Casanova In Training (9 page)

Snapping his head around to glare at his friend, he ground his jaw when their CO walked in.

“Morning,” Captain Fentress said. “With this weather, we’re going to keep working on some of the situations from yesterday. I want everyone to hit their mark this time. Push the envelope, but make sure you nail it.”

Tipping his head down, Gio slanted his gaze to the left, where Jaydee was. Her face was an unreadable mask. The CO had her attention and he wanted it on him. Another growl of possessiveness threatened to slip free when she dipped her head to listen to something Keel said. He clamped his lips together to keep it contained when a slight smile teased the corner of her lip.

“Let’s get to it,” Fentress barked, slamming the folder shut on the podium he stood behind. It was echoed by a thunderclap, which vibrated the building.

Gio rose with the rest of the pilots and, ignoring Lizard’s mocking smirk, hung back as others streamed from the room. He intercepted Jaydee right before the door. With an easy shift, he allowed her to push by him.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a sotto tone.

She smelt fresh and clean. The vivid and clear memory of her in his embrace floated to the top of his mind. The urge to bury his nose in her hair and draw her into his chest nearly overwhelmed him. Her steps carried her away from him and he lengthened his strides to keep close.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” She never slowed her movements, swift and sure.

“Because,” he said, leaning around her and pushing the door open, “you left at oh-three-hundred this morning.”

“No reason to be concerned,” she commented. Her body brushed by his in a brief tantalising and teasing moment.

He ground his teeth but didn’t say another word. They jogged in silence through the downpour towards their planes. She veered away without a word and he gave her one last look before turning his attention to his own jet.

They all took to the sky and he squinted through the rain until they punched through the storm and flew above it. In staggered formation, they all shot off towards their target, the powerful bombers responding beneath the lightest touches.

Jaydee flew at his left and he snarled silently for the numerous times he had to tell himself to fly his own damn plane and not think about her. He snapped his mask on and shared a glance with Lizard before giving his jet more speed and rocketing back towards earth to complete his dry run.

“Let’s light ‘em up, Casanova,” his friend said before resuming countdown to the target.

On cue, he ‘dropped’ his payload—which for this exercise was a simulated bomb—and shot away.

“Direct hit! Direct hit!” Lizard called out to him as Gio worked his magic on the controls to avoid being lit up by the tracer lights that were being used as gunfire.

“Never gets old,” he said with a smile as the large jet slipped back into the clouds and vanished from view.

“Never, man, never.” Lizard kept him aware of what else was going on as he positioned them to where they would fly until the others had finished.

He listened as the others went, one by one, the storm’s fury increasing with each tick of time. Finally, it was only Jaydee left and he found himself holding his breath for the words that would start her timing run.

“Alpha Two, you’re up. Clock’s running,” Fentress stated.

“Coming in hot and fast,” she retorted. “Don’t want to be late.”

Keel laughed then it was nothing but business. Lord help him, Gio wanted to see her exercise. Time flew by and he heard a long yell from Keel going on about the direct hit. He wouldn’t know how well she had done time-wise in avoiding the tracers until they’d all got back. But he continued to listen until Keel announced their all-clear.

“Let’s get back,” he called out over the radio.

As one, the group headed back for their base.

“Sounds like she’s truly as good as she claims,” Lizard said, talking to him and only him, as opposed to everyone over the radio.

“Guess so,” he replied, not taking his eyes from the fury of Mother Nature. The gale-force winds shook the bomber. He gritted his teeth as he tightened his hands on the yoke and snapped his mask back on. “Gonna be a bumpy ride home.” A chill ran up his spine and he shuddered at the unpleasant sensation.

He sent the rest of his group down, glancing at the radar as well as the other instruments on the panel. A brilliant flash allowed him to see a plane drop beside him into the tumultuous clouds. Another swift glance to his screen confirmed his belief of who it was. Jaydee.

The moment the clouds swallowed her up, he angled his own jet and followed. There was no chatter across the radio as they headed home, everyone focused on returning safe. The thunder up here was louder than anyone could imagine. Lightning jagged its way through the sky and it took his skill to avoid each strike.

