Her Airman

by Allyson Lindt

  “Most definitely.”

  He closed the distance between them, tangled his fingers in her hair, and kissed her hard. His teeth crushed into his lips, and she groaned against his mouth. Yeah, he liked kissing her a lot. Good thing they hadn’t taken another time off the table. Just the soft press of her lips was enough to make him half hard again.

  He let go, not hiding his smirk when a tiny sigh escaped her lips. “Maybe next time,” he said. “You don’t want to hear it from Kenzie, for being late. But give me five minutes to clean up when you’re done?”

  “Sure.”

  He watched her walk away, hips swaying, the shirt barely covering her ass. Reality rushed back in, and he sank into his seat with a grunt. Please don’t let this be a mistake. The internal plea turned to a chanting voice, asking if he was being selfish again, doing what he wanted, regardless of who else was involved. True, the consequences for hurting Riley wouldn’t be as severe as his last big mistake, but he’d never forgive himself if he were a cause of long-term pain for her.

  Chapter Eight

  Riley hit the next preset button on Zane’s radio, and sighed at the bad memories the song summoned. She moved to the next station. Commercials. She tried one more time.

  “Stop.” There was no irritation in Zane’s voice. He pressed the CD button, loosely grabbed her wrist, and set her hand back in her lap.

  Her skin warmed when he didn’t pull away immediately. He was incredible at her place. She’d never argue again that she didn’t care for receiving oral. And those kisses... She could drown in those and never come up for air.

  She’d found herself brushing her lips absentmindedly several times since.

  But Zane hadn’t said more than a couple words at a time to her since she got out of the shower. Which was exactly what she wanted to avoid. Maybe they’d pushed for too much too soon. They still hadn’t found their footing after being apart so long.

  A heavy techno beat filled the car, and she groaned. “Seriously?”

  “You love this song.”

  She shrugged, though he was watching the road and not her. “I did a decade ago.”

  “Sorry. I haven’t had a lot of time to update my music collection.” He skipped to the next track, and screaming electric guitar kicked in. “Better?”

  She flopped back in her seat. They needed to talk about what happened between them. Or she did. For all she knew, his silence meant he’d already moved on, and she was the only one stuck in the moment. “Kenzie’s going to know the minute she sees us,” she said.

  He glanced at her.

  She tried to ignore the way his gaze briefly traced over her body, but she couldn’t completely suppress her flush at the attention.

  “Is that a bad thing?” He turned back to the road.

  Riley loved her sister, but she didn’t care for Kenzie’s knowing glances. The insistence that one day Riley and Zane would end up together.

  “I don’t know. If it’s not a big deal, we shouldn’t have a problem telling her. Right?” Riley asked.

  “That’s really up to you. I’m not sure when your sex life became your sister’s business, no matter how close you are.”

  “It’s not. It’s just that... Did you do that to placate me?” The moment the question spilled past her lips she regretted it.

  He paused, as if measuring his response.

  “Forget it. I never should have asked,” she said.

  “I meant it when I said you were incredible. In every possible way. And whichever that you mean? No. I didn’t make you come, or enjoy every fucking minute of your lips wrapped around my cock, to placate you.”

  Now she’d offended him, on top of making things awkward. “Okay.”

  “I do a lot to see you smile, but I don’t lie to you.”

  Relief crept in at the words. “I know. This is new territory to me. I’m still figuring out how I’m supposed to act.”

  Zane squeezed her fingers. It was amazing how such a simple gesture could still all the chatter in her head.

  “Me too,” he said. “But if nothing else is supposed to change, then we act like we always have. We don’t have to tell Kenzie, because there’s nothing for her to know.”

  Except something had changed. It wasn't only that the images dancing in her head were based on reality now. A new spark flowed between them each time he touched her. It wasn’t a bad change, and the things he’d done with his tongue—she had no problem admitting she’d been wrong about being on the receiving end. They were still friends. But that whole with benefits thing added a new weight to the word. “I guess so.”

