Of course, nothing ever works out like it does in the movies.

Dani and Luke collided in the doorway in their haste, and it took a few moments to untangle limbs before bursting through awkwardly into what turned out to be a broom closet with a bed. Dani banged her shins on the edge of the bed, while Luke tumbled fast, hitting the floor hard, face first. She winced in sympathy, straightening with a certain amount of caution, as the plane still hadn’t exactly smoothed out and, apparently, they’d both forgotten how to walk.

So maybe it wasn’t the bedroom portrayed in the movies. No giant bed with oval sheets and presidential seal comforters. That was probably elsewhere, in the part of the plane clearly off limits. Apparently, William’s influence didn’t extend to the really good stuff. This was something about the size of a twin bed, little more than a cot. Something used for quick naps by people less important who couldn’t hold their liquor, or asked the wrong questions at a press junket.

Still. It was bed in... what was technically Air Force One. Dani and Luke looked at it, and then at each other. There were two sets of clothing on the bed, jeans, non-descript shirts, socks, underwear. There were also a couple of towels and all the toiletries for showering.

They stripped in less time than it took to think about it, falling into each other’s arms with an eagerness that sent clothing and toiletries to the floor. It took about two seconds for Dani to realize that Luke had gone at least two days now without showering. Despite all that she gamely hung in there, through passionate gropes, until he shifted on top of her and she got a solid whiff of his armpits.

“Sorry,” Luke said as she recoiled slightly. He eased back, and sat against the head of the bed. “Why don’t we share a shower? I’m sure there’s no end to the possibilities as I take the stink off.”

Dani laughed, relieved that she hadn’t offended him, and turned to the door marked BATHROOM. To make up for her lack of enthusiasm for his embrace, she wiggled her butt in front of him and laughed when he grabbed her hips and pressed into her so that she could feel his arousal. She almost lost it there, and it was all she could do to pull away and lead the way to what she hoped would be some soapy fun. Feeling silly and free, Dani opened the door and nearly screamed in frustration.

Seriously?

To call it a bathroom was as technically correct as saying a porta-potty would hold a party of three. It might, but they would have to be really good friends and they wouldn’t be able to use the facilities as intended.

The bathroom was, instead, a niche, where the toilet was part of the shower. In order to wash oneself, the lid needed to be closed and the person showering had to sit on the toilet and hold a hand shower. The hand shower was the sort they had on submarines and places where water had to be stored and used sparingly. You pressed the button and got wet, only then soaping up thoroughly, before pressing the button to rinse. She’d seen larger bathrooms in RVs.

“Ah...” She turned to look at Luke.

“Well, ah... Yeah...” he said, his face falling. “I guess it’s not really very big... shit.”

Dani smiled, and stood on her toes to kiss him. She couldn’t resist grabbing him, hard, enjoying the feel of him in her hand. Though it was strictly a way to steady herself. Of course. If she stroked him a little it was only because the plane still wasn’t all that steady. Or she wasn’t. It was hard to tell the difference.

“It’s okay,” she said, giving him an extra tug, and watching in delight as his head tilted back and a look of sublime bliss settled upon his features. “I’m already naked, so you go wash, and I’ll find a way to entertain myself while I wait.”

Luke dropped his head to regard her in a mixture of lust and frustration. “You sure?”

Dani nodded. “Oh, yeah. I already showered last night. I’m good. Just... don’t linger.”

Luke grabbed her and kissed her. Dani pressed her body against his, flesh to flesh. For a moment she didn’t care about stink and sweat or anything else. All she wanted was to finish what they’d started. Only with reluctance did she pull away, though she groaned painfully. “Just... hurry.”

“Don’t get dressed on me,” he said, waggling his finger in her direction. She stuck her tongue out at him. He stepped into the bathroom and cracked his head on the faucet.

“Serves you right. Er... Are you okay?” Dani asked, visions of head wounds dancing in her head.

“Yeah, just too tall. I forgot they make these things for—” He held out a hand and measured out something about a foot shorter than him, and shrugged. “Midgets.”

“You mean, people like me?”

Luke smiled and grabbed her breast, his thumb caressing her nipple until her back arched and she forgot how to breathe.

“That is how you tease someone,” he informed her, dropping a kiss on her nose and stepping backwards very carefully into the room and closing the door in her face.

She would have followed him if she hadn’t heard the snick of the lock. The rat. She stood there a moment, the air cold against her nipples, raising them to hard pebbles that ached enough to make her want to cry. Or hit something. Preferably him.

