“No, not strictly business,” Lindsay murmured, her head down.
“Well, you want to meet up for a drink?”
Than jerked around to stare at the man. What on earth? The guy hadn’t even been sitting beside her for five minutes and was already making a move. He was an idiot if he couldn’t read the disinterest in Lindsay’s body language. Than had no problem interpreting the leave me alone signals that she was sending the man. They were similar to the ones she’d sent his way on more than one occasion.
Though he’d originally planned to let her handle the situation, if this was how far south it had gone in less than five minutes, the ninety minute trip to Detroit was going to be miserable.
Resting his hand on Lindsay’s arm, Than leaned toward the man. “We’d love to meet for drinks. Where do you suggest?”
The man’s eyes widened as his gaze dropped to where Than touched Lindsay. “Uh, on second thought, I’m not sure if I’ll have much time. Business stuff, you know.”
“That’s a shame,” Than said with a grin as he lifted his hand from Lindsay’s arm and settled back in his seat. She didn’t look at him or say anything, but he could feel the tension ease from her body. Oh yeah, this was gonna be a fun two weeks. Not only was he going to have to protect Lindsay from kidnappers and terrorists, he was going to have to ward off lecherous men as well.
~*~*~
Lindsay wasn’t all that keen to be invading Than’s space, but it was definitely the lesser of two evils. And given how he’d just come to her rescue, she hoped that he understood why she was scooched right up against him and not read anything into it.
She let out a quick breath as the plane lurched and began to move back from the terminal. The flight was only ninety minutes. Hopefully, the dude would just keep his nose buried in his phone or stare out the window or something. As long as it wasn’t trying to engage her in any more conversation.
And please, God, let whoever I’m sitting next to for the thirteen-hour stretch be someone nice. Preferably a woman.
Because their group was large, they hadn’t been able to get seats together. The team members were seated in groups of two or three throughout the cabin. She still wished she could have flown first class. Then it would have been just her and Than in that row and she wouldn’t have had to invade his space in order to get away from the dude by the window.
Lindsay wasn’t a nervous flier, but take-offs and landings were not her favorite parts of a flight. Even on their private jet. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as the plane gathered speed and then lifted into the air.
As the aircraft continued to climb, Lindsay heard Than say something. She opened her eyes and turned her head toward him only to realize he wasn’t speaking to her but to the pretty blonde woman across the aisle. The one he’d helped with her bag earlier.
Good grief. Five minutes on the airplane and all she got was hit on by an idiot who clearly didn’t understand that coming on that strong just wasn’t a good way to start a conversation. Less than fifteen minutes on the plane and Than was having a good ol’ time chatting up the beauty in the seat across from him.
If nothing else, it served as a vivid reminder that he was not the man for her. Women loved him, and he loved them right back. How could a woman ever feel special with a man like that?
Now that she had nothing to occupy her, tiredness began to overtake her body. They’d had to be at the airport by seven which meant she’d been up at five after barely sleeping four hours. Closing her eyes again, she tried to block out all the noise and let herself just relax. In first class, she would have been able to comfortably recline her seat and rest, but she wasn’t so sure she’d ever be able to fully relax squished in between two large men.
“Lindsay.”
She felt a soft touch brush across her cheek.
“Lindsay. Time to wake up.”
As recognition of the man’s voice sank in, Lindsay’s eyes popped open, and she quickly realized that she had, in fact, managed to doze off. Her cheeks flushed as she also realized that Than’s upper arm had become her pillow. Straightening, she kept her head bent as she tried to pull herself together. Between her position and the warmth of his touch, she was feeling more than a little vulnerable in that half-asleep state she was still in.
“We’re going to be landing in about ten minutes,” Than said. He held out a bottle of water. “I asked the flight attendant to give me a drink for you since you were asleep when they came through. I hope water is okay.”
Coffee would have been better, but given how dry her mouth was, she wasn’t about to turn down any liquid. She took the bottle from him and unscrewed the cap. “Thank you.”
“We’re only going to have about forty-five minutes between flights here, so we’ll find the gate first and if you need to use the restroom, you can do it then.”
“Okay.” She took a long drink of the water, grateful it was still on the cold side. “Is that going to be enough time for us?”
“Should be. Plus, we’re a big enough group that they’ll wait for us, I’m sure.” He paused then said, “You doing okay?”
Lindsay glanced over at him in surprise and then wished she hadn’t. His chocolate brown eyes held concern as he looked at her. He must not think too much of her if barely ninety minutes into this adventure—and without even having left US airspace—he was already concerned about her.
“Yep. I just didn’t get much sleep last night. A bit of nerves and an early morning.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to sleep on the next leg. Though you should probably not sleep too much near the end of the flight. We’re arriving around ten o’clock at night which means we’ll likely be at the mission house by midnight. You’ll want to be able to sleep so as to get over jet lag as quickly as possible.”
