Once he’d taken care of the bill and Ivy had complimented everyone on the great service and food, they made their way out to the car. He tried to keep his voice casual. “So, is that club still calling your name?” He glanced at her as nonchalantly as he could.
“Is it calling yours?” Her eyes were wide, hopeful.
So he took the plunge. “Ivy, I’ve been thinking of nothing else all night. We’ve got to go dancing. You game?”
“I’m so game.”
“Oh, this is awesome.” He held out his hand, she took it, and they both ran to the car.
He blared the music on the way over there. When they pulled in, the whole place seemed to be shaking with the sound of music inside. Good, Texas-sounding country. He grinned. “Now this is what I like to see.”
“You ready to show these folks what a real Texan looks like?”
“Yes, ma’am, I am. Hold tight.” He hopped out, ran around the car, and opened her door.
When they opened the front door, the place was not as packed as Colton feared. The music was just right. They were playing The Git Up, and the whole room was involved in a line dance like he’d never seen. “Wow, this place is legit.”
Ivy stepped closer. “I love this.” Her feet moved. The energy pouring off of her seeped into him. They found a table, she left her shirt on the bench, and Colton found himself with a tank-topped beauty dragging him out to the dance floor like he was in college again. Life just didn’t get any better than this.
Chapter 12
Ivy’s whole body hummed. They’d gone through five line dances, the music just right, the company amazing. She felt like she’d just become best friends with a room full of strangers. Brazilians had a gift, honestly. They were the warmest, friendliest people she’d ever met. And her date . . . Was he her date? He was certainly acting like it. Had this gone beyond professional relations to something more? She found herself hoping so. Without thinking about it much, they’d been standing closer, dancing closer, and now, as the music slowed, she practically ran into his arms. About time.
As his strong, lean arms held her close, she melted even closer. He cradled one hand in his own and held his other large palm against the small of her back. “Now that I’ve got the most beautiful woman in the room right where I want her, this night might just have to go on a little longer than it’s used to.” His grin was warm, relaxed, his eyes sincere.
She tilted her head back and laughed. “I needed this. I really needed this night. I don’t care if it lasts forever.”
He twirled her around. “What’s this I hear about you knowing how to swing dance?”
“Dance competition team in college.”
“Really, now this is just about to get interesting. And country dance?”
“That too.”
“Leaps? Throws?”
“If you can throw me, I can do it.”
“Oh, I can throw you.” His eyes sparkled with challenge. She bit her lip. “Then what are we waiting for?”
He two-stepped to the side.
She followed.
He cupped their hands together and then spun her around.
The music picked up with the next song, and they started moving faster to the beat. He started easy. They rotated in circles, stepping from side to side, together and then back. Then he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her into the air.
She grinned, landing at his front.
“You ready?”
“With you? I’m always ready.”
His answering grin was too good a look on him. Why was this man her boss? Wow, her feelings for him were as polar opposite as they came. Like a yo-yo, she went from adoring him to hating his methods, to respecting him to wanting to keep her distance, back to hoping for any sliver of attention. She was a mess. But she loved her mess. And she laughed as his thick palms grabbed her at the waist, this time bouncing her on each hip, tossing her high into the air, down along the ground between his legs and then back up front.
Colton held her close for a moment, stepping side to side. “You know. I knew I would be into you, Ivy Hatfield. But this is a whole new level entirely.”
When her eyes found his, the sincerity that shone back reached her. She felt it deep inside. What made Colton tick? For the first time, she wondered why he flew the way he did. “You know, what you did in Afghanistan was incredibly brave.”
“You heard about that?” He studied her for a moment. “Not reckless?”
She shook her head. “No. I think it was a calculated risk, and you took it, and it worked.”
He spun her again. Then, bent forward linking their elbows, she rolled over his back, landing on his other side.
But he never responded. And she decided it didn’t matter. He was a hero. Her country and her military had recognized him. He’d saved lives, more than she ever had, doing what she had labeled as reckless. As she spun once, he spun her again, and again and she felt the tug in her stomach. But as he spun her again, she let go and tipped her head back and cheered. The world rotated, and she laughed.
And she wondered if that was what it felt like just to let go. Then Colton pulled her close, and as she closed her eyes and waited for the world to steady itself around them, she draped her arms over his shoulders and peeked. “You’re still spinning.”
“Awesome.” He held her closer. Then his husky whisper in her ear and the pulse that ran through her at his lips being that close to her skin, thrilled her to her toes. “I’ve got you.”
At last, the world stopped. When she opened her eyes and was caught immediately by an intense look from him, she could only say, “I know.”
When they at last began to make their way back to Fatima’s, the early hours of morning had crept in on them. Ivy sighed. “Should I feel like I have to sneak in?”
Colton reached for her hand. Then he tugged a little. “You know. You’re too far away over there.” He tugged again.
“What? You want me to slide closer?” She undid her seatbelt and scooted as close as she could.
“Hey, now. You still have to be buckled.” He grinned. They stopped at a light, so he reached across and found the buckle. Then he tightened it at her lap. “There you go. Safe and sound.” His kiss on the top of her head was probably meant to be friendly, but that simple contact sent a wave of yearning.