  “You know so, or it doesn’t count.”

  “I know so.”

  He traced his thumb along the back of her hand. “So no big deal if it happens again?”

  Oh, geez. A glow spread in her chest that she wasn’t the only one hoping for a round two. Or more. “I wouldn’t say that.”

  He gave her a sideways glance.

  She wasn’t writing off another chance at whatever they could get up to. “No big bad deal if it happens again. If next time is anything like this afternoon, it’s certainly not insignificant.”

  “Fair enough.” He let go of her hand to downshift and turn into the restaurant parking lot. A whisper of disappointment trickled through her at the missing contact.

  They maneuvered through the parking lot looking for an empty spot. Riley recognized the familiar black Escalade in the front row as they approached, the G4M3G0D license plate making it hard to miss. She wasn’t surprised Scott and Kenzie were already there. They were always at least ten minutes early.

  “Game God? Really?” Zane snorted. “I wonder what kind of jackass drives that.”

  This wasn’t quite how she’d wanted to continue a fantastic evening.

  He glanced at her, as he pulled into a parking spot. “You’re kidding.”

  “I told you. Kenzie landed herself a sexy rich guy.”

  “He’s like... a programmer or something?” Zane fell into step beside her as they headed toward the restaurant.

  She probably should have given Zane a little more information when she extended her sister’s dinner invite. But the conversation took a random and she never got around to it. “Something like that. He’s Chief Technology Officer, and co-founder of Rinslet Enterprises.”

  Zane’s step faltered. “You mean that Scott McAllister? How do you neglect to mention your sister is engaged to one of the biggest names in the industry?”

  Sometimes Riley forgot Zane could be a fan boy. She tugged his hand to get him moving again. “Because I know him, and he’s just another guy.”

  “Yeah, okay.” He didn’t sound convinced. He also didn’t let go of her hand as they approached the entrance.

  Kenzie looked at their intertwined fingers and then back at Riley, a knowing smile on her lips. Scott glanced at his watch.

  Riley glared at her sister, hoping to convey this wasn’t what it looked like.

  Kenzie shook her head, still smiling, and turned to Zane. “Hey, stranger.”

  “Hey, yourself.” He gave her a brief hug, both of them pulling away awkwardly.

  Riley hid her laugh. Neither her sister nor Zane was ever physical, but it showed the most when they were together.

  Introductions were made while Scott studied Zane, brow furrowed.

  “They won’t hold our table forever.” Scott’s tone was friendly but clipped.

  Riley resisted the urge to ask what his problem was. He seemed to have lost the good humor she assumed was an integral part of him. She glanced at her sister. Kenzie’s shocked expression probably mirrored her own.

  “Right. Sure.” Kenzie nodded toward the entrance. “We’ll catch up when we’re seated.”

  The steakhouse was packed with an eclectic assortment of businessmen drinking and loosening their ties, families, and couples in jeans and T-shirts. Amber light diffused the white tablecloths, and the background music was lost in the chatter filling the room. Riley was
grateful, as she usually was, that Kenzie and Scott didn’t go for the higher-end places. She hated getting dressed up to go out to dinner, and she was glad someone had convinced her sister that wasn’t necessary for a happy existence.

  Scott was on a first-name basis with most of the staff, and they were seated quickly. Water and drinks were on their table within moments.

  The conversation lulled, and Riley shot her sister a helpless look.

  “Game God, huh?” Zane took a sip of his water, his tone casual.

  “We can’t all drive classic Beemers.” Sarcasm laced Scott’s reply.

  Riley resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Please don’t let them do this.

  Zane clenched his jaw. It wasn’t an obvious movement, but Riley had seen it enough times to know how irritated he was. His voice remained pleasant. “Not all of us have more money than God.”

  Scott’s smirk grew. “I never really fell into the camp that deifies Bill Gates, but everyone has their own religion.”

  “And your religion is all about you?”

