Picking up her almost empty glass, she held it out for a toast. “To vodka and not dying?”
“Especially to the not dying part.” He clanked his cup against hers. “You know, I have a very effective way to make you forget your fear that I would love to show you—if you’re willing to trust me, that is.”
She swayed closer. “Oh? And what would that be?”
He shifted in his seat, closing the distance between them until his lips were a breath away from her cheek. He tucked her hair behind her ear, and she shivered at the light touch. “Distraction. I’m going to make you forget all about how high we are in the sky. By the time we land, you’ll be sad to see the flight end because you’ll have to say goodbye to me.”
Such confidence…but damn if she didn’t think he was right.
“Oh, really?” Swallowing hard, she said, “How do you propose to do something as impossible as that? You did hear the part about me being super picky, right?”
“Oh, I heard you all right.” He settled back into his seat. “As far as how I plan to distract you? Well, that, my dear, is for me to know and you to find out. But first, we drink.”
She chugged back her drink, her heart racing the whole time. Only, instead of fear of flying being the guilty culprit, it was the man sitting next to her. Damn, he was good. They both set down their empty glasses, and she shuddered. “God, that’s strong. I should’ve asked for more juice.”
His lips twitched, and he trailed a finger down her jawline. “Know what chases a strong drink better than the cranberry juice?”
The contact of his hand on her fac
e sent shivers of lust through her blood, making her feel weak and dizzy. Or maybe it was the strong cocktail she just drank as if it were water instead of almost straight booze. Or perhaps it was because she had no idea what he’d do next—and liked that about him.
Oh, the hell with it. She pressed her face into his palm, relishing the touch instead of ending it. “No. What chases a strong drink better than cranberry juice?”
“This.”
Before she could so much as blink, his lips were on hers, and the harsh taste of vodka was replaced with his mouth. Those lips she’d been fantasizing about closed over hers, taking the breath right out of her. She gasped at his unexpected move, and he took full advantage of her surprise.
When his tongue swept inside and touched hers, she moaned. Actually moaned.
She should have been shoving him off, but instead she pulled him closer. Dear God, the man knew what he was doing. It had been a long time since she’d been kissed…or anything else, for that matter. And he was fabulous.
Groaning, he tilted his head so he could have better access to her mouth, held her face still with his hand, and proceeded to ravish her. There couldn’t possibly be another word for what he did. No doubt. No hesitation. He assumed he was welcome to seduce her…a stranger he’d met moments ago in an airport.
And, damn it, she wanted more than a kiss. She wanted it all, God help her.
She’d never been so turned on by something so simple before. She clenched her thighs together, desire dampening her panties. She rubbed against the seat and slid her tongue into his mouth, flicking it against his. Pulling back slightly, he took a deep breath and rubbed a thumb down her lip. “You taste even better than I thought you would.”
Then he reached across her. His knuckles brushed against her lap as he tightened her seatbelt strap, perilously close to where she ached for him to touch. Teasing her, scandalizing her, before settling in his own seat as if nothing had happened.
What. The. Hell?
The flight attendant approached them, a pleasant expression on her face. Kayla searched for any signs of awareness that her two passengers just had their tongues in one another’s mouths, but saw nothing. “I’ll collect your drinks, and you’ll need to put your trays up. We’re about to take off.”
“Of course.” His voice even, he handed off his empty glass with a steady hand and then grabbed Kayla’s as well. “Once we’re in the air, we’d like another round—but a quarter of the strength.”
“Certainly.”
She headed off. When he turned to Kayla and looked at her with the unmistakable intention to reenact the make-out session from a few moments ago, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Are you trying to get me drunk so you can kiss me again?”
“Perhaps.” His lips quirked up a little bit. “Though, a more accurate description of what I’m trying to accomplish would be to get you drunk enough to forget about the flight, but not so drunk that I’m stuck cleaning vomit off my shoes. It’s a thin line I’m walking here.”
“You might have to clean it up anyway,” she muttered, looking out the window. Clinging to the armrests as if they would possibly save her in a crash, she closed her eyes. “Oh, God, we’re moving. Aren’t they supposed to do that stupid drill about floating aircraft seats and escaping out the emergency door to die in the ocean before we take off?”
“She’s about to start. See? Besides, we’re just getting in line on the tarmac.”
The attendant started her spiel about what to do in case of a crash, and it took all of Kayla’s control not to laugh hysterically. As if they stood a chance if they crashed.
Puh-lease.