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His smile stretches across his smug face as he watches me. Decked out in his dangerously tight pilot uniform, a hint of tattoos, that I dread seeing when I close my eyes, peeks from beneath his shirt and collar. The sight of him has my body buzzing.
Frozen in each other’s gaze, his eyes carry a questioning thrill. Mine are glacial.
Just like my feelings for him.
“Sofia…” Rika’s voice is annoyed and sing-songy now. There’s no telling how many times she’s said it. “Sorry—here.” I finally speak, my eyes not leaving his.
“Sorry for my tardiness, ladies. Oops, and gentleman,” Jett says, stepping closer, though he’s meant to go in the other direction.
“I was making sure all our paperwork was good to go for our travels. I promise to be on time from here on out.”
I shakily turn back to the window, twisting my hands in my lap as he addresses everyone else.
“No apology needed,” Sean says easily.
“Right, well, I’m Jett Parker, and I’ll be your captain for the next year. We will be wheels up very shortly. Thank you again for your patience.”
Turning to see if he’s gone, I catch him just as his shoulders shift away from everyone else. A devious grin points right in my direction, and then he does yet another thing to make me want to crawl out of my skin.
He fucking winks.
CHAPTER 5
JETT
No fucking way.
Sitting in the cockpit, I prepare the plane for takeoff. A moment to wake up from whatever fucking dream I just stepped into.
Sofia?
My mind rehashes its last moments like a scratched CD. Except instead of looping on the worst song, it’s the best one on the track. The one that never gets old, no matter how many times you listen to it. You rewind it over and over, because one time is never enough.
With her, one time will never be enough.
Fia’s glare haunts me. The look on her face when she saw it was me. The tic in her jaw. The way she chewed the inside of her lip as her face turned just the slightest shade of pink. Her bright green eyes that pierce into my soul.
“No fucking way,” I whisper as I look down at my watch. Seven-fifteen. Fuck, I’ve got to get moving. Pulling down the intercom, I multitask as I complete all my pre-flight preparations. Unable to stop myself, I apologize once again for being late.
Something I loathe.
“Hello again. We’re just about ready for take-off. Pardon my repetition, I’ve had a lot to take care of today. As mentioned, I’m Captain Jett Parker. I look forward to our time together and can’t wait to get to know each one of you.”
It’s been two years since I saw Fia last. Outside of our night with each other, she came to the Halloween party I used to throw yearly, with my brother and his girlfriend. We only spoke briefly, but what was between us was undeniable. Since then, I’ve only dreamt of what seeing her again would be like.
Now, she’s so close, I can almost smell her.
“Thank you for choosing Greenway Signature for your travels this year. It’s my honor to be taking you to and from. Our flight to DFW is approximately five-hundred-fifty miles, which is around an hour and forty-five minutes, wheels up to wheels down. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the sky.”
The intercom screeches and clicks off. I attempt to still my vibrating fingers, but the tremor in them is mild compared to the rest of my body.
The silent time in the cockpit isn’t as calming as it once was. Not when the heartbeat of the plane is radiating from the other side of this thin door.
I make a safe landing in Dallas, and for my first flight back in over two years, I’d expected to be sad about such a short flight. I assumed I’d miss the sky more than I did, and maybe I would’ve if flying was all this trip was. But now I know, it’s so much more than that.
Flying private is a luxury in itself. It’s personalized. I can’t just hide inside the cockpit when we land; I have to make a connection with my passengers.
A connection I’m more than willing to make.
