The two of them continued chatting as their plates were cleared and the lights dimmed. Conversation around them began to die down, and they seemed to be in their own little world, alone in their small area in the back of first class.
To be sure, activity continued around them, some people reading, some chatting, but it seemed everyone was preparing for the rest of the long flight. Some had already nodded off. When the flight attendant asked if the two of them would like any help in folding their seats down into beds, Jackson noticed the blush that stole over Alyssa’s cheeks.
Hell, yes, he was more than ready to have their private cave made, their beds laid down, and bedding brought out in which he’d be able to hide certain activities if he was very discreet. He couldn’t do too much, but maybe he’d finally steal that kiss.
Alyssa avoided his eyes as she grabbed her small carry-on bag and made her way toward the bathroom. He wouldn’t mind if she reappeared in some mouthwateringly sexy little number.
Of course, he knew that wouldn’t happen in a public place. He had an imagination, though, so when she stepped from the bathroom in the same clothes, her hair brushed and her teeth sparkling, he chose to picture a sexy red nightie that hugged the curves he knew were lurking underneath her baggy sweater.
She might not admit the connection that had sparked between them, but it was real and he was more than willing and able to exploit it to their mutual benefit.
Maybe after this flight he’d go back to regular commercial flying. He never would have met Alyssa had he been on his private jet. Slowly, as she arranged her blankets and climbed into her roomy flight bed, Jackson removed his tie and then unbuttoned his shirt, shrugging it from his shoulders. He was immensely pleased when her wide blue eyes stayed glued to his chest.
Jackson was well aware of his great physique and worked hard to keep in shape. A healthy body was essential to a healthy mind. And tonight he planned to make sure Alyssa’s dreams were filled with colorful images of their limbs entangled together.
When he climbed beneath his own warm bedding and turned to face her, she gazed at him through half-closed eyes. He could see her internal struggle as she tried to decide whether to turn away and attempt to sleep, or continue facing him and move toward the next step they were destined to take.
They were partially concealed by the darkness of the cabin and the blankets that covered them, but Jackson was very aware of passengers all around them. The sound of quiet talking was their white noise, and though he and Alyssa were on a plane filled with people, it felt sinfully intimate.
“You’ve managed to elude my question about your job. Now it’s just you and me and we have hours before we land,” he said, smiling as he watched her take a deep breath.
Jackson had a feeling she wasn’t the type of woman to jump into affairs. Good. But that should send up red flags; maybe this just wasn’t meant to be.
No. He refused to believe that. Seeing the curious light shining in her eyes as she looked at him, he knew they were just beginning whatever it was the two of them had started. This was the perfect storm of circumstances. And Jackson wasn’t a man to let such an opportunity pass him by.
Alyssa faced Jackson in their intimate cocoon, and she felt as if the rest of the world had disappeared. She’d expected him to turn away, expected this strange pull between the two of them to disappear, but he hadn’t—and in defiance of the howls of outrage coming from her brain, she was gazing into his eyes and having a most difficult time not looking at his sculpted chest. Damn him for letting his blanket sit so low on his waist.
How was she supposed to have a normal conversation with this man when her only thought right now was sex? It was actually almost comical. Here she was, twenty-four years old, just out of a terrible relationship with her one and only sexual partner, and still incredibly naive when it came to the nuances of sexual behavior.
It seemed the world thought she must be a sex aficionada, though, because all models knew the ins and outs of sex, didn’t they? How could they possibly make love to the camera and not be experienced in the bedroom?
Sadly, almost all of her experience had come from watching every romantic movie out there. When she’d finally caved in and had sex for the first time with Carl, she’d been disappointed. It had gotten slightly better after a few times, but she just didn’t get all the hype. Why had this messy animal act caused so much drama throughout history?
Romantic movies had also been her best resource for proper facial expressions when simulating the throes of passion. Her favorite scene of all time was from Top Gun. When Maverick looked deeply into Charlie’s eyes as the music played, Alyssa had felt her first stirring of desire. Whenever she’d been on a photo shoot that required sultry looks, she’d just pictured that love scene.
Great. Now “Take My Breath Away” was running through her head while she was lying in the dark next to the hottest guy she’d ever spoken to.
She’d never looked at male models as if they were real men—they were simply bodies she was posing with. The same couldn’t be said about Jackson. He was all man, and he obviously knew it.
“Have I lost you, Alyssa?” Jackson asked, startling her.
“What?”
“You seem to be lost in your own thoughts.”
“It’s been a rough day. A rough week, really.” Now, why had she said that?
“Really? It would help, then, if you told me why you were in Paris. What do you do?”
“I recall telling you that it was none of your business.”
“And I recall telling you that I get what I want.”
From the look in his eyes as he stared at the top of her blanket, she suspected that he was talking about a lot more than work.
She tugged on the blanket, pulling it just a little bit closer to her chin. It wasn’t that she was a prude. She’d just never felt a desire so strong that it made it worth the time or energy to fall into bed with a stranger. But now? Whoa! After just a bit of conversation with Jackson, she was ready to climb into his small bed, straddle him, and have her every fantasy fulfilled.
It wasn’t helping that she was going to some Podunk town in the middle of Montana she’d never even heard of, where the chance of meeting eligible bachelors was probably nil. Texas hadn’t been the greatest of places to live, at least not in the summertime, when the heat and humidity were off the charts, but at least the state had a large population. Alyssa had heard that cows outnumbered people in Montana. If she ever hoped to get married and start a family, she would be hard-pressed to find a man where she was going—population: negative five.