He needed silence. His mind needed to process just what had happened between the two of them. What had started out as a fun proposal had quickly become something more, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to face the feelings that had emerged.
Feelings that had to do with that blasted kiss that she had laid on him. The way her lips felt against his. The sensation seemed burned into his brain. The feeling of her body underneath his hands caused his skin to tingle. All of it reached into his chest and squeezed his heart.
He took a deep breath, willing his body to relax. Anything to remove his focus from the woman sitting next to him.
“Are you awake?” Anna’s voice broke through his thoughts.
He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah.” He turned to see that she was inches from him. His heart picked up speed, and he had to mentally tell it to slow down. “What’s wrong?”
Her lips were downturned, and her forehead wrinkled. “I—um.” She cleared her throat. “I’m nervous to fly.”
He studied her. She seemed so fragile, sitting next to him with her knees brought up. It reminded him of all the times he protected her and McKenna as kids. Like it was his job. Something he was made to do. And protecting Anna came as easily to him as breathing.
So, despite the warning bells that sounded in his mind, he reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He brought her closer and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
“I’ll protect you,” he said. His voice was deeper than he’d intended. He couldn’t be selfish right now and not comfort her, just because it caused his heart to race. No. He’d be the bigger person. Brave heartbreak, and help Anna.
She nodded and buried her face into his shoulder. She shut her eyes as the flight attendant began going over the instructions for takeoff. As the plane began to taxi from the gate, she gripped tighter onto his shirt as she buried her face into his chest.
And in this moment, it was just him and Anna. There was no press. No stupid, mistaken proposal. There wasn’t even McKenna and Sam. It was just the two of them. And Michael reveled in the feeling of her next to him. Needing him.
She knew him, deeply. Everything he was ever embarrassed to tell some girl he’d just started dating; he didn’t have to worry about that with Anna. She already knew. And she didn’t judge him. Even if he always seemed to make the wrong decision, no matter his intentions.
Bad decisions. He was good at those. Remembering all the drunken parties and ridiculous results, he wanted to push away from Anna. He didn’t deserve how she made him feel. She deserved someone who was better than him. Who didn’t come with the baggage he did.
She was his friend. And he was going to make sure that by the time this vacation ended, it stayed that way. He couldn’t risk their history for some fleeting emotions. He needed to be stronger. To be there for Anna. He’d take being uncomfortable with his ever-growing feelings, over hurting her.
He patted her arm as the plane took off, hoping it would appear comforting and not flirtatious. He never really knew when he crossed that line. And it was one that seemed to get him into trouble with a lot of relationships he’d had with women.
Daisy came to mind. She’d seemed so excited when he made the joke about them getting married and how many sponsors he’d get from an engagement like that. She’d taken it as a proposal, and before he could stop her, she was off telling her friends. By the end of the party, he was too drunk to remember what had happened.
Now, instead of cleaning up his act like Jordan, his manager, wanted, he was off making an enemy with the Mayor. Daisy would never forgive him, if she truly believed they were engaged, if he called it off.
Michael squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to push out the worry that filled his mind. He couldn’t dwell on issues he couldn’t fix. He’d enjoy his time in Bora Bora and then come home and fix the mistake he’d made. At least he called Daisy to tell her where he was going. He wasn’t that much of a chicken, to run away without a word.
Once they were at cruising altitude, Anna pulled away from his shoulder and looked around. Her cheeks were pink as she glanced over at him.
“I’m sorry,” she said. Her blonde hair was falling in waves around her face. He wanted to reach out and tuck it behind her ear, but that seemed a bit too intimate.
“It’s okay. That’s what I’m here for.” He shot her one of the cheesy smiles he gave the cameras. Anything to distract from the emotions in his gut. “Why do you think I have all these muscles?” The tension between them was palpable. He needed to pull back, or he just might do something he’d regret. And he wasn’t sure how many times his bad decisions could be blamed on their fake engagement.
Tucking her hair behind her ear she scoffed, “I thought you had those so when you got hit by a two-hundred-pound defenseman, you didn’t fold like a stack of cards.” She settled back into her seat. He watched her gaze out the window before she leaned back and shut the blind.
“What’s with you? You’re twenty-five. How is it that you’ve never flown anywhere before?” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. Anything to dispel the feeling of Anna’s body pressed against his own.
“I was going to go somewhere. Once.” Her voice trailed off as she pressed her lips together. Almost as if she were about to say something, but then needed to stop herself.
That intrigued him. What did Anna Short have in her past that she wanted to keep hidden? He shifted in his seat so he was facing her.
“You can’t just say something like that and then not tell me,” he said, nudging her with his elbow.
Her cheeks hinted pink as she shook her head. “I’m so embarrassed.”
He studied her. Why couldn’t she talk to him? They’d been friends once. “Come on, Anna Banana, you can tell me.”
She met his gaze, and an exasperated expression passed over her face. “Can that nickname just die now?”
He pulled back, plastering on a hurt and surprised look. “What? You’re not in love with Anna Banana?” He tapped his chin. “Okay, if Anna Banana is off the table, what about Anna Bobana?”
She reached out and smacked him. “No.”