“Shit!” Keel’s voice crackled across the radio. “We’ve been hit. We’ve been hit.”

Gio’s heart thundered in his chest as he searched for their position. They were still there, but much lower, and they were falling fast.

“Electrical is gone.” Keel’s voice was broken up over the link. “We’re losing power and oil pressure. Flames on the left wing. Flames on the left wing.”

Goose bumps exploded across his arms as he immediately went into a dive, needing to get visual contact. Beside him, working in perfect tandem—like usual—Lizard called off the closing distance. The eerie orange glow shone through the dark clouds like a beacon. Out of instinct, he slowed even as Lizard warned him.

There. The B-2 hurtled towards earth, spinning like a top, flames whipping around reminiscent of a fiery cyclone. His heart stopped. As did his ability to breathe. For a moment, all he could see was the jet slamming into the ground. Losing her like he did Mike.

“Shit!” Lizard muttered beside him.

Puck communicated back with the base. There was no other to do it, aside from one of those flying. Since this had been a stormy night run there was no AWACS—Airborne Warning And Control System—up there with them. And he’d be damned if he wasted time filling others in as to what was going on when he had to focus on her and seeing if there was anything he could do to assist.

It was like watching a train wreck unfold before his eyes, knowing there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. “Eject! Dusti and Keel, damn it! Eject!” he hollered, unsure if they could hear him.

The ground rushed towards them at an alarming speed. He watched, praying to see the top pop off, and them shoot out. Then he would look for two good chutes. It didn’t happen. The spinning stopped but the jet was still on a direct course for impact with the ground.

“Help…up…hold…” The intermittent radio spat out parts of the conversation on the tumbling bomber.

Gio could make out that the voice belonged to Jaydee. He shot towards the deck, aware it was dangerous, but uncaring. All the while, they were telling them to pull up and eject. When he thought there was no other option but a crash, the nose of the B-2 lifted, led the jet away from the ground, and back up into the safety of the air. He’d bet anything there was dust blowing up from the near-miss and force of air delivered from the plane.

“Fuck me,” Lizard breathed out. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone pull out of a spin like that before.”

He had no words, he just elevated his own jet up in the air after them. In truth, he wasn’t sure he could say anything, his jaw was clenched and he shook, literally shook. His ears were full of chatter from the other jets and base. He tried to contact Jaydee to no avail. So he manoeuvred two others in front of her to lead them back to base, and he and the fourth trailed her. Four planes around the still burning and damaged one. One of her exhaust ducts still had flames streaming out. Even the heavy rains couldn’t douse them.

It was another nail-biting moment for him as he watched her be led in by Puck to get lined up for her landing. At the last moment, Puck gave power and flew away, leaving Jaydee with a free and clear shot. There were flashing lights from emergency ground crews but she landed the plane with very little jarring. Hell, she probably did better than he had. After everyone had landed safely, he climbed down and they dashed through the continuing downpour to the building.

He needed to see her for himself. Needed to ensure she was truly all right. He found the rest of the group hanging out near their CO’s office.

“She in there?” he asked, astonished his voice didn’t tremble, like he still seemed to be doing on the inside.

“Yes. Her and Keel,” Puck said, her hair dripping on her flight suit. “I…wow…I just never—”

“Me either,” he said, cutting her off. His knees were a bit shaky, and, with more calm than he felt, he made his way over to a chair and sat in it. It was either that or collapse on the floor.

The door opened and Keel emerged from the office. The man looked a bit rattled but there was a smile on his face. Gio got up and joined the conversation surrounding him, all the while keeping his gaze on the door, waiting for the moment when Jaydee would join them.

When she finally exited the office, his heart caught in his throat. Lord knew all he wanted to do was gather her close and hold her. There was relief on her face and, although it appeared none of the others seemed to pick up on it, he could see the strain in her expression. However, just like everyone else, he offered his congratulations.

