“Fine. Give me a minute. Sweetpea, c’ mon,” she said at last and led the little girl away.
They disappeared into a room to his left. A second later, the crackle of a radio caught his ear.
“Come in, Billy?”
She’s checking me out.Reece grinned. Kudos to her sense of security. The half-closed door filtered the conversation in and out of his hearing range. He craned his neck to hear her but only caught bits and pieces.
Then Billy’s mechanical laugh vibrated through the radio. “Shit, girl. I’m sorry. I...” his voice fizzled away.
“You’re an ass, Billy.” Several curse words followed. Damn, the woman sure had a dirty mouth. “How the hell did you make a mistake?” Judging by her response, she wasn’t happy with Billy’s explanation and would’ve probably punched out his lights if he were here.
Reece rolled his stiff neck from side to side. His head throbbed like a bitch. He stilled his movements when his angel slash attacker walked by and disappeared down the passage to his right, then returned without her daughter. As she knelt to untie his hands, he inhaled deeply. Her scent surrounded him in its exotic fragrance. A stark ravenous hunger stirred his senses. The thought of slipping between her thighs once more persisted. His lust-filled moment ended when she abruptly stepped away. Reece untied his legs and stood. The jolt of pain at the back of his head made him groan. He wondered who’d hit him, more like what hit him.
“Damn, my head hurts.” He rubbed the spot. “What did you use to hit me? My entire twenty-nine years flashed before my eyes. I thought I was a goner.”
With a laugh, she bent and retrieved something from the floor. “Skillet meet...”
The friendly response made him smile. “Reece.” He chuckled at the heavy pan in her hand. “You sure know how to wield that thing?”
“Buy one, and it comes with safety instructions. How to grill, fry, and kill an intruder.”
Reece laughed. “Can we start over—?”
“Over?” Her brow puckered in puzzlement.
“I mean from the intruder bit.” He wanted her to remember him in her own time. “Hi, I’m Reece.”
“Aria.” She ignored the hand he offered. Instead, she walked toward the kitchen.
Reece followed. “Beautiful name.” Finally. A name to go with her gorgeous face and body. “What does it mean?” His sister-in-law mentioned that most Indian names held a meaning. He was curious.
She placed the skillet on a countertop, turned, and looked at him, her gray eyes assessing. “Thank you.” She smiled. “Noble.”
He blinked in confusion. “Noble?”
“The meaning of my name. It’s Persian.” She shrugged. “Would you like something to drink, eat?”
“It fits.” He slipped onto a stool at the table with a nod. “Thank you.”
“What fits? Peanut butter and jelly sound good? Coffee?” His stomach growled in response. She arched a brow. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Reece laughed. His last meal at breakfast consisted of toast, scrambled eggs, and coffee. He never ate before a flight. Given his pilot’s alcoholic tendencies, he was glad he hadn’t. “You are noble. Taking in a stranger instead of sending me out into the cold says a lot.” He cocked a brow. She smiled but said nothing.
Three years ago, Reece reckoned luck put her in his path. Now, he understood why slot machines were addictive—hitting the jackpot sure as hell packed a punch. His heart sang crisp beats of k-ching.
Only, the thought of a husband somewhere in the background annoyed him. He yanked at his beanie and scratched his beard.Wait a minute.He stopped scratching and rubbed his chin once more as the revelation hit home. Of course, she wouldn’t recognize him. A week ago, his sister, Deborah, mentioned his beard made him look like a damn vagabond. She’d asked him to get rid of it. A sneaky smile curved Reece’s lips—good thing he brought razors.
He looked up when Aria placed the meal in front of him. “Thank you.”
“It’s not gourmet but—”
“It’s great, thanks. How do you contact Billy?” Reece gave no indication he’d heard her conversation with the pilot.
“He’s got a mobile he never answers. I’ll call the office in Jackson tomorrow afternoon or more like Tuesday. Staff crawl into the office on Mondays. There’s a bed in the study. It’s not the biggest, but you’d probably get a good night’s rest.”
She made no mention of her contact with Billy. No doubt a smart woman who crossed her ‘T’s’ and dotted her ‘I’s’ with precision. The intrigue soared.
“Thank you.” Reece wondered what the chances were of sharing her bed. Shame it couldn’t be tonight.She’s married, dumbass. Hadn’t stopped her before.Whatever the case, he was glad he’d met her that night. His mental debate continued as he ate his sandwich.
