Playboy Pilot(18)

When we had seen everything I wanted to view and more, the wind began to die down, and Carter said it was time to land. We touched down on a beach with only the slightest of bumps. My legs were wobbly when I attempted to move on the sand.

“Careful. You have air legs. Takes a minute or two to get your vertical balance back.” A team of guys from the glide company unhooked us and then made us drinks on the beach.

I was still smiling as I sipped my Caipirinha from a hollowed pineapple. “I’ll admit, I definitely can see how you can get addicted to that feeling. Is that what it feels like every time you’re sitting in the pilot’s seat?”

“It’s different, but still a rush. Today had that adrenaline that it always has. But—” He hesitated and seemed to rethink what he was going to say. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“What were you going to say?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

Carter did that squinting and staring at me thing he seemed to like so much. Then he chugged back the entire contents of his pineapple in one gulp. When he was done, he leaned in. “I was going to say today felt better than it ever has for me. That I fucking loved your arms wrapped around my body the entire time, and the way it felt when your nails dug into my skin and your tits pressed into my back. That seeing your smile, knowing I had something to do with putting it on that beautiful face, was a fuck of a lot better than just raising the tip of a plane or flying a solo glider.”

I swallowed. Our eyes locked, and Carter was searching for something in mine. Then he turned away. “You ready to blow, Amelia Earhart?”

“Excuse me?”

Carter laughed. “Bad choice of words, I suppose. I meant, you ready to hit the road?”

“Oh. Yeah. I’m ready.”

The ride back to Maria Rosa’s was quiet. Carter seemed to be lost in thought, and I was coming down from the high brought on by spending the day flying like a bird. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so free. It had to have been back when I was a teenager, riding horses with Emilio. I quickly shook the thought of that from my mind, focusing instead on the realization that Carter and I only had half a day left in Rio. Tomorrow morning, Carter would be flying off to some other exotic destination, and I couldn’t stop thinking about whether he would be staying at hotel or a place like we were staying tonight. Knowing what staying at a hotel meant, it hurt to even think about it.

And me. I had to go back to reality. My reality. The one I had been dreading for the last two years, and now there were only eight days left before I had to decide which way my life would go. I was on the cusp of a proverbial fork in the road and still wasn’t ready to chose my path. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I would ever be. But that’s the thing. If I didn’t choose by next week…my path would be chosen for me by default. I couldn’t do that anymore. My whole life had been a series of following down paths that someone had set me on. It was time I picked my own path, no matter which it was.

As we drove through the residential neighborhood, Carter must have realized how quiet I’d been. “What are you thinking about over there? You’re somewhere else entirely.”

“Just life. In general, I suppose.”

“Anything you want to share?”

“Not really.”

He nodded. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do after I leave tomorrow? Will you stay at Maria Rosa’s?”

My heart sank. He was really going to be gone tomorrow morning. “No. But I guess I should leave Maria’s. I don’t speak Portuguese or know my way around. Without you there, I’d feel uncomfortable I think.”

Carter’s eyes slanted to mine and then back to the road. “There’s a Westin not too far from the airport. It’s nice, clean, and I’m pretty sure it has a spa. We can share a cab in the morning if you want.”

I nodded.

When we pulled up to Maria Rosa’s, Carter cut the engine then turned to me. “Is there anything you want to see tonight? Anything you want me to show you before I take off tomorrow?”

“No. I think I’d just like to have some dinner and hang out tonight, if that’s okay?”

“It’s perfect. It’s exactly what I’d like to do, too.”





THE MOOD HAD DEFINITELY shifted from this afternoon. Dinner was good, and although Carter and I talked the entire time, it felt like there was a giant elephant in the room neither of us were mentioning. When we were done, Carter asked if I was up for a walk on the beach.

We both took off our shoes and left them near the boardwalk that led to the sand from the parking lot. I really loved that Carter took my hand as we started to walk.