Turbulent Intrigue (Billionaire Aviators 4)

“You are an incredibly good-looking man,” she said with a wobbly smile.

“Why don’t I send the family home and take you inside for a nightcap,” he said, his voice pleading.

She actually thought about it for a few seconds before she sighed with reluctance. She wanted so badly to say yes to him, but they both knew she wasn’t going to do that.

“Good night, Ace,” she said. Then she pushed him back. He stepped away willingly, though with reluctance.

“It might not happen tonight, but it will happen,” Ace assured her. He then took the key from her hand and unlocked her door, pushing it open. “Go inside before I change my mind about being chivalrous and follow you.”

Dakota didn’t say another word as she stepped into her house and turned to look at him one final time before she shut the door in his face. She leaned against it as she listened to his steps moving down her walkway.

She heard the limo pull away and then walked slowly into her living room, where she sank down onto her couch and grabbed a magazine off her coffee table, fanning her flushed cheeks.

Dakota wasn’t going to be getting a heck of a lot of sleep tonight. And she feared the entire week was going to be shot. Her flying lessons began tomorrow, with her and Ace in very tight quarters with no one else around.

She wasn’t sure she was going to make it. She certainly knew she wasn’t going to without falling into the man’s bed. As much as she knew it would be wise not to do that, she couldn’t help herself. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and it might be better to just get it over with.

By the time Dakota climbed into bed, she was no closer to finding answers than when she’d first set eyes upon Ace. Maybe the problem was she needed to quit thinking and go with basic animal instinct. That made her smile as she finally fell asleep.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ace was leaning against the small four-seater Cessna 400 he’d chosen for Dakota’s flying lesson. Yeah, he knew this wasn’t a plane most students would fly for the first time, but Dakota wasn’t just any student. She could handle the sexy plane and would appreciate its composite construction and lack of lumpy rivets. He also wanted to impress her. Besides that, Sherman had assured him she was ready for a powerful plane.

Ace had a clear view of the door, and he was highly anticipating the moment she walked into the room. In his life, Ace had done a lot of jobs, had been to many places. Never had he thought he’d so look forward to teaching someone how to fly.

But he was more amped up about this job than any other he had ever had. The thought of the two of them being side by side for hours high up in the sky was unbelievably appealing to him. He was closing in on making her his. And his conquest couldn’t come soon enough.

He feared the consequences of making Dakota his own, but his need for her was outweighing his reservations. Besides, he reasoned, he had come up with a solution by keeping their relationship in the dark. Plus, Dakota was more than capable of giving back just as good as she got. She was certainly the right kind of woman for him.

When the door opened and Dakota finally stepped through, Ace didn’t move from his position, but his entire body tensed as she drew closer to him. This was where he wanted to be and the woman he wanted to be with. Could he be losing his mind?

“Is this the plane?” Dakota asked. She made a wide circle around him as she looked at the clean lines of the beautiful plane.

“Yep. She’s perfect for you,” Ace told her.

“Why is it a she?” she asked, a hand on her hip and sassiness in her voice.

He laughed aloud as he followed her around the plane. She reached out and caressed the cool white metal like he imagined she would touch a lover. He was instantly hard and uncomfortable again.

“All planes are referred to as female,” he informed her.

“I think you need to prove that. Maybe I want to call it . . . Bob,” she said with a raised brow.

“Honey, with these curves and beauty, she couldn’t have anything but a lady’s name,” he assured her.

She laughed, allowing him to win the argument. And Ace had no doubt whatsoever that she was indeed allowing him to win. He’d never actually investigated to find out why planes were referred to with female names. But flying had been the good old boys’ club for so long, he was sure that’s where the naming of planes had originated.

“She’s a Cessna 400 with low wings, a carbon-fiber composite design, and, most importantly, a very comfortable interior,” he said as he opened the door and let her look inside at the clean leather upholstery.

“There’s not a lot of room in there,” she said as she looked from the inside of the plane to Ace and then back again.

“Nope. We’ll be squished in nice and

tight,” he said, his tone clearly telling her that was a perk to this job.

“Where do I pay for my lesson?” she asked.

Ace gazed at her at a loss. “Pay?” he questioned.