Olivia paced as nervous energy and excitement dueled with the butterflies storming around in her stomach. Being this excited to see a man was wrong on so many levels, but she couldn’t seem to help it. And then there was the matter of her first airplane ride. To where she still had no idea. But did it really matter? She’d be with him, and that was all she cared about.

Back and forth she went in front of the gate where she was due to meet him. They had announced his flight was “in range.” Whatever that meant. She had picked up the ticket he had arranged to have waiting for her at the Capital Airlines counter, and despite her burning curiosity she had kept her promise not to look at the destination. When she’d handed her boarding pass to the security screener, she’d fought the urge to glance at it. As she navigated the security line for the first time as a traveler, she had realized it was no wonder she was so excited. Seeing him and flying. This was quite a day!

He had told her to pack warm clothes—jeans, sweaters, a coat, something to wear out at night, and something sexy to wear to bed. “It won’t be on for long, so don’t go to too much trouble,” he had said.

Olivia smiled as she recalled the conversation they’d had the night before during which he had spelled out exactly what was going to happen the instant they arrived at their destination. A bolt of heat went right through her as she recalled his low, sexy voice describing in intimate detail where he wanted to lick her. She took a deep breath and glanced around at the people waiting in the gate area, all but certain her heated cheeks were announcing her thoughts to the world.

Drawn to the window, she watched three Capital flights land in rapid succession. Two of them came toward the gate where she waited and then dashed her hopes by continuing on to other gates.

They finally announced the arrival of the flight from Chicago a few minutes later. A stream of passengers disembarked, but there was no sign of him. After a long lull, the flight attendants came up the ramp pulling suitcases behind them. Olivia wanted to ask them how much longer he’d be, but she couldn’t bring herself to interrupt their conversation.

The crew for the next flight arrived, and announcements were made that boarding would begin shortly. Where is he? Just when Olivia thought she would lose her mind if she had to wait another minute, she saw him coming up the Jetway while talking to an older pilot. The other pilot said something that made Cole laugh, and the sight of his smiling face made Olivia’s heart dance with excitement and love and impatience. Oh, he looks so good!

His eyes connected with hers, and his smile got even bigger.

She wanted to play it cool and wait for him to come to her, but she found herself moving toward him anyway.

The other pilot watched the scene with amusement as Cole and Olivia did a poor job of hiding their desire to leap into each other’s arms.

“Um, Jake, this is Olivia,” Cole said, drinking her in with his eyes.

She tore her gaze off him long enough to say hello and shake hands with the other pilot.

“I haven’t seen her in nine days, so you’ll have to excuse me,” Cole said. “Because I can’t wait another second to do this.” He wrapped his arms around Olivia and lifted her right off her feet.

Startled, she clung to him.

“Well, don’t let me get in the way,” Jake said with a laugh. “I’ve got a flight to catch.”

Cole’s “see ya” was muffled by Olivia’s hair. He held her for a long time before he eased her back down. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Let me go get changed so I can kiss you the way I’m dying to.”

“Hurry up,” she said, pushing him toward the men’s room.

He squeezed her hand. “Don’t go anywhere.”

“Not without you.” She watched him go and then checked the time. Their flight was leaving at seven o’clock, and she’d soon find out where they were going. She couldn’t wait.

A few minutes later, he returned wearing faded jeans with a long-sleeved maroon button-down shirt he’d left un-tucked. “Come on.” He reached for her hand, and with both of them dragging luggage behind them, he steered her through the concourse to a deserted gate area.

“Don’t we need to get to our gate?” she asked, her heart hammering as he maneuvered her up against a big pillar so his back was to the crowd.

“It’s right there,” he said, bringing his lips down on hers. “We’ll hear them.”

Her arms encircled his neck.

His fingers dug into her hips as he brought her up tight against his instant erection for a hot, urgent, carnal kiss. He tasted of toothpaste and sin.

Olivia didn’t even care that people might be watching them—she wasn’t letting him go until she’d had her fill.

The sweep of his tongue against hers made her knees go weak with desire. She tunneled a hand into his thick hair and held on. By the time he finally slowed the kiss to a more manageable sliding of his lips over hers, Olivia was ready to say, “To hell with the trip—let’s find a hotel!”

A shudder rippled through his big frame, and she loved that she’d done that to him.

“God, I want you,” he whispered, dragging his lips from her throat to her ear where he lingered.

This time, Olivia trembled. Her hands fell to his chest where she could feel his racing heart. “We could skip this whole trip thing and be in a hotel in twenty minutes.”

His agonized groan made her smile. “Don’t tempt me.”

“But I love tempting you.”

