I shook my head firmly, deciding there was no way on earth that I’d be going in that plane with him.

No way.

It sat in the car beaming at us off in a distance in the hangar. Sure it was a beauty with its glossy white finish and old WW2 style that caught my attention the minute we had arrived but no. I wasn’t going up in that thing.

Alex had gotten out to speak to a guy that looked like a mechanic. When he rushed back up to the car and leaned on my window telling me excitedly that we were good to go up I nearly fainted.

“I’ll sit here and watch you.” Was my flat response.

“Babe, are you kidding? I didn’t come here for you to watch me fly.”

I wasn’t scared of flying normally, and loved travelling when I got the chance.

But that was with American Airlines, or British Airways, Virgin, or any plane of that nature with two pilots and all the correct safety things they’d put in place to enable you to fly.

The plane I looked at was a two seater Cessna which meant there was room for just Alex and me.

Both of us at the front sitting together, flying up in the sky with him at the wheel.

“No, I’m not doing it.”

“Summer, you have to see Chicago at sunset. Bosses orders.”

I widened my eyes at him and shook my head again. “You are crazy, Alex.”

“You already knew that before we came here.” He gave me that gorgeous smile that made me feel like melting.

“Alex, you didn’t tell me we were coming here.” We’d had a good day. He’d taken me around the city and showed me all the great sights.

I’d come to Chicago to visit Eilesh before, but we’d never gone around the city like I did today.

I was enjoying the break and the chance to do something spontaneous until we got here.

“Okay, I’m sorry, but trust me, angel, it’s fun.”

“We could crash.” I pointed out to which he laughed.

“We’re not going to crash, I’m an ace at this. Come on, lets end the day on a high. I promise you you’ll feel different after.” His eyes twinkled with excitement. “It’s a true escape. Imagine being up there.” He straightened up and pointed to the vast expanse of the wondrous sky above us.

It was nearly five and it had come to that pause in the day where the sun had begun to retreat inch by inch.

Alex opened the car door and held out his hand for me to take it.

I looked at him with that big smile on his face and I found myself unable to refuse.

What had this guy done to me?

God, what had he done?

I took his hand and allowed him to help me out of the car. He didn’t let go of my hand once I stood next to him. He continued to hold me and made a point of showing me that he had no intention of letting go.

“Alex if you kill me either by fright or by crashing I will haunt you for eternity.”

“That sounds like a good way to spend eternity, angel.” He chuckled.

I simply shook my head at him. “I’m being serious.”

“Me too, plus if we crash, and we won’t, I’ll be dead too. It’ll be great to have company for eternity.”

“You are something else.” I tried to take my hand back but he held on and gave me a cocky smile.

“Stuck like glue baby, can’t seem to let go.” He pulled me along up to the plane. I had major anxiety being so close and almost said no again.

He let go of my hand to help me get inside the cockpit which was small, then got in and sat next to me looking even more excited.

I was about to say no again but when I saw how happy he was to take me up in his plane I found that once again I couldn’t protest.

“It’s going to be fun.” He cajoled.

“Alex, I can’t speak right now.”

He smiled and strapped me in then himself too.

I pulled in a very deep concentrated breath as he fired up the engine and I watched the windmill come to life.

I thought of the single engine the plane had and how I was used to flying planes with four engines with massive powerful turbines. Jumbo jets with rafts attached if we landed in the sea and oxygen masks.

“Do we have oxygen masks?”

“Yup.”

I looked up to the ceiling to see if there was some compartment where the masks automatically fell down. When I didn’t see anything of the sort I looked back to him.

My mouth opened to ask where the masks were but the kiss he leaned in and gave me filled me with pure oxygen.

“Just let me know when you run low again.” He winked at me leaving me with burning lips to accompany my anxiety. All he did was laugh at my stunned reaction.

“That isn’t funny, what if I needed oxygen?” I complained.

“I got it covered angel. Just relax.” He tapped the top of my thigh.

