Chapter Nineteen
Natalie slowed her SUV near the turn Trevor’s directions indicated and swallowed huge. A ten-foot high chain-link fence with razor wire coiled around the top stretched down the empty side street, and wide metal buildings painted in varied earth tones were lined up beyond it, but the huge aircraft parked on the tarmac in the distance was nothing short of magnificent.
Behind her mother’s seat, Levi’s nose was practically flat against the side window. “I told you they were huge.”
Her mother motioned to the sliding gate directly ahead. The handwritten instructions she’d navigated from wiggled between her pinched fingers. “It says to pull up to the intercom, punch the button and give them your name.”
Easy for her to say. As sweaty as her palms were right now, she’d do good to keep a decent grip on the steering wheel. In the nine years she’d been married to Wyatt, she’d grown pretty accustomed to money, but never this kind of money. Trevor might look like an average-income cowboy with his jeans, boots and button-downs, but no way could he finance a plane like the one parked and waiting for them without a bank account that would make Wyatt weep. And he didn’t just have one of them. He’d said he had two, plus all kinds of smaller ones.
Maureen leaned over enough to study Natalie’s face. “Sweetheart? Is something wrong? You’ve been acting funny since this morning.”
Natalie shook her head and eased the car forward. “Sorry. Just a little surprised, that’s all.” And scared to death. Where the fear had come from she wasn’t sure, but somewhere between Trevor’s sweet and sexy goodnight phone call and the none-too-kind blare of her alarm clock, she’d developed a boatload of relationship anxiety.
Punching the white button on the intercom, Natalie let out a slow breath and focused on the crisp wind outside her window. This wasn’t a fairy tale. It was just some hard-earned vacation time away from her boring desk job and a fun weekend away with a wonderful man. An experience for her son, and a treat for her mom in a beautiful place. Nothing more. Nothing less.
A chipper feminine voice through the speaker shook her from her inner pep talk. “Ms. Jordan, we’ve been expecting you.”
Natalie whipped her head to her mother. “How’d they know it was me?”
The woman’s delighted chuckle resonated through the speaker. “There’s a camera mounted on the gate. Trevor told us what you’d be driving and told us to keep an eye out. Just pull ahead when the gate opens, and drive your car to the aircraft straight ahead.”
Hard to miss which plane she was talking about. Like Levi had said time and again, it was as tall as a commercial jet, and nearly as long. The door was open, and a red rectangular carpet lay at the bottom of the stairs. “Just drive up to it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the woman said. “Tony’s on his way out to help you with your bags and will park your car.”
“Oh.” More than a little dumbfounded, she snapped her mouth shut and shrugged. “Well, okay then. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Ms. Jordan. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Natalie frowned at that, but remembering the cameras, quickly smoothed it away. She punched the up button on her window and stole a glance at her mom while the gate trundled open. “What do you think she meant by that?”
Her mom’s canary-eating grin was entirely too smug. “What it means is Trevor’s not bashful about making sure everyone knows who you are and what you are to him.”
“Mom.” Natalie subtly jerked her head toward the back seat and navigated her SUV through the gate. “Trevor and I are just casual. We’re two responsible adults enjoying each other’s time. It’s nothing serious.” No matter how much she wanted to fantasize otherwise.
Levi snickered from the back seat. “Yeah, whatever.”
Maureen lifted both eyebrows as if to say, “See?”
“Levi, I’m serious,” Natalie said. “I don’t want you getting big ideas about Trevor and me. We’re just dating. That’s what grownups do. Sometimes things work out for the long haul, but more often than not they move on to meet other people.”
“Yep, I remember.” He swiveled his head and hit her with his happy hazel gaze. “But Trevor likes you. Like a lot. And you like him, so what’s the big deal?”
“Yes, dear,” her mother added. “What’s the big deal?”
Natalie shoved the gearshift in park and opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, her door swung open.
Standing with one hand on the door frame and wearing blue coveralls was an early twenty-something man with sun-streaked brown hair and a pearly white smile. “Hey there, Ms. Jordan! I’m Tony. Hop on out, and we’ll get you settled on board.”
Before she could fully gather her thoughts or muster any more worries, the eager man had ushered her around the car and helped her mother out as well. A whirring sound droned from the jet’s engines, and December’s chilled wind whipped her hair across her face as she climbed the steps behind her mom and Levi.
Not the least bit intimidated, Levi disappeared through the open door first and let out a delighted “Whoa!”
She rounded the entrance behind her mom and nearly echoed her son’s sentiment, her jaw slack enough it was likely comical to the cluster of men grinning at her from their plush seats. Where the outside was impressive on sheer size, the interior was pure opulence. Creamy leather upholstery and rich cherrywood paneling lined either side of the cabin, and thick taupe carpets so pristine she was tempted to take off her shoes lined the floor.