“You’d better hurry up in there!” she shouted, and went to look at the scattered clothing. It seemed they had found for her rather standard blue jeans, but the cloth was thick, high quality, and the seams were extra strong. In her size, too, which was a little disconcerting. Just how much information did her future father-in-law have on her anyway? She picked up the panties, blue and white striped, delicate bikinis that would fit perfectly.

Yeah, he’d gone well over into the territory of being ‘creepy.’

A clang and clatter, followed by Luke finding at least three new words, echoed from the tiny bathroom.

“You all right?” she called through the door.

“Yeah!” Luke said, his voice sounding a little panicky. “President’s plane, they could fix the lid...”

Dani heard the water turn on and Luke swear. “COLD! COLD! COLD!” She rested her forehead on the door and sighed.

The water shut off and she could hear him moving around. She could see in her mind’s eye that he was digging for the soap, lathering it on. The image of her man proudly lathering his muscled body was probably something closer to the image of a poor guy slumped in a tiny bathroom trying to get soap into places he couldn’t reach.

That was when she heard the crash.

“LUKE!”

“I’m okay!” he yelled through the door.

“What happened?”

“I got so soaped up, I slid off the toilet and onto the floor.” Dani bit her lip to keep from laughing. “There is no floor in here. It’s all walls that curve.” He paused for a moment. “Dani... I fell UP.”

Dani lost her fight with the giggles. Naked, she nearly collapsed on her side of the door. She stumbled back to the cot and sat down, crossing her legs and waiting for Luke to emerge.

The water sprayed again to the resounding chorus of “COLD! COLD! COLD!” and then silence. The door cracked open and Luke stood before her like a drowned rat. With an erection.

“I forgot the towel,” he said miserably.

Dani rushed to get the towel to him and began drying him off in silence. She started with his head and face, tenderly and gently wiping his cheeks and chin. She scrubbed more vigorously at his chest and back and belly, and his strong, beautiful legs. She knelt to dry his calves, and while she was down there she slipped him into her mouth.

Luke gasped; his hand rested on her head, fingers buried in her hair.

He pulled out just before they both fell.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re experiencing some heavy turbulence right now. I’m going to have to ask you to return to your seats immediately and refasten your seatbelts.” As if to reinforce the captain’s announcement, the plane shifted sideways and dropped ten feet.

“WHY!” Dani yelled, and kicked the carpeting.

“Come on, before they find us beat to a pulp, naked,” Luke said. His words where rational, sensible, but his erection belied his calm demeanor. It just looked damn painful.

“You think we could just—” The plane took another nosedive. Dani rolled across the floor, landing at Luke’s feet, giving her the rather unique view of seeing the underside. “I suppose not.”

He dropped her underwear on her head. “C’mon, now. Be a big girl...”

“No!” she said, digging in her heels, drumming them against the carpeting like a little kid in a full-blown tantrum. “No, I am not getting dressed until you get...”

The plane bounced. Twice.

“YOU’RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!” she screamed at the ceiling.

“Who are you talking to?”

Dani snatched the underwear and pouted as she drew it on. “Never mind.”

In a few moments, they slinked back into their seats. William looked up, raised one eyebrow, and shook his head.

“When the seatbelt light comes on, you need to return to your seats right away!” the stewardess or staff member, or whoever the bitch was, chastised her. Dani dropped her head, staring at her lap, hoping that if she counted to six hundred she could keep herself from punching the woman in the face.

“We weren’t dressed,” Luke explained.

Dani dropped her face into her hands. Really? Advertise it, why not...

The woman rolled her eyes and said, “Well, at least you’ll be relaxed for the trip.”

Luke had an iron grip on Dani’s arm as the woman walked away, never realizing how close she’d come to death.

“Decent fit?” William asked.

Dani’s head shot up and she looked at him for a long moment.

“The clothes?” William prompted, having the grace to look awkward.

“Oh. Yes. Thanks. Clothing.” Dani nodded, glancing down at her t-shirt and jeans uneasily. She wasn’t about to admit in a million years that these had turned out to be the most comfortable jeans she’d ever worn in her life.

Luke collapsed against the back of the seat beside her and exhaled noisily.

“Have a good shower?” William asked.

Luke turned slowly. “Dandy.”

“Hey, how many people can say they showered on Air Force One?” William crowed, delighted in his accomplishment. Then he dropped his voice to a conspiratorial tone. “And what else did you two do on America’s most recognized airplane?”

The next wave of turbulence might have saved his life. By the time they stopped bouncing, Luke had both Dani’s hands trapped.

“Let go.”

Luke shot her a look and let go slowly, really slowly, as Dani straightened her clothing. William was still holding the paper cup in his hand, though his pen was skewered through the middle of it and water was pouring out onto the floor.

“We’ll be landing soon.” William said, signaling for the staffer.

