouth returned to a hard line and she had the sinking feeling she’d just lost him. “I can take care of it myself.”

  “It’s all right, Jim. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Yeah.”

  He shifted back around until he faced the seat in front of him and his expression said he’d shut her down. Damn. Damn. The turbulence had stopped and so had their cozy discourse.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said.

  “You didn’t.”

  The seatbelt sign went off and he left.

  Chapter Two

  Amber wondered if this time she’d honestly screwed up and moved too fast. As she sat in the plane and waited for Jim to return to his seat she heard her sister’s voice in her head. She remembered a conversation she’d had with her sibling recently over the phone. The same words her sister always used.

  You go too far with this stuff, Amber. People think you’re a freak. Get to know someone better before just popping off with whatever you’re thinking.

  So I should just be someone I’m not?

  Yes. At least until you get to know someone. If they’re the type who won’t accept woo-woo than you just don’t tell them about it.

  Sorry, sis. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to be who I am and that’s that.

  A few moments later Jim said, “Hey. You all right?”

  Her attention came back with a snap. He’d returned to his seat.

  “I’m fine.”

  Her pat return didn’t seem to appease him. “You’re sure? You look like someone just kicked you.”

  She gave him a feeble smile and waved her hand in dismissal. “It’s nothing. Replaying old tapes.”

  “About what?”

  She gave him a halfhearted smile. “My sister’s disapproval.”

  “Ah. Family dynamics.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Look, I’m sorry. I… You touched a sore spot. Flying is really hard for me. I was mad at myself because I thought I’d hidden it well. Obviously I haven’t.”

  She didn’t press, not wanting to venture further this time than she should. “Everyone has their thing, that one thing that scares them more than anything else.”

  He rolled his shoulders as if he needed to loosen kinks. “Flying for me. That would be it.”

  The nosy part of her wanted to probe, to ferret out every jewel of information on why he didn’t want to fly. No, why he was scared out of his wits.

  “So it wasn’t only the turbulence,” she said.

  “Nope.”

  She glanced out the window and the sky was full of clouds. “God, I’ll bet that crazy weather extends to Las Vegas.”

  “Wish I could’ve gotten a flight straight to Tucson.”

  “Me too.”

  They fell into a companionable silence for a short time.

  He asked, “I’ve got a three-hour layover in Las Vegas. How about you?”

  “Me too.” She gave him her flight number to Tucson and he had the same flight.

  Was she taking a chance telling him all of this? Yes. Yes she was.

  “We’re coming in at dinnertime.” He glanced at his watch. “Want to have dinner with me?”

  Her heart did a little thump, her mind telling her to run like hell. She’d cured him of his fear of flying. Her duty was done. Yet everything female within her ached to have dinner with him.

  “Sounds great,” she said without thinking more profoundly about what she’d done.

  “Excellent.”

  She dared to ask more. “Why are you afraid of flying?”

  His gaze trapped hers and in that moment she saw fear and pain and maybe even regret. “Long story.”

  “I’ll have three hours,” she said.

  He grinned. “You’re something else.”

  “You already said that.”

  “I don’t think rehashing old wounds can fix what’s wrong with me.”

  “Have you tried it?” she asked.

  “No.”

  She shifted around in her seat, a little stiff from sitting. “Then how do you know?”

  His laugh was rough, a jagged sound.

  In another impulsive move she reached out and clasped his forearm. Wild heat shot into her fingers as she touched powerful muscle.

  “I understand that fear because I’ve lived it,” she said softly. She drew her hand back.

  He leaned in closer to her and that invasion of space thrilled her. “What happened to you?”

  She smiled. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

  As soon as the words came out his eyes smoldered with promise. Oh boy. What the hell did she just start? Jim didn’t move back, his attention still riveted on her.

  “It’s a deal,” he said.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” a flight attendant said, her voice calm. “We’re out of the turbulence just in time for landing. Everyone please return to your seats and we’ll be in Las Vegas shortly.”