Since the only time differences she’d ever dealt with were the ones between Minneapolis and places like London and Paris, the jet lag from a thirteen hour time difference was going to be a whole other ball of wax. Particularly when she wasn’t going to have a few days of leisurely rest to get over it. They were arriving Sunday night and by Monday afternoon they were supposed to be heading out to the mission center where they would be staying for the bulk of their time in the Philippines.
Once again Lindsay prayed her way through the landing, her tension easing only when the plane taxied toward the terminal. As soon as it was stopped and the seatbelt sign went off, Than stood up and opened the overhead compartment. She stood as well and stepped into the aisle when he motioned her ahead of him. He put her bag down, and she reached for it this time, pulling up the handle. People from the rows in front of them had spilled into the aisles as well so they would have to wait before moving toward the exit of the plane.
“Thank you again.”
Lindsay glanced over her shoulder to see that Than had once again helped the woman across the aisle from them. He smiled as he motioned for her to step into the aisle in front of him. Lindsay knew it was stupid to let his helpful nature rankle her, but it was hard to deny that if the woman had been eighty instead of in her twenties, she’d be finding his actions a lot more noble.
“Are you staying here in Detroit?” Lindsay heard the woman ask.
“No. We’re catching a connecting flight to Tokyo.”
Lindsay let out a breath and tried to block out the conversation. She was glad when the passengers ahead of her began to move. Without looking back, she moved forward and breathed a sigh of relief when she exited the plane and began the long walk up the ramp. Remembering that they didn’t have much time, Lindsay moved quickly up the jetway, passing a few of the slower people as she went.
Than could take his time and chitchat with the blonde, but Lindsay wasn’t going to be the one to hold them up. As soon as she entered the terminal, she looked for the departures screen to confirm the next gate they needed to be at. She glanced around and saw the other team members straggling into the terminal area. They headed toward where the team leader and his
wife stood, so Lindsay moved in that direction as well.
“Let’s head to the next gate,” Mark said. “We don’t have much time.
She noticed that Than was standing off to the side, still in conversation with the blonde. Well, it would be on his head if he missed the plane. Keeping a tight grip on the handle of her bag, Lindsay moved with the group as they followed the team leader.
Thankfully, they made it to the gate with time to spare so she slipped into the restroom to take care of business. Thirteen hours on a plane meant that she’d have to use the facilities onboard at some point, but she wasn’t going to start out having to use them. Once she finished washing her hands, she took a moment in front of the mirror to smooth her hair and make sure it was still secure in her french braid. She resisted the urge to touch up her makeup. Although, she didn’t have much to touch it up with.
She’d made the decision to bring only the bare necessities when it came to her makeup. Though she was used to wearing makeup every day and rarely went anywhere without it, she knew this trip wouldn’t allow for that much pampering. Instead, she’d packed tinted moisturizer with a ton of SPF, concealer, mascara, and one palette of eye shadow.
As she exited the bathroom, Lindsay immediately saw that Than had joined the group. His brows were drawn together in a frown as he looked around the waiting area. When his gaze fell on her, his scowl deepened. Hoping this wasn’t a sign of how the trip was going to go, Lindsay lifted her chin and made her way to a section of vacant seats. She’d barely sat down when Than reached her.
“What on earth is going on?” he asked.
3
Lindsay glanced at him. “What do you mean? You said we needed to get to the gate quickly, so when Mark left, I just followed him. And then went to the restroom once I got here…as you suggested.” She blinked twice, keeping the innocent expression on her face though she was fairly sure Than didn’t buy it for a minute. “Did I do something wrong? I thought I was just following your instructions.”
Than’s brown gaze hardened as his lips thinned. It was tempting to look away, but Lindsay didn’t. She kept her expression pleasant as she waited for him to respond.
“You need to wait for me. I can’t keep you safe if you’re running off on me.”
“I was hardly running off. I was with the rest of the team. I was where I was supposed to be.” Even she heard the snark in that last sentence, and when Than’s eyes narrowed she wished she could take it back.
Before he could say anything, the attendant announced that the economy section was going to be boarded by rows. Lindsay glanced down at her bag and pulled out her ticket to check her row. It was as good an excuse as any to avoid Than’s gaze.
As the rows were called, she said, “I think that’s us.”
She grabbed the handle of her carry-on and stood up. Though she didn’t look to see if he was following her, Lindsay was pretty sure he was. She showed her ticket and ID to the agent then moved quickly down the jetway to the plane’s entrance. It was time to remember why she was on the trip. She didn’t need Than telling her what to do and where to go. She didn’t need him carrying her bags and acting all gentlemanly with her. He was here to make sure she was safe, but that was it. He needed to keep up with her, not the other way around. If he wandered off, it was not her responsibility to go find him.
When she reached their row, she snapped the handle of the carry-on down into place and had it up and into the overhead compartment before Than could take it from her. A look at her ticket revealed that she was in the window seat. She stepped into the row to be out of the way while she rechecked her ticket. If she was in the window seat, did that mean Than was in the middle seat since there were three seats?
This was a bigger plane than the one they’d just gotten off of. Instead of just two sections, this one had three with each of the side sections having three seats and the one in the middle having four.
