Authors: Jenna Byrnes
He grinned.
“Okay. I promise I won’t go through your unmentionables. Ladies restroom is back that way.”
Kelsie grinned and nodded. She found the bathroom, phoning her mother while waiting in line for a stall. After peeing, she hauled her loaded bag out to the sink and washed her hands. Glancing in the mirror, she tugged off her winter cap and fluffed her long, curly hair. It was no use, she was stuck with hat hair, unless she wanted to wet it to tame the curls. The line behind her didn
’t make that idea seem feasible, so she sprayed on some perfume from her bag and called it good.
She stepped away to an available full-length mirror, and inspected her appearance. Unzipping her bulky coat, Kelsie yanked off her long red scarf and shoved it in her backpack. It was warm enough in the airport, and the red knit didn
’t do much for her style. She looked okay otherwise, she thought. Her blue sweater was form fitting, as were her jeans. Fluffing her bangs one last time, she left the ladies room, took a minute to phone her cousin, and then went back out to Tom.
He was exactly where she left him, one hand on his backpack and another on her suitcase handle.
“Hey.” He smiled at her.
“
Hi. I’m starved, how about you?”
“
I could eat.” He nodded toward a small restaurant, just down from their gate. “What do you think?”
Kelsie shrugged.
“Why not?” She took the handle of her rolling suitcase from him, and he grabbed their airline-issued pillows and blankets. They walked to the restaurant in silence. An empty table in the corner caught her eye. They tucked their belongings under the table, then settled into chairs.
A waitress offered them small paper menus, and Kelsie looked hers over quickly.
“I’ll have the chicken sandwich, fries and iced tea, please.”
Tom handed his menu to the waitress, nodding.
“Make that two.”
“
Be right back.” The woman shuffled off.
Kelsie offered him another smile, and he grinned. Fiddling with a packet of sugar from the table, he began,
“So, what are you studying at K-State?”
“
Marketing. I’m a junior. How about you?”
“
Junior in Business. What are you going to do with a Marketing degree?”
“
I’m sure some company will hire me to straighten their sales department out. It’s supposedly a pretty hot field right now. You’re in Business? Where do you see that taking you?”
The waitress brought their drinks and they paused for a moment, then Tom answered,
“I have no idea. Business is the next best thing to ‘undeclared’. I’ll eventually figure something out.” He grinned impishly, and she had to laugh.
“
What do your folks think of that?” she inquired, stirring the straw in her drink.
A strange look crossed his face before he responded.
“They don’t care. They met working in a paper factory, and my dad still works there. They just wanted me to go to college.”
“
Why KU?” She looked into his eyes, interested at what made him tick.
“
You’re full of questions,” he teased.
Kelsie shrugged.
“We’re stuck here together. I just thought…” she let her words trail off. Maybe she was being too nosy.
“
Nah, it’s okay. I chose Kansas because I wanted to get as far away from the paper factory as I could. I felt like I was suffocating in Oklahoma, and needed a little breathing room.”
She nodded.
“I understand that. My father died awhile back, and mom’s been pretty clingy since then. I love her a lot, but sometimes I need my space, too.”
“
Any brothers or sisters?”
“
One sister, two years younger. She goes to the junior college close to home, so she can stay with mom.”
“
Isn’t that admirable of her,” he remarked wryly. “Leaving the guilt to you.”
“
No kidding,” she laughed.
“
Well, I understand that. My brother, also two years younger, works at the paper factory. He and my father go for beers together after work. I’m sort of the odd man out.”
“
Don’t they see that you want more? You’re trying to better yourself. Oh—” Kelsie stopped as realization dawned on her. Of course, Tom’s father wouldn’t appreciate his wanting to be
better.
It would be like a slap to the older man.
Tom smiled at her, sadly.
“Yeah, you guessed it. What they don’t see is, I want to live in a bigger town. I love the pace of big cities. Denver, Kansas City…I don’t know where, but I’m going to settle down in a city.”
She smiled at how much they had in common.
“I love bigger cities, too. I knew a marketing degree would get me in the door of a large company, most likely based in a big city. I wouldn’t want to stray too far from home, maybe Kansas City, or Oklahoma City.” She grinned, and he laughed.
Their food arrived, and they continued talking as they ate. Tom was funny and seemed intelligent. Kelsie couldn
’t help but be captivated by his big brown eyes. She found herself staring into that mesmerizing gaze more than once.
When they finished eating the restaurant didn
’t seem to need the table, so they sat and talked for another two hours. At one point he reached out and touched her hand for emphasis. She felt a fiery spark between them. Judging by the look on his face, he’d felt it too. His fingers slowly intertwined around hers, until their hands were clasped.
Tom squeezed her hand when she yawned a short while later.
“You look beat. Ready to try and get some sleep?”
She perused the bustling airport.
“Do you really think sleep is possible?”
“
No.” He stood, tossing some cash on the table. He’d paid their tab hours ago, but the waitress continued to bring drinks. Kelsie thought it was sweet of him to tip her again.
They gathered their belongings before heading back to their assigned gate area. People were spread out across most of the seats, attempting to get comfortable by whatever means possible. Many huddled together in groups on the floor, and that seemed the only option available to them as well.
