Carter blew out a loud breath. “Yes. But it was a long time ago.”
“Did you two ever…fool around in the cockpit?”
“Kendall…” Carter warned. No answer was necessary because my brain had already conjured up a vivid picture of Miss Perfect Teeth with her head underneath the jet steering wheel. Ugh.
I put up my hand. “It’s fine. We’re both adults. And it’s not like we’re fucking or anything.”
“That’s not by my choice, and you know it.”
“Whatever.”
“You’re not being fair here, Kendall. I’ve been honest with you from the day I met you. Would you prefer I lied to you and told you that nothing had happened between us ever?”
“I’d prefer to not be here anymore.” I was trying to hurt him, to make him feel the hurt I was feeling. His face told me I’d succeeded.
He leaned in, lowering his face to mine. “Is that what you really want? You want to leave? Then go ahead. I can’t change who I was. I like you Kendall. A lot. Probably a fuck of a lot more than I’m supposed to at this point. But know this. I have no interest in Alexa or any other woman. You want to know why? Because the only woman I have any damn interest in is you. So if you can’t even trust me to fly a plane, then there’s no point anyway.”
We stared at each other, neither one of us giving an inch. “I gotta go. I hope you join me. But even if you don’t, nothing is going to change. The life I led wasn’t worthy of a woman like you, and all I can do is try to change going forward. The past is exactly what it is, the past.” And just like that, Carter walked away.
Twenty minutes later, the gate attendant announced final boarding. I was still sitting in the waiting area chairs, unsure what the hell I was going to do next. There was no way I wanted to leave Carter, but staying was only going to make our inevitable goodbye even harder. And if by some miracle we didn’t say goodbye in a few days, could I build something with him knowing he was always on the road? Could I sleep at night wondering who he was keeping company with on those lonely nights of traveling?
The gate attendants flicked off the illuminated destination sign and began to pack up their paperwork. This was it. Now or never. I was scared as shit to keep going, but the thought of never seeing Carter again was even more terrifying. Just as they began to close the jetway door, I yelled, “Wait!” The two women turned back at the same exact second Carter frantically ran through the door.
Screw Dubai and their stupid rules. I ran to him, and he wrapped me in his arms, holding me tight. “Don’t leave me, Perky.” Then he took my face in both his hands and kissed me passionately.
“I’m sorry. I was stupid. You promised me you wouldn’t judge me and here I was judging you.”
“I’m sorry, too, Perky. Sorry there’s so much in my past to judge. Let’s just go forward, alright?”
“Yes. That’s what I want, too.”
“Good. Now lets get the hell out of here before I get you arrested again.” He extended his hand. “Come fly with me, beautiful.”
WHEN WE LANDED IN the Netherlands, I couldn’t get off of that plane fast enough.
Captain Alexa had been annoying the shit out of me the entire flight, alternating between bringing up stories from the past and talking about her divorce, neither of which I gave a flying fuck about. From the second we boarded, all I’d wanted was to be back with Kendall. Seven hours later, I got my wish.
After a bumpy landing, my little perky, blonde angel was waiting for me in the cabin when I emerged from the cockpit. Ignoring Alexa and other members of the crew, I pulled Kendall into me and planted a kiss on her that was just as intense as the one before we boarded—as if we’d taken up right where we left off.
I couldn’t wait to show her Amsterdam and to be able to touch her freely in public wherever and whenever my heart desired. We didn’t have very long here, so I wanted to make the best of it before we had to fly right back to Dubai. I knew that some big decisions were on the horizon after this jaunt. We could save the heavy stuff for then. This leg of our journey was going to be all about having fun in a place with no boundaries.
As we waited in baggage claim, I stood behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and spoke into her ear, “All of the worries in that pretty little head, put them on hold. Forget about them for today, okay? We’re gonna have the time of our lives. Are you in, gorgeous?”
“I’m so in,” she said, turning around and playfully sticking her finger into my cleft chin.
I’d chosen a hotel near the Red Light District. Kendall and I took a quick catnap before taking to the streets.
Since biking is huge in Amsterdam, we rented a tandem, which we rode all around the city.
We parked in the Jordaan neighborhood. Walking hand in hand through the narrow streets, we visited some art galleries and antique shops along the way.
Later, we took a guided tour through one of the canals, where we watched what the locals called dancing houses—a bunch of tall, tilted historical homes.
By nightfall, exhaustion had caught up with us. After dinner at a quaint restaurant, we decided to check out the Red Light District before turning in for the night.
The street was lined with red-lit windows, each housing a cabin where revelers could partake in either a peep show or a prostitute—whatever their hearts desired. There was nothing like it in the world. I’d perused this street plenty of times, but never partook. Even I had limits. It amused me to see Kendall’s reaction, taking it all in for the very first time.
“So, this is all legal?”