***

“I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE. I wasn’t able to procure a limo on such short notice,” William said as they walked down the staircase the airport had wheeled to the gate. The appropriate people had been informed that this was not Air Force One, the president was NOT on board, but the bulk of the thing and the official seal carried its own gravitas. Meaning more people than were truly necessary just about tripped over each other trying to secure imaginary luggage, and getting a car turned out to be easier than ordering the airport to not provide honor escorts and marching bands.

Dani felt rather underdressed in jeans, and silently thanked William for the fact that she wasn’t seen coming out of the president’s plane in short shorts and a ripped t-shirt. Although a part of her wondered what the headline would read the next day if she had. It felt odd, though. Outside their immediate circle of airport and underlings, it did seem that the airfield was rather empty. In fact, nothing seemed to be taking off or landing at all.

Please tell me they didn’t reroute air traffic. No, wait... I don’t want to know. I truly do not want to know.

She climbed into the back of the car provided. Not a limo, but still sleek and black and looking rather official. Luke and William sat beside her. Dani felt a momentary burst of elation to be on the way and actually doing something, which died a quick death when the car pulled out and came to a complete stop at the exit of the airport.

Judging from the bumper to bumper mess on the expressway, traffic was going to be bad.

“Unfortunately,” William said, his voice rather terse, “I’ve been informed that traffic is unusually heavy due to some heavy construction on the route. We’re on the other side of the city from where we need to go.” He settled back against the seat with his phone, lips compressed, face a study of worry. In that instant Dani had a quick view of what Luke would look like when he was older, when he pouted. She shook her head.

Okay, we’ll work on that.

Luke was staring out the back window behind them. Dani snuck a peek. “What? Are we being followed?”

“Just... surprised,” he admitted, twisting around to face forward. “I wasn’t sure we were going to get away with it.”

“Away with what, dear boy?” William asked, setting down his phone and digging into a briefcase at his feet and bringing out a stack of papers at least an inch thick. Dani’s eyebrow rose as she glanced over at Luke, who gave an almost imperceptible shrug. The case had been waiting for him when the car arrived.

“How we got away with just running off like that,” Luke said after a moment. Dani bit back a smile. His tone was distracted as he shifted, trying to get a better look at the papers. William shot him a look and turned his body somewhat, presenting him with the back of the file folder to look at.

Luke sat back, expressionless. Dani could tell he was fuming inside.

“Do you think they’ll come after us?” Dani asked, reaching for his hand, running her fingertips over his fingers until he reached out to trap her wandering fingers in his palm.

“You don’t know my mother...” He drew her hand to his lips and kissed the tips of her fingers. “She’s a lot like you. Like a pit bull when she gets an idea in her head.”

“I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted,” Dani muttered, enjoying the warm flutter in the pit of her stomach at the feel of his warm breath against her hand. It conjured pleasant images of warm breath elsewhere against her body.

“I wouldn’t worry about them at this point.” William laughed, not even looking up as he shuffled through his stack, nearly dropping several and only just saving them. “They’re safe. We can always return once our business has concluded, and have a true family outing if you so desire.”

“Great,” Luke muttered. “I haven’t seen your personal assistant for a long time. I assume he’ll be there in your place again?” It was impossible to miss that eye roll. Or the sarcasm. William seemed to be ignoring both.

Finding it hard to enjoy romance when one’s pretend fiancé was acting the ass, Dani looked out the passenger window in the back of the car. They were too crowded, the three of them in the back, despite it being a luxury car. They might as well have been facing each other, the way they had been in the limo. This was an old argument, a face-off between estranged father and son, and the air in the car was charged with the tension.

“Look,” Dani said, not sure where she was going, but feeling the need to defuse things.

“Again?” William asked Luke, ignoring her, looking up finally, rolling his own eyes in exact imitation of his son a moment ago though he hadn’t seen it. “You do realize that I was there in every capacity I could be.”

“Good. Well, you’re here now, so let’s start over, shall we?”

“If you think it would help, certainly. We seem to have some time to kill.” William gestured at the parking lot in front of them, a back-up of vehicles that stretched to the horizon and likely beyond. At this point they could have walked faster.

Luke snorted. “You didn’t insist that the city empty out for you? You know, leave a table for six and some sycophants to serve you?”

“What are you on about?” William snapped. “You have no idea what...” He stopped and looked from his son to Dani and back. “You have no idea...” he said, and faltered, unable to finish the words. The blood drained from his face, leaving him looking old and grey, his shoulders slumping as if he’d suddenly become a very old man.

It was a startling transformation, from the vivacious energetic dynamo that he’d been since he came into their lives. Dani touched Luke’s arm, warning him to back off. To let this go.

