Okay, she could swoon over the flowers later, once she figured out how the hell they got in here in the first place.
A noise came from her bedroom, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Jesus. This was like the start to a bad slasher flick. Ominous gift of beautiful flowers, and then bam, next thing she knew she’d be tied up in a creepy basement somewhere while a clown doll rode around on a tricycle. Okay, maybe she needed to lay off the horror movies for a while.
She glanced around her foyer, again looking for a proper weapon, just in case her imagination was on the right track. Dammit, she should have listened to her sister’s advice to invest in mace. She wasn’t even wearing proper “I’m running from a serial killer shoes.” Yep, the only chance she had was to maybe impale them with the stiletto heel.
A rapid succession of gunshots fired from the back bedroom. Not the real thing, Abby realized, but on her television. Okay, this was a majorly fucked up serial killer if he was just biding his time watching TV in her bedroom before he kidnapped her. More gunshots rang out, and it sounded like one hell of a fight going on. Then she heard Gene Wilder’s voice and recognized the movie immediately. Blazing Saddles.
Hold the goddamn phone. Sunflowers and Blazing Saddles? No way. Only one person could pull that off. One person who shouldn’t even be here. He didn’t even know her phone number, so how did he get her address?
Her heart pattered frantically against her ribs, and a bubble of hope swelled in her chest. Could it really be him? Okay, maybe she missed him a little. And would like to give him an earful of how utterly uncool it was for him to bail out the way he did. And, all right, eye fuck the shit out of him.
She raced toward the bedroom, where Gage lay against her pillows, his hands folded in his lap as he watched a movie on her television. He was in dark dress slacks and a button-up shirt, and looked as delicious as ever. Damn him, why did he always have to look so enticing? It was utterly unfair, and her mind and body were definitely not on the same page at the moment.
Gage shifted on the bed, and her whole bedspread shuffled in one massive green blob. Spread out across the entire comforter was an array of clovers. Hundreds of clovers. Her breath caught in her throat. Sunflowers and clovers? She was supposed to be mad at him, but he was making this so damn hard. Plus, he was here, something she’d never expected.
As she moved toward the bed, she realized every single clover had four leaves, just like her earrings. What was that? Her heart melting into a puddle of goo? Nope. She’d stand strong and give Gage an earful, and then she could do the proper melting.
Her hand instinctively went to her ear, but she frowned, remembering she’d taken off the lone earing and placed it on her nightstand until she figured out what to do with it.
She cleared her throat and made a point to look mildly annoyed, because sunflowers and clovers be damned, did this guy really think he could just break into her apartment after leaving her high and dry? “What are you doing here?” she said, still stunned at his big frame on her queen-size bed.
He turned to her, and for the first time since she’d known him, he looked nervous. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
She wanted to scream “me too, you dummy!” but instead crossed her arms over her chest. Yep, she’d play this off cool. Nope, she wasn’t going to let on that she was, in fact, maybe doing a little fangirl squeal on the inside. “Okay. I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe you should have tried harder?” Wow, that came out a little harsh, but dammit, the dude deserved to grovel.
Those damn honey-colored eyes honed in on hers, and it twisted her insides to see how hung up this guy was at the moment. “I tried, trust me. But all I could think about was your cute laugh. Your body pressed against mine. How being with you just felt right. I need you, Abby.”
Do not smile. Do not. You are ice cold, artic cold. And dammit, he was the Southern California sun to her measly little ice cube heart. How the hell could she resist him when he said stuff like that? She put her hands on her hips. “Is this your form of an apology? How did you even get here?”
He gave one of those sheepish grins that sent her heart skittering. “I tracked you down through work. Did you know you’re a very hard person to find?”
Her stupid body was such a traitor when it came to Gage. Give it another minute and she’d put money on her being short a few items of clothing. Because if anyone could do it, he was the one person who could break past all her walls.
She rolled her eyes, pretending to look bored. But, really? He’d gone through all this work just to find her? Holy crap, her exes wouldn’t even trek across the room to grab the remote for her. He traveled across a whole country? Her heart beat sideways in her chest. She swallowed hard and said, “That’s not an accident.”
“Your landlord is a piece of shit, by the way. I fixed your leaky sink and the buzz in the refrigerator and told him that if he decides to ignore requests in the future, I’ll deal with him personally.”
Of course he fixed those things. He was a fixer, liked to take care of people. Ugh, chivalry was so not dead, and it did things to Abby’s lady bits that totally did not help in her quest to give him a hard time. She had to wonder, though. Why was the man here? They had been a weekend fling, and she got that, wounded pride and all. Why mess with it any further?
She smirked. “I appreciate that, but I could have fixed it myself, you know.”
“You are more than capable of fixing anything, Abby, but I wanted to do something nice for you. I want to take care of you.” He mashed his lips together, looking uncertain.
If that had come from anyone but him, she might go into a legit tirade, maybe even club whoever said it with her stiletto. But this was Gage, and damn it all to hell, she wanted to be taken care of, just a teensy tiny bit, by him. Heck, she wanted to take care of him, too. How could one weekend with a man elicit so many feelings that she didn’t even know what to do with them all? It was those damn crack pheromones, she was sure of it. “How did you even get into my apartment in the first place?”
