Friendly Skies Page 6

  “I worked my way up for a while and then went back to school for my MBA so I could grab the next rung on the ladder.”

  “MBA, huh? That’s impressive.” He smiled.

  “I guess,” she said noncommittally. “Advertising has been a good career, but I’m not sure it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. It’s always felt like just a job.”

  “I guess I can understand that,” he agreed. “What would you like to do next? Any ideas?”

  “Kind of. I really want to teach. I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”

  She felt suddenly shy. She hadn’t told anyone about wanting to change her career, but she’d hoped that it would be something she and Greg could talk about while working on their marriage.

  “I’d like to teach high school history. My undergrad was in history. I’ve looked at teaching certification at UW in Seattle.”

  She just bared her soul to a stranger. What was this man doing to her?

  “I think you would make a great teacher.” Jason looked right into her eyes, his expression again unreadable. “Though, if you had been my teacher in high school, well, let's just say I would have requested extra tutoring after school.” He smirked.

  “You're shameless.” Judy responded under lowered lashes.

  He grinned. “You bring out the best in me. What else? Tell me about Greg. I mean, if you want to,” he said casually. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

  “It's okay. I will probably have to get used to talking about it,” she said, deciding to trust him.

  And with a sigh, she told him about how she and Greg met, started dating, married, grew apart. And the purpose for their trip. When she got to the part about their trip being an opportunity to work things out, Jason became indignant.

  “What? Instead of working things out he told you he's having an affair? What the hell is wrong with him? Jesus.” He shook his head and reached for his beer.

  “I've been asking myself that for two days. And, what is wrong with me for not seeing the person he truly is,” she confessed. She accidentally let the hurt of Greg’s betrayal surface, and Jason picked up on it. He put his hand over hers on the table. He felt warm and comforting.

  “There's nothing wrong with you. You trusted the man who pledged to love and honor you. You were right to trust him. He was wrong to break that trust.” His eyes softened in the dim light. “You deserve so much more, Judy.” He said in an almost whisper.

  The waiter brought the check and she realized it was nearly ten. Before she could reach her purse, Jason had paid the bill and would not let her contribute.

  “We should have gone Dutch, after all this is not a date,” she said as they walked out of the restaurant.

  “Yeah, well, I changed my mind about that,” he said as he stopped and pulled her to him.

  He paused as their faces were almost touching and his arms circled her waist. Her arms slowly wrapped around his shoulders, her hands found his neck, and her fingers twirled through his hair. It was so soft, just as she thought it would be. A low groan escaped from Jason, and his lips found hers. It was the slowest, loveliest, leaving-you-aching-for-more kiss ever delivered. His tongue gently parted her lips and explored her mouth. She explored him right back. She wanted to feel this man inside her mouth, inside her body completely enveloping her. His hands roamed her back and dropped lower, touching her. How long had it been since she’d been touched this way? He then put his hands back around her waist, let the kiss ebb and slowly end. They parted and she was dizzy and breathless. He looked at her with eyes filled with tenderness and hunger.

  “Wow,” he whispered. She sighed and leaned into him, hiding her face in his chest so he couldn't see the tears that were so close to spilling over onto her cheeks.

  “Hey, what are those for?” He said softly as he tilted her head up and he brushed the tears away. “I'm so sorry. I never should have kissed you. It was incredibly insensitive.”

  “That kiss was perfect.” The words came spilling out before she could think.

  “Judy….” He pulled away. Gently, but pulled away nonetheless. He obviously regretted the kiss immediately. Disappointment spread through her like wildfire.

  “No, don't. It's okay. I have had a wonderful time tonight. Thank you,” she answered.

  They walked back to the hotel in silence, but still holding hands. He walked her to her room, gave her a peck on the cheek, and the evening was over. She knew her tears surprised him, and he probably wasn't looking for such a serious encounter. It was just a kiss, after all. But it felt like a pretty big deal to her, and she’s still has the pesky issue of her marriage to figure out. Surely all of this was way too much baggage for Jason.

  But she also knew that the way he kissed her was not light-hearted. It was full of intention. No matter what he thought he was doing, that kiss was all about the beginning of something.

  Chapter Twelve

  JASON FELT LIKE AN asshole. He’d just had this amazing dinner with the sexiest woman he had encountered in a very long time, shared a steamy, perfect kiss, and then he botched it. It was everything a kiss should be. So why did he shut down after she said how perfect it was?

  It was her tears. It was totally the fact that she’d started crying that made him realize he can’t do casual with her. He didn’t want to be the one who made her cry, and he’d completely overstepped in kissing her at all. What the hell had he been thinking? Her world had been turned upside-down in the space of a couple of days and here he was, throwing gasoline on the fire. And then, to make matters worse, he pulled away from her, probably making her feel rejected. Well, shit. He did reject her, but for honorable reasons. Her tears made him realize that he was probably an unnecessary complication.

  But she’d made herself vulnerable when she kissed him and when she admitted how much she liked it. And when she started to cry. His silence and pulling away struck a blow, no doubt about that. Fuck.

