Page 64 of Air Affair

She caressed his cheek and kissed him, but he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. “It hurts, you know. It hurts to be with you and know you aren’t mine.”

She kissed his forehead. “I’m not anyone else’s either. For the first time, I don’t belong to someone, and I love it. But Hank, there isn’t someone else that’s going to take me away from you. We can continue as we have been. Nothing needs to change. Don’t you understand?”

“No, I don’t, but I’ll accept it. For now.” He took a bit of sandwich and washed it down with champagne. She did the same. It was an exceptionally good sandwich with prosciutto ham, fresh mozzarella, and perfectly ripe tomatoes.

They ate in companionable silence and watched the waves. She could only hope he understood enough to let her be free.

24

Hank didn’t understand why she couldn’t say yes, but he was determined to find a way to convince her. Making love to her in the Jenny didn’t help matters. It only made him yearn for her more. He needed her in his home, in his bed, in his arms every night forever.

But he didn’t want to press too hard and ruin their afternoon. “Much as I hate to say it, we need to get back. I have to return the airplane.”

She was breathtaking with the sea breeze in her hair and a mischievous smile on her lips. He wanted to stay here forever, but time would not allow it.

“It’s been a truly wonderful afternoon, Hank. I know you must have gone to a great deal of trouble and expense, and I’m deeply flattered.”

He had, but he wasn’t about to admit it. “It was nothing, princess.”

She kissed him with those soft, red, kiss-stung lips. Why did she have to go and do that? It only served to remind him of what he couldn’t have.

He helped her into her cockpit, reminded her how to open the throttle, and gave the propeller a swing. Climbing into the rear cockpit, vivid memories assailed him of their earlier activities. He pushed them aside to focus on taking off safely.

On the brief trip back, he racked his brain for what to try next in his campaign to win her hand. There had to be some way to convince her. How could he assure her he had no intention of impeding her independence? He didn’t want to own her or control her. He only wanted to be free to love her with his whole heart.

Too soon, the airfield at Mineola came into view, and he landed the plane, taxiing back to the hangar.

Instead of driving her home, Hank took her to a park where they could sit together on a bench. He wanted to understand her refusal, even if he couldn’t change her mind. “I know I need to be patient, and I’ll do my very best. But can you tell me why? Is it because you’re afraid of what your father would do? If I was your husband, I could protect you. He’d have no legal right to interfere in your life. I would be your next of kin. As it is, he has too much power over you.”

She shook her head and stayed silent for a long moment.

“Rory?”

She lifted her head slowly to meet his gaze. “I’m barely considered a person under the law. It’s why I fight for women’s suffrage. I don’t even have the right to open a bank account in my own name. But if I married you, my legal rights would dwindle even further. A husband and wife are considered one person, legally, with the husband exercising all rights on the wife’s behalf. You may say you offer me freedom, but I know the reality of what marriage means.”

“And yet you were willing to marry Edward Windham.” As soon as he said it, he regretted it and wished he could take it back. The pain in her gaze made him want to crumple up into a ball and be swallowed by a hole in the ground.

Her voice shook as she said, “I thought I had no choice. I know better now, but I genuinely couldn’t see an alternative at the time.” She put a gentle hand on his cheek. “Hank, I don’t want to marry anyone, not even you. Eventually you’d get tired of me and my foolishness, and then where would I be? It’s better if we enjoy the connection we have while we can and then go our separate ways before things turn sour.”

Hank straightened, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. “You think I’m going to get tired of you? That’s why you won’t marry me?”

Rory’s hand dropped to her lap, and she stared down at it. “My father says I’m the most tiresome female he’s ever met,” she mumbled.

“Your father is a pompous ass.”

A ghost of a smile turned her lips upward. “True. But he isn’t wrong. I’ve been nothing but trouble my whole life. I’m restless and careless. I take too many risks. I’m tiresome, and I know it. You might find my antics endearing now, but eventually they would begin to grate on you as they did on him. And I don’t think I could bear to look in your eyes and see resentment.”

“You think I would resent you?” Arguments tumbled over each other in his mind, and all he could do was sputter.

“I know you would. Papa does. He’s resented my existence from my earliest days. He had no idea how to raise a little girl after losing my mother, so he left me in the care of a series of nannies who I drove away in quick succession with my wild behavior. I’ve had a lifetime of practice being difficult and unruly. I’d make a terrible wife, and I couldn’t bear it if I hurt you.”

Taking both her hands in his, he knelt on the ground in front of her. “Rory Belmont, I love you with my whole heart, and nothing is ever going to change that. Your father is a bitter old man who doesn’t know what a treasure he has in his daughter. You are so strong and so brave. I love your fierce independence. I love your creativity and drive. I love your mischief. I loved it from the day we first met. Do you think I want a nice, dutiful wife? Do you think I could ever be happy with a conventional marriage after being with you?”

“Hank, I⁠—”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure? I’m a terrible trial. Everyone says so.”