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I hid my blush by burying my head in my suitcase searching for some clean clothes to change into. “Who was that on the phone you were talking to?”
He walked up behind me and kissed my bare shoulder. “A pilot friend. He asked me to cover a flight for him tomorrow morning. He’s here in Dubai and has a rapid turn trip.”
“Is he sick or something?”
Carter ran his nose along my neck, his warm breath sending goosebumps down my skin, most of which was already exposed.
“Cold?” The smile in his voice was unmistakable. He knew the affect he had on me.
I ignored him. “Are you going to take his flight?”
“That depends.”
“Oh what?”
“If you’re up for another adventure.”
I turned, and he didn’t back up. “You want me to go with you?”
“I’m only taking it if you go with me. If you want to stay here for another two days, I’m fine with that, too.”
“Where do you go in two days?”
Carter’s eyes looked back and forth between mine. “Home. I have five down days after this. I fly from here back to the states and then pick up a connection as a passenger to get back home to Florida.”
Wow. Our little trip really is coming to an end. The thought made me sick to my stomach. Carter must have sensed what I was thinking. He tipped my chin up so our eyes met. “Let’s not go there yet. Stay with me. Whether it’s here or on another adventure, we still have time. I don’t want this to end yet either. Stay in the moment with me, Kendall.”
“Where would we go?”
He smiled, and it was all I could do not to drop my towel in response. “That’s a surprise.”
“Give me a hint.”
Carter scratched his chin for a minute. “Okay. If you want to continue our little adventure, you’ll give me the green light, but you might wind up getting stopped at the red light along the way.”
“What the heck is that supposed to mean? I said a hint, not a riddle.”
He laughed. “What do you say, Perky? You up for one more adventure with me?”
“Can I get arrested for dancing, cursing, showing skin, or touching you, wherever it is we would go?”
“Definitely not.” He kissed the top of my nose. “In fact, those things are strongly encouraged at the next stop on our tour.” Carter smiled and that damn chin dimple joined in. God, I’m a sucker for that thing. Who knew?
I rolled my eyes. “Alright. I’m in. But if I wind up in jail again, I’m holding your dimpled self responsible.”
OUR FLIGHT THE NEXT MORNING was at an ungodly hour. We had to leave Amari by three-thirty in order for Carter to check in. It was going to be what he called a rapid turn, meaning we would get to wherever we were going by late this afternoon and be back in Dubai within twenty-four hours. Then, we’d meet up with his regular crew and fly back to the states. It was after that I didn’t want to think about. I’d probably go back home for a few days before heading to Germany. On the way to the airport, I stared out the window watching Dubai pass by, but not really seeing anything. Melancholy had swept my mood thinking how soon things were coming to an end.
“You okay?” The taxi had pulled off the highway following the signs to the airport.
“Just tired.”
“I got you a seat in first class, so hopefully you can get some sleep on the flight.”
“How long is the flight?”
“About seven hours.”
“What do you do up there in the cockpit the whole time? I mean, I know you fly the plane…but seven hours is a long time staring out at the sky.”
