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rest of her days in a federal prison for getting involved with Mason Lorde.
    Men and lies went hand in hand.
    Even if this pilot were different, she’d never see him again. The less he knew, the better off they’d both be.
    “Angel, maybe—”
    “Have you ever had a relationship go bad?” she asked.
    “A few that were difficult, but not quite that bad.”  Zane raised an eyebrow loaded with skepticism.
    “It’s complicated. I won’t burden you.”  You wouldn’t believe me anyhow.
    “Burden me. I have nowhere to go for a while.” 
    Just my luck to be rescued by Dr. Phil. Damn . “I wanted out of an arrangement. He didn’t see it my way.”  Angel lifted her shoulders to sell her escape as no big deal.
    Rain pattered against the outer covering of the fuselage and the cargo chattered during the empty pause.
    Zane’s eyes hardened.
    He probably assumed she meant a personal relationship. She should be so lucky to have a normal woman’s problems. To clear up his confusion would involve details she could never share.
    After several seconds, he held out his hand to her. “Let’s check your other arm.”
    She hesitated to uncover her middle and couldn’t take another moment of his hands on her skin. Not if she wanted to keep her ridiculous hormones under control. “I’m okay, really. Thank you.” 
    Don’t ask me about what’s bulging under my shirt .
    His eyes flickered with a moment of indecision that raised hairs on her skin in warning, but he didn’t press her further.
    In an effort to change the subject, she asked, “Where’re we headed?”
    “Jacksonville.” 
    Her quota of divine help had just run out.
    Mason had a division in Jacksonville.
     
    Chapter 4
     
    “You’re landing at the Jacksonville International Airport?”  A frisson of worry slipped into Angel’s voice in spite of her effort to sound casual. Could Mason’s men have gotten Zane’s flight plan?
    Zane eyed her as though he could see right through to the secrets she harbored, but he shook his head. “No. I’m making a delivery to a client at a private airfield.”
    “How, uh, soon?”
    “Little over an hour if the storm doesn’t force me to circle too far out.”  He turned toward the control panel, searching for something amid the mass of lights and gauges, then faced her again, apparently satisfied for the moment. “Where you headed?”
    “South.”  That was as good a directional choice as any. To avoid focusing on herself any longer, she pushed the subject off course. “Is this your plane?”
    “Yep. I have a charter company.” 
    “What kind of charters?”  Seemed like a cargo pilot wouldn’t have to work in the middle of the night, flying through storms. Not that she was complaining since she’d benefited by whatever had forced him to fly in this mess.
    “I handle special cargo that normally can’t be transported by most commercial carriers. We’re based in Ft. Lauderdale at Sunshine Airfield. Those ventilated boxes contain lab mice my client needs right away. I’m headed home as soon as I deliver them.”
    She gulped coffee to cover a shudder. Ugh, she hated rats. The slight smell and frantic scratching emanating from the boxes suddenly made sense.
    “Sounds like an expensive way to ship rodents.”  
    “These are special rodents.” 
    “They do tricks?”  She couldn’t resist teasing him if for no other reason than to get another dose of that hot smile of his.
    She got her wish.
    He answered her with a grin that made her want to preen under his attention. She barely stopped herself from sighing before a slap of common sense tamped down her burgeoning attraction.
    Hadn’t Mason turned her head just as easily?
    All charm and teasing when she’d worked in his warehouse. Too late, she’d found out what kind of animal hid behind the million-dollar smile and impeccable manners. This pilot might behave like a perfect gentleman, but only a fool flirted with a man who’d helped her escape