He switched on a few more things on the control panel, took hold of the wheel and suddenly we were moving. Rolling out of the hangar and down the path that led to the runway.

I pushed my head back into the soft leather of the seat and winced as we built speed.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this with you,” I shrieked as we went faster.

“You’ll be doing many things with me, angel.”

I couldn’t respond. My voice got lost somewhere in the ether as a burst of energy gripped the plane and we started lifting, then climbing.

Up and up we went.

I clutched my hand to my heart to steady the wild beat. At the same time I stared out the window, watching the scenery change before me, before us. All around us.

My breathing calmed and so did the rapid beat of my heart as amazement took over.

Normal flying when you travelled didn’t allow you to see the sky like this. The artful patterns made in the clouds mingled with the rays of sunlight. Looking down at the picturesque landscape below stole my breath away as the scene blended into one and I could see beauty all around me. Patches of green came together, then patches of blue. Houses became specs. Colors clashed and merged.

“I knew you’d like it.” Alex’s voice cut into my thoughts.

Feeling mesmerized, I looked over at the beautiful man who sat next to me. Sunlight shone down on his hair turning it golden.

“It’s beautiful.” I smiled, smiling a smile I felt from deep within. Like when I was happy.

When was that?

I thought over the moments I’d considered happy in my life and remembered one distinct event.

It was at my high school graduation. I remembered standing next to my father, waiting to take a picture and he looked down at me, eyes filled with tears because of the pride that filled him.

That was the first time I saw how proud he truly was of me. The happiness I experienced then had this stillness and calm that reassured me that what lay ahead was all good things. Things I had to look forward to.

I felt a similar sense of that now, although the two events couldn’t have been more different to each other.

One was my graduation and the other flying with Alex. Alex who I’d known for exactly two weeks and one day.

In that short space of time I’d done many things that had taken me so far beyond the limits of my comfort zone I couldn’t see my way back.

I suppose though that, that was just it. The point of having a fresh start wasn’t to find my way back. It was to create something new with what I already had.

Alex winked at me and turned his gaze ahead. I went back to my observance of the aerial view until it grew darker.

The sun was beginning to set.

“Wait until you see this.” Alex announced looking pleased with himself. He approached the vast beauty of Lake Michigan, climbed higher and circled the area as the sun went down. “Here, look.”

He pointed out to the horizon at the mass of red and orange mingling together where it met the surface of the water.

That was true beauty, and something that could be easily missed in the fast paced lifestyle that existed in the city where it was so busy.

From just the few days that I’d started working I’d gotten sucked into it. Just like when I worked in LA.

I looked on marveling at the sight, feeling appreciation ripple through me, but at the same time I stole a chance to look back at Alex.

He’d shown that there was more to him than what I’d seen. More that I felt compelled to know. But shouldn’t.

A fresh start brought all sorts of things with it.

It was easy to say that I should accept all of it. Doing it was another matter. Especially where the thing I should accept required me to feel.

I was scared to feel.

Alex looked at me too, the same way he did that night at the club but enhanced by the admiration he showed the sunset before us.

Those eyes of his flickered with interests, taking me in and looking straight into mine as if he could read my mind.

I looked away, wary of the thought. I didn’t want him to see what was there.

There was too much pain and hurt that left me feeling broken.

My heart was…

Warmth seeped into my skin as Alex smoothed his hand over mine. The sensation ran along my arm and made its way all over me.

I returned my gaze to him and that was when the feeling caressed my poor heart.

“Enjoy the sunset, Summer, and think of nothing else.” His silky voice came to me low and smooth, lulling me into the relaxed mood created by the surroundings.

The underlying sensuality of his tone captivated me and calmed my nerves. I remembered back at the club thinking that he was like a drug to me.

He felt like that now too with his hypnotic eyes and soothing touch.

I looked back ahead of us and got lost in the scenery before me.

