Reagan had just finished her preflight check when she heard someone enter the small cockpit. “Are we ready to go, Diego?” she asked as she pulled on her headset and looked out the window as the large loading ramp they used to walk the horses up to the entrance at the side of the plane was wheeled back to the hangar.
“We are.”
Reagan was worried she’d suffered whiplash from turning her head so fast at the deep voice that had answered her. She had been dreaming about that voice all night and it certainly wasn’t Diego’s cheerful, slightly accented one. “Carter!” she squeaked before schooling her features into a vision of peaceful calmness instead of the heart-pounding anxiety she felt. See, things her father had taught her were actually useful in real life. “Are you here to check on your mares before we leave?”
Carter grinned slowly and Reagan’s breath hitched. She knew he was attractive. The Keeneston Belles certainly thought highly of him. But registering him as an attractive friend was completely different when the possibility of being more than friends was on the table. Completely different.
“No. I’m coming with you. My groom’s wife is pregnant, and I thought I’d let him stay with her and come on the trip myself. Is this my seat?”
Carter moved to sit in the empty copilot’s seat before she could answer. “Most of the time you sit in the back with your horses,” Reagan told him as she tried to focus on getting ready for takeoff.
“Hmm,” Carter said noncommittally as he watched her work. “I always found it so fascinating you wanted to become a pilot. I thought for sure you’d go into espionage or work with the FBI or CIA.”
“I was recruited by all of them. You know that.” Reagan felt herself start to relax as she slowly turned her plane toward the runway. She had to be careful as the horses weren’t good at keeping their legs under them during the turns, so slow and precise maneuvering on the runway was critical.
“I know. We are good friends, after all. I know all about you, well, most of you.” Carter’s voice deepened and Reagan gulped. It was as if his voice were undressing her, and she felt completely exposed to him even though she was still sitting fully clothed in her seat. What had happened to cause this change? She wasn’t the best at reading men. Maybe she was misreading the signals because Veronica put them in her head?
“What about Veronica?” Carter asked as Reagan pulled the plane’s nose off the runway and began her slow climb into the sky.
Crap. Had she said that out loud? “Oh, she thinks you were flirting with me last night. I told her she was wrong. I told her you’d never thought of me as anything but your friend.” Luckily Reagan could focus on flying and didn’t have to look over at Carter when she talked to him. She didn’t want to see him laughing at the idea of them together, and she definitely heard snickering that broke her heart.
“And I thought I was being so smooth. Leave it to Veronica to see exactly what I was doing. I guess that’s one of the many reasons Zain values her opinion so much,” Carter said as he laughed. Reagan automatically smiled at his easygoing voice until what he said settled in her mind.
The smile slid from her face as her brow knit with confusion. “Wait, she was right? You were flirting with me?” This time Reagan did look at him, but in surprise and with a healthy amount of disbelief.
“I’ve been trying to flirt with you all week. You were giving me a complex. I started working out again, thinking you weren’t attracted to me.”
Oh God. He smiled again. His dimples flashed, and she had to remind herself to breathe as her mind spun. “Why?” she sputtered.
“Best friends make the best lovers,” Carter said with a slow seductive grin as Reagan felt his eyes skimming her body. Her cheeks flushed, and she reached over to smack his arm.
“Now I know you’re teasing me. That’s not very nice of you.”
“Rea, I’m not teasing. That’s not why I was flirting. I was flirting because I like you. I always have, as a friend, but now it doesn’t seem like being friends is enough. Would it be so bad to give it a try? Let me take you out to dinner when we get to California.”
“You’re asking me on a date?”
“Yes, I am,” Carter said, sounding confident and smooth, while Reagan found herself feeling anything but confident and smooth.
Reagan blinked out the window with surprise. Her mother, Gemma, wrote beautiful epic stories of romance, action, and happily-ever-afters. While Reagan had read them all, it had been her father’s teachings on espionage, shooting, and hand-to-hand combat that had left a bigger imprint on her. That, and the fact she really didn’t have much of a dating history due to her father always interrupting her dates. However, for this date, she would be far away from Keeneston. And her father didn’t know Carter was with her. She could have twenty-four hours of uninterrupted time with a man who wanted her, a man she already liked and was attracted to. A man who might want something more than her typical one- or two-night stands in whatever city she was having a layover in.
“I’d like that. I made a hotel reservation at the airport hotel. I’m sure you could get a room there too,” Reagan said, faking the confidence she didn’t feel.
“I took a gamble that you’d say yes and canceled that reservation. As I said, let me take you out tonight. Don’t worry about a single thing, and at the end of the night you can tell me what you think about us dating more seriously. Okay?”
Reagan glanced over to Carter, who looked calm. But because she knew him, she knew he wasn’t as calm and confident as he projected. He was nervous. The way he ran his thumb over the pad of his pointer finger over and over was his giveaway. He was serious. He wanted to date her. And he was worried she’d say no. Reagan didn’t know how her heart had been woken up in only twelve hours, but there was nothing she wanted more than for this to work.
“Okay. I’m in your hands,” Reagan said with surety.