A crowd of people walked past, along with a couple airport security guards. Kelsie could have sworn she saw Tom shirk, ducking his head and turning away from view. It struck her as strange, until he gazed into her eyes and she forgot about everything but him.
“
Looks like we get the floor. I see an empty corner over there. We can pile our stuff up behind us.”
“
Whatever you think,” she replied softly.
“
Come on.” He tugged her hand, and they dragged their things to the corner. Tom put her rolling case down first, then his backpack. He looked at her backpack, but she shook her head.
“
I’ll hang on to this one.”
“
Okay.” He removed his coat and shoved it up against the wall as a cushion. She did the same. Together, they leaned against the wall. Tom covered them with blankets, and positioned her bag between their knees. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He reached behind her head and settled one of the little pillows there.
“
Thanks.” She looked into his eyes. Their faces were inches apart. She felt the strong attraction to him growing. He must have felt it too, because he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.
Kelsie pulled back, blinked a couple times at Tom, and leaned in to kiss him again. He caressed the back of her head as their mouths opened and tongues began to explore.
She let one hand slip around his neck, holding him firmly. His lips felt warm and inviting. She never wanted the kiss to end.
His free hand skimmed her shoulder and went lower, cupping one breast through her sweater. She whimpered as his thumb found her nipple, caressing it into a hardened bud.
A shadow loomed above them, and someone cleared his throat. Kelsie and Tom separated quickly, looking up. A uniformed security guard stared down at them. “You folks have everything you need, here?” His tone was polite, but his eyes said something different.
Tom cleared his throat.
“Um, yeah, we’re fine.”
“
Good.” The man nodded. “There’s a bunch of us patrolling around here tonight, so if you need anything, just holler.” His gaze fixed on each of them before he sauntered off.
“
In other words, we’ll be watching you,” Tom said in a low voice.
“
Geez, no kidding.” She giggled nervously.
He slipped an arm around her shoulder, and spoke softly into her ear.
“Probably just as well. I forgot where I was for a minute. All I could think about was you.”
“
Me too,” she agreed, her head resting against him.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, not bothering to pull away.
“It’s going to be a long night.”
Kelsie chuckled, and closed her eyes.
Chapter Two
She dozed but never really slept. Lights in the gate area dimmed, but people still came and went throughout the night. Occasionally she
’d glance up at the TV screen, where Doppler radar indicated snow falling and more was on the way, in the greater Denver area.
Tom spoke quietly every now and then. Kelsie answered in a soft voice. People around them seemed to be sleeping, but she wasn
’t sure how they managed. The floor was hard and her back ached. Even leaning against Tom’s warm form, she was cold and uncomfortable. She yawned as shivers ran through her.
He rubbed her arms with both hands, then tucked the blanket under her chin.
“Want your coat on?”
“
Nah. I want to be in Florida. Or back home, where I don’t have to keep my guard up. My backpack is cutting into my side, and the floor is killing me.”
He nuzzled his face in her hair.
“Funny, I was just wishing for a nice soft bed, myself.”
“
You could have had one,” she said regretfully. “You should be at a hotel with your friends right now.”
Touching her chin with one finger, he gazed into her eyes and smiled.
“I meant you and me. The only person I’m interested in being with is you, alone, somewhere private.”
Kelsie inhaled. She felt the same way, secretly wondering if she was crazy. She barely knew this guy, but all she could think about was getting naked with him and wrapping their bodies around one another.
He hesitated. “Unless I misread your signals. Was it my imagination that you seemed to want me as much as I want you?”
“
You didn’t misread anything.” She hung her head, embarrassed.
“
Hey.” He touched her chin again, lifting her face to meet his. “I know it seems fast, but we might not have a lot of time here, Kelsie. I want to make love with you.”
“
I don’t know.” She wanted it too, but quickie, one-night stands weren’t usually her style.
“
Have you ever been with a guy?” He mistook her hesitancy for something else. It made her laugh.
“
Yeah. Jason Rutledge, star quarterback for the McPherson Bulldogs football team, after the Homecoming game. I let him score, and he went for the extra two points. It was a pretty great first time.”
Tom laughed.
“Was that your only time?”
“
No. There’ve been a few others. I’ve never been with someone I just met hours before. And never with someone I probably won’t see again. That’s what has me uneasy.”
“
It’s spring break! Weren’t you prepared to go to Florida and have a little fun?”
“
Um, yeah, with my cousin at Disney World. We’re going to spend a couple days at Daytona Beach, but mostly we have a Mickey Mouse vacation planned.” She gazed around the crowded airport. “Or we did have, anyway.”
He squeezed her shoulders.
“We can still salvage this vacation. You may miss a couple days at the happiest place on earth, but I’ll bet I can make you pretty happy right here. I know a few things that Mr. Toad doesn’t, about
wild rides
.”
Kelsie slapped his chest playfully.
“You’re nuts. I can’t believe I cuddled with you all night long.”
“
Wait until you see what I have in mind for later.” He raised his eyebrows up and down.
She grinned and shoved him away.
“Sleep. All I can think about is getting some decent sleep. Maybe some coffee and something to eat.”
“
I need to use the john first.” He stood, offering his hand and pulling her up.
“
Go ahead, I can wait.”
“
Thank you.” He took off for the bathroom and she glanced around. People were beginning to wake up, but no one was manning the ticket counter yet. Maybe they had time to eat before checking on their flights.