Wow, she was tired. She told herself not to look up. Don’t look up. Don’t look up. But her eyes disobeyed in a traitorous display of feminine desire. He was close. His kissable mouth looked soft but firm at the same time, and close. Everything was close. The very air filled with an intoxicating aroma of his soap—earthy, tinged with a hint of something male. He shifted his body so that he faced her more fully. The light must have turned green, but they were the only people on the road. He reached out as if to run fingers down her face, but he hesitated and dropped his again, landing on her knee, resting there, not moving, but full of expectation. “Thank you. For an awesome night.”
“You’re welcome. I needed that.”
“I hope we’re . . . are we good?” The hope, the insecurity, warmed her and sent her heart to him. His gaze traveled over her face and stopped on her mouth. For a moment, she thought he might tip his head and capture her lips, but he stared back up into her eyes in a comfortable caring expression.
She enjoyed the silken moment. Their closeness felt more intimate than anything she’d experienced. She wanted things right between them. She wanted to break down the barriers she’d created. He didn’t deserve her censure, and the arrogance of someone like herself thinking to correct him was much more than she wanted to see in herself. “You’re an excellent pilot, Colton. I respect that. I’m sorry for . . . everything.”
“No apologies. Not necessary.” He rested a hand at the side of her face for a moment then turned to face the front.
The air felt cooler in the space between them, but he reached an arm around her so it rested behind her.
She snuggled closer, wanting to linger in the moment as long as possible. Wha
t would happen tomorrow? If she went to bed tonight, and let the evening close, would everything they’d created and experienced tonight end?
Colton parked the truck in its spot along the side of the house. “Stay put.”
She smiled and scooted over closer to the other side of the truck. When he opened her door and peered in at her, her mouth turned up at the corner. He held out his hand. She moved to the door and reached for his hand and slid out, but he didn’t move away, so she stood in front of him, close enough to kiss. And she didn’t know if it was the lateness of the hour, or the incredible night they’d had, or the fact that she hadn’t dated anyone in a long time, but she suddenly didn’t care one bit about how awkward things might be the next day; she wanted Colton to kiss her. She reached her hands up his chest until they rested almost at his neck. Without even thinking, she stepped in as close as she could.
His arms wrapped around her, sending a smattering of shivers through her, happy tingles.
She stood up on her toes. She could almost reach him.
His grip tightened as his fingers dug more into her back, his body going tense, his eyes dark. She thrilled with expectation. Kiss me. As she stared into his eyes, she saw the hesitation, and she wanted to kiss it away, to kiss away every thought that told him to wait. Colton’s recklessness seemed to course through her. What would he do? Live in the moment, take a chance, go after what he wanted? She wanted him. Do it, Colton. Her mouth went dry. She licked her lips and waited.
He leaned in as if his body was swaying, rocking, desiring her, resisting her until she thought she would go mad with her own desire. With one last rock forward, he pressed his lips to her forehead again.
She leaned into him, leaving no doubt as to her wishes. And when he stepped away, she swayed in place, placing a hand on her stomach.
“Let’s get you into bed.”
Her eyes widened, and she placed a hand on her mouth.
His face darkened, turning a dark red. “In your room.” He placed a hand on his forehead. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” His eyes held an apology. And for a moment, she let him wallow in his awkwardness. Then she laughed. “Let’s get me into bed?”
“Yeah. Um. By yourself. Tonight . . .” He turned away. “Could this conversation get any more . . . ?” He eyed her again.
She started to shake with the effort to laugh quietly. She had to laugh or else consider such a thing, which would be disastrous. Both for her personal morals and for the complete lack of ethics for an employer-employee relationship. And she valued her job at Top Flight. How would that be to create problems with Colton, one of the executive board members? She just couldn’t go there, but a kiss? She sighed. Now that was not going to happen.
Colton turned toward the house, her fingers laced with his, and they tried to move as quietly as possible through the front door and up the stairs down the hall, until they stood at her door. She turned to face him, but he just lifted the back of her hand to his lips, sending a new round of shivers through her, and kept walking to the next door. He stepped inside without another look in her direction.
Once inside her room, she shut the door behind her, leaned her back against it, and closed her eyes. As her breaths left her one at a time, she tried to calm her body and prepare to rest, hoping to sleep the remaining four hours of her night. Knowing she would never find rest if she didn’t relax, she stepped into her bathroom and turned on the shower.
Chapter 13
Colton arrived at the hangar early the next morning. He’d grabbed one of the bikes on the property and rode in, leaving the truck for Omar and Ivy.
He needed to go through some of the paperwork. Amanda had been asking about some things. But he could do paperwork anytime. The real reason he had left so early was perhaps cowardly, perhaps gentlemanly. He wanted to give Ivy her space in case she regretted every moment of her asking to be kissed. She hadn’t said as much, but she’d put herself out there, and it had taken every bit of self-control in Colton’s arsenal to resist.
