Fighting for Flight (7 page)

I pay the swanky boutique’s cashier and figure I’ll
have to get Dog generic cat food for the next six months to make up
for the money I just spent. He lives in a dumpster. He won’t mind
the cheap stuff.

We pop into a little coffee shop to grab a latte
when my cell phone rings. I check the caller ID. Butterflies stir
in my belly.

“Oh my gosh, Eve, it’s him.” I hold my phone out to
her, thinking that she might answer it for me.

I’ve been working for Jonah all week, and he’s never
called me.
How does he know my number?
He gave me his number
the day he came to the garage, and I programmed it in my phone in
case I couldn’t find his house. And why am I so nervous? Sweat
slicks my palms, making me almost lose the hold on my phone. Or
maybe that’s the shaking.

Eve leans away from me, shooing the phone to my ear
with a few quick flicks of her wrist. “Uh-uh, girl, we’re not in
grade school. Now answer your damn phone.”

I step out of the ordering line and head to a table
at the back of the coffee shop. I can’t sit as nervous energy keeps
me pacing.

With a finger pressed to my ear to drown out the
chatter, I drop my head. “Hello?”

“Raven, what’s up? It’s Jonah.”

“I know . . . I mean I have your number in my phone,
you know, from that first day, and it came up on the—”

Eve elbows me in the ribs and shakes her head. And
thank God. Who knows how long I would have rambled.

His low chuckle vibrates the phone against my ear,
sending goose bumps down that side of my body. He’s even sexy
through the telephone. “Right. Where are you?”

“My girlfriend Eve and I are having coffee at . . .”
I stare at the coffeehouse sign. My face heats immediately and Eve
giggles. “The Bump and Grind.”

He laughs again, just as low and sexy as the first,
but louder. “Only in Vegas, huh?”

“Yeah, God forbid there be a Starbucks around.” I
roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me.

“I wanted to touch base and make sure you were
coming by this afternoon.”

“Of course, four o’clock, right?”

“That’s it. And, Raven?”

“Mm-hm?”

“Bring Eve along.”

My eyes dart to Eve who is standing nearby hanging
on my every word. I smile at her. “Bring Eve? Okay, sure.” Her face
splits into a smile, and she fist pumps the air.

“Great. See you in a few.”

The phone disconnects, and Eve and I stare at each
other for a few wordless seconds.

“We’re going back to the boutique.” Eve grabs my arm
and pulls me out the door. “I need a new suit too if I’m going to
meet ‘The Assassin.’”

I stop walking. “Please, whatever you do, do not
call him ‘The Assassin’ to his face. That would be so
embarrassing.”

She lifts one side of her glossed lips like I just
gave her a fantastic idea.
Oh, great.

“You know, there’ll probably be a few single guys
there tonight.” I ask the silent question with my eyes.

Eve is gorgeous, and she gets plenty of attention
from guys, but her taste is selective. She only dates complete
jerks.

“We’ll see.” She shrugs. “It would take someone
pretty special to turn my head at this point.” A sly smile spreads
across her face.

Eve has a secret. I look around before pulling her
from the sidewalk to a bench.

“Who is he?” Excitement must show in my expression
and Eve’s face lights up.

“Oh, Rave! He’s amazing. I met him at work. He came
into the restaurant for dinner, and he was so sweet.” She has a
dreamy look that I don’t see often on my cynical friend. “He asked
me out and I said yes,” she squeals.

“That’s great. When’s the date?”

“Oh, it was two weeks ago.” Guilt laces her voice.
“We’ve been hanging out almost every night since.”

My brows drop low. I try to justify why my best
friend has been dating a guy for two weeks and this is the first
I’ve heard about it. We tell each other everything. Just last week
Eve called me at midnight to tell me that Donny Osmond came into
her restaurant and told her she had great bone structure. And for
two weeks she’s been keeping her mystery boyfriend from me?

This can’t be good. History proves that she attracts
the meanest most abusive guys Vegas has to offer: usually verbally,
sometimes physically, and always emotionally. I tell myself that
she doesn’t know better. Growing up in that environment, she
obviously sways toward her idea of normal. But surely she doesn’t
want the life her mom had.

I’ve been running in the opposite direction of my
mom’s life since I knew she was a prostitute. I’m a mechanic and a
virgin. Can’t get more opposite than that.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. He’s really . . . um .
. . private. He told me he wasn’t ready for anyone to know about
us. Things are getting pretty serious though, so I’m sure you’ll
meet him soon.”

