Three Hard Lessons (Blindfold Club 2)
He’d stopped a few feet short of me, and the strap of his laptop bag cut a diagonal between his pecs. The terminal was busy like it usually was, but I barely noticed. The only thing stealing my focus was the urge to kiss him hello. But I couldn’t decide if it was a good idea or not. I wasn’t his girlfriend, and I worried it would send the wrong message. I wanted him to think of this as a friends with benefits type of deal.
He seemed to be evaluating me as much as I was him. Unsure of what was allowed and what wasn’t. I gave up fighting sense and logic. I liked living in the now and dealing with consequences later, so it spilled from my lips.
“You gonna fucking kiss me, or what?”
He didn’t move toward me. The blue eyes heated over a playful smile. “Oh, you’re into that now? What about your rule?”
“You have some weird effect over me.” It was meant to sound off-handed and indifferent, but I think he heard right through it to the meaning that lay beneath the surface.
“Yeah?” The bag he was toting rolled closer to me, until he was only a breath away. “Good.”
He kissed me. Soft and slow, but building with fire at the end, and when he drew back, he lingered so close I wanted him to come back and do it again. That was when I had an inkling I might actually be in over my head.
chapter
TEN
Dominic thought I was kidding when I mentioned I was a nervous flier. At the lounge he watched two screwdrivers disappear into me and then canceled my attempt to score a third.
“Are you trying to get hammered?”
“That’s the plan.”
The soothing words about safety and odds that fell from him while we waited to board did nothing for me. Yeah, I knew I was safe, but that was the rational side of my brain. The irrational side was the one in control right now. It was the one that poured panic into my stomach when I followed Dominic down the jetway.
Shaky hands buckled my seatbelt. “Stop it,” I muttered to myself, willing the tremors to go away.
“Hey.” He took my hand and laced our fingers together. It temporarily disrupted my oncoming panic attack. It forced me to recall our first night together and all the sexy hand-holding. “Can I be honest?”
“Why do you ask that? You always seem to be.” I liked that about him. “What is it?”
“You’re still beautiful when you’re scared out of your mind. Why’d you agree to come with me if you hate this? I mean, you knew we weren’t taking a boat.”
“I’m not scared out of my mind,” I snapped at his backhanded compliment. “I just don’t like this part. I’ll be fine once we’re up and leveled off, and I’m not going to let it stop me from getting what I want.”
He shoved his laptop bag under the seat in front of him with his foot, not releasing my hand. I sat in the window seat and Dominic in the aisle, and I scanned the seats around us. Business class was considerably nicer than economy. Spacious chairs with their own screens. Yes, this was a much better place to die than the cattle-car section behind us.
“Can I do anything to help? Distract you or something?”
I could barely focus on the words. “Um, I guess. With what?”
“I thought maybe we could get to know some more about each other. A crash course–”
“Don’t say that word.”
He nodded, understanding but also kind of amused. Jerk.
“Tell me about yourself.” His hand squeezed mine.
I was buzzing from the screwdrivers and my stomach twisted in knots. I didn’t like talking about myself and I felt too vulnerable right now. “Not much to tell.”
“Come on. If there’s one thing you’re not, it’s boring.” His shifted in his seat, adjusting so his shoulders were angled more my direction. “What’s your family like?”
“My family?” I scowled. Ugh, no. I didn’t want to talk about them.
He looked concerned. “You don’t have family?”
“No, I do.” I straightened my scarf and tried not to listen to the sounds from outside the cabin. It was probably just luggage being loaded, but every mechanical noise or thump from below set me more on edge. “My parents live in Orland Park. Kyle, my older brother, he moved out to New York City a few years ago.”