“The landlord. I even had your sister vouch for me over the phone. Your coworker gave me her number. She’s a feisty one.”
Of course, her sister would vouch for him. Dammit, was that why she’d called? She knew Gage was going to be here so she made sure she left work at a decent time? Oh, that sneak. Payback would be coming. “I still don’t understand. We had a fling. It’s over.”
He smoothed his thumb over his bottom lip and took a deep breath. His brows creased, and Abby could tell that apologizing didn’t come easy for this man. He was out of his depth here, and she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. “Dammit, Abby, I miss you. The way you feel in my arms. The taste of you. The smell of you. The way you make me feel, both when I’m around you and when I’m not.” He frowned. “Especially when you’re gone. Leaving you without saying anything was a dick move.”
“Yes, it was,” she agreed. No matter how much she liked him, she wasn’t about to let a guy walk all over her.
“Trust me, I’ve regretted it ever since I stepped foot on the plane leaving New York. I’ve thought long and hard.”
“And?”
“And I think this can work. At least I want the opportunity to try. I know this sounds insane—and maybe it is—but I think long-distance could work. We have the phone, Skype, and we both have enough airline miles to last us years. Please give me a chance,” he pleaded.
Who did he think he was, waltzing in here, wooing her with four-leaf clovers and her favorite fucking flowers? Gage freakin’ Michaels, that’s who. The nerve of this man. He was standing now, right in front of her, his hands circling her waist. This big, hulking man that she couldn’t resist from the get-go was pulling out all the stops, and her reluctance to give in to him was crumbling into a pile of rubble. She only had so much left in her before she conceded to whatever he asked. “What if I’ve changed my mind?”
“You have every right to, especially after what I did to
you. But I’d kick myself if I didn’t at least try. You’re everything I’ve never known I needed in a woman. You’re the first person to understand my busy schedule, and I think you and your career are so fucking sexy. Please give me a chance.” He grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together, looking at her with those mesmerizing eyes.
Fucked. She was so fucked when it came to Gage.
“I don’t know. I feel like my luck with relationships has run out.” Between the loss of her earring, and the way the whole magical weekend ended on such a sour note, maybe she was destined for a sub-par sex life.
“We don’t need luck. I know your dad gave the earrings to you, but I don’t think those brought you all your good fortune throughout the years.” He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, his fist closed. “But just in case, I thought you could start making your own luck.” He opened his hand and in his palm lay a single four-leaf clover earring, one that looked almost identical to the one she’d lost. She turned it over and saw an indent where she’d banged it on the side of her bed when she was younger, and her breath caught. This wasn’t just a replica; this was the real thing.
Her hands moved to her mouth, and she drew a shuddering breath. “How did you find it?” Her pulse beat in her temples, and did she suddenly get something in her eye? She blinked a few times, clearing her foggy vision.
“A flight attendant put it in the lost and found. Figured since it was from first class, someone would come looking for it. Guess your father’s gift really is lucky.”
“Thank you.” This was quite possibly the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. Okay, someone must be cutting onions because tears welled in her eyes, and her throat tightened. Damn him. Why did he have to go and pull something so absolutely perfect that she couldn’t possibly not forgive him? She put her hand over Gage’s and closed her eyes as the warmth of his skin dragged along hers.
“Does this mean you forgive me?” His expression was hopeful. She’d never seen anything but certainty from him. She could tell it took a lot for him to put himself out there. For God’s sake, he flew across the country to find her. If that wasn’t the definition of romantic, she didn’t know what was.
She shrugged. “Maybe. Probably. I might need some convincing.”
“I think I can handle that.” He grabbed her hips with those firm hands and pulled her closer, nipping and kissing down her neck.
Abby knocked her head back and groaned. God, she missed this. Something about Gage was just so different from any other guy she’d been with. He’d taught her it was okay to let go, to give in to her desire. And holy hell, did she have a lot of that pent up the past few days. Heat pooled low in her belly as Gage guided her down onto the bed. In a matter of seconds, her skirt hit the floor, quickly followed by her blouse.
“Okay, I like the way you think.” It was useless trying to fight her attraction to him, her need to be around him. They fit together perfectly, and damn if Abby didn’t want to give this whole crazy idea of a relationship a shot.
Warm, calloused fingers slid over her curves as he continued to work his mouth over her skin. Her body molded to his touch, savoring every kiss, every nip, every lick.
“I’ve never met anyone like you before, Abby. Everything about you drives me absolutely insane. You’ve ruined me for all other women.”
Everything about Gage drove her mad. That smart mouth of his. The sweet gestures. His control in the bedroom. Everything about this man spoke to her. He totally got her, on every level.
“Give us a shot, sweetheart. I know it’s crazy, and we’re both busy, but I think this just may work.” His fingers continued to glide down her stomach, and slid under her panties.
Damn him. She was done trying to resist. If he was willing to give it a shot, she was, too. She had to, because everything about him felt right. “Under one condition.”
He smirked. “Anything.”
“We exchange phone numbers this time.” Her fingers raked through his hair as she pulled him into a kiss. Making their own luck turned out to be just what she needed.