Standing in the center of what she guessed was a galley kitchen, Knox pulled a mini-bottle of Sprite out of a small fridge, twisted off the lid, and handed it over to Levi. “Here you go, cowboy. If you can hold out till we’re leveled off, we’ve got snacks from Miss Sylvie tucked away.”
“Snickerdoodles?” Levi asked.
“And oatmeal raisin and sugar cookies,” Zeke fired back. Like Danny, Beckett, Jace, and Axel, he was kicked back in a chair with a casualness that said he’d long ago grown accustomed to the luxury of private flight, but Trevor was nowhere in sight.
Axel grinned and sipped from a crystal tumbler full of what appeared to be Scotch. “Don’t let the fancy digs get to you, lass. If it were up to your man, he’d have this place done up like some cabin in the woods.”
An awkward laugh gurgled past her lips, the truth of Axel’s statement mingling with her shell-shocked senses and lingering anxiety. Even more surprising was how open and welcoming they were with her and her family. Like she and Trevor were more of a thing than what they were in reality.
But we’re not.
Strolling through the galley, Levi scanned the miniature appliances mounted on either side, then opened the door at the end of the cabin without a beat of hesitation. “Wow! Mom, come check it out! There’s a bathroom and everything.”
A chorus of rich, masculine laughter filled the plane’s interior, but it was Jace who spoke. “Nothin’ says high livin’ to a kid more than a mile-high bathroom.”
Maureen settled on the empty couch next to where Natalie stood rooted in place and scanned up and down the aisle as though trying to figure out what to do next.
Boy, could she relate. True, she’d spent more than her share of time Thanksgiving Day chatting up Trevor’s family, but without him there to act as a buffer, the testosterone flooding the cabin was off the charts. She shifted her purse strap higher on her shoulder and smoothed one sweaty palm against her jean-clad hip. “So, where’s Trevor?”
“Doin’ his pre-flight thing,” Danny said. His head was down and his focus concentrated on the sketch pad in front of him while he outlined a design in short, quick strokes. “Said he needed about ten minutes, fifteen minutes ago.”
She shifted her focus to Zeke. “What about Gabe and the rest of the women?”
“They bolted yesterday. One of Trevor’s other pilots flew them and the moms up early to do some pre-wedding stuff.” Zeke frowned and rubbed the back of his head. “I’m not sure if that bodes good or bad for me and my checking account.”
“I doubt even my mother could strain your checking account with only a day’s head start.” Jace pushed to his feet and set his beer in one of the drink holders built into his chair’s armrest. “Come on, sugar. Let’s get you situated before your man comes in and sees you all jittery.”
Natalie trailed him to the closet just inside the front entrance. “I’m not jittery,” she whispered.
He opened the door and cocked a know-it-all eyebrow. “No?” He motioned for the thick duster-length cardigan she’d pulled over her button-down and grinned around the toothpick at the corner of his mouth. “‘Cause from my point of view, it looks like you’d bolt down those stairs and hotdog it all the way home if your car was still parked outside.”
Masculine voices sounded from the tarmac, and heavy footsteps worked their way up the steps.
“Okay, maybe I’m a little nervous,” she hedged. If she was lucky, Jace would just chalk it up to a fear of flying instead of the emotions jangling her insides.
Done with his perusal of the bathroom, Levi closed the door behind him and ambled down the aisle. “Hey, Mom. Do you think Trevor will let me fly?”
Before she could answer, Trevor ducked through the opening, his smile huge and blue eyes bright with pure joy. He pulled her flush to his torso and gave her a quick kiss, settling his arms low on her back as he looked to Levi. “Not sure about flying, bud, but after we get in the air and get settled, I’ll let you have a turn in the jump seat. That work for you?”
“Cool!” As soon as he said it, his expression shifted from delight to confusion, and his gaze slid to Maureen. “What’s a jump seat?”
“I have no idea, sweetheart, but if we want to find out, I’d guess you need to find a seat so we can take off.”
Trevor’s chest shook against hers, and his familiar forest scent worked like a balm on her frazzled nerves. Not thinking better of it, she laid her cheek on Trevor’s chest, closing her eyes long enough to let his heartbeat thrum against her palm.
“Hey.” Trevor cupped her nape and angled her face to his. He studied her then shifted his gaze to Jace behind her, a frown pushing his eyebrows into a tight V. “Something wrong?”
For a second, the two of them shared an intense stare she wasn’t sure how to interpret, but Jace broke it with a quick nod in her direction. “Nothin’ a quick pre-flight tour of the cockpit won’t fix, I’ll bet.” He winked and sauntered back to his seat.
Grasping her hand, Trevor stalked to the cockpit.
A dark-haired man who had to have at least ten years and twenty pounds on Trevor sat at the controls, flipping levers and checking gauges.
“Jerry, do me a favor and get the doors locked up,” Trevor said. “I need a minute with Natalie.”