“And you do it so well.” He tilted her face up, seeking out her eyes. “I love you, and I’m literally dying to make love with you. But I really, really want to take you on your first flight to somewhere you’ve never been before.”

“Oh, all right,” she teased. “If you’re going to be that way about it.”

“But once we get there,” he said, nipping at her bottom lip, “watch out.”

She released a choppy, ragged breath. “Yes, you mentioned that last night.”

He hugged her tightly. “I’m never going to make it. I might have to indoctrinate you into the Mile High Club.”

Olivia looked up at him. “Do I even want to know what that means?”

His smile was as sinful as his kisses. “Think about it. A mile up, a bathroom… Are you getting a visual?”

Rolling her eyes, she said, “What I really want to know is whether you are already a member.”

He laughed. “I’ll never tell.”

She pinched his butt. “Give it up.”

“Hey! Get your hands off my ass.”

“I love your ass.” To prove her point, she let her hand slide down to cup one muscular cheek. “So have you? Done it on a plane?”

Amazed by her audacity, he stared down at her. “I’ve done a lot of things in an airplane, but that’s not one of them. Now what I want to know is where has my shy Liv gone?”

“She’s history.”

“You’re making my blood boil,” he hissed.

She smiled, delighted by the effect she was having on him.

He reached for his back pocket and withdrew his headphones. “Before they call our flight and blow my surprise,” he said as he placed them in her ears, “I need to get you wired for sound.” As he dialed through the songs to find the one he was looking for, he added, “And no peeking at the signs in the gate area.”

She was surprised and pleased to hear Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” the song she had once told him she loved.

He raised his eyebrows to ask if she approved of his choice.

“Thank you,” she said softly. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.

He kept his arms around her as they leaned against the pillar and waited to board the plane.

Olivia listened to three songs before he nudged her to signal it was time to go. Suddenly, she couldn’t move. Her stomach lurched and her heart pounded.

Sensing her anxiety, he brought their joined hands to his chest and mouthed the words “Trust me.”

Because she did and because she couldn’t wait to know what it felt like to fly, she let him lead her to the gate.

He handed their boarding passes to the agent and shepherded Olivia down the long Jetway.

With a deep breath for courage, Olivia stepped onto an airplane for the first time in her life.

After storing their bags in the overhead bins, Cole gave her the window and settled into the middle seat.

Olivia pointed to the headphones, asking if she could take them off.

He raised both hands to say ten more minutes.

She watched the people getting on the plane, stowing their belongings, and acting as if they did this every day. A lot of them probably did. Rubbing her sweaty palms on her jeans, Olivia looked out to the tarmac where the ground crew loaded luggage into the belly of the plane while two other men disconnected a long hose from the wing. She nudged Cole and pointed to the wing, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Gas,” he mouthed, reaching beneath her to find the other half of her seatbelt, which he fastened tight around her.

A few minutes later, he removed the headphones and turned off the music. “I think we’re safe. The pilot just said he expects a smooth flight.”

“That’s a relief.”

“This is one of the best times of year to fly—very few thunderstorms and no snow.”

“Good.”

“You’re tight as a drum, Liv,” he said, running his hand up and down her leg. “What’re you feeling right now?”

“Excited, curious, scared.”

He held her hand between both of his. “Don’t be scared. Remember what I told you—it’s safer than being in a car.”

“And remember what I told you—there’s no breakdown lane.”

He smiled and rolled his eyes.

When the flight attendants began the preflight safety spiel, Olivia reached for the brochure that outlined the features of the Boeing 757.

Cole snorted with laughter.

“What?”

“No one ever pays attention to the flight attendants. They should, but they don’t.”

“Why not?” Olivia asked, horrified. “What if something happens?”

“Nothing ever does. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“The pilot could have a heart attack.”

“You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

“Be quiet,” she said. “I want to hear about the oxygen masks.” She paid intense attention to the instructions. “So if we lose pressure in the cabin, I should help myself before I help you?”

“Yeah, right,” he drawled. “I’ll be too busy cleaning up after you pee your pants.”

Olivia laughed and then shushed him so she could learn how to use her seat cushion as a flotation device in the event of a water landing. Pondering the notion of the big plane splashing down, she was scared again.

Cole brought her hand to his lips. “Not going to happen, honey.”

“Tell that to the people who landed in the Hudson.”

“A once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.”

Trying to think about anything other than landing in the Potomac, she returned the brochure to the seat pocket, pulled out the barf bag, and glanced over at him.

“For wimps.”

“In that case…” Olivia put the bag on her lap.

“You won’t need it.”

“Could you fly this plane?”

