Kendra had been outside no more than two minutes as she waited for the driver to get her bags from the trunk, but her toes were already getting cold in her stylish, though impractical, boots. She then quickly paid the driver before making her way to the nearest door with her large suitcase.
Kendra was happy to finally push through the revolving doors behind a family that had so much luggage, they must’ve been going on a several-month trip. But no sooner had Kendra come through the doors when she promptly came to a stop. As she stared at the sight before her, her mouth fell open.
Had she ever seen this many people at this airport before? Suddenly, she was wondering if she’d even get on her flight. She still had to make it through the massive crowds and security before she would even reach her gate.
I still have an hour and a half before the plane begins boarding, she told herself and felt reassured for if only a moment.
She started through the thick crowd of people, heading in the direction of the ticket counter. That’s when she came up to a wall of bodies and realized the wall was part of a line. Her stomach dropped—she couldn’t see the end of the line. It went on and on, wrapped around and ended at one of the far glass doors as far as she could see.
“Darn it,” she muttered civilly, though she really wanted to clench her fists and scream at the top of her lungs. What a horrible day to be traveling.
The people surrounding her looked defeated. Babies were crying. Children were antsy. Not a single person around her looked happy. Clearly everyone was on edge because they were stuck in this horrendous line and at risk of not making their flights.
Kendra turned right, hoping to head to a self check-in kiosk, only to realize that she was in the line for self check-in.
Her flight was supposed to board in ninety minutes. But if everyone here had to check in and then go through security, she would never make it.
I should have only taken a carry-on, she thought. But the next moment, she steeled her back. She was here, and she was going to catch her flight.
Maybe there was a way to talk to someone from the airline, see if they were prioritizing flights in order of departure times. If her wait was too long, she would have to ask someone.
But for now, there was nothing else to do but join the line ahead, put in her earbuds and listen to her MP3 player in hopes of passing the time.
Her music wasn’t so loud that she didn’t hear one of the ticket agents coming by announcing that certain flights were canceled. Which caused Kendra alarm.
She was flying to New York City and then on to Louisville. Any delays would put her into traveling the next day, or possibly longer. And she definitely needed to be in Louisville in two days for her aunt and uncle’s anniversary party.
“Excuse me,” she called to one of the airline’s agents who was passing by. “Is flight 1431 to New York still on schedule?”
“The New York flight is still scheduled to fly. But if you’re catching a connecting flight in New York, you may not get on it. Apparently New York City’s weather is worse than it is here.”
Kendra’s stomach sank.
But then she silently repeated the mantra that she would make it to Louisville on schedule, hoping that the power of her positive thinking would influence the universe.
* * *
Kendra had made it to her gate—barely—but got onto her flight bound for New York City. She was happy—until she arrived at JFK Airport and saw the board lit up with cancellation notices everywhere.
“Louisville, Louisville,” she muttered, crossing her fingers as she scanned the list. And then she found it on the board for the airline.
DELAYED.
She could deal with a delay. At least it wasn’t canceled. As long as she got to Louisville tonight.
There was nothing she could do but head to the gate, which she did with music playing in her ears, helping her to feel less stressed about a situation she couldn’t control. She didn’t pay much attention to the chaos around her. Only when she got to her gate did she begin to take in her surroundings with the hopes of finding an available seat. Not immediately seeing an empty seat, she quickly turned her attention to the electronic board, which told her that the flight would be leaving forty minutes later than scheduled.
Not too bad. But that meant she had about an hour and a half to kill at this airport. Which she didn’t want to do standing. Certainly not in her boots with three-inch heels.
She scanned the seating area more diligently now. She would love a spot to sit and use her laptop.
And as her eyes landed on a familiar-looking face, Kendra’s heart immediately thundered in her chest.
No, she thought. No, it can’t be.
Damien Monroe?
Was he really sitting in the gate’s waiting area, or had her mind simply conjured him? She’d thought of him earlier at the senator’s office, so perhaps that was—
His head turned slightly, and then she knew.
It was him.
Panic seized Kendra. She didn’t know what to do. But a moment later, she pivoted on her heel, prepared to get out of there. She was almost sure he hadn’t seen her, and she intended to keep it that way.
“Kendra?”
Kendra halted, cringing as she heard Damien call her name. Why, God, why? After ten years of not seeing nor speaking to him, how was it possible that she had run into him in a crowded airport in New York?
“Kendra, is that you?” His voice was closer now. She couldn’t simply pretend she hadn’t heard him and walk away…
So she turned, and there he stood, only a few feet away from her. And when his eyes took her in and confirmed that indeed she was the Kendra he had known from so many years ago, they lit up.
“Kendra.” He placed his hands in his pockets as a smile spread on his face. “Wow. I can’t believe it’s really you.”
Kendra swallowed with difficulty. She didn’t know why it was hard to see Damien after all of these years, but the emotion that now clogged her throat made it clear that it was.
But perhaps she shouldn’t be surprised. Long ago, she had hoped for everything with Damien. But he had broken her heart. And as much as she had tried to tell herself that it didn’t matter, that she would move on and find someone else to love, that hadn’t materialized. Maybe that was why she had found herself comparing her last two dates to him.