  He sighed, staring at her door and finally turned to walk down the hallway. He pushed the down elevator button. His room was a floor up, but there was no way he was ready for sleep.

  “Hey partner, what can I do for you?” the bartender asked as he hopped on a stool on the patio.

  It was a perfect evening: warm, but with a steady breeze.

  “Bourbon, neat,” he answered.

  “Comin’ right up. So, tell me,” the bartender said as he set the glass down. “Woman trouble?”

  “Is it ever anything else?” Jason answered.

  “Nope.” The bartender smiled and ambled away to help another patron.

  Jason didn’t like the intensity of his feelings about Judy. He didn’t like that he was having trouble figuring out what he wanted from her. Or maybe he didn’t like that he knew exactly what he wanted from her. He wanted to think that he was just easing her pain while she’s here and they were sharing this island, but he knew he was lying to himself. He wanted more than a couple of turns in bed with her.

  He’d never been the one-night-stand guy anyway. It always felt like a waste of time with too much risk.

  It wasn’t fair of him to expect anything more from her than friendship. She had things to work out. Anything she might feel for him now was subject to change anyway because she’s vulnerable.

  But then he remembered how she looked this morning when he’d stopped by her room. She had been a vision in just her shirt and panties. The supple contours of her body were highlighted by her lack of clothing. Her messy, wavy hair and the sleep in her eyes gave him a sudden urge to wrap her in his arms and put her back in bed. It had been that moment when he had decided he was going to find a way to take her to dinner.

  Jason took a drink of bourbon and felt the burn settle in his gut. He was in trouble when it came to Judy. His feelings were going in a direction that was more than casual, and that was not a good thing. Tonight was starting to feel like an unmitigated disaster. All evening while they’d talked he’d been struck by how gorgeous she was. He
hadn’t felt bad at all for lying to her when he’d told her it wasn’t a date; she had dressed for a date. He knew he’d been attracted to her from the beginning, but after having seen her in nothing but a bathing suit all afternoon, and then the easy banter between them….

  He needed to be the consummate gentleman and keep things as low-key and casual as possible. She was not looking for a hook-up and he didn’t want a one-night-stand anyway. He wanted to be with her, but he wanted to be with her when he knew there was a promise of the next time, the next date.

  He took another sip of his bourbon. The problem was, right now, Judy was not able to have any dates at all. And this was not the way for Jason to get back in the game.

  His last relationship had ended two and a half months ago. It hadn’t been serious, but Vanessa wanted it to be, which was one of the reasons it ended. Jason wasn’t up for a serious relationship. Sure, in his mid-thirties he should be thinking about settling down and playing house with a nice girl, but he hadn’t found a girl that he could picture doing that with. Most women loved the fact that he was a pilot at first, thought it was some sort of sexy job. But once the reality set in that he’d be gone overnight almost every week, and when he was home he’d spend many hours at the hangar taking care of the plane and the myriad of administrative work that had to be done, the novelty wore off. It seemed no woman worth settling down with wanted a husband who could be gone overnight on a regular basis and home late on the other nights.

  But Jason loved flying. It was in his blood and he couldn’t give it up. It was the one thing in his life that made him feel whole and purposeful. His dad had been a decorated Air Force pilot. After he got out of the service, he founded the family business of charter flights. By the time Jason was a teenager, he was in the plane as much as he possible with his dad. He got his pilot’s license at 18 with every intention of working for his dad flying charter flights all over Washington and Oregon. He went to college at Washington State University because it was close to home and the business in Spokane. Jason sped through his undergrad in business so he could go to work for the company full-time. He had never wanted to do anything else.

  Maybe marriage wasn’t in the cards for him. With most women being turned off by his occupation when it came to a long-term relationship, maybe he had to sacrifice marriage to be a pilot. On the other hand, his dad managed to have a loving marriage and raise three kids.

  Vanessa had loved that he was a pilot, and she swore up and down that she’d never stand between him and his plane. But a few months in, he could already see the seeds of discontent starting to germinate. She had mentioned something about when they have kids his work schedule might have to lighten up. He’d been shocked about the mention of kids – that had been the furthest thing from his mind. But really, the kids comment hadn’t scared him, it was the not-so-subtle attempt to manipulate his workload, his flying. On top of the fact that he just didn’t love her, he didn’t see any reason for them to keep seeing each other. She deserved better. They both did.

  She was pretty torn up when they parted, and Jason had felt terrible about it. Mostly he felt terrible because he had hurt her, not because he was hurt. He had been ready to let go.

  When he pulled back from Judy, he felt a little like he was kicking a puppy, just as he’d felt with Vanessa. The difference was, tonight he was hurting, too. Something about this woman affected him, and he couldn’t bear the thought of being the one who caused her pain.

  He finished the last of his bourbon. He should not have kissed her, but he also needed to find a way to make things right with her. At least get them to a friendship.

  Chapter Thirteen

  JUDY HADN’T EXPECTED TO sleep at all after last evening’s events, but it turned out that she’d been tired. Maybe it was the emotional toll of the last couple of days, maybe it was all the sun and swimming, but whatever it was, she had slept like a baby. The first thought she had on waking was of that amazing kiss. She felt herself flush even just with the memory of it. She basked in the memory of that kiss for several minutes before thoughts of her failed marriage crept into her mind. She felt slightly guilty for being more affected by the kiss than by her looming divorce. That seemed wrong.