“Ooo, what about Band-Anna?”
She laughed. The familiar one that he’d heard growing up. He watched as her eyes crinkled, and her dimples deepened.
“Band-Anna it is.”
Anna wiped at her eyes as she held up her hand. “No. Come on, Michael. I swear, all you’ll ever see me as is your kid sister’s best friend.”
He eyed her, stifling a snort. That was not what he thought about her at all. But telling her what his mind was thinking seemed to go against his resolve not to hurt her, so he just shrugged. “So you want something more grown up. Hmm.” He tapped his chin again. “How about Your Highness Miss Anna Short of the New Jersey Shorts.” He circled his hand in the air a few times before he pretended to bow.
When he came back up, Anna rolled her eyes.
“How about, Anna. And that’s it.”
Michael shrugged. “If you want to be boring.”
She laughed, but then her expression grew serious. As if she’d suddenly remembered something. A hurt in her past. Why couldn’t she tell him?
He reached out and rested his hand on her arm. “Come on, Anna. You can tell me.”
She chewed her bottom lip as she studied him. Then she sighed and picked at some non-existent lint on her pants. “Well, I was going to go to Australia with my boyfriend. Until he decided that it would be better for him to take his assistant.” She swallowed as she folded her arms. “They’re going to get married next year.”
Michael sucked in his breath. That had to hurt. “I’m sorry.”
She laughed. It was much more forced than the genuine one he’d heard moments earlier. “Wanna know the worst part?”
“Worse than him cheating on you?”
She nodded. “He was my boss, as well. I helped him get to where he is today,” she scoffed as she leaned back in her chair.
Anger built up
inside of his chest. What kind of loser uses and then dumps Anna? A sour feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. If he was honest with himself, that sounded exactly like something he would do. And here he was, allowing himself to have feelings for her.
She was already hurting, and he was playing with her feelings. Right now, all she needed was a friend and someone to help set her up with a good guy. And he was as far from good as they came.
He gave her a smile as he squeezed her hand. “What’s his name?” he asked, nonchalantly. A good friend would visit this loser to show him what happened to people who hurt those they cared about.
Anna shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. Now, I just need to focus on the future.” She blew a strand of hair from her face. “Problem is, not a lot of people are hiring PR advisors.”
That’s what she did? Now that Michael thought about it, he remembered McKenna saying something about that.
“I’ll hire you.”
Anna raised her eyebrows. “You’d hire me? Don’t you have a manager who does that?”
“Yeah, Jordan. But I’ve been getting requests to do some sponsorship things. I’d love to have you on board. Jordan thinks if I can get the press to write some more positive articles, better offers will roll in.” He glanced over at her, not sure what to make of her expression.
Her eyebrows were drawn together, but she wasn’t saying no. So perhaps, she was thinking it over. Then she sucked in her breath and shook her head. “Would I have to move to New York?”
“What’s wrong with New York?”
Anna scoffed, “There are so many people.”
True. One street in New York had about the same amount of people as their little town in New Jersey.
The plane dipped down, and suddenly Anna was clinging to him again. Their entire conversation flew out of his mind. All he could think about at this moment was how amazing it felt to have her so close. He could still smell the lingering scent of coconut on her hair, and he wanted to breathe it in forever. To feel her lips on his again.
He cleared his throat as he tried to laugh off her reaction. “Come on, Anna. If you want me to take you serious as an adult, you gotta stop jumping.”
She pulled back. Her eyes were wide as she swept the plane with her gaze. “What was that?” she asked, her voice low.
“Sometimes the plane hits pockets of air. Or. . . an engine goes out and it takes a minute for it to come back on.” He stilled his expression, hoping that she would buy what he said. Joking seemed like the best way to dispel the feelings that were growing in his chest.
“Really?” she breathed.
He laughed. “No. Nothing like that. Most likely the air thing.”
She shot him an annoyed look. “Thanks for terrifying me.”
He shrugged and pulled a magazine from the chair pocket in front of him and began flipping the pages. Things were getting a little too personal. He was here to help McKenna. Well, and run from his mistake. But mostly help McKenna. Not fall for Anna. No matter how sweet, adorable, and familiar she was.
Anna reached into her bag and pulled out a book. She settled back in her chair and opened it up. He was thankful she didn’t try to push their conversation further.
He couldn’t get emotionally attached to Anna, more than he already was. He wasn’t sure if he could handle the heart break it would bring. They spent the next twenty minutes reading until sleep took over and Michael let the magazine fall to his side and darkness surround him.
He didn’t wake until the flight attendant was speaking over the intercom. He righted as he glanced around. A weight was heavy on his shoulder. He turned to see that Anna had fallen asleep and was resting her head next to his.
He hesitated, enjoying the feeling of her so close to him. Why did planes have to have such narrow seats and spacing? It was inconvenient when you were trying to convince yourself that you didn’t have feelings for the girl next to you.
Perhaps on the next flight, he could switch seats with McKenna. Even though it put him in economy, and next to Sam, he couldn’t help but think that perhaps, that was the best idea. He feared that if he stayed sitting next to Anna for the flight from Los Angeles to Bora Bora, he just might come out of the plane completely and utterly smitten with Anna Short.