“Damien.” Kendra plastered a smile onto her face. It was something she knew how to do. Sitting with Morris at senate meetings, meeting with lobbyists—Kendra knew how to put on a pleasant face even if she didn’t feel like it.
“Wow,” he said again. Then he stepped toward her somewhat awkwardly and opened his arms, as if he wasn’t sure he should greet her with a hug. And though the last thing Kendra wanted was for him to touch her, she allowed him to wrap his arms around her. In this airport waiting area, she couldn’t very well tell him not to.
And good Lord, she felt an unexpected jolt of heat. Damien’s arms were strong and oh so familiar, and damn if he didn’t smell incredible.
Kendra quickly stepped backward, not meeting his eyes as she stepped out of his embrace.
“How long has it been, Kendra?” Damien asked. “Nine and a half years or so?”
“Ten years and one month,” Kendra clarified and then shrugged nonchalantly. She certainly didn’t want Damien to think that she had counted the days since she had last heard from him. “I’ve got a good memory.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.” He paused and simply stared. Stared and smiled, as though ten years ago he hadn’t ripped her heart from her chest.
And as she tried to surreptitiously check him out, she couldn’t help thinking that he must have broken a ton of hearts since the time she had last seen him. The man was gorgeous. He put the F in Fine. He had the kind of looks that must have had women throwing themselves down the stairs if it meant getting to pay a visit to the handsome doctor. He had gone to NYU for premed, and Kendra had no doubt he’d become a physician.
She glanced around. She noticed at least a few women staring at her and Damien and was certain that the women were jealous he was talking to her instead of them.
Yes, Damien was that fine. He’d been gorgeous ten years ago, but he had matured into a man now. One who was as sexy as hell.
Kendra drew in a slow breath, hoping to calm her frantic heart. “Well, I think I’m going to find something to eat,” she announced, “because the flight has been delayed and there’s nowhere to sit over here.”
Damien looked at her a little oddly, as though disappointed that she was ready to walk away from him so quickly. “I guess you’re heading to Louisville?”
“Yes.”
Damien made a face. “Crazy weather, huh? I’m not sure we’re going anywhere tonight.”
“The flight’s only delayed by forty minutes. Which isn’t too bad, given that some are outright canceled.” Kendra didn’t want to entertain the idea that she might not make the flight. She had to get home.
“Look now,” Damien said, glancing at the gate’s information board. “The delay time just jumped to two hours.”
Her eyes widening with dismay, Kendra looked at the digital board. Within the minutes that she had been talking to Damien, the flight time had changed.
“No,” she uttered.
“First it was a fifteen-minute delay, then forty,” Damien explained. “Now two hours. If you ask me, this flight’s going to be canceled. The weather is getting steadily worse.”
“I need to get on this flight.”
“Yeah, so does everyone here.” Damien gestured to the crowd. “But if the weather isn’t cooperating—”
“Oh, no, no, no. We’re getting on this flight.” Kendra was used to taking charge in her role as a senatorial aide. It was a job that required her to be tough. So she headed toward the counter to speak to one of the agents. She wanted reassurance that yes, no matter how late, this flight was going to get to Louisville tonight.
She got to the counter just as another frustrated passenger turned and groaned. The female agent who greeted her gave a wary smile. It had no doubt been a long and stressful day for her, dealing with passengers who wanted answers.
But that didn’t stop Kendra from asking the question countless others already had. “Excuse me? This delay is only a delay, right? I will get to Louisville tonight?”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, I can’t answer that question.” The agent sounded exasperated. “We’re watching the weather, and all I know right now is that this flight has been bumped back.”
“But it doesn’t matter how late we leave, we will leave—right?”
Kendra was unnerved when she saw that Damien had come to stand beside her.
“Ma’am, if it’s safe to travel, the plane will leave,” the agent said, stressing the word safe—as if she couldn’t understand how many passengers seemed desperate to take off in the middle of a storm, their safety be damned. “As soon as I have more information, I’ll announce it.”
“Yes, of course,” Kendra said, defeated. Slowly, she faced Damien.
“Nothing we can do but wait,” he said.
“As long as the flight isn’t canceled,” Kendra said, more to herself than to him.
“On the plus side,” Damien began, “even if we do get stuck here for a couple of days, Christmas is nine days away.”
Kendra’s eyes bulged. “A couple of days? No…that won’t do.”
“Hey, I know. You see the stories on the news about people stuck at airports for days, and you never think it’s going to be you.”
“It’s not that,” Kendra said. “I need to be in Louisville in two days. My aunt and uncle are having a big anniversary gathering. Thirty years. I can’t miss it.”
“Hmm.” Damien pursed his lips. “I don’t know, Kendra. It’s not looking good.”
“But—but I have to get to Louisville!” How was it that her plans were being derailed by the weather?
Damien was silent as he regarded her. Kendra knew there was nothing he could say. Nothing anyone could say. The weather was beyond any of their control.
