The Baby Bump

by Tara Wylde

  Unable to resist, I reach out and rest a hand on her shoulder, hoping it gives her some comfort. “I think most siblings hate one another at some point in their life.”

  Cassie shrugs. “Yeah, I know that, but considering how things turned out, I don’t feel any better. Teenage me was just as bitchy as I am now, and most of that temper was directed at Sally.”

  Which goes a long way toward explaining why she’s so good with her sister.

  “What happened with the pilot?”

  “He’d been working a lot of hours and had just finished a multi-state tour. According to the people he worked with, during that time, he’d developed a few new tricks. We assume that he wanted to impress Sally and talked her into going up with him. He made a mistake during one of the tricks and hooked the edge of his right wing in a power line and lost control. The plane hit the ground so hard, it basically broke apart at the seams. Sally’s spine was crushed and she has permanent brain damage. Her boyfriend was instantly killed. Our best guess is that he was tired, and fatigue caused him to make a stupid mistake.”

  My heart breaks for both Sally and Cassie. No teenager should have to go through something like that. “I can’t imagine how horrible that must have been.”

  “It ripped my family apart. My dad was a pilot and I think he blamed himself. He thought he should have been able to do something to stop Sally from getting in the plane that night. He basically shut down until he died of cancer two years later.”

  Leaving yet another hole in Cassie’s life. I just want to hold her close and do everything in my power to prevent anything else bad happening to her. Of course, if I tried, she’d probably rip my arms right out of my shoulders.

  Cassie stares at her knees. “This can’t possibly be the type of conversation you planned on having tonight.”

  “I wanted to get to know you better and now I think I do. That’s all that matters. I don’t think there are any rules about all date conversations having to be cheerful.”

  Cassie doesn’t respond.

  I struggle to come up with a way to keep the conversational ball rolling.

  “I’m surprised you went on to become a pilot.” It sounds like a lame question, but it’s the only thing I can think of.

  Cassie shrugs and picks at her own pile of ribs. “My grandfather was a navy pilot. My dad did a stint as a commercial passenger pilot before deciding that he preferred teaching flying and working as a crop duster. Flying is in my blood. I never wanted to do anything but fly planes. Sally’s accident didn’t change that, though it has made me more cautious. I nearly flipped out when we were going to Morocco and you said you were tired. That’s my biggest fear.”

  “Understandable.”

  I finish off the last rib and toss the to-go container in the makeshift trash bag.

  “What about you? Why’d you become a pilot?”

  “Kind of the same way you did. It’s in my blood, though the only person in my family other than me with any interest in flying is my great aunt.”

  Cassie’s eyes widen. “Your great aunt was a pilot?”

  “She’d tell you she still is a pilot. The only reason she’s not flying is because my family says she’s too old and won’t let her. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she’s still figuring out a way to sneak in a flight here and there. She’s a crafty old woman. She taught me how to fly.”

  My Aunt Evie’s name is on the tip of my tongue, but I force myself not to say it. As soon as she hears it, she’ll know my true identity. This is the first opportunity I’ve ever had to get to know a woman without her knowing that I’m filthy rich. And while not telling Cassie who I am makes me feel guilty, the guilt doesn’t override my desire to have her get to know me without the issue of money between us.

  Cassie places her plastic knife and fork on top of the pile of bones in her to-go container and tosses it into the trash bag. “Maybe the fact that you grew up around a female pilot is the reason why you don’t have any trouble respecting my ability to handle a plane.”

  “You might be right. My aunt knew the guy who founded Northwest Airline,” I tell Cassie.

  “Really? I’d heard he was a decent pilot and a good guy. When the company hired me, some of his people were still in place and it was a decent place to work.” Her brow furrows. “Speaking of which, shouldn’t we take the information that Lynette is embezzling money from the company to the authorities? It shouldn’t be hard to prove. You wrote down all the account numbers, so even if she cleaned up the files after we left, the cops would still have something to look into.”

  I run a hand through my hair. “I think what we saw in Lynette’s financial records is just the tip of the iceberg. I think Northwest is involved in something far worse than skimming money off the payroll.”

  Ronan

  “Come again?”

  “I know it sounds completely crazy, and it’s probably going to sound even crazier the more I talk about it.” I take the papers from Cassie and fold them in half. “But I spent the better part of last night doing some research and I think I’m onto something.”

  “How’d you even come up with this idea?” Cassie asks.

  I quickly tell her about how we were in Berlin right before a sudden change in schedule had us flying into the city.

  “And your mind went from stolen animals to Northwest transporting them.” Cassie laughs.

  Despite the seriousness of our conversation, the sound still jolts right through me. Each time she unwinds enough to enjoy herself, even when it’s at my expense, I lose another chunk of my heart to her. Pretty soon, she’ll own it outright.

  “It’s not as big a leap as you think, and it explains why we keep getting rerouted to different locations, even though we seldom have enough passengers booked to justify the change in plans. Most of those changes sent us to Africa. What if the reason was because a smuggler had caught a wild animal and Northwest had to pick it up?”

