Chapter 14
She’d barely slept. Surely she’d only closed her eyes for five—maybe ten—minutes. She preferred to sleep sprawled on her bed on her belly, arms and legs akimbo, but today she was uncomfortable as hell. She stretched an arm to reclaim some space and hit something solid. She mumbled and tried to roll over. But she couldn’t move.
Arms tightened around her back and chest. She was shifted and flipped, as if in somebody’s arms.
Her eyes flew open. She bolted upright, banging into Easton’s chin. She stared around the plane as memories came sliding back. She tried to get up and run, but his arms clamped like steel bands around her.
“You’re fine. Take it easy. Just relax.”
She took a shuddering breath and turned to face him. “Did you get him? Did you get the shooter?” she demanded.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t had an update. You’re on the plane, and you’re safe.”
“But you’re not,” she snapped, trying to get out of his arms. “Don’t you realize, if the shooter comes after me, he’ll find you? We need to take off now,” she cried.
His arms tightened around her, slamming her tight against his chest again. “Good,” he growled. “Then he’ll actually have to face a man for a change. And I don’t go down easy.”
She stared at him, her brain still grasping the new circumstances around her.
He gave her a small shake. “You are not alone. And, if he tries to get you again, he’ll come up against something he hadn’t planned on.”
She studied him, as if deciding she believed him, then sagged against him in relief. “Thank God. But I really don’t want you to get hurt.”
“And I won’t. We have a lot of men out looking for the sniper right now.”
“Good. I would really like to go home now.”
“By the time you arrive, it’ll be late.”
“I don’t care,” she snapped. “I want an end to this.”
He nodded and settled back. “Get buckled in because you are leaving soon.”
Eagerly she hopped off his lap and took the seat next to him. She buckled up and relaxed, closing her eyes again. “I had no idea I was so tired.”
“It’s the shock. Many people react to it that way.”
“If you say so,” she murmured, yawning. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry.”
“I never understood why people apologize for a yawn,” he said.
“I guess it’s for opening your mouth so everyone can see inside.”
He shrugged. “Why? It’s not like you can avoid yawning.”
She yawned again and laughed. “No, I sure can’t.”
An odd sharp whistle sounded outside. Easton bolted to his feet, raced to the side of the plane and peered out. He slapped against the side wall and then raced to check what he could see from another window near the entrance to the plane.
She realized she wasn’t out of danger yet. She unbuckled her seat belt, ready to find a hiding place, but, as before, there sure as hell wasn’t much selection here.
She stood behind Easton, figuring that to be the best place for her. He turned and glared at her, pointing at the seat on the far side. She shook her head, not saying a word.
Another whistle came from outside, but it was a different tone. He relaxed slightly.
Devlin came up the stairs, a hard look on his face. “Someone sighted the sniper on the other side of the woods. They have search teams out now. The pilot is getting ready to fly us out.”
“Good,” Easton said. “Let’s get her home. Enough people are here to go after the asshole.”
“You’re not kidding.”
She froze. “What do you mean, fly us out?”
He turned to look at her but stayed silent.
She shook her head. “No way you’re coming home with me.”
In a dead, flat voice, without expression on his face, he said, “You said it was okay for me to visit, to spend some time with you.” He raised an eyebrow ever-so-slightly. “What’s the matter? You scared?”
She fisted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not sidetracking me right now. You’re not coming for a visit. You’re coming as a bodyguard.”
“The bottom line is, I’m coming. Whatever role you choose to assign as the reason behind my trip has nothing to do with what I’m doing.”
She glared at him and turned to Devlin. “You’re coming too?”
“I’m always happy to return home,” he said sincerely.
“That’s because you’ll be with your lady friend.”
Devlin’s grin flashed. “I’m always happy to go to Bristol. But she’ll be so involved in her work, she might not have noticed I even left.”
Summer snickered. “I doubt that.”
“Besides, home is my favorite place to be,” Devlin added.
She glared at him. “What about the other two? You can’t just leave them here to get into trouble.”
Just then Ryder and Corey stomped into the plane. Two more after them. The last two headed to the cockpit. She watched as Ryder and Corey secured the doors.
Easton walked her back to where she’d been sitting and pushed her into the seat and then buckled her in.
She glared at Easton. “See? Once again you take care of me.”
“Once again you need taking care of.”
“I’m not a helpless female.”
“Nope, but you are forgetful, sometimes absentminded.”
She frowned, thinking about that and gave a decisive nod. “Okay, you might have me there.”
He took a seat beside her and buckled up. “We’ll be in the air in a few minutes.”
From the window, she could see several vehicles full of military men spreading out around the plane. They must have been worried somebody would make another attempt.
“It makes no sense he would still be trying to get me. As far as I’m concerned, you guys can have all those photos. And if we make a public announcement throughout the camp, letting everyone else know, maybe they’ll stop coming after me.” She groaned. “You guys have way too much drama in your world.”
The two men exchanged a glance, turned and looked at her, and Easton said, “How did this become about our lives? Your life is full of drama.”
She shook her head. “That’s not my fault. That’s your fault.”
Easton’s jaw dropped. “Our fault?”
She gave him an innocent look. “Of course. My world was completely normal until you arrived.”
He shook his head and turned to sit forward. “You’re not making sense.”
“Nope,” she said. “I’m creative.”