And right now, that was the last thing either of them needed. He was the worst person for Anna to ever have feelings for. He was a mess, and she deserved so much better.
“Hey,” he whispered as he closed his eyes for a moment and nudged Anna.
She moaned and shifted, pulling back to look at him. That movement brought her inches from his lips. Taking that moment to kiss her would have felt as natural as breathing. He leaned in for a split second but then pulled back.
He couldn’t be selfish. Not with Anna. So he smiled at her and wiped at his shoulder. “You’re drooling on me.”
Her complexion reddened as she covered her mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m used to it.”
Her eyes widened as she nodded. “Of course. All those women in the magazines. I totally get it.”
Not sure what she meant by that, Michael just nodded. The press always made a bigger deal out of his onetime dates then was necessary. But if she believed that he’d dated a bunch of women, then so be it. Anything to keep her farther away from him.
He reached down and grabbed the backpack he’d brought, from underneath his seat. “So I was thinking, if we are going to implement plan get McKenna and Sam back together maybe we should do some recon and discover just how bad things are.”
Anna reached for her purse. Once it was on her lap she nodded. “I’m game. What do you want me to do?”
“I was thinking during the next flight, we split up and find out what we can. Then, when we get to our love hut, we can chat about it.” As soon as he used the phrase that the travel agent had used to describe the huts that were available to rent from the resort, he winced.
“Love hut?”
“Did I say love hut? Well, love hut for McKenna and Sam. Home base for you and me.”
Anna’s eyebrows went up higher.
Heat crept up Michael’s skin. Why did he keep putting his foot in his mouth? “I meant home base as in the place we go to during this mission. Not the base I was hoping to get to. . .” He let his voice trail off. There was no redeeming himself now.
Anna just laughed and unbuckled her seatbelt as soon as the light above them went off. “Sounds good. We’ll reconvene at home base.” She gave him a wink.
Michael just gripped his backpack as he watched the other passengers slowly file off the plane. In mere moments, he would be away from Anna and right now, that was all he needed.
Chapter Seven
Anna
Anna was relieved when Michael asked if she would be okay if they switched seats on the next few flights so they could do some recon with McKenna and Sam. Part of her wondered if it was because of the intimate interactions that kept happening between them. But, she brushed the thought off as crazy talk.
The airline attendant started her pre-flight check as Anna buckled her seatbelt next to McKenna. Thankfully, Michael had offered his first-class seat to McKenna in exchange for her economy seat next to Sam.
McKenna was more than happy to give up her seat and was currently stowing the tray table and spreading the complimentary blanket across her lap.
“Michael sure knows how to fly,” she said as she accepted some sparkling water from the attendant who was making her way down the aisle.
“Yeah, it’s nice.” Anna cleared her throat as she focused on her hands in her lap, trying to distract herself from the fear building in her chest. She didn’t have Michael for this takeoff and was mentally telling herself to breathe. She could do this. Right?
“It’s so much better here, than back with Sam. That man slept the whole plane ride. Like, before we even took off he was sawing some hard z’s.”
From the corner of Anna’s eye, she saw McKenna lean
closer. “You okay? You’re paler than a sheet.”
Anna nodded. “We just need to get into the air, and then I’ll be fine. Or at least that’s how it was for the other flight.” She swallowed as she squeezed her eyes shut and told herself to calm down.
McKenna sighed as she leaned back in her chair. “I told you it was crazy that an adult your age has never ridden on a plane before.” She clicked her tongue. “It’s settled. Once we get back, we’re doing more trips together. After all, if my marriage is doomed, I might as well have some fun.”
Anna turned to look at her best friend. “Kenna, seriously? Your marriage isn’t doomed. You’re going to work this out. I promise.” She reached out and patted McKenna’s hand.
McKenna stared at her lap, and Anna could see tears forming on her lids. She was hurting. Anna could see that. She just wished there was more she could do than just offer words of encouragement.
“I hope so,” McKenna said. Her voice barely a whisper. “I just wish I could figure out how to get Sam to talk to me again. It’s like I’m failing him at everything. I lost my job last month. I can’t get pregnant. I burn any dinner I try to make.”
Anna stared at her. “You lost your job?”
McKenna nodded. “Yeah. Apparently, they’re getting rid of my division. Last one in, first one out.” She sighed and leaned back on the chair. The flight attendant stopped at their row and reminded them to push their purses under the seat. Anna and McKenna complied.
“He can’t blame you for any of that. The company let you go. And you’ve always been a bad cook—he married you with that knowledge. And. . .” Anna wanted to say something about the infertility but wasn’t sure what. This was an aspect of marriage she wasn’t sure she was qualified to talk about.
“And the lack of babies isn’t my fault either?” Her voice broke as she wiped at a tear. “Except it is my fault. Or, at least, that’s what the doctor told us. I’ve failed him. I wouldn’t blame Sam if he wanted to leave. I’d leave me as well.”
Anna wished she’d prepared better for this conversation. What had started out as just a recon mission was quickly turning into something more.
Marrying an Athlete Page 5