  Cassie looks skeptical but at least she doesn’t come right out and say I’m delusional.

  “Why would anyone at Northwest be involved in something like that? What would possibly be in it for them?” she asks.

  “Money,” I tell her. “Turns out the black market exotic pet industry is a huge money maker. Experts guess that the sale of illegal animals generates about $15 billion every single year. The monkeys that were stolen from the zoo in Berlin are worth about thirty thousand dollars apiece on the black market.”

  “Thirty thousand dollars,” Cassie repeats. She looks a bit shell shocked. “Just for a monkey? I’m in the wrong business.”

  “Yeah,” I agree, “and if I’m right, I think some of the execs at Northwest thought the same thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t why they bought the company a few years ago.”

  “Really?” Cassie looks like she’s coming around to my way of thinking.

  “By airline standards it’s small enough to operate with a relatively small staff, which lessens the odds of anyone finding out about the animal smuggling part of the industry, yet large enough to justify flying into any airport in the world in order to pick up passengers. It’s based in Texas, which is the one state that doesn’t have any rules about exotic animals being brought into it, and I’m guessing there are lots of people in Texas that know exactly what to do with an endangered monkey that’s suddenly for sale.”

  “I have heard of a few people in the area who own tigers, though I don’t know if the rumors are true,” Cassie muses.

  “You have a contract with Northwest, don’t you?”

  Cassie nods. “Yeah, I’m one of the last pilots that had to sign one. The new management doesn’t bother with them. I keep trying to get out of it, so I can get a job with a better airline, one that treats me better and maybe even pays more, but so far, Northwest refuses to release me. The contract expires in about two years, thank God.”

  “I bet the reason the company stopped having pilots sign a contract is to encourage the high turnover. Young, inexperience
d pilots are going to be less apt to think about irregular repair reports or complain about spur of the moment changes to the schedule. They’re also likely to leave the company, rather than looking for internal problems.”

  “But why make it seem like the company is barely making any money?”

  “That’s something that bugged me too,” I tell her, “but I think I’ve got it worked out. I think it’s a clever scam. The company isn’t doing well enough to attract potentially nosy investors, but not so badly that neither the investors or IRS have bothered investigating it.

  Cassie purses her lips. “I guess it’s possible.” She waves a hand over the papers. “But what does that have to do with the repair records?”

  “I’m not really sure, but my gut tells me they’re connected. My theory is that since some of the repairs require large parts and the plane to be placed in a hangar, they’re using the repair work as a way to move the stolen animals on board.”

  Cassie chews on her bottom lip and considers my words. “It sounds plausible. I guess.”

  She tips her head to the side and shoots me a considering look. Something about the expression in her eyes causes my cock to leap to attention.

  “You’ve put a lot of time and thought into this, haven’t you?”

  “A bit,” I admit, wondering where she’s going with the question.

  “And all because you’re worried about a few monkeys who were taken out of a zoo.” Cassie’s voice develops a sexy purr. The sound causes my cock to press even harder against my fly while my heart slams against my sternum. Blood pounds in my ears.

  “I feel sorry for the monkeys.”

  Cassie shifts her position, moving until she’s facing me. Her legs curl off to the side. She stretches a hand out and slides her fingers beneath my T-shirt. My mouth goes dry and my knees literally start to shake.

  “I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this before,” she says. “But men who worry about the fate of some monkeys they’ve never met before are incredibly sexy.”

  Ronan

  Heat flames in my body.

  I shift as close to Cassie as I can and still avoid touching her. I was serious when I said I wanted her to call the shots in our relationship. I don’t want to do anything to chase her away again. So, even though all my instincts are screaming that she’s ready for me, I’m determined that she’s going to make the first move.

  “Is that so?” Desire thickens my voice to the point it’s almost unrecognizable.

  “Mmm hmm,” Cassie purrs. She shifts again, this time uncurling her legs and letting them hang off the edge of the tailgate. Her thighs part, silently inviting me to step between them. Her small, strong hand rests just above the waist band of my jeans. Her thumb slowly strokes back and forth, sending a sharp, electric jolt straight to my cock each time it moves.

  I dig my mental heels into the ground and stick to my guns, though I’m beginning to wonder if my determination to have Cassie spell out exactly what she wants is going to be the death of me. Is it possible for pent-up lust and desire to cause someone to spontaneously combust?

  Cassie’s eyes meet mine. Her pupils are so huge it’s nearly impossible to make out the dark brown that rings them. “You baffle me.”

  Okay. I preferred hearing how caring for monkeys makes me sexy, but I can change gears.

  “I don’t mean to be,” I tell her.

  “And I don’t like being baffled.” Cassie scoots her butt forward across the tailgate. The change in position puts her thighs on either side of mine. We’re so close our body heat and breath mingles, but still, Cassie’s hand under my shirt is the only actual point of contact between us.

  “What can I do to make things easier on you?” It’s getting hard to turn my thoughts into words.

  Cassie purses her lips and considers the question. “You could be a complete and total ass, like ninety-two percent of the male population, then I’d know exactly what to do with you.”

