something to distract me. Takeoffs and landings freak me out the most. That and looking out the window when we’re over water.”
“Looking out the window freaks you out?”
“Sort of.”
“So why the window seat?”
“Because looking out the window keeps me from feeling claustrophobic.”
“You’re claustrophobic, too?”
“Only when I feel closed in.”
He laughed again, the corners of his brown eyes crinkling. “You’re funny.”
“I’m happy that you find my terror amusing.”
“It is a seven-hour flight. I have to take my amusement where I can find it.” The teasing expression in his eyes warmed her from the inside out.
The plane rushed down the runway, gathering speed, the tarmac whizzing by in a gray-black blur. Roxie gripped the armrest.
Dougal held out his palm. “I’m here if you need a hand to hold on to.”
Gratefully she took it, but the minute his fingers closed around hers, Roxie realized she’d made a grave mistake. His grip was firm, his palm calloused. His scent, a complicated aroma of spicy cologne, leather and sunshine invaded her nostrils.
Madness.
The plane was airborne, soaring.
Treetops fell away. Vehicles crawling along the freeway in rush-hour traffic glimmered like spotted stones. The early-morning sun burned orange against the clouds. Roxie jerked her gaze from the window to stare at the man beside her.
The warmth inside her kicked up to a sultry simmer. A labyrinth of emotions pummeled her. Overwhelmed, Roxie had to remind herself to breathe. What was going on here? Why was she feeling so…so…what was she feeling?
Attracted.
Yes, that was the word. She was attracted to him and the feeling scared her.
He held on tightly to her hand, and she closed her eyes so he couldn’t read what she was struggling to hide.
The landing gear came up with a bump. Her eyes flew open. The sound never failed to send her heart lurching into her throat. Dougal squeezed her hand. A sexual tingle shot all the way up to her shoulder.
Think about something else.
But that was difficult to do, considering how delicious he smelled and how his quick-witted banter reminded her just how long it had been since she’d had sex.
Roxie tried to concentrate on the luxurious surroundings. The state-of-the-art flat-screen television sets at each seat were so sophisticated they’d make a techno geek weep with happiness. There were the elaborate meal menus that could send a gastronome into paroxysms of epicurean delight and the butter-soft, oversize leather chairs with enough legroom to satisfy the long-legged man beside her.
“How long have you been a tour guide?” She searched for something neutral to talk about, something that wouldn’t inflame the feelings burning through her. Or result in her inadvertently giving herself away.
“I just started,” Dougal explained. “In fact, this is my first trip.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“You seem so self-confident.”
“It’s all an act,” he confided. “Inside, my knees are jelly.”
“You fooled me.”
“How so?”
“You don’t look like you’re scared of anything.”
“Looks can be deceiving.” The way he said it, the penetrating expression on his face made her feel as if he’d whipped off all her clothes and she was sitting there stark naked.
“What did you do before you took this job?” she asked.
“Variety of things.”
“You seem a little old to still be finding yourself.”
“Some of us are late bloomers.”
“Late-blooming jelly knees? I’m not buying it.”
He stroked his bearded chin. “No?”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-three. You?”
“Anyone ever tell you it’s impolite to ask a woman her age?”
“You brought up the topic,” he pointed out.
“I guess I did. How old do you think I am?”
“That’s so not fair. If I guess that you’re older than you are, then you’ll never speak to me again and that would be such a shame because you’re definitely a woman worth speaking to. So let’s see. You’re sixteen going on seventeen?”
Okay, so she was flattered. Roxie didn’t get this kind of talk from men very often. Mainly because she avoided situations where such talk could spring. To be honest, she avoided men and any hint of romantic relationships, but she wasn’t dumb. She knew it was part of his tour guide please-the-customer shtick, so she relented and let him off the hook. “I’m twenty-eight.”
“And you’ve got your life all figured out?”
She shrugged. “I guess.”
He reclined his seat, crossed his ankles. “What do you do for a living?”
“Executive assistant,” she said, wanting to lie as little as possible.
“Is this your first trip to Europe?”
“Yes. You?”
“Been many times. Twelve years in the Air Force.”
“I guess that’s why you became a tour guide? You know your way around the world.”
“I’ve been around the block a time or two.” He narrowed his eyes, his smile turned wicked and for a moment he looked positively hawkish. A calculating raptor analyzing the habits of his prey just before he swooped in for the kill. Suddenly she felt like a field mouse who’d ventured too far from home. What on earth had made her believe she could pull off something like this?
“Do you like music?” he asked.
“Sure.” She shrugged. Act nonchalant, sophisticated. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“Not everyone. I ask because Eros Airlines has satellite radio piped in. Listening to music might help you relax.”
He leaned over her to reach for the console containing the small flat-screen television. She tried