How many times had he argued that whatever they did would be fine? They could weather it in the morning. It was late. But those were not reasons to kiss a woman, no matter how irresistible she became, no matter how much fun they’d had, no matter how much he wanted to earn her good opinion, convince her to like him, wipe away her doubts. Kissing her would not be the best move, and the tiniest rational part of his brain had carried through every other desire pounding with deafening beats through the blood at his ears.
And now, he wanted to give them space this morning to work through whatever they were feeling, to help her if she regretted every second of their evening.
He shut down his laptop when the last file was sent to the group drive for Top Flight. He sat back in his chair, looking out over the rough ocean. The winds had picked up; the white caps of the dark-blue waves extended farther out into the ocean. But the sky was clear of clouds. It would be another great day for flying. The team was progressing. They were excellent pilots already and would become more so.
Colton was proud of Top Flight, of the program they’d developed. He was proud of his team. Ace, Bear, Mustang, and himself had really put together something epic. He’d joined for the money. He’d told them flat out, “I’m here for the money.” But it had turned into much more than that. And he now considered the work they did as important.
“There you are.” Ivy’s voice amped up his awareness on all levels.
He turned, pasting a smile on his face, belying the nervous pounding in his heart. But her smile was large and warm and unassuming. Omar stepped in behind her. She clipped across the room, clipboard in hand. What used to annoy him, he now found endearing. “Omar and I have been going over the pilots in preparation for their reviews. And we wanted to get your opinion on a few of these.”
“Oh, excellent.” He sat at the table, and the other two joined him. Things seemed normal between him and Ivy. So normal, he didn’t know what to think. She hadn’t even given him anything extra to go off of, no smile, no double look, nothing intimate, nothing uncomfortable. Not even anything awkward. He admitted to himself that he was disappointed. But he was not deterred. They went over each of the pilots and filled out the paperwork to use in their reviews.
“I can start pulling them from class and doing personal interviews.” Ivy looked from Colton to Omar. “Unless you think we each need to be there.”
Omar shook his head.
Colton nodded. “That’s great. I’ll do their exit interviews. You’re the best one to do this initial assessment. Omar can talk to them at the midpoint.”
They discussed a few of the other details, some of the issues they’d been having, and then closed up the meeting just as the first pilots began to arrive.
Before Colton slipped out the door, he pulled Ivy aside. She still looked perfectly professional and undisturbed. He stepped closer. Still no response. He wanted to place a finger at her wrist and check to see if her heart rate was thumping through her like his was. “So. Some of the guys were talking, and they said that Padre Chagas had a fun nightlife. It’s full of restaurants and bars and lined with flowers. There’s a park in the middle.”
“Oh? That sounds fun. We planning some after-work team bonding with them?”
With them. “Yes. Excellent idea. I was thinking of bringing it up today during our wrap up.”
“Great. I’m in.” She smiled. Not the tremulous, apologetic smile, not the full we’re-dancing-together smile, just this impartial professional smile, and Colton wanted more than anything to break through that new ice. “Come with me.”
He turned to walk out the door.
“Wait, what?” Ivy looked back at the pilots who were all seated and ready. Omar raised his eyebrows from the front of the room.
“It will only take a moment.” Colton held the door open.
She followed him out. He wasn’t sure she would. And now that she had, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. But he led her around the corner fr
om the classroom to an empty hallway. Then he turned back. “Saturday.”
“Hmm?”
“Saturday. I want to take you out. On a date. Again.”
The pleasure that flashed through her eyes could not be hidden, and it emboldened him. She looked away, battling something. He could only guess at what. Then she said, “Okay.”
“Great. Be ready at noon.” He grinned, then stepped away. “And I’ll take you with me tonight. No need to hop in a car with any of these others.”
“Got it.”
He turned and walked back past the classroom and out into the hangar. He’d be up flying the rest of the day, but already, he was counting on some fun with Ivy tonight and tomorrow. He rotated his shoulders. She hadn't quite melted at his feet or blushed in embarrassment, but she’d said yes. Tomorrow would be epic. He’d make some calls tonight, call in some favors.
Hours later, they were finally all back in his truck. He had thrown his bike in the back, and they were on their way to Padre Chagas. Omar’s feet were tapping. “You know, these pilots. They’re cool people.”
“They are,” Ivy agreed. “I’m glad Flyboy thought of this. It’s fun to get to know them better.”
Colton thought it incredibly ironic that she would say so, but he nodded. “Team building, right? We are supposed to have an activity with them once a month, right?”
“They all usually go to a pool hall together. I might start joining them.” Omar didn’t look at Colton. But his tone was the kind of pretend casual that Colton almost called him out on, but Ivy shook her head, and Colton caught the motion in his rearview mirror. Interesting.
“Cool. We’ve been using this truck, but if we need to go back and get that rental, we can do that too.”
“I’ll think about it. The guys have a car, and there just seems to be less of a need for one here, you know?”
Colton nodded. “The bike ride this morning was great.” He pulled up to an overly crowded lot. “This place is on fire.” Energetic people filed onto the street from their cars. Music blared from somewhere partway down the street, and strings of lights lit the night sky. He was about to say, “Hold tight,” so he could get Ivy’s door, but she jumped out before he could. He rotated his neck.
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