Jerry twisted, laid eyes on her and aimed a knowing smirk at Trevor. “Sure thing, boss.” He crawled out of his seat and hustled through the opening, dipping his head as he passed. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
She opened her mouth to answer, but before any words could come out, Trevor tugged her forward, shut the cockpit door and backed her against it. “Talk to me.”
No way was she spilling the thoughts that had been percolating in her head all morning. Especially with a plane full of people not twenty feet away. “Talk about what?”
He scowled and crowded closer. “Don’t play with me, Nat. I’ve spent the better part of almost two months around you, half of that with us in each other’s beds. I know that doe-eyed look for what it is.”
She raised her eyebrows higher. “Confusion? Innocence?”
“Bullshit. The kind you slap on those grabby bastards at the pub when you slip past their hands and act like you don’t know they were trying to cop a feel.” He searched her face. “Wyatt do something to hurt you?”
God, getting him riled up about Wyatt was the last thing they needed right now. Him flying a plane in a bad mood had to be a horrible idea, not to mention she’d likely spoil the atmosphere for everyone else. “No, nothing like that.”
“So what’s bugging you?”
“You’re making something out of nothing.” More like he was too sharp for his own good and digging up topics he’d do well to steer clear of. “I’m just a little off today. Edgy, I guess.”
“About flying? I thought you’d flown before.”
“I have. I just...” Crap. What the heck was she supposed to say that wouldn’t upend their trip before they even got off the ground? “I’m just a little nervous, I guess. It’s a big weekend, and I’m with your family. It’s...I don’t know. Intimate.”
The tension eked out of him and his eyes got a curious, speculative look to them. “You didn’t mind them at Thanksgiving.”
Of course, she hadn’t. Thanksgiving had been casual. A social endeavor she could navigate without putting too much imagination behind it and accept it for what it was. A wedding was something entirely different. An event that planted all kinds of wistful ideas in her lonely head. The last time she’d dared to imagine fairy-tale endings, she’d ended up married to Wyatt. “It’s not your family, Trevor.”
Obliterating what was left of the distance between them, he pressed his body against hers, framed either side of her face with his strong hands, and dipped his head so his lips whispered against hers. “We can do this one of two ways. Either you tell me now and I kiss you for being brave enough to share, or you keep that shit to yourself for now and I spank it out of you later.”
A delicious jolt speared low in her belly and her sex clenched. She barely stifled the need to roll her hips against his, but couldn’t stop from digging her fingers into his shoulders.
His low chuckle resonated through the cockpit, the rich, rumbling tenor of it dancing across her skin in a decadent caress. “Think I need to amend. You tell me, and I’ll kiss you for being brave now then I’ll up the reward with my hand on your ass when we get to the hotel.”
Her eyes slipped shut, need and the sheer power of him blanking out all her fears and reason. What difference would it make if she told him? A healthy relationship meant being open and honest about how you felt, even if it was a short-lived one. Then again, sharing might be the one thing guaranteed to bring their agreement to an end.
He ran his nose alongside hers and wound his fingers through her hair, holding her firm for his sweet assault. “Got lots of patience and no timeline, darlin’. I can keep this plane on the tarmac all damned day long if that’s what it takes.”
Forcing her eyes open, she sucked in a shaky breath. “I’m scared.”
“Think I got that already. Of what?”
“Of us. Of where we’re going.” She swallowed and fisted one hand in his shirt. “Or maybe where we’re not going.”
He studied her face, taking time to let his gaze whisper over her every feature. “It make you feel any better if I told you I was scared shitless, too?”
Trevor? Afraid? Cautious or practical, she’d buy. Even jaded, given the home he’d been born into, but afraid? “Why?”
His expression softened and, for a single heartbeat, a vulnerability she’d never thought to see on such a proud and confident man radiated as open as the summer sun. “Because you’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman. For a man who never believed he’d find, let alone deserve, such a treasure, doing anything to lose you is a terrifying proposition.”
Oh. My. God.
Her knees trembled, and if he hadn’t had her pressed against the cockpit door, she suspected the endorphins bubbling through her bloodstream would float her into the stratosphere like an untethered balloon. “You think I’m a treasure?”
He grinned, pressing his lips to hers in a lingering yet simple kiss before he answered. “A diamond. One of those rare ones only the luckiest bastards stumble on and everyone tries to steal.” He kissed her again, longer and teasing his tongue along her lower lip until she opened to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Whether he kissed her for five minutes or an hour, she couldn’t say, but by the time he eased away, what was left of her morning jitters was gone.
“Feel better?” he asked, still not giving her room to escape.
A gentle heat stung her cheeks, but she held his gaze. “Much. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet, darlin’.” He tugged her away from the door, spun her toward the entrance and guided her through the opening. His sinful voice rumbled low behind her. “Gotta get you buckled up and get this bird in the air so I can tan that sweet ass of yours later. Then you can decide if you got a fair deal.”