When she felt Than move into the row, bumping into her back, she quickly turned and sat down next to the window. When he settled in the aisle seat, Lindsay realized that she didn’t like the idea of anyone sitting between them.
Than had pulled his phone out and was rapidly tapping out a message on it. When he finished, she said, “Am I in the wrong seat?”
He glanced at her briefly before looking back down at his phone. “No. Lucas took pity on you since you weren’t flying first class and booked an extra seat for this portion of the trip.”
“Oh.” Lindsay sank back into her seat, relief coursing through her. She hadn’t realized how much she had been dreading spending thirteen hours squeezed between two people—one of whom would be a stranger to her.
Lindsay looked out the window as the plane began to reverse away from the terminal. This was it. There was no going back now. Next stop was Tokyo and then Manila.
~*~*~
Than fought to keep his frustration at Lindsay under control. After all, he’d dealt with clients who were far worse than she was when it came to being demanding and making his life miserable.
Had she really been irritated that he’d stopped to help that woman? If that was the case, she was just going to have to grow up. He’d been taught from very young to help anyone who needed it. Be they one or one hundred, he offered his assistance. True, it was usually women who ended up being on the receiving end of his chivalry. But if it had been a really short man trying to get his bag up into the overhead compartment earlier, he would have offered his help to him as well.
Lindsay seemed to be under the impression that he purposely went out of his way to attract female attention. The reality was, it just came naturally to him. His mom had told him from very young that he’d always drawn people’s attention because of his friendly personality and his cute looks. As he’d gotten older, he’d found out that being nice got him more friends than being mean, and he’d liked having friends. So he’d been nice to everyone. The nerds. The jocks. The popular kids.
Yes, he’d been blessed to inherit his dad’s broad shoulders and height as well as a more masculine version of his mother’s beauty queen looks, but Than liked to think that people were drawn to him more because of his personality than his appearance. The only person of late who didn’t seem to be drawn to him on any level was the woman sitting one seat over from him.
Why that bothered him so much, he didn’t really know. He just hoped she realized that she was going to have to let down that guard of hers if this trip was going to be a good experience for her. When he’d questioned Lucas further about Lindsay’s participation in the mission trip, her brother hadn’t been able to give clear answers.
“To be honest, Than, I’m not sure why Lindsay has chosen to do this. She’s never shown much interest in spiritual things outside of attending church on Sunday.”
“Isn’t there some sort of spiritual requirement in order for her to join?” Than asked, not at all sure how things like that were supposed to work.
“Yes, and I went to the team leader about it. Interestingly enough, Mark said that while that was usually the case, in this situation, he felt it was okay to allow Lindsay on the team in spite of her low level of spiritual maturity. He said that often these trips can be as much about receiving a spiritual blessing as giving one. When I talked to Lindsay about it to make sure she knew what she was doing, all she’d say was that she felt this was something she had to do.” Lucas shrugged. “Apparently God is at work in ways I don’t really understand right now.”
While Than didn’t pretend to understand the faith that Lucas had or how strongly Lindsay did or didn’t follow that same faith, he was curious to see how things would unfold over the next couple of weeks. He knew he’d be getting a taste of that faith up close and personal since he was going to be with the team each and every day.
His parents’ faith was important to them and though he’d been raised in the church, he’d stopped attending in his mid-teens. They had been upset at his decision, but in the years since, even though they always told h
im they prayed for him, they’d stopped pestering him to go to church.
And they weren’t the only ones in his life who had a strong faith as part of their lives. He knew that both Trent and Eric were also regular church attendees. He was pretty sure the Thorpes were too but had no idea about Marcus. It really hadn’t been something he’d thought much about until the last few weeks.
When the plane began to gather speed as it moved down the airstrip, Than slid the phone into his pocket and leaned back, lacing his fingers across his stomach. He glanced over at Lindsay and saw that she had her eyes closed and her hands clasped together in her lap. With her hair pulled back in a braid, her profile was clearly visible to him. He noticed that she wore simple gold studs in her ears. She’d probably do well to just leave them in for the entire trip.
She had a soft profile with a rounded jawline and dainty nose. Than had a feeling that if he ran his fingertips across her skin, it would be satiny soft. His hands curled into fists, and he dragged his gaze away from her. He couldn’t deny that one of the reasons he’d taken this job was in hopes that Lindsay might see him in a different light and give him another shot.
As frustrated with her as he’d been earlier, he knew that she wasn’t always like that. Their trip to the Caribbean island for Lucas and Brooke’s wedding had shown him that. He’d wanted her to smile at him like she did when she’d interacted with Danny and Sarah. Or laughing like she had with Alicia and Victoria, Eric’s sisters. But as soon as she’d noticed him, she would withdraw as if afraid to let him see that side of her.
He could only hope that by the time this trip was over, that prickly attitude she had toward him would have mellowed. One thing he did know was that they couldn’t go for the full thirteen hours without talking.
Guarding Her Heart: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 1) Page 3
