Take Me Away (Southern Bride 6)

Nolan seemed to be worried at first about flying with me, so I did my best to make sure he knew I wasn’t afraid. His plane was amazing. And I had to admit, watching him fly it was very sexy. The moment we landed and he taxied his plane to the hangar he rented out, I promptly informed him that I was incredibly turned on by watching him fly. Nolan took my hand in his and nearly dragged me to his Honda Pilot that was parked at the airport. In California, he didn’t drive a truck but a smaller SUV.

“We have a lot of time to make up for, and we’re going to start as soon as I get you home,” he said.

It took us an hour to get from the airport to Nolan’s house. He pulled up to a brownstone and stucco one-story house. It was a corner house with grass so green it reminded me of the parks in France.

“What a darling place!” I said.

“It’s a rental,” he stated.

I nodded and waited for him to pull into the garage.

“You don’t have a house anywhere you own besides the ranch?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Nah, not when I was moving around and being stationed in different areas. Never really saw a reason to buy anywhere.”

“Makes sense,” I replied.

“This house is entirely too big, but I like it and it’s home for now.”

He opened the door from the garage, and we walked into a small mud room. “Let me show you around,” Nolan said as he laced his fingers with mine. He certainly enjoyed holding my hand, and I wasn’t going to argue.

“There are five bedrooms and three bathrooms. A living room, family room, and a small sitting room right off the family room.”

“Wow. It’s a lot of space for one person.”

“Well, I share it with a roommate.”

That caught my attention. “Oh.”

Nolan looked at me and winked. “Jessica should be swinging by the house any minute now. I’ve already sent her a text to let her know I was back.”

A surge of jealousy raced through my veins, and I was caught completely off guard by it. “Jessica? Is that your…roommate?”

Nolan threw his head back and laughed. “God, no! She’s the wife of another pilot and the whole reason I have Duke.”

“Duke?” I asked with a grin.

“He’s a black lab, four years old, and a pain in my ass. Jessica rescued his litter and somehow sweet-talked me into taking one of the puppies.”

“A dog! You have a dog?”

He laughed. “Yes.”

The doorbell rang, and Nolan winked. “And there he is.”

I quickly followed him as he made his way through the house to the front door. “Stand back, he’s going to bully his way into the house.”

Nolan opened the front door, and a beautiful blonde stood there, a puppy in her arms and a smile on her face.

“Nolan!”

He frowned as he looked at her. “Jessica.”

In the front yard was a man who looked to be around the same age as Nolan. He was chasing a dog.

“Duke! Damnit! Will you get back over here?”

Nolan whistled, and the dog immediately stopped, looked back at the front door, and took off in a full run.

Jessica stepped out of the way as Duke came running past her, past Nolan and me, and then attempted to come to a stop on the wood floors. He slid a good five feet before he turned and hauled ass back to Nolan.

I watched as Nolan dropped down and held his arms out for the dog that promptly gave him all the kisses.

“He’s precious!” I gushed as I bent down, hoping to join in on the love. Duke looked at me, thought about it for a moment, then went back to Nolan.

I frowned and made a harrumph sound.

“Don’t take it personally. That damn dog loves Nolan in the unhealthiest way I’ve ever seen,” Jessica stated as she walked past the two lovebirds.

Reaching out her hand while trying to juggle the puppy, she said, “I’m Jessica, Mike’s wife.”

I glanced over at the door to see who I was guessing was Mike walk into the house. “Mike, I take it?”

She laughed. “Yes. He’s also a pilot.”

“Test pilot?” I asked.

With a nod, Jessica put the puppy down. I dropped instantly to the floor and scooped her up. “Oh, she is darling!”

“Oh no,” Nolan groaned.

Then, before I knew it, Duke was all in my face, demanding I give him attention now that Nolan had stopped.

“Duke, knock it off and give her room,” Nolan said as he slapped the dog lightly on the side and then asked Mike if he wanted a beer.

“You don’t have to ask me twice.”

Before Nolan walked off, he said, “Mike, Jessica, this is Linnzi Cunningham. Linnzi, Mike and Jessica Reynolds.”

I stood, wiped my hand on my jeans and shook their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”