“That’s where I’m hoping you’ll be by the end of the evening.”
Oh my.
* * *
They talked for the remainder of the flight. Carter didn’t flirt any more. Instead, he eased her into their familiar and comfortable discussions of the farm, of her dreams for expanding Keeneston Air, and of his hopes of having a real Derby contender someday. Carter should have realized his feelings for Reagan long ago. She was the only person he’d open up to about his concerns of taking over the farm, his dreams of winning the Triple Crown, and his ideas to improve the farm and their breeding program.
It was hard to not reach across the controls and hold Reagan’s hand, but he didn’t want to pressure her. If he pushed too hard, too fast, he might lose her forever. And he’d already pushed her to say yes to the date. Now wasn’t the time to push. The hours flew by as they laughed, teased, and talked. While it was their old banter, it was supercharged with the sexual undercurrent they were both aware of.
As soon as Carter had danced with Reagan the night before, he knew without a doubt he’d do anything to be with her. All the love he had for her as a friend only made him positive this was right. He’d left the reception and cancelled her room at the airport hotel, reserving them a new room in a hot Los Angeles hotel, along with a dinner reservation. This was his chance to show her they were perfect together and to prove to himself his dreams of what they could be were real. After all, Ryan and Sienna had crossed the friend zone and were now very happily married. Of course, everyone had known Ryan had wanted more since they were teenagers. But it showed Carter it could happen.
It seemed both forever and too soon when Reagan effortlessly landed the plane and began the long taxi to the airport’s cargo area. Carter could already see the horse van waiting to move the two mares to the farm that was leasing them from Carter in order to be bred to two of their stallions. He also saw the private car he’d ordered, waiting to take him and Reagan wherever they wanted to go.
Reagan stopped the plane and everything began to happen at once. The side door of the plane was opened and a ramp rolled up and lo
Diego already had a horse halfway out the door by the time Carter came to see if he could help. “Just keep her calm. I’ll be back in a couple minutes for her,” Diego instructed as he used a skilled hand to walk the mare down the ramp and into the transport van.
Carter rubbed his hand on his mare’s head and wished her luck for a beautiful baby and promised her all the apples she wanted when she got back to Kentucky. Ten minutes later, Diego was back and walking her down the ramp and into the horse van.
Reagan shut and locked the large door and opened the passenger door. “Ready?” she asked, carrying a small duffle bag as a narrow and steep wire grate staircase was locked into place.
Carter held out his hand, indicating she should go first, but she shook her head. “I have to wait for Diego to get his stuff and then lock the plane.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting for you by the car.” Carter reached down and took the bag from her and exited the plane. The staircase wobbled under his weight but held strong as he made his way to the tarmac where the owners of the horse farm were waiting for him.
He filled them in on the mares, including medical histories and food preferences. Reagan and Diego worked to shut down the plane. Soon enough, the mares were on their way to their temporary home and Reagan was by his side. “I’m all yours until tomorrow morning.”
“Then let’s not waste a single moment,” he said, grabbing her hand and walking to the car. “How does a picnic lunch at the beach sound?”
“It sounds great, but I didn’t bring anything except a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.”
“That’s okay. There’s a shop attached to our hotel. You can pick up a bathing suit there and anything else you want.”
Carter reached out and placed his hand over hers as the car drove away from the airport. His heart beat wildly at touching her again. He’d kept his distance on the plane, but now he was going to show her how much more there could be between them. He didn’t know what he’d do if Reagan didn’t feel the same way.
3
Carter saw Reagan’s eyes widen as they pulled up to the hotel. “Carter, this is where all the celebrities stay. I know, because I’ve heard stories about it from my dad.”
He smiled as he squeezed her hand. “It is. But it’s also where we’re staying. The owner bought one of my horses last year and was happy to accommodate us at the last second. Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” Reagan said with wonder as she took in the palm trees, fancy sports cars, and beautiful architecture of the hotel.
The car pulled to a stop, and sure enough, the owner was waiting for them. “Carter,” he said as they shook hands. “It’s great to see you again. And this must be Reagan. Welcome.”
“Thank you,” she said as she shook his hand. “Your hotel is beautiful.” Carter rested his hand casually on the small of Reagan’s back, and they walked inside while talking horses. The owner was completely smitten with the horse that had started out as nothing more than an investment.
“I was able to get you the room you wanted,” the owner said as they stopped in front of the check-in desk. “Monica, these are my guests for the evening. Make sure they are well taken care of. I’ll be in Kentucky soon. My baby will be racing at Keeneland Race Track in the fall. We’ll have to get together for dinner.”
“I’d like that, and thank you,” Carter said with meaning. If it hadn’t been for his connection with the owner, there would’ve been no way for him to get the last-minute reservation.
“You’re in The Royal Suite. Fifteenth floor and you need to use your key on the elevator before pressing the floor button. Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Ashton?” the beautiful blonde behind the counter asked as she handed him the key.
“Yes, can you have a picnic lunch sent out to our car? We’ll be leaving in thirty minutes for the beach.”
“Of course.” She smiled and picked up the phone to place the order as Carter reached once again for Reagan’s hand.
