Page 24 of A Lot Like Love
“The kiss or the seat?”
Her gaze was hot, eyes like liquid fire. “Both.”
Ryder settled down across from her, stretching his legs out so that his boot touched the side of her heel. He could have sat down beside her, but he wanted to watch her.For now.
“Two glasses of Veuve Cliquot,” he called out, knowing the flight attendant would be hovering within hearing distance.
She appeared with two glasses and a bottle almost instantly, setting both champagne flutes down and pouring.
“Please let me know if you require anything else before takeoff,” she said.
Ryder nodded. “I will.” Although what he wanted only Chloe could give him. “So what do you think?” he asked, settling back and taking his eyes off her to glance around the interior for himself.
“I think,” she said, holding up her glass and leaning forward to clink it against his, “that you’ve ruined any future flying experience for me. Coach will never shape up ever again.”
“Play your cards right,” he said with a wink, “and I might start flying you everywhere with me.”
She took another sip of champagne, crossing her legs and leaning back. “You’re stealing my lines.”
Her legs looked even longer crossed, hair tumbling over one shoulder and her lips stained slightly red from the strawberry she’d taken from inside her glass and eaten.
“So tell me,Mr. King, why has a guy like you not had a girlfriend since you were a teenager?”
Ryder sipped his champagne, wishing he’d just asked for a beer. “I can’t answer that.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
He shook his head. “Let’s just say I’ve been auditioning for the role but I haven’t met anyone suitable.”
“Ah,” she said. “So in other words there’s plenty of women good enough for your bed but not your heart?”
He laughed. She wasn’t exactly being discreet in her interrogation. “Are you waiting for me to admit that I’ve been a man whore?”
“No.” Now she was the one laughing. “I’m just trying to figure out if it’s even remotely plausible that you could have fallen for me. You know, enough for anyone to believe that I’m actually your girlfriend.”
Ryder slowly looked Chloe up, then down, eyes traveling over her body. “Yeah,” he told her, “you’re exactly my type.”
She uncrossed then crossed her legs again, fingers playing against the stem of her glass. “And what exactly is your type?”
He smiled, drumming his fingers against his thigh as he met her gaze. “Well, let’s see,” he started, studying her face. “Long hair, kissable mouth, breasts that…”
“Enough!” she demanded. “I get the picture.”
Ryder couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he ignored her and continued. “A nice bottom, just the right size for me to hold on to…”
“Ryder!”
He shrugged. “Just being honest.”
The plane started moving then, rolling down the tarmac at the same time the pilot spoke through the speaker system.
“Welcome aboard, Mr. King, we’re now cleared for takeoff. We will be arriving as scheduled into Las Vegas, Nevada, at twelve hundred hours. Please enjoy your flight.”
“So what are we going to do to kill time?” he asked, fastening his seat belt and indicating for Chloe to do the same.
“How about you tell me more about your family?”
He shook his head. “How about you come and climb onto my lap?”