He snorted. “That’s the truth.”
She snickered.
Easton groaned. “How about you just go back to sleep? There must be an off button to you somewhere.”
She shot him a wicked look. “You could kiss me. For the fourth time. That might do it.” At the sudden silence, she turned and glanced at the others. “Guess not, huh?”
They all stared at her in complete fascination.
She shrugged. “Okay, so he brings out the worst in me. That’s all can I say.”
“How about you don’t say anything,” Easton said quietly. “You’ve caused enough trouble already.”
“I haven’t caused any trouble,” she cried out.
He shot her a hard look.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, I won’t speak to you for the rest of the flight.”
He snorted. “You won’t be able to keep quiet for one minute.”
“I can. Well, maybe not the whole flight but at least for an hour.”
“Can’t. See? You already failed.”
She glared at him, turned, dropped her head against the back of the headrest and closed her eyes. She could do it. It might kill her, but she could do it.
*
“That’s enough out of the rest of you too.”
Corey chuckled. “This is fascinating, considering your image of the perfect woman. Summer certainly has a lot of interesting aspects to her that I hadn’t quite seen before.”
Easton watched her stiffen beside him. But her lips pressed tight together. She was bound and determined to not speak. For some contrary reason, he wouldn’t let her keep that promise. “She does, but she also has some very perverse characteristics.”
Ryder chuckled. “And you love it. Admit it.”
“Hell no.”
At that he glared at his friends, and, unconsciously imitating her, he crossed his arms, leaned back and closed his eyes. He’d be damned if he would go through all this shit with his buddies watching.
Forty minutes later they landed in Toronto, only to find their flight plans had been changed. She was booked on a commercial flight from Seattle to San Diego. Quietly knowing they had to go one step at a time to get her home, he hooked his arm with hers as he led her through customs and to the adjoining gate to catch their connecting flight.
Through it all, she answered only questions the official asked her; she never said another word to him.
By the time they made it to the boarding gate, he started to miss their banter. “You don’t have to keep silent, you know.”
No response.
He shrugged. Well, he had tried. He was handed the boarding passes, and he led her through the door, down the tunnel, to the plane and found their seats. He knew the men would follow behind them, and they’d be scattered throughout the plane. He got her settled, tossed their bags up top and sat down beside her. He gave her the window seat.
She buckled up, leaned back, closed her eyes, and that was it.
He groaned. “Really?”
No answer.
He opened his mouth and said the words, surprising them both. “I’m sorry.” He froze. He didn’t know the last time he’d apologized to anybody. Still, he had really angered her into this, so it was only fair that he apologize.
She leaned forward so she could see him and then grinned. “Gotcha.”
He turned and looked at her, a frown on his face. “What?”
“I had to make up for the minutes when I was questioned at customs. But other than that, one hour.” She held up a watch so he could see. “And you bet me.”
“We weren’t betting for any prize.”
“Nope, so I get to choose that.”
He stared at her in surprise, but laughter bubbled up inside. “You can’t just create new rules as you go through the game,” he protested.
She shot him a cheeky look. “But, if I don’t ask, who’s to know I’ll get anything?”
He sighed. “What do you want?”
She leaned forward and said, her voice soft and gentle, “A kiss.”
He reared back in surprise.
She snickered. “You don’t have the guts.”
The words were barely out of her mouth before his lips slanted down over hers. But was that kiss meant to be short and sweet, or was that kiss meant to teach her a lesson?
It failed on both counts. Instead, heat spread through his veins and flashed up to his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.
The laughter going on around them had her pulling back first. She snuggled up against his chest and buried her face, hiding. “Don’t look now,” she said, “but people are laughing at us.”
“Don’t look now,” he whispered, “but they’ve been laughing at us since we first met.”
She chuckled. “Not my fault. You’re so cute.”
He sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, tucking her close. “What am I going to do with you?”
She opened her mouth to say something naughty, but his finger slammed down over her lips as if reading her mind.
“Not in public, sweetie.”
At the endearment, her heart swelled happily. And she snuggled in closer. “Plane seats are not the most comfortable for two, are they?”
“Especially not commercial flights.”
“Oh, well,” she said, settling back into her own seat. “We’re not far from my place.”
What was he supposed to make of that comment? He knew what the hell he wanted to make of it. Besides, he wanted her back in his arms, and he wanted her in his arms now. He couldn’t believe he’d just kissed her like that in public. He knew the guys were having a field day with this. They were probably texting the rest of the unit, but there was no help for him. He’d met a sprite who had bounced into his heart and was in the process of bouncing around inside his rib cage, making herself right at home.
He just didn’t get it. If this was fate’s idea of a slap up the side of his head, she couldn’t have been any more opposite to what he thought he needed. He couldn’t see that this was a good thing. But he was pretty sure he was past the point of even understanding he had a choice.
He had always been very reserved, never one to push a relationship faster than it needed to go, and he’d lost several because of it. He’d loved deeply once, and, after losing that, it took him a long time to open up his heart. Summer didn’t appear to have any problem with ripping open a window for herself and jumping inside. It was his response he didn’t understand. He was normally the kind of person who would not let that happen. But, with her, it seemed like he had no control, like he had no wish to even change it. As if he were already under her spell.
And how the hell could that be? What could he do about it?
Was it already too late to do anything?