Her pantsuit was tailored to a T. Her button-up shirt was crisp and wrinkle-free. And her dark hair was pulled back into a sleek, professional-looking ponytail.
She always seemed so cool and untouchable. Which was why he battled the constant urge to touch her. To muss her. To see exactly what lay beneath her polished façade.
“I’m fine with assumin’ the lecherous part is understood if we can also assume the charmin’ part is understood,” he told her. When she frowned her confusion, he explained. “Charmin’lecherous cad.” He pointed to himself.
Her lips twisted. Then she shrugged. “I think that’s fair.”
He widened his eyes. “Was that a compliment?”
“Don’t get used to it.” Her lips flattened into a straight line. “I’ve no doubt you’ll make sure any opportunities I have to compliment you are few and far between.”
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. “Ya have the most amazin’ ability to make an insult sound nice.”
“And you have the most amazing ability to annoy the hell out of me.” She opened her mouth to add something more. Before she could utter a syllable, however, the door to the cockpit opened.
Their pilot, a former Air Force guy who’d decided he’d make a lot more money as a private air jockey, announced, “Ladies and gentlemen. We have successfully reached our destination. Thank you for flying Ricky’s friendly skies. I’ll leave the meter running until your return.”
He tipped an imaginary hat as he opened the door to the fuselage and watched the steps unfurl. The cool morning air mixed with the scent of jet fuel as it wafted into the plane.
“Ladies first.” Fisher waved for Eliza to proceed him up the aisle.
She cocked an eyebrow as she passed him. “What a gentleman.”
His nostrils flared as he got a whiff of her fresh, crisp perfume. “Nah. Just want to watch your ass as we disembark. It’s lookin’ mighty fine in those slacks.”
She turned and pointed a stern finger at his nose. “And there it was. The last comment you’re allowed to make until we get to the power plant.”
He mimed zipping his lips and nodded obediently. Then watched the haughty twitch of her hips as she moved toward the exit.
Helikedthe added level of flirtation and friendliness their relationship had taken on ever since his confession in the kitchen. And if the slight smile she wore as she stepped out of the plane was anything to go by, she was enjoying it too.
Will wonders never cease.
26
Bleeker Creek Power Station
The sky was bluebird blue. Not a cloud in sight. And the gentle breeze blowing the branches of the trees wasn’t bitter like it was in Chicago. It was warm and moist and filled with the promise of spring.
Hannah had been given a black, wool coat to wear over her borrowed dress, but even this early in the morning, she didn’t need it.
Maybe I should get the hell out of Chi-Town,she thought as Fisher turned into the short drive leading to the plant’s gated entrance.I could get used to sixty degrees in February.
Of course, as soon as she considered the idea, she discarded it. She couldn’t leave her parents. It was bad enough Candy made little effort to see them with any sort of regularity. If Hannah took off and couldn’t make their weekly Sunday dinners? They’d be devastated.
Plus, there was Cesar.
She didn’t know how much longer they were going to be roommates. If things kept progressing with Pete, she had no doubt her best friend would be walking down the aisle within the year. But even if the two of them weren’t living together, the idea of being a thousand miles away from him nearly made her green with homesickness.
She couldn’t imagine watchingQueer Eyewith anyone else. And not meeting up for a gossip-fest on Taco Tuesdays or a weekly life check-in on Flirtini Fridays?
Can’t do it. I’m a Windy Citizen ’til the day I die.
Which wasn’t a bad thing, really. She adored Chicago.
Loved the hardworking, blue-collar gruffness of the citizens. The seemingly limitless expanse of Lake Michigan, especially in the summertime when the water matched the sky. The classic notes of blues and jazz that echoed out of the bars. And the sound of the crowds at Cominsky Park when summer ball was in full swing—the ballpark’s name had been changed to Guaranteed Rate Field years earlier, but no Southsider worth their salt would ever call it that.
In fact, the only drawback to the City of Big Shoulders—besides the awful, endless winters—was that it was also home to one Mr. Samuel Harwood.
