He rolled his shoulders back. “Fuck, we both need a drink, don’t we?”
It was technically a question, but his gruff voice made it seem more like a command.
I glanced nervously at the security notifications lit up above our seats. “Um, I don’t think they can serve drinks before the fasten seatbelt lights go off.”
“Naw, we’re a’right.” He waved down the flight attendant who’d called me lucky earlier and made a flipping motion with his hand, pantomiming throwing back a drink.
And I guess we werealright. What couldn’t have been even two minutes later, the flight attendant came over to our seats with two glasses of champagne for us. And they were not only delivered with a smile, but also with a sexy wink for my seatmate, despite her wedding ring.
“You’re happier now, right?” he asked after we’d both drained our flutes.
I thought about his question, blinked, and found myself realizing out loud, “Yeah.... Yeah, I actually feel a lot better.”
“All fixed, then.” He set the champagne glass aside like a judge pounding a gavel. “My job here is done.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “So, you’re one of those guys that’s good at fixing things?”
He paused and squinted at me.
“I just… I just mean… I was such a mess a few minutes ago. And you seemed to know exactly what to do....”
I trailed off, heat crawling up my neck. Years of trying to wedge myself into the role of football player’s girlfriend, and I still couldn’t make small talk to save my life. Though, to be fair, neither Dwayne nor any of the other players on the L.A. Suns were as brutally hot as the guy currently squinting at me.
“I happen to come from a long line of electricians.” He turned all the way sideways in his seat to face me with a grin that only lifted one side of his mouth. “Five generations for the power company, includin’ me dad, me granddad, and all me uncles.”
“Oh… wow. That’s so cool.” I let out the awkward breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “It’s so nice that you’ve followed in their footsteps—and that I got to meet someone else in first-class who also isn’t filthy rich.”
A long pause. Then he turned his head and muttered something that sounded a lot like, “American. Should’ve guessed.”
“Oh wow, I’m so sorry. Did I…?” The cheek-burning embarrassment came back for round two as I dipped my chin to ask, “Did I do or say something to offend you?”
Already?I silently added.
All the other folks in the Suns’ payroll office who’d been to Europe had given me a long list of “Ugly American” things not to do. That was pretty much the only reason I’d opted to wear a skirt and a casual blazer instead of pair of leggings and my favorite yellow hoodie in first class.
I scoured my mind, trying to figure out what I’d said to make my British seatmate mutter under his breath. Maybe it was the comment about not being filthy rich? Yeah, that had to be it. I inwardly cringed, remembering how far Dwayne had gone to make it appear like he had way more money than he did. Ugh, I should have known better.
But then, instead of telling me off, he leaned in and rested his strong forearm on our shared armrest. “So, say you had something sparkin’ off in your flat, somethin’ that would be dangerous for you to manage by yourself. You could ring me, and I would come ’round, and yeah, love, I’d fix it. I’d fix whatever you wanted me to handle, whenever you needed it.”
Wait, is he…
My thoughts faltered. Then canted to the side.
Was this brutally hot guy in first classflirting?
With me?
No, it couldn’t be. Guys who looked like him didn’t flirt with women who looked me. I mean, guys, in general, didn’t come on to me. Ever.
I’d been the one to shyly offer to show Dwayne around L.A. four years ago because he said I reminded him of the girls back in his hometown of St. Louis after I helped him sort out a problem with his first paycheck.
That was what I was. All I was. A nice, helpful girl. Wholesome to my core.
So no, this obvious bad boy with a skin-fade haircut and what looked like a permanent five o’clock shadow couldn’t possibly be flirting with me.
Could he?
As if to answer my question, 1B leaned even farther forward. So close his masculine scent filled my nose. Aggressively just soap and nothing else.