“Now we shop,” he told her. He saw her grimace. Reagan wasn’t a shopper. She was a jeans and T-shirt girl, and he loved that about her. But right now he had the overwhelming desire to spoil her.
Carter led her to the boutique shop that connected to the lobby. The shop was luxury amplified. Crystal chandeliers, beautiful original artwork, and racks of designer clothes ranging from bathing suits to ball gowns filled the shop. Carter saw Reagan nervously eyeing the racks of swimwear, so he had some fun and held up a skimpy bikini as he wiggled his eyebrows. Helping Reagan shop was going to be fun.
“No way,” she hissed. While she was there to pick out a bathing suit, Carter saw that her eyes kept traveling to a gold mini dress in the window display. It would look stunning on her . . . and she would need a formal dress for dinner. Carter pretended not to notice her glances at the dress while they looked through bathing suits as he formulated a plan to surprise her.
“This will work,” she said, pulling out a navy blue bikini. Only this bikini was a halter that covered everything and not the skimpy see through one he’d pulled out.
“Try it on first, then we’ll head up to the room and change.”
As soon as she went into the changing room, Carter called the attentive sales associate over. “Do you have the gold dress over there in a size eight?”
“Yes, I believe we do,” she smiled. If the dress was in the front window, it was going to cost a fortune but it would be worth every dollar Carter spent to see Reagan’s smile later.
“Bill it to my room and have it put in the closet an hour from now.”
Her smile widened. “Lucky lady.”
“No, I’m a lucky man.”
* * *
What was she doing? Reagan found herself asking that more and more as the day went along. She was in a stunning bathing suit with a price tag higher than her normal hotel room near the airport, and she was staying in a suite in the hottest hotel in Los Angeles.
Reagan pulled a gray Lexington Thoroughbreds football T-shirt over her head as Carter turned around. He wore a white T-shirt with bright royal blue trunks that stopped inches above his knees, revealing tanned muscular legs. They had grown up swimming together. But in the last five or so years, that wasn’t something they did anymore. They were too busy to get everyone together at Will and Kenna’s pool or to go down to the lake like they used to as teenagers. Instead, some of the girls would get together, have some drinks, and lounge by the pool or at a lake house. Seeing Carter ready to swim made her feel self-conscious. He hadn’t seen this much of her in years. Yet, the idea of him stripping off his shirt as water splashed his bare chest was incentive enough to hurry into the room, ready to go.
“Ready?” he asked, picking up a stack of large towels. He held out his hand, and she crossed the large living room decorated with leather couches, comfortable chairs, and fresh flowers to place her hand in his. “Have you been swimming in the Pacific before?”
“Swimming, no. I went to the Santa Monica pier a couple times but never had time to do anything more than stick my feet in the water and grab a bite to eat.”
“Then this is going to be fun. We have the whole afternoon to spend there. It’s a bit of drive to El Matador Beach, but worth it. It’s much less crowded and will be an afternoon to remember.”
Reagan placed her hand in his and didn’t doubt for one second that this afternoon would be remembered for the rest of her life.
* * *
The car was waiting for them as they exited the hotel. The drive was long, but Carter kept her entertained by pointing out the sights and telling her stories from his previous trips to Los Angeles. Finally they arrived at the secluded beach, exited the car, and stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean. A massive rock formation stood in the sand, the water lapped at the base of one edge. There were people at the beach, but it wasn’t crowded.
“It’s low tide,” Carter said as the wind blew off the ocean. “The water is on its way out. When the tide turns, the water will come up and crash around the rock formation. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s so peaceful here. I was expecting crowds and the noise of Santa Monica.”
Carter took her hand again and carried the bag with their towels and a picnic basket in his other. They walked over the rough, wild landscape to a set of steep steps leading down the cliff to the beach. “I wanted this afternoon for just the two of us,” he said from over his shoulder before he descended the steps. “That’s why I picked this beach. It’s perfect for couples and out of the way enough to not be too crowded.”
Reagan followed close behind, trying to look at everything as she walked down the steps. There were jagged rocks sticking up from the sand and in the water, along with several secluded nooks and crannies along the cliffs to sit in the sand, away from others. Reagan didn’t ask where they were going as Carter led her past many of the beachgoers sitting near the steps. Carter already told her. He wanted her to himself.
After a five-minute walk, Carter set the basket and towels down on the far side of a rock formation that looked like a ten-foot-tall arrowhead. Reagan lifted her face to the sun and took a deep breath of the salt air. Her body relaxed instantly. It always did when she was outdoors.
When she opened her eyes, Carter was stripping his shirt from his body and tossing it on one of two towels he’d laid out. “Would you like to eat or swim first?”
“Eat! I’m starving,” Reagan said as she kicked off her flip-flops and pulled off her shorts before sitting on the towel. Carter chuckled and opened the basket. Inside were two plates of gourmet sandwiches and a bottle of champagne wrapped in an ice pack. Reagan set out the sandwiches as Carter popped the champagne.
He poured two glasses and handed one to her. “To new adventures.”
-->