“Oh man,” Kendra uttered, dragging a hand over her face.
“Wait,” Damien said after a moment. “If worse comes to worst, maybe there’s a solution.”
Kendra narrowed her eyes as she regarded him. “How?”
“I’m heading to Louisville. You’re heading to Louisville. Obviously you can’t miss your aunt and uncle’s anniversary celebration,” Damien said, and Kendra could see his mind working. “Perhaps you’ll think this is a crazy idea, but if the flight is canceled, we can rent a car. Take our time and get to Louisville so that you don’t miss the event.”
Kendra stared at him, stunned. “You want to drive?”
“Only if it turns out that our flight is canceled. Because if it is, we could end up stuck here for days waiting to get put on another flight and wasting valuable time.”
Was Damien seriously suggesting that she get in a car and drive with him? As if they were friends? Kendra didn’t even want to contemplate the idea.
“I’m sure the plane will leave,” Kendra said, forcing a hopeful tone. “It might take a few more hours, but I’m sure it will. We’ll make it to Louisville tonight.”
Chapter 3
It didn’t take more than a few more minutes for Kendra’s forced smile to be wiped off of her face. Because the digital board suddenly changed from showing a two-hour delay to showing that the flight was canceled.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the harried agent behind the counter began over the speaker system, “due to inclement weather, the airport has made the decision to ground all planes.” Groans immediately erupted. “The flight to Louisville has been canceled until further notice. We’ll do our best to get you out as soon as we can.”
“When will that be?” someone asked.
“We’re stuck here for the night?” someone else asked.
Kendra was already charging to the counter behind the horde of other unhappy customers. No longer were people being civilized. They were elbowing and jostling to get a better spot in the line.
“…at least put us up in a hotel?” someone was asking.
“This is an act of God, beyond our control,” the agent was saying. “As soon as I know anything, I will let you know.”
Wanting to scream, Kendra whirled around. There was no point talking to the agent. She wouldn’t have any answers for her.
“You know how this works, right?” Damien asked. “If flights are going out tomorrow, the people booked on them still keep their seats. Everyone booked on this canceled flight gets on a standby list—unless the airline adds more flights—and when you’ll finally get a seat on a plane is anybody’s guess.”
“You’re not making me feel any better,” Kendra said.
“It’s all the more reason we should hit the road together—if you want to make it home in time.”
Kendra said nothing. She began to pace, needing to think. She was one person. It stood to reason that it would be easier for her to get onto a flight than a family of three and four.
But what if she didn’t?
She bit her inner cheek. Could she really contemplate being in a car with Damien from here to Louisville? That would be torture.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass,” Kendra said.
“What are you going to do then?”
“It’s going to work out,” she told him, all too aware that she sounded like a child who refused to believe the truth simply because she didn’t like it. But how could Kendra ever get in a car with Damien? It was hard enough standing next to him right now, so how could she handle being in a car with him for hours?
“I’m just saying that I have to get back to Louisville, too. I’m happy to do the driving.”
Kendra sucked in a breath before speaking. “If you want to rent a car, that’s great. I’m going to wait it out here. But thanks for the offer.”
She made a move to step away from him, but suddenly
his hand was on her arm. And good God, there it was again—a zap of heat. How was it that her body didn’t remember that this was the man who had broken her heart?
Given the way heat was pooling in her belly right now, it was obvious that her body remembered all too well the way they had once connected—a connection that seemed so profound at the time that Kendra thought nothing would ever come between them.
But it had only taken a bit of distance to rip them apart.
“Hey,” Damien said softly, and Kendra thought he sounded a little contrite. “I get that this is…awkward. I haven’t seen you in ten years. I’m just trying to propose a practical solution. We were always friends—”
“Friends?” Kendra countered, pulling her arm from his. “Friends return phone calls. We stopped being friends a long time ago.”
“I hear you,” Damien said. “But ten years have passed—”
“But?” Kendra interjected. “But? You think I forgot? You think—” She stopped abruptly, realizing that she had raised her voice. Stiffening her spine, she glanced around, hoping that in this crowd of grumpy travelers, she would not have garnered any unwanted attention.
“Kendra,” Damien said in a quiet tone she knew was meant to mollify her.
“I can’t do this,” Kendra said.
And as she spun around, jerking the handle of her carry-on suitcase harder than was necessary, she heard Damien groan. But she didn’t stop. She started out of the seating area with purpose.
She felt stifled. It was hard to breathe. She put one foot in front of the other and strode purposefully away from the gate.
Throwing a quick glance over her shoulder, she was relieved when she saw that Damien wasn’t following her.
* * *
Damien watched Kendra all but sprint away from the gate. Obviously, she couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
Not that he didn’t understand why. Many years ago, they’d fallen in love. But two months into their lives at separate colleges, that love had come to an abrupt end.
There was no doubt that it wasn’t easy running into an ex. And yet, Damien hated the way her eyes had widened with discomfort when she’d regarded him. The last time he’d seen her, her eyes had been filled with passion and love. The way she had looked at him today was a stark contrast.
Merry Sexy Christmas Page 11
