Page 3 of Puck Me Secretly

Above me, the overhead speaker crackled. “Rory Ashford, please report to gate 23 immediately. Rory Ashford. Please report to gate 23.”

With heavy, reluctant limbs, I walked up to the gate. The attendant glared at me as she took my passport and my boarding pass.

“Didn’t you hear the announcement?”

I tried to speak, but no words came out.

She snapped my papers back at me. “Have a nice flight.”

CHAPTER 2

As I meanderedonto the plane, I couldn’t shake the sensation I was walking to my doom. I avoided the glares of annoyed passengers as the flight attendants closed the door behind me.

I checked my ticket. Seat 2A.

I stumbled when I realized that the hot guy from the bar was in seat 2B.

My t-shirt rode up my torso, only inches from his face as I worked to shove my bag in the compartment above his head. He watched me without expression until it jammed in.

“I’m sitting next to you, in 2A.” I worked to keep my voice casual.

He stood up, towering over me. With limited room, I brushed across his hard body while I clamored to my seat.

“Thank you,” I murmured, feeling tipsier than I wanted to be. That last double gin was hitting me hard. After putting on my seatbelt, I double checked the latch three times before pulling the safety manual out from the seat pocket in front of me. I read it twice, checked where the nearest emergency exit doors were and the secondary exits. I checked under my seat for the inflatable neck cover withthe whistle even though I knew we wouldn’t be flying over water.

I glanced up into two icy blue eyes.

I get chatty when I’m anxious and right now my anxiety was off the charts. “I hate flying. I avoid it at all costs.”

He didn’t respond, but he held my gaze.

I tightened my seatbelt. “People say flying is statistically safer than driving in a car, but I know a ton of people who’ve been in car accidents, and they’re fine. No one walks away from a plane crash.”

I stopped talking when the flight attendant started the safety demonstration with a bored expression on her face. I gasped as the plane lurched backwards. I peered out the window as our aircraft got pushed out from the airport building.

The plane crawled towards the runway. I listened to the captain drone on about flight time, headwinds and estimated time of arrival. Fear gripped me as the engines fired up, rumbling beneath us. I should have taken the bus. Or the train.

I wish I had taken the train.

The power of the engines vibrated beneath us as the plane raced down the runway with a terrifying speed. I whimpered.

Hot guy unwrapped my ice-cold hand from the armrest and covered it in his massive grip. I shut my eyes and worked to not hyperventilate.

“What’s your name?” my voice trembled.

He took his time answering. “Why?”

“If I die holding your hand, I want to know your name.”

“Max.”

“My name is Rory.”

The entire aircraft rumbled around us as it lifted. The powerful force pinned me back against my chair. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying we wouldn’t die.

The plane steadied from its intense ascent into nothing but air. It took a few minutes, but I opened my eyes.

The wordspoured out of me. “I had such a bad feeling getting on this flight and my gut is never wrong.”

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