  “Yeah,” I agree. “You’d beat the shit out me. As much as I want to make things easier for you, I don’t want to turn into your personal punching bag.”

  “There’s that word again,” Cassie says.

  “Which word?”

  “Want.”

  “Oh.” I wait a long second before finally working up the courage to ask her another question. “Speaking of which. Have you figured out what you want yet?”

  “Depends on what you want to know. If you’re asking if I know what I want in the long term scheme of things—” Cassie shrugs. “I don’t know. But if you’re asking about what I want right here and right now, the answer is simple.”

  She leans forward until her lips are just a whisper away from mine. “I want you to make me come so hard, I scare the birds out of the tree with my screams.”

  She curls her fingers into the waistband of my jeans and gives a sharp tug, bringing my cock into contact with her sex. Even though we’re both wearing jeans, the sensation is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever experienced.

  Cassie takes my mouth in a kiss that causes my synapses to melt, making me forget about everything other than her taste.

  Too soon, she draws away.

  She reaches up and pats my chest. “Do you think you’re up for it?”

  Ronan

  Cassie doesn’t give me time to respond. She wraps her long legs around me, digging her heels into my ass as she grasps the bottom of my T-shirt and drags it up and over my head.

  I expect her to plaster herself to my chest and kiss me as if her life depends on it, but she doesn’t. Instead she leans back a little and strokes my torso.

  “When I was a kid, I went through this phase where I was obsessed with those ancient statues of naked Greek men. The ones that don’t have any arms or legs, that are nothing but a man’s upper body.” Cassie drags her hand down my chest and across my stomach. “I thought they were the most beautiful things in the world. I would look at pictures of them for hours and daydream about being rich enough to own one of my very own.”

  “I’ll buy one for you if it means you’ll kiss me one more time,” I tell her.

  “I don’t need one anymore.” Cassie’s hands glide back up my body. “I’ve got you. You’re even more beautiful than those old hunks of marble.”

  Her hands slide downward again.

  This time they don’t stop at my waistband, but keep traveling downward, moving over the top of my jeans. She wedges her fingers between our meshed bodies, wrapping them around my cock as best she can and giving it a little squeeze that nearly makes me come inside of my pants. Cassie’s grin is as wide and beautiful as the Texas sky.

  “And you have some more interesting bits.”

  “Cassie,” I groan. “If you’re not careful, I’m not going to be much good for you.”

  Cassie trails a string of kisses down the side of my neck and over my shoulder. The tip of her tongue flicks over one of my nipples, sending a white-hot jolt ricocheting through me.

  I wrap my fingers around the edge of the tailgate, holding on as if my life depends on it.

  “You’re a good guy.” Cassie and her magic tongue move to my other nipple. “And good guys always wait for their ladies, don’t they?”

  Unable to stop myself, I rotate my hips, grinding myself against her. Hot moisture seeps through her jeans, leaving damp smudges on my fly.

  “Sometimes we can’t stop ourselves.”

  Cassie laughs out loud. “Well then, we’ll just have to hurry things along, won’t we?”

  Her fingers worry at the button just above my fly. The pressure my cock puts on the material makes it difficult for her to work the steel button through the buttonhole, but after a few seconds struggling with it, a process that leaves me cross-eyed with want, she accomplishes her task.

  She shoves the jeans and my briefs down my legs. They bunch around my ankles, held there by my black leather cowboy boots.

  Desperate to see her, I help her shed her own clothing, not caring when my efforts
result in the tearing of cloth. “Send me a bill,” I mutter when a bra strap breaks as I undo the clasp. “I’ll replace your whole damn outfit. Hell, I’ll buy a whole mall’s worth of clothes for you.”

  Cassie shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “Don’t make promises you can’t possibly keep.”

  She places both of her palms flat on the tailgate and presses down on them, lifting her ass off the truck just enough for me to slide her jeans out from under her.

  I drop to my knees and slide her shoes off, so that the pants and soaking panties can fall to the ground, leaving her completely bare.

  I tip my head back to study her. The moonlight streaming through the long, swaying strands of the weeping willow tree cause dappled shadows to shift over her skin, enhancing her stunning curves and natural beauty.

  “You’re gorgeous.” I trail my fingers up the side of her left calf, loving how the slight touch causes her to gasp. “The most amazing woman I’ve ever encountered.”

  Cassie wrinkles her nose and rolls her eyes. “You’re full of shit,” she tells me. “But I won’t hold it against you.”

  Keeping my knees firmly on the ground, I rear up. The position puts my head level with the edge of the tailgate and Cassie’s lap.

  Sensing my intentions, Cassie spreads her thighs, providing me with an eyeful of her glistening, swollen sex.

  “Wow,” is the only thing I can think to say as I bury my face between her legs.

  My hands curl around Cassie’s hips, holding her in place. My tongue slides along her folds, gently nudging them aside before flicking over her clit, pushing it first one way, then the other as she gasps and squirms.

  “Ronan,” she groans. Not quite a scream, I note, remembering her challenge, but starting to get a little loud.