She saw him instantly. She always did. He was standing next to a brand shiny new pickup truck parked next to 78 Zulu. It said something of her besotted state that she didn’t spare a glance for the Super Cub.
She couldn’t just see Liam’s smile from a thousand feet away, she could feel it. She always could. She made her way sedately to the tie-down and swung the tail around. She shut off the engine and the prop slowed and stopped. He caught the door in his hand as she opened it. “Hey.”
She returned his smile with one of her own that seemed to light her face from within. Did he look like that when he looked at her? He pulled her down from the aircraft and onto the tarmac and at long, long last into his arms.
“Hey backatcha,” she said, sounding breathless, her face turned up to his.
He looked at her for a long moment, his hands on her waist, her full, lush body firm against his, his own body already reacting because ’twas ever thus. “I missed you.”
Her eyes roamed over him, hungry for every detail. The thick brown hair that gleamed with reddish lights fell over eyes so dark a blue they were like the sea at twilight. His nose was arrogant, his chin obstinate, his carriage commanding. He was tall and broad-shouldered and long-legged and drew the world’s attention just by moving through it.
And he was smart, and funny, and kind. He was her lover and her best friend and her warm oasis in the indifferent desert that would be life without him. She could see his pulse beating in his throat and touched her fingers to it. “‘I am to see to it that I do not lose you.’”
“What?” he said, deafened by the look in her eyes.
“Nothing. Just me channeling my inner Whitman. I missed you, too, Liam. Every day.” She stood on her tiptoes, deliberately rubbing her body against his, and murmured against his mouth, “And every night.”
With a will of their own his hands slid down over her ass and pulled her in tight against him and he forgot the world until someone gave a loud wolf whistle and someone else yelled, “Get a room!”
He pulled back to see that she was flushed and laughing. Neither of them cared enough to look around to see who was making fun of them. “Let’s go home,” he said.
“Does it have a bed?”
“Clean sheets and everything.”
She stood on tiptoe and nipped at his bottom lip. “Take me there.”
Six
Tuesday, September 3
HE WOKE EARLY AS HE ALMOST ALWAYS did, no matter how active the day—or night—before had been. In spite of the unfamiliar surroundings he knew immediately where he was and who was sleeping next to him. He turned to look at her, a graceful sprawl of woman, face down, a tumble of bronze hair, brown eyes closed. One arm tucked beneath her pillow revealed a plump curve of breast, right knee raised—he couldn’t help himself and he didn’t even try, raising his head to look at the dark mystery that upraised knee revealed. He did more than look. He positively gloated over all of the richness that was his to rediscover, exploit, debauch. He rolled up on his elbow to place a soft kiss at the base of her spine and was rewarded with a long, sensuous moan. He was already hard but that sound, man. Everything stood even more to attention.
“I can’t,” she said, voice muffled. “I’m dead. I am officially dead.” She glared at him through her hair. “Killed dead by you, specifically.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, and knelt behind her, lifting her to her knees.
“Liam.”
“Uh-huh.” He slid one hand down her belly and between her legs.
“Liam.”
“I’m starving,” she said.
“We did miss dinner,” he said.
Explaining to each other why meant breakfast was even later. They ate it in bed. “Is Barton going to be pissed because you weren’t in the office by eight?”
He licked the marmalade from her fingers. “I’m not officially on duty until Monday.” He kissed her, enjoying the flavors of butter and orange and toast. And Wy. She was glowing. He didn’t doubt that he was, too, and wouldn’t have had a problem exhibiting that glow before anyone passing by. Preferably with his clothes on, but still.
“Yeah, but I know you. And I wish I didn’t know him.”
“What about you? What are your plans for the day?”
“I could just stay in bed. God knows I’ve earned it.”
He laughed down deep in his throat.
She kissed him, stopping the laugh. He was perfectly willing to shove the plates to the floor and push her back down on the sheets. It was a good look on her.
She laughed and slipped away from him. “My plans are to do form, shower, get dressed, and explore this new place you’ve dragged me to.”
He caught her hand. “Dragged?”
Her expression softened. She leaned down to kiss him. “Joke. Not a very good one, evidently.”
He was still wary. “Sure?”
She nuzzled his nose. “Too much bad history in Newenham. I was glad to leave it in the rear view. Pretty sure Tim felt the same.”
There was more to it than that and they both knew it, but she wanted him to let it go, so he did. “You picking up your new car today?”
“It’s twelve years old with 103,000 miles on it. Not exactly new.”
“What did the shop say?”
“The guy said everything under the hood is good to go. Says there’s a few parking lot dings and a chip in the windshield, but that’s all cosmetic.” She shrugged. “And, you know. It’s