  As they came in for landing she saw Jim tensing up again and she made another bold move. She reached for his hand and placed her fingers over his on the handrest.

  “Will this help?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  He turned his hand over so they could link fingers and the intimacy of connecting this way felt so good to her. She was being selfish because she wanted the touch as much as she wanted to give comfort.

  “What do your sisters do?” she asked, aware of the tension in his body.

  “Becky is a homemaker. Her husband is in the Army and they have two young boys. Jill is just out of college and is trying to find herself. Mina is just starting college and wants to be a psychologist.”

  “Where do they live?”

  “Becky lives in Colorado Springs. Jill and Mina live in Tucson…Mina attends the University of Arizona.”

  “And what about your parents?”

  “They live in Sierra Vista. Mom is a homemaker too. Now she volunteers at the elementary school. Dad retired from the Air Force but owns the security company I work for.”

  “Sounds like a great family.”

  “It really is. We’re very close.”

  Amber envied him that situation more than she could say but she didn’t want sympathy or to whine that she hadn’t experienced such a warm and cozy family.

  As they landed smoothly, she eased her hand from his. He smiled and that tingle darted into her belly again.

  “People, we have an announcement,” the flight attendant spoke again. “More storms are coming in so please check your flights. There could be cancellations and delays.”

  A collective groan went up. The hectic leaving-the-plane situation happened then. Once off the plane he walked alongside Amber, and that’s when she noted how big he really was. She was five-eight but he had to be over six feet tall and God he was ripped. He moved like a big, powerful animal without that overbuilt appearance some men had. Women gave him a long second look and men moved out of his way.

  They found their departure gate and noted the flight was still on time for now. Shortly after they found a restaurant and settled into a booth. The chain restaurant was packed with stranded passengers—the weather was deteriorating. The noise level stayed high, people chattering, tension rising, anxiety in every molecule around Amber. She could feel it but she made a conscious effort to reject everyone’s mental garbage. As an empath she had to stay vigilant or she’d become overloaded by other people’s emotions. It would be too easy to find herself hearing everything, feeling everything with an intensity that twisted her stomach into knots. Amber had a feeling they weren’t departing the airport anytime soon. After ordering hamburgers and cold drinks they settled into a silence she found unexpected. Tension stretched between them.

  “You promised to show me yours,” his deep voice said.

  She responded to the teasing. “Fair enough.” As she sipped her diet cola, she started her story. “My parents abused me and my sister Jenna.”
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br />   Before she could continue he covered her left hand with his. His frown was deep and filled with concern. “Damn.”

  She left her hand under his, absorbing the warmth and the intimate support.

  “Yeah.” She noted the pain in his eyes. “They were extraordinary at hiding it.”

  “Did they beat you?”

  “Dad did… Not a lot and not often.”

  Jim’s face turned angry. “That doesn’t matter. He shouldn’t have laid a hand on you.”

  “Of course he shouldn’t have. But that’s where he was clever. Social Services didn’t see what happened to us. My mother didn’t hit us but she was cold and unfeeling. She ignored what Dad did. I’ve coped with it and learned to live with the memory. My sister…she’s another story. She’s become just like my mother. Cool. Calculating. You name it. She berates me off and on for not being who my parents wanted me to be.”

  “They didn’t want you to be a teacher?”

  “No. An astronaut, a clothing designer or something that pays more than teaching. That’s what and who they wanted me to be. My sister is a lawyer and very materialistic. But my mother and father adore her for conforming. I refuse to conform. I used to at one time and it about killed me.”

  He released her hand. “God, I’m sorry. That’s a bad way to grow up.”

  “The kicker is this—Dad is Captain Allen MacMillan. A man beyond reproach.”

  It took a second then Jim got it. “The Allen MacMillan? The famous Navy pilot who became an astronaut?”

  “The very one. Anyhow, my mother is a prominent fashion designer…Susie MacMillan.”

  “Okay… That name doesn’t mean anything to me. But obviously they’re a high-power couple.”