  On the other hand, who cared? Greg wasn't sitting around analyzing his profound love for Claire the dancer and obsessing over his failed marriage.

  It was a delicious and perfect kiss and she would treasure the memory of it forever. However, as with other relationships in her life, it was time to move on. She was determined to put the kiss and her time with Jason in its proper place. Just a little island fun before getting back to reality.

  She decided to soothe her ego with some retail therapy and explore the island. She was content with the fact that she’d had a glorious day, snorkeling, dinner, everything. She told herself not to expect anything more from Jason. She also told herself that she had no regrets. It was good to be truthful and let him know how wonderful and special that kiss was. It was okay that it would not be anything more. Maybe it was almost better that the kiss would stand alone. It was a perfect memory and reminder of why she should never settle. She should only choose men who made her feel like that kiss did. She promised herself that she would just enjoy this wonderful place for the little time she had left here. After all, she would have plenty of time to be sad and feel awful when she got back to Seattle.

  She settled in for lunch at an outdoor café near the resort. She sat on the patio and watched the trees sway in the light breeze. She listened to the ocean. It seemed like there was nowhere on this island that she couldn’t hear the surf. For a fleeting moment, she toyed with the idea of living someplace like this. How glorious it must be. Maybe she would take a surf lesson. She loved the idea of losing herself in the waves. Maybe it was just thing to take her mind off the men in her life. She felt like she’d sorted everything out just has her cheeseburger and fries arrived.

  “Hey, Judy.”

  Judy froze, burger halfway to her mouth. Having materialized out of nowhere, Jason sat down in the empty chair across from her. He turned on his shy smile.

  “Can I get you anything?” The server asked him.

  “I'd love a coffee,” he answered.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, finding her voice.

  Seriously. What the hell was he doing? God. It had taken her all morning to get her head in the right place after that kiss last night. What the hell did he think he was doing just sitting down at her table like that?

  “I saw you and I thought I would say hi,” he said amiably.

  That was the last straw. All her careful thinking and finding just the right attitude about Jason flew away on the wind and instead, the disappointment and humiliation of the last night resurfaced. She was pissed. He had pulled back last night without explanation. He’d hurt her feelings. Now he wanted to have coffee? She needed to swear off men. Clearly, she did not understand a single thing about them.

  God, but the man was beautiful and that just pissed her off more. He again had a day-old beard and his hair was sloppy. He had on a wrinkled gray t-shirt and old faded jeans. He was so perfectly disheveled with sex appeal coming out of his pores. It was so unfair.

  “Oh, well, hi,” she responded flatly, not quite meeting his eyes.

  She wasn’t even sure why she was so angry. If she was so Zen about the whole, treasure-the-great-memory idea, then sitting here chatting with him should have been no problem. He didn't owe her anything. It was his prerogative to back off after that kiss if he was too chicken to see where it went. Maybe he had been looking for a little fun but he had ended up with a girl who couldn't keep her feelings in check and a truckload of emotional baggage. She didn’t really have the right to be angry with him.

  But she was sick of having her feelings trampled by men and their fickle ways.

  She stabbed her fries with the fork. Then she tried to cut the burger in half but ended up cutting it to pieces while she was trying to pull herself together. This wa
s ridiculous. She blew out a frustrated sigh.

  “I think it’s dead,” he said, as he looked at her questioningly and pointed to her burger.

  She didn’t respond. She had no idea what to say. She finally met his eyes and glared back at him, irritated by the fact that he could be so light-hearted like nothing happened. He had rejected her last night and now he acted like it had never happened! She looked back down at her plate.

  He sipped his coffee, using it as camouflage while he studied her.

  “You’re angry with me,” he said slowly, setting his cup down on the table.

  He sat back in his chair, taking up as much space as possible, waiting for her to answer. He looked powerful, and almost like he was daring her to answer him honestly.

  “No, I'm not,” Judy spat.

  Ugh! Why couldn’t she control herself?

  “Well, yes, maybe.” She sighed. “I'm really angry with me. I ruined a lovely evening.”

  She threw her fork on her plate, giving up on the food altogether. Plagued by a constant need to be honest with him, she had told him the truth. She wished she was the kind of girl that could just roll with that sort of thing and take it for what it was. But she wasn’t. And she wasn’t going to apologize for not being that girl, either.

  He was quiet. He reached across the table and once again put his hand over hers. That simple gesture made her feel so warm and care for every time he did it. He looked at her penetratingly, like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

  “Judy, you didn't ruin our evening.” For a moment, he looked sad. “I did. That kiss was amazing. It made me feel things, well, things that I probably have no business feeling. And then you started to cry, and I knew I’d made the wrong move. I loved what you said about the kiss. I was happy that you felt what I felt. I hated being the one to make you cry. But we aren’t ready for this. I’m not ready for this.”

  “Oh, well, that makes sense,” she practically whispered and stared at his hand over hers.