“Like nothing I can explain,” Annabelle corrected, pressing a hand to her chest again. She still felt the fear, but she wouldn’t have missed this for anything. “The perspective is so different from up here, seeing it all at once, the water, trees, hills and valleys—it’s like being in a painting instead of looking at one. That probably sounds weird, but I can’t explain it any other way.”
“No, it sounds about right to me.”
She looked across at him and he smiled, the smile of a boy who was showing off his favorite toy, not a man who was trying to charm her. If possible, it made him look sexier.
God, she was hot.
Ethan sucked in a breath as she looked away from him. Her smile had reached all the way to her eyes and her giggle had been sweet and so different from anything he’d ever heard from her before, light and carefree. She was like a small child seeing something for the first time. Ethan loved being up here, because it stepped him away from life for a brief break. His troubles always fell away when he flew, all the shit with his family left on the ground, his thoughts focused totally on the beauty of flying. He wanted that for the woman beside him, wanted to give her a few minutes of peace from whatever was riding her.
Annabelle kept talking. Even her voice was different, lighter somehow.
“Look at those redwoods! They look huge even from up here.” She rattled on and Ethan let her. “How long have you been flying?”
“I was eighteen when I started.”
“Does anyone else in your family fly?”
“Just the uncle who taught me. He’s my father’s brother and had no kids of his own, so he took me under his wing.”
She smiled at him again, another genuine one that made his stomach clench.
“You were a lucky boy.”
He had been, but not because he had loving, supportive parents. No, he’d been lucky because he had lots of money and plenty of food and a house many would envy. But more importantly, he’d had his Uncle Mitch to keep him on the rails, even though he’d continually tried to step off.
They flew over tall stands of trees, then long ribbons of water, and Annabelle made plenty of noises as she encountered each new sight. Small humming sounds, gasps, a little squeal, and Ethan wondered what sounds she would make in bed. The image of her naked, straddling his thighs, made his eyes cross with lust.
“Is that my lake?” She was pointing a long finger.
“Sure is. By air it’s a short trip.”
She watched Lake Howling grow bigger before her eyes. “Where will we land?”
“That cleared space out back of Jake’s place.”
“No way is that big enough.” The smile dropped from her face. “Tell me you’re not for real?”
“I’ve landed there on and off for two years, Annabelle. Remember what I said about trusting me.”
He swooped over the lake and there was Jake’s house. Branna’s van was out front, beside the pickup. Smiling at the cars, he thought about the people who owned them.
“Why do you have that goofy smile on your face?”
“I was thinking about Jake and Branna.”
She looked down at the fast-approaching house and her smile became soft too. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool to see, isn’t it? Two messed-up souls finding each other and coming out the other side normal.”
“Normal?” Ethan snorted. “Neither of those two is normal.”
“What do you think that says about us?”
He shrugged.
“That we’re probably messed up too.” She spoke the words softly and he heard her sadness return. He didn’t say anything else, just brought the bird in to land.
“I’m not watching.” Once again her hands were over her eyes.
“Have a little faith, woman,” he said, going through the motions. After he’d landed the bird gently, he undid his harness and turned to look at her, leaning forward to bring them closer.
