Liam’s expression grew as serious as she’d ever seen it. “Jagger Brooks isn’t just an awesome pilot. He’s also one of the most honorable and trustworthy men I know. He’s a smartass, and he likes to joke around, but he’d die before he ever let anything happen to your little girl.”
“Okay.” She gave him a slight nod, even going so far as to let her lips curve into a smile. But deep down, Allison felt a stirring of sorts. An uncertainty simmering just below the surface.
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Liam’s claims about his teammate. She had no doubt what he’d said was true.
In fact, the more she was around him, the easier it was to trust whatever fell from the man’s lips. Andthatwas the crux of the problem.
Trusting Liam Cutler had become far too easy. An immediate reaction driven by a desperate need to have someone in her corner.
It had been years since she’d had someone else right there, by her side. Years since a man had treated her and her daughter with the kindness and respect they both deserved. But Liam did.
He was protective and understanding. Respectful and kind. Patient and fun-loving whenever he interacted with Maddie.
Allison believed Liam was everything he appeared to be. And that belief scared her almost as much as Tommy.
“Good morning, ladies and gentleman.” Jagger’s boisterous voice filled every speaker in the cabin. “Welcome to Air Brooks. We’re preparing to take off, so if you’d kindly choose your seats and buckle yourselves in tight, we’ll get this bird in the air in just a few short minutes.”
“Guess that’s our cue.” Liam motioned toward the array of empty seats. “Ladies first.”
She shifted the purse strap that had started to fall off her shoulder as she made her way to the middle of the plane. Choosing a window seat that faced the cockpit, Allison settled herself against the buttery leather before securing the seatbelt across her lap.
The light scent of Liam’s woodsy cologne filled her nostrils as he sat down beside her. She denied herself the urge to close her eyes and draw in the deepest of breaths and instead schooled her expression.
A part of her had hoped he’d pick one of the jet’s many other available seats. The other part, however…a part that was buried deep,deepinside…was secretly glad he hadn’t.
“You afraid of flying?”
The unexpected question had her brows scrunching together in the center. Turning toward him, Allison had to force the breath in her lungs to keep moving when her confused gaze landed on his.
“No.” She gave her head a little shake. “Why do you ask?”
Rather than explaining his question with words, Liam silently dropped his focus down to her hands. Her tightly twisted hands that were currently wound together in two white-knuckled fists.
A nervous laugh escaped the base of Allison’s throat as she jerked her hands apart. “I guess maybe I’m a bit more anxious about going back out west than I realized.”
“Tommy won’t know you’re there,” he quickly assured her. “And even if he did somehow manage to figure it out, it doesn’t matter because I won’t let him get anywhere near you or Maddie.”
Reaching over the armrest between them, she covered one of his hands with hers. “I know you won’t.” The smile she gave him was genuine. “That’s not it.”
“Then what?”
You make me feel things that I really don’t want to feel.
“I, uh…” She cleared her throat and pulled her hand from his. “I just can’t believe that this is my life, that’s all.”
“It won’t be forever.”
“You say that as if you can see the future.”
“Ah, yes.” He arched a playful brow. “I fear I have inadvertently revealed my superpower. But alas, since you now know the truth, I can no longer hide my ability to see what the future holds for you.”
Despite her efforts against it, Allison almost immediately fell victim to her impending smile. At the same time, the floor beneath her feet began to vibrate as the jet’s engines came to life with a deafening wail.
When they were flying steady up high in the air, she looked back over at Liam and grinned. “So tell me, Mr. Fortune Teller. What do you see for my future?”
The intriguing man didn’t miss a beat.
“Well, now, someone’s future is a very technical process.”