“I’m really happy for you, Eve.” The hurt in my
voice contradicts my words.

Her smile turns sad. “Hey, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, really.”

She hops to her feet and grabs my hand. “Come on.
Let’s go get me that suit. Just because I’m officially off the
market doesn’t mean I’m not going to enjoy the view tonight. These
guys work hard for their bodies.” I stand and she links her arm in
mine. “I intend on showing my appreciation.”

A couple more hours of shopping and we head back to
my house to freshen up. At three forty-five on the dot, we leave
for Jonah’s. I toss my backpack into Eve’s car just as Guy calls to
me from the open bay doors of the garage.

I pop my head in the car door. “Give me a minute?
I’ll go see what he wants.”

I jog to Guy who’s standing with Leo and Cane, two
other mechanics in the shop. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

Their eyes travel from my neck to my toes and back
again. They don’t look happy about what they see.

“Where’re you going dressed like that, Ray?” Guy
motions to my halter dress bathing suit cover up.

“I’m going to a barbeque pool party thing.” I hook
the string of my bikini top with my thumb and hold it out. I mean,
isn’t it obvious. And why are they looking at me like I’m wearing
raw meat?

“There gonna be dudes at this party?” Leo’s
protective tone isn’t the least bit surprising. He’s got three
daughters and five granddaughters.

“Yes. There will be guys there.”

Cane, the newest mechanic at the shop, laughs hard,
making his big belly shake. Guy and Leo aren’t laughing.

“Whose party is it? And please, don’t tell me it’s
at one of them titty pools all the casinos are opening,” Leo says,
sending Cane into another fit of laughter.

“You guys, it’s fine. I’m going to Jonah’s.”

No one is laughing. Not only are they not laughing
but they’re frozen. Completely still. Oh no, this can’t be
good.

Guy breaks the silence. “Ray, don’t be a dumb
shit.”

“I’m not.” Falling for a guy who will most likely
break my heart? Maybe I am. “Er . . . I’ll try not to be a dumb . .
. um . . . what you said.”

The man, who has been like a father to me, must read
my face. “You’re wearing a dress.” He makes a tsking sound and
shakes his head. “Known you since you were fourteen. Ain’t never
seen you in a dress.” Guy’s probably right about that.

He was my shop teacher in high school, and I never
wore dresses to school.

Oh, wait.

“What about graduation?” I put my hands on my hips
to force some attitude into my declaration. “I wore a dress to
graduation.”

“That was a graduation gown.”

Darn, that’s right.

“Whatever. This isn’t a dress anyway, it’s a cover
up.” I smooth the soft fabric over my stomach. “It’s new. Now, if
you guys will excuse me—”

“You seriously gonna let her go?” Leo’s question is
directed at Guy.

“She’s a grown woman.”

“And he’s nailed more women in Vegas than Barry
Manilow.”

“Ray’s a smart girl. I trust her not to fuck up.”
Guy’s eyes swing to mine. “Right, Ray?” His question reeks of
warning.

I nod.

“You call us if you need anything. Don’t drink
booze. Say no to drugs. And whatever you do, do not take a drink
from a stranger or leave your drink unattended. You gotta piss, you
take your cup in the john with you.” Leo’s instructions are given
with a firm point to my face with each one.

“Got it. Can I go now?”

They shake their heads and turn back into the garage
grumbling. I practically skip back to the car with a cheek-cramping
smile plastered across my face.

~*~

Jonah

I’m antsy as hell. I hit the gym, went for a run,
worked on the Impala, and nothing seemed to help. Needing to hear
her voice, I finally broke down and called her. She seemed nervous
on the phone, which was something I haven’t seen from her in a
while. In the garage, she works with the cool confidence of a
seasoned mechanic, but outside of the garage, she’s shy and
nervous. And both are hot as hell.

Raven is nothing like the girls I’m used to. She’s
not arrogant or overly aggressive. She doesn’t try to mind-fuck you
into submission. With her, you get what you see. No twisted facades
or acts of desperation. She doesn’t expect anything from me. It’s
refreshing. And because of that, I’m completely at ease around
her.