They made their way to the locker room and his gaze lingered on her as she, Puck and Tessler headed into the women’s side. He showered quickly and kept his chatter with the others brief. Leaning against the wall in the hallway, he straightened when she walked out, bag over one shoulder, and helmet in a gloved hand. Her gaze neither moved to the left nor to the right. In fact, she strode right by him without seeming to notice he was there.

He wanted to follow her outside but his name was called by another and, with a frustrated groan, he ignored the desire to go after her. Once he’d finished talking to Tinman, he made his way back to the door and pushed outside. Her bike was gone.

Chapter Six

Jaydee sank to the floor of her shower and drew her knees up tight to her chest as the hot water fell around her. She wrapped her arms around them and rested her head against her legs. Her entire body shook—she’d managed to hold herself together through not only the incident but also the talk with Captain Fentress and her fellow pilots. All she’d wanted to do was come home and allow the cracks in her composure to splinter, then to rebuild them again.

Her hair plastered to her head as she sat there. She lost track of time as she waited for the chills to stop. The sobs arrived before the shivers stopped, but she didn’t move. Only when the water began to cool did she push to her feet. Her limbs shook as she stepped free of the shower and reached for the towel. Her movements were stiff and slow as she dried off. She left the room and walked through the dark of her apartment, her old comfortable robe tied about her waist.

Touching one of her flameless luminaries to turn it on, she used the gentle and flickering light to fill her teapot. As it heated, she gathered the items needed to fix her tea. The familiar motions helped to soothe her wayward nerves. Her hands still shook as she filled the infuser with three tablespoons of her loose-leaf tea. A blend of pure Chinese white tea, jasmine pearls, and rosebuds, it never failed to help her to find calmness and serenity. One of the men she had worked with at the lab had introduced her to it. While she normally only drank water, if it was to be something else she drank tea.

Thunder boomed and she jumped, her heart pounding out of control. The whistle of the kettle snapped her from standing there with one hand over her hammering chest. She grabbed the black pot, filled her mug to the proper line, and put the top on so it could steep for about three minutes.
All I want is to drink my tea and go to bed.
While she waited, she leaned against the cool counter and tried to begin the task of repairing the cracks in her internal armour, so she would be good at work the following day.

Instinctively knowing when her drink was ready, she removed the top, flipped it over, and withdrew the infuser, placing it on the inverted lid. Slowly and with a partially distracted manner, she headed for her couch. Seated on the edge, she blew across the top of her cup and drank the tea. Once she’d had a few sips she set it beside her on the end table, lay her head back, and closed her eyes. That was all it took and she was asleep.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The noise jerked her upright. She glanced out of the windows wondering if it had merely been thunder. When the intrusive noise came again she realised it hadn’t. Her breathing was shallow and rapid as she tried to sort out what was going on. She’d been dreaming of the near crash and could feel the sweat beginning to trickle down her spine.

She got off the couch and made her way to the front door. She felt discombobulated, and like she was swimming through a mire. Wiping a damp hand down her face, she opened the door. Her breath caught in her throat for an entirely different reason this time.

Deep down, she knew she should demand her visitor leave but the words never surfaced. The lights from the hall illuminated him, creating an even more impressive view. His countenance was a mixture of stern concern and tenderness as he studied her intently, raking her up and down with hazel eyes.

She had no time to react before Gio, in a lightning-fast motion, drew her to him. His fingers dug into her flesh as he held her immobile against his body. She could hear him muttering under his breath. As fast as he’d grabbed her, he released her.

Staring up at him, she could see lines of worry in his face. His hands cupped her cheeks and the intensity of his kiss sapped the remaining energy she had. Her knees buckled but his strength held her up. In the back of her mind, she registered the door slamming yet he never stopped kissing her. There was desperation in this exchange and it gnawed at her confidence.

Jerking free, she stumbled back and touched her still tingling lips. She was torn. His kisses were wonderful, amazing, and more. The reaction she’d just had scared her. She didn’t need to lose her poise or resilience, not now, and
especially
not in front of the one man who seemed determined to stop her from flying. Gripping the top of her robe closed, she turned on a lamp and stared at the wet man in her apartment.