  Damn it. Riley wasn’t interested in the whole night being antagonistic. She let out a soft growl. “Put your dicks back in your pants, boys. You’ve already impressed everyone at the table.”

  Scott snorted.

  “Riley Ann.” Kenzie had the scandalized jaw drop down, Riley had to give her credit.

  Riley glared back. “Mackenzie.” Why couldn’t Kenzie have a middle name too—something obnoxious, to be thrown back in her face? “Don’t give me that shocked look. The two of you spend half your time throwing disgustingly lame innuendo at each other.”

  “Innuendo. Not crude locker-room insults.”

  Riley shook her head. “Your boyfriend’s being an ass.”

  “Oops.” Scott smiled when she glared at him.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zane clench his hand into a fist. She knew her sister’s fiancé was antagonistically honest, but for the first time since Riley met Scott, she was tempted to let Zane pound some politeness into him. She sought out Zane’s knee under the table and squeezed, not sure if she was encouraging him or trying to calm him down.

  Scott raised an eyebrow at the gesture, shook his head, and turned away from her glare. “You know I’m teasing, and maybe being a little overprotective of my baby sister.”

  Zane’s frame stiffened, muscles going hard under her hand. His voice was calmer though. “No worries. It’s cool.”

  Since Scott and Kenzie got engaged, he’d teased her about being the sister he never had, posturing about how he had to look out for her now. And Riley was used to Zane stepping to her defense. This was stupid though. Neither was a threat to her, nor competition to the other, so why were they acting like posturing morons with more testosterone than brains?

  A memory from ages ago, before Zane enlisted, tickled the back of her thoughts. Something about a video game? The notion slipped away before she could grasp it.

  Zane’s posture relaxed, but she still felt tension thrumming through him. “Anyway... Riley says you’re almost as important as you think you are.”

  “Not really. There are a couple of gamers who think so, and I let them believe it, to sell games, but I’m not.”

  And now everything was fine. Maybe they were both satisfied with the way they’d marked their territory? Riley didn’t know.

  “I’ve heard a lot of things about Rinslet, but the details are always vague. No one ever talks about more than how cutting edge you are. Rumor has it you’ve got an in-house rendering engine you designed,” Zane said.

  The thick air around the table seemed to be evaporating, so Riley wasn’t going to push the issue. Besides, she loved listening to Zane talk shop. She always learned the most interesting things.

  Scott nodded. “Yup. The rest is top secret. You know—I tell you, and I have to kill you. That kind of thing. Or hire you, to make sure no one else goes around leaking company secrets.”

  Zane flinched, the movement contrasting with his laugh. “You couldn’t afford me.”

  Scott stared back, but it wasn’t the challenging look he had earlier. There was more contemplation behind his gaze. “I’d offer you a company car and stock options, but something tells me you’re not talking about money.”

  The offer caught Riley off-guard. Scott was generous, but he didn’t bring people on unless he thought they could handle the job. Had Kenzie said something to him? There was no way her sister had talked Zane up enough to warrant company car and stock options.

  “Nope,” Zane said. He squeezed Riley’s hand under the table, sending an unexpected warm flutter through her. Fortunately, no one’s attention was on her, so no one would notice the pink flushing her cheeks.

  Scott slid his business card across the table. “Call me if you change your mind.”

  The entire exchange made Riley’s head spin, and she made a mental note to ask Kenzie about it later. She’d push the issue now, but the only way she could think of to phrase her concern came off sounding like why did you just offer my friend a job? What’s wrong with you? Direct, and Scott probably wouldn’t be offended, but there was no reason to talk Zane out of work options.

  ZANE SHOVED THE CARD in his back pocket. “You’re not serious.”

  “Completely.” Scott raised an eyebrow. “Unless you’ve already landed the perfect position. Kenzie says you haven’t been stateside for long.”

  “I’ll think about it.” This was why Zane hadn’t wanted to tell Riley he was having trouble finding work. Now she had her sister’s fiancé trying to hook him up with some job born of pity.

