Turbulent Intentions(66)

Although she’d been hungry when she’d arrived, thoughts of food were completely forgotten as he continued to work his magic. But then just as quickly as he’d begun, he pulled away.

“Come with me.”

“If we have to,” she replied breathlessly, not even caring if she sounded like a pouting child.

Cooper carefully guided her through the dark, then stopped. She heard a muddled clicking noise, and then the once quiet room was filled with a loud buzzing sound as the massive hangar door opened.

Still holding her arm, Cooper guided her outside, onto the pavement of the tarmac.

Goose bumps covered her skin as the crisp evening air flowed over her.

“You look absolutely exquisite, Stormy. The things I want to do to you . . .” he trailed off.

“I wish I could say the same about you, but I can’t see,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“I like keeping you blindfolded,” he said as he kissed her neck again.

“Well, you’re going to have to let me in on the surprise,” she told him. “Where exactly are we going?” She heard the rumble of large jets filling the otherwise quiet night, and the pungent smell of exhaust slightly tickled her nose.

“Be patient,” Cooper said, as he took her hand and began walking once again. “We’re almost there.”

Patience was one thing that Stormy didn’t have. But for some reason, when Cooper spoke, she wanted to give him anything he asked for. That could be a problem—a big, fat problem.

“You know, Stormy, the only thing that can even come close to getting me to stop thinking about you is flying. But even then, it’s a struggle not to let myself get caught up in thoughts of you naked and underneath me so I can do my job,” he said, making her body throb.

“I’m all for finding a bed,” she said, satisfied when he took in a sharp breath of air.

“I’m going to ignore that for now,” he said through what sounded like clenched teeth. “We’re here. I’ve been wanting to share something with you for a while.”

He took off the blindfold and Stormy gazed at the plane before her.

“I’m going to take you up in my baby,” he said, excitement beaming off him.

“Oh . . .my,” she gasped.

Stormy looked at Cooper’s large, twin-engine Cessna airplane. Oddly shaped, the aircraft had an elongated nose and a large tail section. The body was lined with round porthole windows. Immaculate white paint covered the metal skin with small sky-blue accents adorning the wingtips, nose, and tail. A bold navy-blue stripe lay against the lines of the aircraft. The combination of metal, plastic, and fabric came together to create a true testament of modern aviation.

Stormy’s stomach sank. Soaring heights had always made her nervous. The peaks of tall trees, cliff edges, the crests of waterfalls, and the view from small airplanes all made her terribly uneasy.

“I’m not the biggest fan of small planes,” she told him.”

Cooper looked at her with worry. She could see it was unfathomable to him that anyone would be afraid of taking the beautiful piece of machinery out for a spin. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but she didn’t know if she could do it.

“She isn’t exactly what I’d call small. A glider plane is small,” he told her with a smile.

“It’s a lot smaller than a 747,” she pointed out.

“A lot of people fear personal aircrafts, but once you’re up, they aren’t scary anymore.”

“I’m having a hard time believing you on this one,” she told him.

“How about this? We’ll get inside and sit down. If you panic, I won’t even start the engine. If you feel comfortable after a few minutes, then we’ll rev it up. At any point, you can tell me you’re done and I’ll stop, no hurt feelings, and no pushing you. I promise not to do anything you can’t handle,” Cooper said, while nodding his head toward the craft.

“You promise we can stop if I ask?”

“Absolutely,” he said as he looked at her with encouragement.

“I guess . . .” she said, and he didn’t give her a chance to back out of the first step—getting on the actual plane. He gripped her hand and moved forward.

With reluctance, she followed him behind the wing.

A quick flip of the handle and a slight tug was all it took for the entry to swing open. Folding outward, the stairs and door, all in one, came down. Cooper placed his foot on the bottom step, ensuring it was locked in place.

“Ladies first,” Cooper said as he leaned forward and motioned for her to climb inside.

She took a few steps back. “I’m trying here,” she said.