Kate Hoffmann - Paris or Bust!

She knew it was a pathetic attempt at self-preservation, but at the moment it worked for her.

A trip to Paris would have worked better.

W ADE M C K INNON’Salarm went off at 6:00 a.m., startling him into near cardiac arrest and bringing back flashes of the military life he didn’t feel like facing at such an ungodly hour. Groaning, bleary-eyed, he knocked the clock to the floor and put his pillow over his head.

But before sleep could claim him again, he remembered.

He had to get up. He was no longer a wild, irresponsible nobody. Shocking as it was, he’d pulled himself out of the gutter. He now actually had a reason to get up in the morning. The Air Force had had a big hand in knocking sense into him, and as a result, he’d managed to put his experiences from it to good use by starting his own charter company. He was even-and he was just getting used to this after five years-successful. Hugely so. Unbelievably, he could actually do whatever he wanted, when he wanted, the only irony being that he was often too busy now to do just that.

Surging out of bed, he got into the shower, drank a gallon of coffee straight up, and went to work.

Walking through the private airport never failed to make him smile. God, he loved it here, in this dinky, falling apart, old place. A year ago he’d moved his charter business from Oregon to Southern California because he’d gotten tired of the rain, and he’d never been sorry.

Of course that might have something to do with Kylie, the lean, mean fighting machine who owned the airport. Man, he loved a kick-ass woman, and there was no doubt, Kylie was kick-ass. She was rough and tough and battle-ready, and in sharp contrast to her curmudgeonly nature, was so hauntingly beautiful, he could never take his eyes off her.

She did her best to hide that beauty, with her dark hair in its ragged cut he suspected she did herself, little to no makeup, and coveralls over the taut body he wanted beneath his. But to Wade, it was all in the eyes, and hers, deep jade ones, gripped him every time she laid them on him.

It wasn’t often a woman got under his skin, but she’d crawled in there at first sight and had never left. She’d laugh hysterically if she knew. Then she’d go back to work and forget about him. All she did was work, and it drove him as crazy as the memory of kissing her did.

The hangars were filled with airplanes, new and old. The smell of fuel and warm summer morning filled the air, and he inhaled deeply. With both the east and west doors open, the wind whipped through at a good enough clip to nearly rip his donut right out of his hand. Couldn’t have that, so he popped the rest in his mouth and dusted off his fingers.

He had an early flight taking some movie star to Moro Bay for a photo shoot. Which meant he’d get to sit around on the bluffs and kick back for a few hours before flying her home.

Oh yeah, life was good.

Moving toward the lobby, he figured he’d just check in with Daisy and see if his client had arrived yet. He wondered if the photo shoot was a bikini one…

“But, Kylie, he’s such a nice boy,” he heard Daisy say.

“Oh, please.” Kylie’s voice was strong and determined, just like every other part of her, and Wade grinned. She and her mother were behind the reception desk, their backs to him as they put up the schedule for the day.

“Honestly, Kylie,” Daisy tsked. “The least you could do is go out with him once!”

“No,” Kylie said firmly. “I am not going out on any blind dates, especially one you set me up on. No offense, Mom, but I don’t have the same taste you do.”

Daisy put her hands on her hips and jabbed her dry-erase marker in her daughter’s face. “I always set you up with nice boys. Keith. Justin. Steve. You should have married Steve.”

“Seth,” Kylie corrected. “And I couldn’t have married him even if I’d wanted to. Grandma chased him off, remember?”

“Well, who would have guessed he’d be afraid of one little old lady?”

“She told him I was desperate for a husband and that he fit the bill!”

“She was just kidding. He had no sense of humor.”

“Mom.” Kylie rubbed her temples. “I’m not going to get married, okay? It’s not for me.”

“Just because a few relationships didn’t work out?”

“Because none of them ever work out. Let’s face it.” She lifted her arms, exhibiting her coveralls and favorite baseball cap, not an ounce of femininity anywhere, and beautiful in spite of it. “I’m not exactly marriage material.”

“Nothing a brush and some makeup wouldn’t fix,” Daisy sniffed.

“Mom.” With a little laugh, Kylie shook her head. “Why should I bother? Look at you, you’re the epitome of a woman…”

Daisy smiled and preened, patting her perfect hair, her pretty sundress. “Why, thank you.”

“And you can’t keep a man, either. You’ve had how many boyfriends since Daddy died?”

“Well, who’s counting?” Daisy muttered.

“Three. And each broke your heart. Grandma’s been married five times. Five! And each time nearly destroyed her.”

“That’s because she wasn’t smart enough to marry someone with money the first time.”

“Well, I’m not interested, with or without money. Even you and Daddy had issues.”

“Because he thought he had to pamper me, and take care of every little thing.”

“He did have to.”

“Only because, sweet as he was, he was also…” Daisy winced apologetically. “Look, he was anal, okay? Completely and totally anal.”

And so was Kylie. That fact was written all over her mother’s face. Well, she’d rather be anal than the opposite. “All I’m saying is, for all I’ve seen, love is a pain in the a-”

“Kylie Ann Birmingham! Watch your language.”

“Love doesn’t really exist, Mom. Admit it.”

Daisy threw up her hands. “I give up trying to convince you. But at least try to have fun once in a while. Anything, Kylie, but try something.”

“I don’t need it.”

“Really? What if it was Wade asking?”

Wade’s ears perked at that. The conversation had been hugely interesting so far, but was getting even better now.

“First of all,” Kylie said. “He dates anything in a skirt, so he’s certainly not going to give me a second glance, and second…”

“Yes?” Wade pushed away from the wall and moved toward the front desk, smiling when Kylie whipped around, her eyes wide. “Second?” he asked sweetly.

Daisy grinned. “Well, hello, Wade.”

“Hello, Daisy.” He cocked his head at Kylie. “Oh, and your ‘first of all’ isn’t quite accurate. I’ve dated women in pants before. Not in coveralls, though…” He ran a finger down her arm, grinning when she glared at him. “And you never finished. Second of all…?”

“You had a client.” Deliciously flustered, she shoved some paperwork at him and changed the conversation.

“Had?”

“She cancelled because the wind scared her.”

He glanced out the wall of windows. “It’s hardly blowing.”

“Yeah, well, she cancelled. Probably was worried the wind would disturb her hair. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go test that plane I worked on last night, the owner will be here soon.”

When she brushed past him, he took her elbow, smiling when she whipped around, practically growling in his face.

What was it about him that put her so on edge? The same thing that made him want to keep touching her? He’d learned a lot about her in this very fascinating conversation. “Who’s riding shotgun?”