“Your mother,” William said quietly, turning his head to look out the window as though afraid to see what he might discover in his son’s eyes. “Did she ever talk about me?”

“Only when she was swearing,” Luke said, looking past Dani, out the other window.

It was ridiculous. This battle of wills. This absolute denial of the father/son bond.

But, then, she hadn’t exactly been batting a thousand with her own father, so who was she to judge. Dani stared at the floor, focusing on her shoes, wishing she were anywhere but in the back of this car right now. They needed to talk this out, but not with her present.

Not that either of them seemed to remember that she was there.

William turned and sat forward again, staring through the windshield without seeing the traffic. He checked his watch and looked pointedly at the driver in the rearview mirror, who only shrugged. There was little else he could do. Nothing was moving. The driver in the car next to them was just sitting there, reading a book.

“When you graduated high school, you decided to join the Marines,” William said suddenly, to the back of the front seat.

“Was that in my file? I stand corrected; you really do know all the intimate parts of my soul.”

Dani had never heard Luke sound so bitter. She actually cringed a little.

“Your mother was opposed to it; she wanted you to pursue medicine or sports or skydiving. Something safe. But you joined up. And washed out.”

Luke’s eyes had gone cold. It was like he wasn’t even in his own head anymore. “I didn’t wash out.”

“That sucker-punch you landed on the lieutenant would have gotten you kicked out before you even finished boot camp.”

“You know about that?”

Dani looked between the men, listening. She knew how serious that charge would be. If it were true, Luke would have ended up in the brig, dishonorable discharge, everything the government could throw at a young man that would bury him.

“Doesn’t matter,” Luke grumbled, sticking his chin out and crossing his arms. “The little prick had it coming.”

“No doubt,” William said, still not looking at his son. “And yet, you finished boot camp.”

Luke sat in silence for a moment. It stretched into two. “There was a paperwork problem,” he said quietly, but he didn’t sound too convinced. “It was dropped.”

William nodded. “Dropped. In fact, you were offered a post in Special Forces. Operations so black even I don’t know what they were. Quite a coup for a disciplinary case.”

Luke’s face froze. Dani stopped breathing.

“You?” Luke asked in a voice that cracked under a dry mouth and closed throat.

William nodded.

“And after?”

Apparently, William knew what he meant. He shrugged. “You were looking bored. Even considered re-enlisting, even mercenary work.” William glanced over at Dani. “With apologies, of course,” he said to her and looked back at his son. “I couldn’t have that.”

“YOU couldn’t...” Luke choked. If the car hadn’t started moving again, Dani wondered if he would have climbed over her to get out. She still wouldn’t put it past him. They were only going about 25 mph.

“How many people are actively recruited by the FBI?” William asked, giving his son a hard look. “None. They don’t go looking for new people, they don’t have to. You skipped over a lot of more experienced men when you ended up working for Ray.”

“Why?”

“Why? Really? You would ask that?”

“I’ll stand by it,” Luke said, sticking out his chin. “Why?”

“Because,” William sighed, “you’re my son.”

“And you were suspicious of Ray,” Luke guessed after a moment. “You needed a man on the inside to watch him.”

“And who better than my son?”

There was another long pause. Dani held her breath, and watched Luke clench and unclench the hand nearest her. When it balled into a fist she placed her fingers over him, letting him know it was okay. In fact, right about now, she was not so pleased with William either.

What if my father had done that to me? How would I be feeling right now?

“Tell me something,” Luke said, his hand refusing to relax under hers. “Did I ever make my own decisions?”

William turned in his seat to look at him. He glanced at Dani. “The good ones were all you,” he said, giving her a rather pointed look. Dani blushed.

William turned and faced the front again, keeping his eyes fixed on the heavy traffic.

It took a long time before Luke’s hand relaxed against his thigh.

It took nearly two hours to get from the airport to the home of Mrs. Pinal’s daughter. No one spoke until they left the highway, when Luke suddenly grumbled. “Am I supposed to thank you?”

William sighed, and shook his head. “Doesn’t look like it.”

This time it was Dani’s turn to raise their entwined fingers and kiss his knuckles. He looked at her, and somehow managed to smile, even if he looked a little pale and wan.

Dani’s heart broke, and when she leaned forward to kiss him again it was his lips she captured with her own, having gone long beyond being embarrassed to give a PDA in front of Luke’s father.

“Sir,” the driver said as they pulled into a tree-lined neighborhood. “Apparently, there’s someone else who has entered the house. There’s the sound of things breaking. Do I order them to move in?”

William jerked around to face forward, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “No,” William said after a moment. “We’ll find out ourselves. How much longer?”

“Five minutes at most, sir.”

“Better make it three.”