Turbulent Intrigue (Billionaire Aviators 4)

“That might just be because of your job,” Dakota told him. “You’re always looking for the worst instead of the best.”

“You might be right,” he said, another sigh escaping him as his hands began moving up and down her back.

She felt a shiver travel her spine, and she knew how easy it would be to cave in to the demands of her body. But she was starting to look at this strange relationship with Ace as something that could possibly last for a while. And if that were the case, they certainly needed to have more going for them than just a great sex life. Though, now that she’d discovered the joys of having a man own her so completely, she knew she couldn’t be in a relationship where the sex wasn’t spectacular.

“Then you will take me for another flying lesson?” she said as she snuggled against his hard pecs.

“Yes,” he said. “But I don’t like it.”

“You don’t like flying?” she said, purposely misunderstanding him.

“I love flying. I get to be free when I do it,” he admitted.

“Then it will be good for both of us. Well, if I don’t send us spiraling toward the ground.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen,” he assured her.

“Nope, you don’t get to play the hero,” she told him sternly. “I am going to be such a great pilot, the plane will have no choice but to obey my commands.”

“Oh, really?” he said, a smile entering his voice.

“Really!” she insisted.

“I have no doubt you are great at whatever you put your mind to,” he said.

“And I’m ready to go,” she said. She pulled from his arms, the action making her feel slightly empty. The look on his face assured her he liked it even less. That helped.

“Be ready in ten minutes,” she told him as she rushed to the back of the guest cottage and grabbed her tennis shoes. It was time to fly again. She was more than excited. The men who’d attacked her were forgotten. Okay, maybe not completely, but she wasn’t going to allow them to stop her from living her life. That’s how they won in their game of terror.

When she came back out, Ace smiled at her. His face was so beautiful, it took her breath away. This man was tugging on more of her heart each moment she was with him. She’d felt the need to soothe his battered soul from the moment she’d met him, but it seemed he was doing more for her than she was for him.

And she was more than okay with that.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Ace smiled as Dakota impatiently followed him around the plane while he took his time doing the preflight check. He made her look at everything after he did, and then check it off a list. He knew what she was feeling. She wanted to get into the air.

“I know this part isn’t exciting, but doing it will save your life,” Ace assured her.

“But we just did it a few days ago,” she pointed out.

Ace laughed. “It has to be done every single time you fly,” he assured her. “Otherwise disaster strikes.”

“You think disaster is striking all the time,” she told him.

Ace understood why she thought that, but she didn’t have the same knowledge he did. She had never seen what he’d seen, and she just didn’t understand true evil. He was glad she didn’t. If she were truly aware, she wouldn’t be the same woman. He’d seen too many instances of good people having their bubble popped, and then he’d had to watch the light go out of their eyes. He missed the light—he missed being that happy.

“If I promise to be more observant of my surroundings and to listen to you when it comes to all things about the plane, will you please let up just a little on your intensity?” she asked him.

Ace truly thought about her question for a moment before he forced some of the tenseness out of his shoulders. She was right. She was incredibly right. Maybe he felt this immense need to teach her because he knew that in less than two weeks he’d be gone. The thought of not being there if something else were to happen to her nearly sent him into a panic. That wouldn’t do.

“Okay, I’ll let up,” he finally said.

“You can’t just say it. You have to mean it,” she told him, her stubborn face clearly pasted on.

Ace laughed. “Deal,” he told her. “Are you ready to fly this beautiful girl?”

Dakota laughed. “Ah, we’re back to calling the plane a girl,” she said.