I’ve known her for a week, and I’m spilling my guts
about my dad like a pigtailed girl at a sleepover. The words I’d
been holding in for years just poured out, and rather than making
me feel weak for my admission, she gave right back.

I miss her when she’s not around. I never miss
women. Hell, I go months without seeing my mom and sister. Never
bothers me. Raven’s been away from me for twenty-four hours, and
I’m going nuts, as if something valuable were missing.

When she was here yesterday, I was shocked at how
quickly I gave in to the urge to touch her. We stood so close at
one point our eyes locked in a lusty stare down. I was ready to
explode. Then she had to go and lick her lips. I would have kissed
her if I thought I’d be able to stop there. The way I was feeling,
I would have taken her on the hood of the car. Mental images
assault my brain, eliciting a groan from deep in my chest. She’ll
be here soon, and here I’m mentally fucking her on my car.

The doorbell rings, shaking me from my fantasy.
She’s here. I adjust my board shorts before I throw open the door
to the object of my obsession. My smile falls.

Owen pushes past me with bags of what I assume is
food. “Good to see you too.”

“Hey, Nik.” I kiss Owen’s wife on the cheek.

“Jonah, how are you?” She gives me a quick hug.
“Owen baby, just throw that stuff in the kitchen.”

Nikki is the resident chef at all our barbeques. She
knows her way around my kitchen, so I leave her to it.

Owen drops the bags then walks straight to the
backyard bar. He angles his barstool to face the sixty-inch flat
screen and turns on
Sportscenter
.

I join him outside, grab a beer, and settle in.
Halfway through my first beer, Caleb and Rex show up. The guys
argue whether the San Diego Padres will go to the World Series.
Owen says it’ll be the A’s. I’m sure it’ll be the Yankees, but I
stay out of the conversation. Nikki’s voice, along with a couple
other female voices, cuts through the conversation.

“Jonah, your guests are here,” she calls from the
sliding glass door.

Her announcement silences the baseball talk as
everyone turns to see who it is.

Holy fucking shit.

It’s Raven.

And she’s wearing a dress.

Thankful for my sunglasses, I let my eyes roam her
body freely. Her dark hair is braided to the side, the thick
chocolate rope lying against the swell of her breast. My gaze
lingers on her cleavage, the dress accentuating her already perfect
form. The flowing fabric ends well above her knees, exposing her
long, toned legs.

I vaguely notice the blonde at her side. That must
be Eve.

As they walk toward the bar, I can’t take my eyes
off Raven. She glides across the yard in that unconsciously sexy
way of hers. A deep moan from one of the guys at the bar has me
turning my head. They have their greedy fucking eyes locked on my
girl and her friend.

My girl?

Possession flares, having me step away from the bar
to meet them, effectively cutting the girls off from the ogling,
lecherous dicks behind me.

“Is this a joke?”

“Didn’t see this coming.”

I hear the mumbled comments from the numb-nut
gallery, and ball my fists to keep from flipping them off.

“Ladies, glad you could make it.” I’m impressed that
my voice didn’t crack under the pressure.

“Hey, Jonah.” Raven tilts her head, motioning to her
friend. “This is my friend, Eve. Eve, this is Jonah.”

“Hi, Jonah.” Eve shakes my hand and peruses the
backyard. “Nice digs.”

“Thanks. Come on. I’ll introduce you to the
guys.”

I direct the girls to walk ahead of me with the idea
that I can place my hand on the small of Raven’s back. It’s a
gentle way of claiming her in front of the guys. It’s either that
or plunge my tongue down her throat in front of everyone, and
something tells me she’s not quite ready for that.

She brushes past. Her delicate pear fragrance fills
my lungs. I bite my lip and lust saturates my brain. My fingers
burn to bury themselves in her hair and pull her to me.

I place my hand where the slope of her spine flows
to her ass and nearly stumble over my feet. There, on the backdrop
of her perfect olive skin, is the tattoo that has been taunting me
for days. A flock of blackbirds serpentine from her shoulder,
dipping below the fabric of her dress. From the scale of the
tattoo, I’d say the birds start at her hip.

The view evokes images of her laid out naked before
me. Running my tongue along my lip, I imagine what it would taste
like to kiss her from one end of her tattoo to the other. To feel
her skin, warm, soft and sweet against my lips. I’m already hard as
a rock, and I haven’t even seen her in her bikini yet. I go over
baseball stats, trying to ease my raging need.