  “Are you done talking business at dinner?” A gentle warning ran through Kenzie’s teasing tone.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Scott almost looked contrite.

  Zane desperately wanted to be talking about anything but whether or not Riley went behind his back to drum up a job he hadn’t earned. He spat out the first thing that popped into his head, grateful as the words passed his lips that it was a safe topic. “Has Riley told you what she’s doing with her art?”

  Riley dropped her hand from his knee and turned her narrowed gaze to her drink. The glass muffled her response. “No. I haven’t really told anyone.”

  “Now I’m curious.” Hesitation lined Kenzie’s response.

  Zane hated seeing Riley waste her talent. If his nudging wasn’t enough to get her motivated, maybe Kenzie could help. “She’s thinking of going pro.”

  The smile faded from Kenzie’s eyes, though her lips stayed frozen. “That’s a lot of work.”

  “You won’t let me talk business at dinner.” The irritation was back in Scott’s voice.

  Aggravation crept back into Zane. How had he forgotten this about Kenzie? If it wasn’t mainstream, it wasn’t the right way to do things. “Most things worth doing take a lot of work.”

  Scott picked at a piece of bread, pulling the crust off a bit at a time. “He’s got a good point.”

  “Excuse me. I need some air.” Riley pushed away from the table.

  “You should probably not follow.” Scott took hold of Kenzie’s wrist when she stood.

  Zane looked between the two of them, shook his head, and took off in the direction Riley had.

  He found her pacing outside the front doors, her arms crossed, and a frown creasing her forehead. A gust of wind tore through the night, and she rubbed her arms. Her gaze was locked on the ground, and she didn’t acknowledge him.

  “Hey,” he said to announce his presence.

  She jumped and spun to face him, scowl still in place. “She’s right. I’m spinning my wheels on this.”

  “She didn’t say that.”

  “You know that’s what she meant.”

  He swallowed the desire to argue but wasn’t sure what to say instead.

  “We should get back to the table.” She ran the back of her hand over her eyes, wiping away invisible tears.

  “We don’t have to.” He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and convince her Kenzie was wrong.
“We’ll bail.”

  The corner of her mouth pulled up. “No. It’s okay. Just... I don’t care what we talk about when we get in there. You and Scott can chest thump some more, for all I care. Just leave the drawing out of it?”

  He didn’t want to swear to something like that, but he felt backed into a corner.

  “Promise me.”

  Make the concession to ease her mind, or push the issue and make the night more miserable? “All right.”

  A heavy silence descended over them, hovering when they rejoined Kenzie and Scott. The conversation was stilted the rest of the evening. Zane spent half his time worrying about Riley, and the other half trying to figure out what was safe to talk about. His frustration grew when they ordered dessert and Riley didn’t try to steal even a bite of his cheesecake.

  As they went their separate ways for the evening, Kenzie gave Riley an awkward hug. Zane kept his distance, hands shoved in his pockets. Scott kissed Riley on the cheek and whispered something in her ear. She shook her head and shrugged before stepping away.

  “Hey.” Scott caught Zane’s eye and tugged him aside. “Thanks.”

  “For?”

  Scott grinned, keeping his voice low. “Taking care of my baby sister.”

  Riley stepped up next to Zane, arm brushing his. “Good night.”

  Kenzie gave her one last sad look, and then let Scott lead her in the other direction.

  Riley fell into step next to Zane. He held open the truck door for her, still at a loss about how to bring her smile back.

  Chapter Nine

  Riley managed to swallow most of her discomfort on the short drive back to her condo. She’d been embarrassed when Zane brought up her artwork. She shared the dream with him in confidence, thinking it would stay between them until she was ready to make things public. Then Kenzie had to go and confirm her worst fears. Zane was just being polite when he said she was talented, and the entire thing was a total waste of time.

  She didn’t want to spend the night wallowing. She needed a distraction. Zane pulled into the visitor parking, and she spat out the question before she could stop herself. “Do you have anywhere to be in the morning?”