We both watched the beautiful sunset until it settled and the darkness of night took over filling the scene with shadows.

I enjoyed the flight back to the hangar, not even thinking about flying anymore. Just relaxing in the freedom I felt.

Our landing didn’t have the drop I expected and had experienced with most flights in my travels. Alex landed us effortlessly, showing off his piloting skills with finesse.

Five minutes later we pulled up to a slow, steady stop in the hangar.

It was just us, the mechanic I’d seen earlier and some of the other people milling about had left.

“How often do you go flying?” I asked. We’d been quiet for a while.

“Not often enough.” He said. “You loved it, didn’t you.” He knew I did.

I smiled and turned my attention to him. “I did, a lot more than I expected.”

“Well maybe that means we should do this again. Soon.” He winked.

Despite myself, I liked the thought of that. “Okay.”

His eyes lit up at my answer.

He got out first then helped me.

I took a step to go once my feet touched the ground, but he held me there, hands secured to my waist, fingers caressing the edge of my hips.

“Two minutes.” He said leaning in close. The cool night breeze glided through his hair.

“Two minutes for what?” I was trying not to smile but failed as I looked up at him.

“Two minutes to escape reality.”

“We just did.”

The light caress on my hips turned more needy. He pulled me right up to his chest and I had no choice but to press my hands on the hard walls.

“No we didn’t. Stop fighting it.” He held my attention.

“What am I fighting?” I knew exactly what he meant. These last two weeks I’d succeeded on keeping my emotions restrained.

“Attraction. I can’t stop dreaming of that mouth of yours and I know you want me.”

I stood speechless, my mouth hung open, those hypnotic eyes holding me in place.

What was I supposed to say? That I didn’t want him…

Electricity bounced between us making my senses come alive. I shouldn’t want him. Wanting him would throw me of course.

But …I did want him.

He lowered his head and brushed his nose against mine.

Melting against him I turned my face up, my lips ready for his, but he pulled back a little to tease me and smiled.

Slipping a hand behind my head he brought my lips to him, pressing his mouth to mine.

Damn, I’d forgotten how this felt. Too good to resist and too good to deny myself.

He ran his tongue over my lips making my nipples harden as I remembered how he did that to the rest of my body in an effort to taste me everywhere. I closed the space between us when his arms circled around my waist, getting closer to savor the taste of him and the magic he worked on me.

Our tongues slicked together, tangling, entwining with desperate need, making the kiss come alive with heat. His talented mouth sending shivers throughout me. I couldn’t get enough of him.

And just as I was about to get lost in the passion that drove us he pulled away again. This time with a cunning expression on his face.

“Time up.” He declared.

“Time…” he was timing it.

“Two minutes. Now we’re back to reality.” He turned the smile up a notch. “See how you feel?”

“I’m …” Honestly, my lips were still burning from the kiss, and I was so aroused I couldn’t think straight.

“How do you know how I feel?” I challenged.

“Because I feel it too. You feel unsatisfied, like you want more. More of me. That’s how I feel every time I look at you.”

I was so tempted to give in. To tell him that I did want more, and that he should give it to me.

“You stopped kissing me.”

He leaned in again. “The kiss was just a brief reminder.” He brushed his lips over mine again and I absorbed it, indeed wanting more, wanting so much more. “I want to kiss you all over, Summer. I want you just like I had you that night. I want to kiss you and taste you everywhere. But… I won’t take you until you admit that you want me like that too.” This was a game to him. A game of emotions that I’d gotten drafted in to. “There’s no fun if it’s just me. So, until you can admit it you can feel just as tortured as me.”

He chuckled and a wide grin spread across his face.

All I could do was look and listen, feeling trapped in my own state of fear, want and desire. It wasn’t a good combination.

Definitely not when desire and want were threatening to overpower me.

Those were two emotions I couldn’t control and I got the feeling that if I ever lost what little control I did have that would be it.

I’d be lost.

But.. would it be so bad to be lost in him?