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they
were as firm as they appeared.
    Good heavens,
man, why can’t they all be as challenging as this one? He wanted to trace the outline of
her full lips with his fingertips, and he ached to calm the storm
that had brewed between them moments ago. The feeling was unlike
any he had ever experienced in his professional or personal life in
quite a while.
    Shadoe slid the glasses
back on and turned to gaze out the window—her window—and wondered
whether her hair felt as soft as the passing puffs of clouds
looked.
    * * * *
    “ Please
return your trays to their upright...”
    The words echoed softly
in Khristen’s mind, bringing her back through the sleepiness of the
last three hours. Stretching to pull her cramped muscles from their
stiffness, she opened her eyes and realized she’d fallen asleep
with her head against her neighbor’s shoulder.
    “ Well, she’s
back in the world, ready to grace me with her outstanding wit
again.”
    “ Sorry,
forgot you were there.” She set her seat in the upright position.
“Out of sight, out of mind.”
    Who am I
kidding? Maybe out of sight, but he firmly planted himself in my
dream.
    “ Are you
sure? That was a pretty sensual moan coming from you just before
you stretched,” he whispered, leaning toward her so close, she felt
the warmth of his breath on her skin.
    The sensual smirk on his
face irritated her. He was ever more pompous than she’d first
thought. “If it was, which I highly doubt…” She watched the Maui
landscape come into view over his shoulder. “Rest assured the cause
wasn’t you.”
    “ Or maybe you
just didn’t realize it was me,” he said.
    The plane’s landing gear
bumped the ground. “I think it was you dreaming, not me. After all,
you’re the one with the fixation on yourself.”
    “ Maybe so,
only I’m never alone in my dreams.” The sharp and assessing look he
gave her sent hot shivers down her spine.
    What is it
about this guy? Why do I even give him the time of day?
    As the plane taxied into
its arrival gate, their gazes met briefly, causing her blood to
race through her veins. Heat flashed through her face, and she felt
he had read her thoughts—wanton thoughts that surprised even
her.
    Khristen shook her head
as if to put the marbles back in place. She reached into the
overhead compartment for her overnight bag with him standing next
to her as the plane taxied into the terminal.
    “ Let me get
that for you.” He placed his hand over hers.
    “ I’m
perfectly capable of carrying one small piece of luggage.” Her grip
tightened under his.
    She wasn’t about to allow
him to help her. She was perfectly capable of handling her own
little overnight bag.
    “ At the
moment, you don’t look capable of doing anything but taking a cold
shower.” He tried to pull the bag from her as the plane jolted to a
stop.
    “ Leave me.”
Khristen gave her bag one last tug, causing it to open and spilling
the contents onto the floor of the plane.
    “ Now see what
you’ve done!” She stooped to gather her overturned belongings as
quickly as she could. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone and let
her get on with her life?
    “ Here, let
me.” Shadoe bent and picked up her things and placed them in the
bag, including her lacy panties and their matching bras. He held
her undergarments between his thumb and forefinger for a moment.
Dropping them, he picked up the nametag dangling outside the case
in his hand.
    “ I can do it
myself.” Khristen grabbed and tossed the tag into the bag with the
last of her things. She snapped the bag shut and headed for the
departure door wondering what act of God had caused her case to fly
open when it had been locked. She had a feeling this was going to
be one hell of a vacation.
    * * * *
    “ Khristen
Roberts,” Shadoe whispered to himself as he watched Khristen make
her way to the back of the plane.
    There
couldn’t be more than one of her, could there? She had snatched the
ID tag fast, but he thought the city