Page 5 of Going, Going, Gone
Chapter Four
Parking his convertible in the lot of Blue Skies Hot-Air Balloon Rides, located a half hour north of Norfolk, Dylan couldn’t believe he was actually looking forward to the date. Well, technically, it was a blind date—sort of—since he hadn’t even met her yet. He’d only seen her from a distance. All he knew about his date was her first name was Nessa, she was a college professor in her midthirties, and she had no criminal history or stalking complaints against her. It’d been one of the requirements of the auction—the winning bidders had been subject to basic background checks. Nadine hadn’t wanted to put any of the bachelors in danger, which he’d actually thanked her for.
After putting the top up, he climbed out of the car, then locked it. He didn’t need to bring anything as Tara had arranged for everything. She’d been his secretary for three years now and he trusted her completely. She usually kept her nose out of his private life—and vice versa—but he was grateful she’d planned the date and took care of all the specifics for him. All he had to do was show up and have a good time. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, with only a few bright, white clouds in the sky, and a gentle breeze tickling the leaves on the trees. The perfect day to float through the air, high above the green hills and dales below.
Striding into the small building that housed the office, Dylan glanced around, finding his date sitting on a plastic chair in the reception area, waiting for him. She lifted her head, and her eyes rounded when she spotted him. Dylan wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but Nessa appeared nervous—very nervous. She was a little pale as she twisted her hands together. Was she afraid of going up in the balloon or was being on a date with him the cause of her worry? Either way, he smiled, broadly, trying to put her at ease as he stepped toward her, holding out his hand. “Hi, Nessa. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Dylan had been surprised and a bit disappointed to find Nessa had left immediately after paying for her winning bid the other night. He’d hoped to introduce himself to her to find out what color her eyes were and if she was even prettier up close—hazel and she definitely was.
She stood and accepted his handshake, her palm slightly sweaty as he felt a small tremor course through her hand. Her gaze didn’t quite meet his. “It’s ... um ... it’s nice to finally meet you too.”
Glancing at their joined hands, she tugged hers away. Her apprehension was suddenly contagious, and Dylan found himself unsure what to say next—a problem he’d never had with women before. Thankfully, a man in his midfifties approached them. “Mr. McBride? I’m Ross Upton, your pilot for the day.”
Shaking the man’s outstretched hand, Dylan responded, “Hi, nice to meet you. Please, feel free to call me Dylan.”
“Dylan it is. If you and Nessa here are ready, we can head outside, and I’ll go over the safety rules with you.”
Obviously, the older man had already introduced himself to Dylan’s date, and he wondered how long she’d been waiting for him since he’d gotten there about ten minutes early himself. “Sounds good.”
Forty-five minutes later, Dylan helped Nessa clamber up into the large wicker basket, otherwise known as a gondola, being held down by sandbags and crew members in the middle of a field a short distance behind the company’s office. Once she was in, he followed, climbing over the edge of the basket. The massive balloon above them had a geometric design with every color of the rainbow on it. After verifying his passengers were settled, Ross gave the okay to his crew to set them free. With several bursts, the liquid propane in the onboard tanks turned into gas, fueling the flame which heated the air under the “envelope” of the balloon, inflating it further and lifting them up into the air.
The moment the gondola shook as it left the ground, Nessa gasped and grabbed Dylan’s arm as if her life depended on it. Smiling, he put his arm around her waist to steady her. “Take it easy. Everything’s fine.”
While the flash of terror he’d seen on her face a moment earlier had eased a bit, she still shook in his embrace. Her eyes widened as she watched the distance between them and the ground grow with every new brief surge of gas. “Y-You’ve done this before?”
“Nope, but I’ve always wanted to. It’s another thing I can check off on my bucket list.”
“As long as it’s not the last thing you check off on your list, then I’ll be fine.”
His grin grew at her small joke. “I was starting to think you didn’t have a sense of humor.”
They hadn’t had any time alone since he’d walked up and introduced himself to her. Nessa also hadn’t said much beyond answering a few of Ross’s questions as the man had given his pre-flight spiel to them on how the balloon worked and what to do in an emergency. That had put some fear in her eyes, at the time. She’d relaxed again, though, after the pilot explained that Blue Skies had never had an accident resulting in injury or death in the eighteen years they’d been giving hot-air balloon rides.
As they soared higher into the sky, Dylan enjoyed the view and the fact that Nessa hadn’t moved from his arms. Shifting, he moved her, so she was standing in front of him, her back to his chest. He spread his feet wide enough to brace himself as he held onto her waist, keeping enough space between them so he wouldn’t get a hard-on that would brush against her ass. And what a fine ass it was. Her body had curves in all the right places to entice a man. If all went well on their date, Dylan would be more than tempted to ask her for a second one. Nessa was the type of woman who could garner his attention from across the room, compelling him to get to her first before any other man swooped in to claim her.
Nessa grasped the edge of the basket, her knuckles going white. He tried to reassure her. “You’re doing fine. Look over there.”
Her gaze followed where he was pointing at a group of children in a park. The balloon was still low enough Dylan could see they were waving up at them, and he waved back. It took a few moments before Nessa bravely lifted one hand and did the same.
He leaned down, so his mouth was next to her ear. “See? There’s nothing to worry about. Ross will take good care of us, and I’ll hold on to you until you’re more comfortable, okay?” A tremor went through her, and he hoped it was an erotic response due to his nearness.
“O-Okay.”
A thought struck him. “Are you afraid of heights?”
She turned her head slightly and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Uh . . . a . . . a little bit.”
That sounded like an understatement if he’d ever heard one. “If you’re afraid of heights, why did you bid on a balloon ride?”
Her gaze returned to the horizon in front of them. “Maybe it was on my bucket list too.”
He doubted it, but let it pass. “So, I understand you’re a college professor. What do you teach?” he asked, changing the subject and trying to get her to relax a little more and enjoy the ride.
“Um . . . history. Mostly American History, but I also teach World History 101.”
“That’s great. I’m a history buff myself.”
“Really?” Her tone said she didn’t believe him.
