Kate Hoffmann - Paris or Bust!

“No one.”

“I will.”

“I don’t need-”

“I will,” he repeated. He had no idea what the hell he was doing, he now had the morning free. He could go into his office, shut the door, open the windows, kick up his feet and take a nice snooze.

Instead he wanted to be up in the air. With Kylie. He figured it had nothing to do with those big, expressive jade eyes and everything to do with how she’d tasted. It had been nearly six months since their one and only kiss and he couldn’t quite get the memory out of his head.

Maybe she’d give him another taste, and then they could each go on their own merry way.

Yeah. That’s what he wanted. To go on his merry way. Alone.

KYLIE PILOTED. Wade watched. It was a first for him, sitting passenger side with a woman in charge. And she was in charge. She flew the same way she did everything else, with utter intensity, a serious expression, sure and firm hands, her dark glasses hiding her every thought.

The sky loomed large in front of them, brilliant blue with lazily floating puffy white clouds. Incredible. Being up in the air, as always, exhilarated him as nothing ever had.

“So.” Wade leaned back to enjoy himself. “Do you make love with the same abandon when you fly?”

Her hands jerked, and so did the plane. Craning her neck, she stared at him. “What?”

“I bet you do.”

For another long heartbeat she was silent, then she shook her head and turned forward again. “You’re insane. That explains everything.”

“We had such a connection that night. Do you remember?”

“No.”

“Christmas Eve.”

“New Year’s Eve,” she corrected, then rolled her eyes when he laughed.

“You do remember, and you’ve ignored it ever since.”

An interesting blush crept up her face. “I don’t remember anything.”

He shook his head. “Coy, Kylie? After you’ve practically crawled up my body?”

“I most definitely did not crawl up your body.”

“Don’t tell me I need to remind you who kissed who.”

She hissed out a breath. “Okay, so I kissed you. I was wondering what it would be like, that’s all.”

“And?”

“And nothing. Wondering gone.”

“Are you telling me that kiss quenched your thirst?”

She shifted in her seat and broke eye contact.

“See?” he said. “You want more, too.”

“Giving in to simple urges isn’t always the answer,” she said primly.

“Baby,” he said on a laugh. “There’s nothing simple about my urge for you.”

“Stop it.”

“I can’t. I’m still curious. You’re so tough on the outside.”

“I’m tough all the way through.”

“Nah.” He grinned when she glared at him again. “Know what I think?”

“If I say yes will you shut up?”

“I think that your toughness is a shield. That you’re really soft and sweet, with a heart of gold.”

That made a laugh tumble from her lips. “Right. And you know me so well.”

“Otherwise why would you let Daisy destroy the office on a daily basis? Or let Lou near your books?”

“Because I’m clearly mentally incompetent. Watch out, it could be contagious.”

His mouth quirked. “You care about your family very much.”

“They’re family,” she said simply.

“Some would just let them make their own way.”

“Their own way?” She shook her head. “My mom and grandma would get lost on their way there.”

“Exactly. I’ve been watching you for a year now. Even more so in the past six months.”

“Should I be concerned you’re stalking me?”

“Look, just admit it. You’re really one big softie who collects people to take care of so you don’t have to take care of yourself.”

She stared at him, then laughed. “I do not collect the needy.”

“See? I didn’t say needy. You did.”

She sighed. “How about we just don’t talk period.”

“Sure, soon as you tell me why you’d rather bury yourself in work and raise your mother and grandmother than live your own life.”

“Shut up. I have to check out the plane, and that requires listening. To the plane, not you.”

“The plane is perfect.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you worked on it.”

Startled, she blinked her huge green eyes at him.

Oh yeah, he had her attention now. “You might run the airport,” he said, “but you’re the best mechanic out there. You’re also not a bad pilot. So…now that we have all business out of the way, and you don’t want to discuss kissing or making love, how about-”

She turned back to her flying. “I don’t want to sell you the airport.”

“I wasn’t going to bring that up, but now that you have…you’re out of money.”

Her jaw went tight. “Not quite.”

“I’m not greedy, sell me half. We’ll be partners.”

“I’m not that desperate.”

He shrugged and leaned back. “Fine. We’ll talk about something else.” Glancing behind them at the roomy cabin, which was luxurious and empty, he smiled. “Ever heard of the mile-high club?”

Having just taken an unfortunate sip of soda, she choked.

“Guess you have,” he said innocently, while his insides churned and tightened at the adorably flustered expression on her face and unwilling speculation in her eyes that his question caused. “Want to join it together?”

“Does ‘not in your lifetime’ mean anything to you?”

He laughed. “So you’re not ready for that.”

“No!”

“Maybe next time then. Just think of how good it’d be, you and me, more of those mind-blowing kisses, added with-”

“Stop!”

He could see the pulse at her throat beating like a desperate little chick. She was trying so hard not to let him see he was getting to her, and for some reason, that softened him.

“I mean it,” she said, eyes dark, lips wet from where she’d nervously licked them. “Stop.”

Whether she admitted it or not-and he was far closer to the not-she wanted him. For now, that was enough. For now. “Stopping,” he said, and smiled.

“UH, KYLIE?”

She was in her office, swamped with paperwork and getting none of it done due to a particularly naughty daydream that involved, damn it, the mile-high club. With a sigh, she picked up the radio. “Go ahead, dispatch.”

“Have you looked at the phone lines lately?”

Kylie glanced over and saw all phone lines flashing wildly.

Ah, hell. Her mother had sneaked out again. “Thank you,” she said, feeling a headache coming on as she made her way to the lobby and the front desk.

“Kylie, Kylie!” Oddly enough, Daisy was there, waving at her, beaming from ear to ear, apparently utterly unconcerned about the phones. “You’ll never guess! I did it!”

Oh God. “You did…what exactly?”

“I got the call saying I did it. I mean, of course I did it, who wouldn’t think so?”

“Mom…what are you talking about?”

“I’m a nominee for Mother Of The Year! I sent in that essay, and the magazine picked their finalists from across the country, and I’m one of them!”

This was difficult to wrap her mind around. Her mother-whom Kylie took care of-was up for Mother Of The Year.

“Get ready, honey, because I’m going to win us that trip to Paris yet!”

“The phones, Mom. You can’t just-” With a sound of exasperation, she picked up the receiver and pushed line one. “Birmingham Airport.”

“ Orange County Post. We’d like a quote from a Kylie Birmingham.”

Kylie looked at her mother as a bad feeling came over her. “About?”

“About the front-page article we printed on her mother being a national nominee for Mother Of The Year.”