  She sipped her drink. “Exactly. To make a very long story a bit shorter, they treated Jenna and me like crap. But I’ve had enough therapy and soul-searching that I’m not bitter or resentful at this point in my life.”

  He leaned forward a little as someone turned the music up. “That’s extraordinary. Most people with famous parents are ready to write hateful autobiographies. Add abusive famous parents to the resume and you’ve got a recipe for seriously screwed-up.”

  “Not me. I don’t spend much time with my family. Major holidays and that’s about it. My sister and my parents live in New York City. They moved there recently.”

  He leaned in a little across the table. “You seem like you’ve weathered that storm.”

  “Yes and no.”

  “You said you understood fear of flying.”

  “I do. My father insisted on me experiencing all sorts of things related to airplanes because he was a pilot. He insisted I get a pilot’s license when I didn’t want one.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “I wish I was. So to please him I went through all of that, terrified the whole time. The ironic thing is, I can fly a plane if I have to. When I left my parents’ house at seventeen to attend college I vowed to never fly a plane again. I actually developed a fear of flying after that.”

  He muttered under his breath, “Holy crap.”

  “Weird isn’t it? Absolutely crazy. I’ve worked on getting rid of the phobia for about a year using different types of meditation.”

  “Obviously you were successful.”

  She knew the next thing she told him could send him racing for the hills. “Yes. I use Reiki to help me with the problem as well.”

  He nodded, not looking the least puzzled or shocked. “That’s interesting. Never thought you could use Reiki that way.”

  She lifted one eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a guy who believes in those sort of things.”

  He smiled and those dark eyes held an openness she also didn’t expect. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

  “You’re right. My sister would tell me I’m crazy for talking to you like this. She’d say I’ve told you too much. That I’m too open.”

  He drew in a deep breath and the seriousness on his face told her there was so much more to learn about this complex man.

  “I can understand why she’d think that,” he said. “But I’m glad you’re open. It’s refreshing. In my line of work I don’t see much of that.”

  “Big-time clients?”

  “Some. Sometimes we work with clients who’ve been stalked. It’s not pretty. They’re in danger and afraid.”

  Their food came and for a while they wrestled their burgers.

  “So I’ve shown you mine. Why are you afraid to fly?” she asked.

  He dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “Certainly isn’t my family life that caused it. Dad has been in the security world for a long time. As I said before we had a great family life. I entered the military when I was eighteen. I got my Bachelor’s in Psychology but it wasn’t easy with deployments. I was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.”

  She shivered when she thought of his job. “Bomb disposal is so dangerous.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah but so are a lot of military jobs. And it wasn’t a bomb that finished my military career.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “Two years. I was on a chopper in Afghanistan. We…” He hesitated, discomfort on his face. “Our helicopter malfunctioned and we went down right outside a hospital area. At least we were close to help.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “My ankle was broken.”

  “Oh no. The other men?”

  He drew in a deep breath. “It was miraculous. They all survived. But the whole thing gave me fear of flying. I didn’t expect that and it was damn crippling.”

  “You were ashamed.”

  He looked right at her. “Yeah. As it was, the military said my ankle was always going to be a problem for me. I decided to take a medical discharge and work for my father.”

  “I’m so sorry the fear still has a hold on you. I’d love to help you get rid of it forever.”

  A warm smile came over his face. “How do you plan to do that?”

  “Well I think Reiki and mindfulness meditation would help.”

  An intent look came into his eyes. “Could this all happen face-to-face?”

  Attraction zipped through her. “You’re in Tucson and I’m only a few hours away. No reason we can’t get together here and there, right?”

  “Absolutely.” This time his grin held sweetness and warmth. “I’ve tried to get rid of the fear and it hasn’t worked yet. So I’m open to trying anything.”

  “When I talked to you on the airplane today that helped, didn’t it?”

  Understanding dawned on his face and with it a new peace. “Hell yeah. A lot.”

  “We’re not sitting together on the plane out of here but maybe we can switch seats so that we’re sitting together.”