“If I had to.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not checked out to fly passengers on a 757, but in an emergency I could get it down.”

“That makes me feel a little better.”

Amused, he asked, “How do you know I’m any good?”

“Because you’ve told me—often,” she said, laughing at his offended expression. As the plane rolled back from the gate, Olivia gasped.

“Deep breaths,” he said. “You can do it. We’re going to taxi to the runway for a few minutes, so no need to panic yet.”

“What happens then?” she managed to ask.

“Just like I told you last night, the pilot will come on to tell us we’ve been cleared for takeoff.”

“Do you know them? The pilots?”

“Nope.”

She swallowed hard.

“Baby, do you think I’d be on this plane or would’ve brought you on it if I wasn’t sure it was totally safe?”

“No,” she squeaked.

“Then please try to relax and just enjoy it, will you?”

“Um, sure… easy for you to say. You’ve done this what? A million times?”

Laughing, he raised the armrest between them and put his arm around her.

Grateful for the gesture, Olivia rested her head on his shoulder and focused on breathing.

“Make sure you look out as we lift off. The view of D.C. at night is unbelievable.”

“I’ll be too busy trying not to pee my pants.”

“It never occurs to me that there might be people on my flight who’ve never flown before. It’s so rare these days.”

She watched the dazzling array of lights on the taxiway. “As rare as a twenty-seven-year-old virgin?”

“No,” he said softly against her ear. “That’s in a league all its own. How lucky am I to be able to share all these amazing firsts with you?”

Feeling like the lucky one, Olivia raised her head to reward him with a warm smile.

“Good evening from the cockpit,” came a voice over the loudspeaker. “We’ve been cleared for takeoff. Two hours and three minutes to Denver. Flight attendants, please be seated.”

Cole winced.

“Denver, huh?”

“Shit,” he groaned.

Olivia laughed at his distress. There were other places she’d rather go, but she wasn’t going to complain about an adventure like this.

“We were so close!”

“It’s all right. I don’t care where we go as long as we go together.”

The plane lurched forward, and Olivia tightened her grip on his hand.

He kept his other arm around her as they hauled ass down the runway.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered, watching the airport buildings whiz by.

“Keep your eyes open, honey.”

Olivia had to make an effort to do just that as they lifted into the air. Below she saw the U.S. Capitol, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, and the lights from thousands of tiny cars on the Beltway. It was the most amazing sight she’d ever seen, and she was utterly captivated until a bang from below the plane stopped her heart.

“Just putting the wheels away,” Cole said, his voice calm and soothing.

“It’s so…

“What? Tell me.”

“Magical.”

Over her shoulder he looked out the window. “I guess it is, isn’t it?”

“That something this big can just lift into the air and soar through the sky.”

“It’s all about aerodynamics—”

She patted his knee. “Don’t ruin it.”

He nuzzled his nose through her hair until he found her ear. “Kiss me.”

Glancing over his shoulder, she saw they had the entire row to themselves. Besides, after their demonstration in the airport, what did she care?

With her hand on his face she kissed him softly, dodging his efforts to get more. She teased him with little darts of her tongue until he all but begged her to have mercy.

The plane banked to the left, pressing her tight against him.

Cole took the opportunity to anchor her face and kiss her with a kind of desperation he hadn’t shown her before.

Olivia was on fire. With her ears already popping from the altitude, she held fast to a handful of his shirt hoping to gain some equilibrium.

“I love kissing you.” He trailed his lips over her face. “It’s quickly becoming my favorite thing to do.”

“Better than flying?”

“Mmm, flying’s got nothing on you. What was I thinking taking you so far away? We should’ve gone to Newark. One hour.” He cruised down to her neck. “Up, down, then in, out.”

Olivia laughed and arched her neck to give him better access. “I’ve heard great things about Newark,” she teased.

“It’s nothing special.”

“I bet it has hotels with big soft beds and doors with ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs.”

He closed his teeth over the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

She moaned.

“Uh-huh, and what else have you got to say?”

Her answering sigh made him laugh. “So I’m not the only one who’s suffering here?” he asked.

“No. There’s enough to go around.”

“What do you think of flying so far?”

“On the lists of firsts, it’s a very close second to sex,” she said, tilting her hip against his erection.

He sucked in a harsh, deep breath that he banked when a flight attendant walked by. “You’re going to get me fired,” he whispered.

“Fired up.”

“Already there.”

“How many more hours until Denver?”

He checked his watch. “Hour and twenty.”

“We can handle that, right?”

“Sure, no problem. We’ve already waited almost two weeks. What’s another couple of hours?”

“An eternity?”

“Next time Newark. Definitely Newark.”