Epilogue
One year later…
Abby’s nails dug into the armrest, and her head pushed back against the seat. Seriously, was this ever going to get better? Doubtful.
A strong hand reached for hers, and the tension that threatened to consume her like a tidal wave subsided.
“Everything is going to be okay. I’m here,” Gage said, massaging her hand. He planted a soft kiss on her palm, and his other hand ran up the top of her thigh.
This was the twelfth time they’d traveled together in as many months. He’d been great. Didn’t complain once when she squeezed his hand so hard that she feared he might lose a finger. So, maybe chivalry wasn’t totally dead. And maybe she didn’t mind it every once in a while.
“You say that every time, and it doesn’t get better.” She took a swipe at the earring that Gage had retrieved for her. Things had calmed down in her life in most aspects, but air travel was still a struggle. But the anxiety lessened whenever Gage was around. It was a nice feeling to know that someone wanted to protect her, and she’d gladly let him.
His fingers worked along the seam of her pantyhose, and a delicious heat spread between her thighs. “I can think of things that would get your mind off the flight,” he growled in her ear.
She rolled her eyes, but a smile spread across her lips. “We haven’t even taken off yet.” Not that she’d really pass up any opportunity for Gage’s hands to be on her body. They’d managed to see each other every other week, between the both of them traveling so much. Somehow their crazy schedule worked.
“Since when has that stopped you?”
True enough. They’d made their way into the mile-high club their last flight, and the bathroom wasn’t nearly as disgusting as she thought it would be—after taking a Clorox wipe to it first. Because, hello, MRSA was not something to fuck with. He’d laughed at her, but really, he should be thanking her for preparing against potential hazards.
“You ready to meet good ol’ Isabella Michaels?” He smiled and gave her hand a quick squeeze.
“Your mother seems more than nice. I’m not worried.” And in truth, she wasn’t. Gage had warned her that his family was old fashioned and stuck in their ways sometimes, but his mom had been nothing but nice to her on their Skype calls. In fact, Isabella had given Abby her secret recipe for cornbread. She’d surprised Gage with it on their six-month anniversary when he came to visit, and she could tell how homesick he really was. He seemed to be more at ease with the travel lately, seeming less cagey, which was always a good sign.
“Right. Why would the key set coordinator of Yellow Raft ever get nervous?” he mused.
A smile cracked at her lips. That title would never get old. She didn’t know what the future held with Gage, but everything seemed to be going perfectly at the moment. Hopefully they’d get to the point where they took it to the next level. Who knew where they’d live when that happened, but she had faith they’d get there someday.
Gage raised a suggestive brow and nodded his head toward the blanket in his lap. “What do you say? For old time’s sake?”
“I don’t know if you’ll want to if you see what I brought for the in-flight entertainment.”
“Color me intrigued.”
Abby pulled out her tablet and suppressed a Cheshire cat grin. She loaded up the movie, pushed earphones into the jack, and handed one to Gage. He furrowed his brows but took the earbud and placed it in his ear.
She pressed play, and his deep chuckle rumbled low in her stomach.
“Blazing Saddles. You sure do know the way to a man’s heart, sweetheart.”
She bit her lip and regarded him. She always liked to think that she’d end up with someone sexy, confident, and capable, but really, she’d hit the jackpot with Gage. Disney may have given unrealistic expectations, but he far surpassed any of those damn Prince Charmings.
“I have another idea first, tho
ugh.”
Okay, Gage passing up on watching the best western of all time? Something was up.
He shuffled around in his laptop case, which he’d stored next to him, while Abby closed her eyes and prayed to whoever was up in the stratosphere that the plane made it to South Carolina in one piece.
Gage’s hand caressed her leg, and the anxiety of the flight melted away. His touch always managed to do that to her. Magic hands. That’s what they were.
“Sweetheart.”
“Yeah?”
“Open your eyes.”
Abby peeked through one lid and found Gage on his knees in front of her.
“What are you doing?” Sure, she had bad anxiety, but the flight crew would probably frown upon her getting serviced in first class. “Can we at least wait until we land before doing that?”
He cleared his throat nervously. “I can’t go another minute without saying something.”
“Can’t you say it from your seat? What if we hit turbulence?”
“No, Abby, listen.”
She nodded.
“I love you. You drive me insane. Your ability to schedule every goddamn second of the day boggles my mind. And it still amazes me that you wrap yourself into a human burrito whenever we share the bed.”
“You make these seem like bad things.” She smiled. What the hell was going on?
“They would normally drive me up the wall, but you’re different. You turned my world upside down. You made me realize that I can have my job and a relationship, and I don’t have to sacrifice my happiness. You love me for me, and dammit, I can’t live another day without you. Marry me, Abby.” He pulled a little black box out of the inner pocket of his jacket. A glittering diamond emerged as he opened the lid.
Holy Christ. This was happening. Really happening. “Is that a question or an order?”
“Maybe a bit of both.”
She cut him a smile. “You know I can’t resist when you get bossy.”
He was still down on his knees, holding out the ring for her. “Is that a yes?”
Landing the Air Marshal (Snowpocalypse) Page 16
