Flying High

I’m twenty-one years old and I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’ve never even kissed a man, let alone slept with one. Seeing happy couple after happy couple on this trip has been a painful reminder of how lacking I’ve been in the love department.

It started off when I sat next to a newlywed couple on the plane and it continued when I got to my room, which is stuck between two more newlywed couples (one who likes to christen their vows in the morning and the other one who likes to do it all night).

“Why are you into pilots again?” Kyle asks as Devon goes to check on ours. Susan is inspecting the tires like she knows anything about helicopter tires.

“I’m not,” I say with a sigh. “Well, they’re kind of hot, I guess. It’s more the flying that I like. The freedom. I wanted to be a helicopter pilot when I was growing up.”

“Really?” he asks with a grin. “Until when?”

Until always, really. The desire has never gone away, but what am I supposed to do? Quit this lucrative career that I busted my ass for to take a chance and spend a ton of money on becoming a helicopter pilot? That’s just ridiculous. I’m not going to give up security and a fat paycheck in exchange for an unrealistic childhood dream. It would be irresponsible.

“Until I grew up,” I tell him in a sharp voice, hopefully ending this conversation. “Look, Devon got the pilot.”

“Oh God,” Susan gasps as she bends over and starts hyperventilating.

I was hoping for a calendar-worthy pilot, but he’s not my type at all. He looks like he’s in his mid-fifties with a big belly and probably has a few kids and a wife at home. Devon is talking his ear off as they walk over.

“Hello,” he says with an awkward wave when he arrives. “I’m Pilot Dave.”

“Pilot Dave,” Kyle whispers with a chuckle. “You think he was March or November?”

“I think you should drop it unless you want to be honeymooning with polar bears,” I whisper back. Kyle knows that Rachel and I are best friends who talk about everything. He also knows that she values my opinion and I can get her to do pretty much anything if I talk it up enough. Which was how I got her to go out with him in the first place.

“I’ll sit in the front!” Devon says as he rushes to the passenger side of the helicopter. “I’ve flown thousands of hours on my computer simulation, so I can act as your co-pilot if you need.”

“That’s not necessary,” Pilot Dave says with a hand up.

“But I can, if you need.”

Pilot Dave stops and stares Devon down. “You’re not allowed to touch any of the controls. Understand me?”

Devon looks like a disappointed little kid as he nods his head.

We get in the helicopter and I’m squeezed in the middle between Kyle and Susan. Susan is praying under her breath as she grips onto the handle with white knuckles.

I start to get really excited when I put my headphones on and the engine starts. I can feel the vibrations through the seat. I love this.

The headset clicks on and Pilot Dave’s voice comes through it. He starts going on about the safety instructions, but my mind blanks when I see a real pilot walking along the paved grounds. He looks like the one I was hoping for.

Not only is he calendar-worthy, but he looks like he’d be on the cover of Hunky Helicopter Pilots. Now that’s a calendar I would buy.

I can’t take my eyes off him as he struts across the place like this whole island is his. He’s wearing the gray slacks and black Polo shirt that all the pilots are wearing but this sexy man is no Pilot Dave. He’s making the uniform look like a work of art with the way it’s hugging his large muscular frame.

I swallow hard when I see the way his sleeves are snug and tight around his big tattooed biceps. My fingertips tingle as I imagine running them down his thick forearms, tracing the beautiful tattooed sleeves that end at his wrist.

Stop it.

I’m getting too worked up for someone who is surrounded by co-workers. There’s a warm wetness between my legs and it’s getting so hot that I can no longer blame it on the vibrating seats.

But I can’t take my eyes off him. They’re locked on this man and his wide powerful chest. My breath is stuck somewhere in my throat when he looks at our helicopter and I see the full view of his gorgeous face. My core clenches. Heat flushes through me.

Can Pilot Dave open a window in here? Geez…

He has a shaved head with what looks like blond hair. Intense cobalt blue eyes. A wide powerful jaw. His lips are mesmerizing. They look so damn kissable.