Paige looks at me. “Even tonight, when your plane is dead and you’re stuck out here with me?”
The thought of our reality is a real gut punch, but I smile at her anyway, hoping to make her feel a little better than I do. “There are worse people I could be stuck with.”
“Such as?”
“Your boss sounds like an asshole, so I doubt I’d last too long with him…”
Paige lets out a big belly laugh, the sweet sound filling the air. “He really is awful.”
“How soon in your plan will you be rid of him?”
“Never. Not if I stay in New York, anyway,” she says, rolling her eyes. Then her face shifts back to her false confidence. “But it’ll all be worth it.”
Nope. Lost cause.I say nothing, knowing there’s no point with someone like her.
She looks back up at the sky for a long time, then says, “They sure are amazing though.”
A gust of wind moves the flames until they’re sideways,and a few of them blow out. I look out to the ocean and see a huge dark cloud moving our way. I collect the plates and silverware, and deposit them in the plastic storage bin.
“Can I wash them up? It’s only fair since you cooked.”
“It can wait for tomorrow.” Standing up, I hold my hand out to her. “Time for bed.”
Her mouth drops open. “What? Just because you might have been right about the stars doesn’t mean I’m going to have sex with you.” Before I can answer, she adds, “And that’s a little bit cocky, if you ask me. Assuming you’re so good in bed that you can make any random woman’s toes curl.”
I resist the urge to lean in and tell her I don’t want to make any woman’s toes curl—just hers. Instead, I say, “I didn’t mean it that way. It’s going to rain again. We should get inside.”
“Oh, well in that case…” She takes my hand, and I help her up, trying hard to ignore the current running through me from her touch. Her palm is so soft against mine that it makes me want to touch the rest of her just so I can see what she feels like. I stare down at her in the inky moonlight and feel a surge of desire as the wind whips her hair into her face. She brushes it away and tucks it behind her ear while I watch, dumbfounded. I want to kiss her like I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone before. I want to kiss every inch of her, all night long until the sun comes back up. Nope! She is the last woman you should be kissing.
She lets go of my hand before I’m ready, then walks ahead, her curves shifting as she trudges through the sand. I follow her, trying to collect my thoughts.She’s my client. Nothing more.
As soon as we get inside, the rain starts up again, pattering on the metal roof. I rummage around in one ofthe compartments in the cockpit until I find a flashlight and turn it on, only to see her standing staring at me.
Before I think it through, I say, “So, how do we do this? There’s only one bed, and it’s definitely not big enough for two of us.”Crap. That sounds as if I expect her to sleep with me. Now she’s going to think I’m a creep.“Not that we’d share a bed if it were bigger. That’s not what I meant,” I add, tripping over my words. “Obviously I … we wouldn’t be … nope.”Smooth. So smooth.
Paige blushes a little, and I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking. She clears her throat before answering. “Don’t worry. I didn’t think you thought that.”
“Good,” I say rubbing the back of my neck. “Anyway, you take the bed. I’ll sleep in a chair.”
“No, that wouldn’t be fair. I can’t just take it because I’m a woman.”
I swallow hard, trying not to imagine curling up next to her on the bed. “Look, I’m not sexist, but I am a man, and there’s no way I’m going to take the bed and make you sleep on a chair.”
Paige purses her lips, then says, “That is literally a sexist basis for a decision.”
“I prefer the word chivalrous.” I give her a little grin. “Now, either you take the bed or we both sleep on chairs. It’s your call.”
She smirks at me, then says, “Since you’re going to be a stubborn ass about it, I’ll take the bed.”
“At least we can agree on something,” I tell her, grabbing a blanket out of one of the compartments near the back of the plane.
“That you’re a stubborn ass? I’m surprised you can admit that.”
I chuckle a little. “Walked into that one, didn’t I?”
“It was way too easy.”
“I’m off my game tonight.”