  “Sounds great.”

  “You’re a nice man, Jim.”

  “You’re a nice woman. No, I think it’s more than that. You’re pretty, nice and fascinating.”

  Heat filled her face. “Flattery?”

  “No. Just the truth.”

  They lingered over their meal and when the waitress took their payment an announcement interrupted the pop music on the speakers. Severe thunderstorms had settled in and showed no sign of letting up.

  “I’ll bet our flight gets cancelled,” she said.

  “We should check now.”

  They started back toward their gate and as they crossed into the glass concourse the weather outside brought them both to a standstill. Lightning pierced a sky laden with boiling dark clouds and thunder drummed so loudly Amber winced.

  “Damn,” he whispered. “The sky is green.”

  She stepped closer to him. “Tornado weather.” The clouds started to swirl. “That doesn’t look good.”

  A voice came over the speaker system that almost shrieked a warning. A tornado on the ground.

  “Shit,” he mumbled under his breath. “Over there. There’s a sign on the restrooms. The bathrooms can be used for storm shelters.”

  Along with th
e rest of the airport they rushed toward the bathrooms. The crush of people became thick. One man shoved Amber to the left in his effort to move faster.

  “Hey!” she cried out in anger.

  She lost her balance, tottered and went down hard on her right side. Pain raced up her ribs but she ignored it.

  The man who’d pushed her kept running. Several people moved around her.

  In a snap Jim kneeled next to Amber, his right arm going around her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Bastard needs someone to kick his ass but there’s no time. Can you walk?”

  “Of course.”

  He hauled her up and looped his arm around her waist as they continued toward shelter. The crowd stampeded for safety. Amber couldn’t feel the fear racing around her but she deliberately didn’t want to feel it. Before they could reach the bathroom shelter a roaring sound reached her ears. Jim almost pulled her off her feet into a hallway.

  “In here!” He yanked at a closet door but it was locked.

  As the tornado hit her ears popped.

  Jim cursed, pushed her against a wall and plastered his body over hers. She knotted her fingers into his t-shirt and buried her face in his shoulder. His arms came up and over to shelter her head. Bangs and crashes mixed with the high-pitched whistle and whine of wind careening through the concourses and hallways. A roar hit, so loud she wanted to scream. Instead she wrapped her arms around Jim’s waist and back, anchored to his strength. She evened her breathing and absorbed his heat. Glass shattered and she heard objects rolling down the hall. Over the cacophony she thought she heard screams. Moments later the noise came to an abrupt halt. Time seemed to shorten. Her grip on his t-shirt eased just as his arms secured her tight to his body. He hugged her close. She eased back enough to look up at him.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  “Perfect right where I am. What about you?”

  “Good now.”

  Something hovered in the air around them but maybe she just imagined it. Was it ozone? Fear? She didn’t know. His heavy-lidded gaze tangled with hers and a firestorm started inside her. Her white light, the barrier she tried so hard to keep in place, fell apart when he looked at her that way. A flood of heat entered her and she didn’t know if it belonged to him or to her. Maybe both. He cupped her face in his big hands and his mouth lowered to hers. The kiss sparked total acceptance inside her, born of survival and pure sexual attraction. Time hovered and came to a standstill as his mouth molded to hers. Her libido moaned in delight as he responded without inhibition. In one quick, hot stroke, his tongue thrust deep. Everything in her responded. She met his erotic taste and showed him she wanted his kiss. An insane notion hit her. If they’d been anywhere else, if they hadn’t just survived a tornado, she might have continued kissing him until she’d lost her mind. Until he was lost inside her. Her body trembled, caught up in the singular notion this man could mean so much more to her than a random kiss. Other men had tried to kiss her, sometimes succeeded, but often failed. They certainly hadn’t generated such scalding heat and heady longing. In a wave of empathic understanding, she sensed Jim’s heated response. He longed to know her in the most carnal way imaginable, and new arousal grew inside her. The connection between them seemed to lengthen, to expand in height and depth.