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  “The Renegades are always looking for good pilots. Don’t think I’ve flown against somebody who’s given me such a hard time.”

  Bolt needed his drink to help him swallow. He sipped on the straw. Was Shipley recruiting him? “Thank you, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “I keep my eye out for talent. And you’ve got it.” Shipley stood, taking his tray to the trash bin. “I’ll meet you at the car. I’ve got a few calls to make.”

  “Yes, sir.” Eagle and Bolt answered.

  “Dude, you just joined the Rebels.” Eagle had a mouthful of chips and guacamole.

  “I’m not going anywhere. He’s probably just trying to get me rattled for the next flight.” Bolt knew that wasn’t the case, but he couldn’t let Eagle get worked up for no reason. He wasn’t moving and leaving. San Diego was home for now.

  “You ready?” He slid out of the booth.

  “Right behind you, man.” Eagle hopped out.

  “Let’s get this over with.” They walked into the blaring Arizona sun.

  Skye poured her second cup of coffee for the morning in the break room and leaned against the counter. Greg was laughing across the hall. Gloating was more like it, she thought. If her scowl could cause mortal harm, he would be slashed to pieces by now.

  Kari poked her head around the corner. “Hey, good morning.”

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” Skye had gotten a few texts from her friend over the weekend assuring her she hadn’t perished on the bathroom floor.

  “Ugh! I will never eat sushi again. I had the worst weekend. But thanks for checking on me. I felt so bad about not going out Friday night. Did you leave?”

  Skye tugged on her bottom lip. “Not exactly.”

  “Really? What does that mean?”

  “Quick meeting in my office.” Skye darted out of the break room and hustled her around the corner. As soon as Kari was inside, she closed the door.

  “What is going on?” Kari asked.

  Skye lowered voice as if someone walking by would still be able to hear her through the door. “Ok, well when you didn’t show up, this guy sort of swooped in and bought me a drink.”

  Kari squealed. “Oh my God. This is the best news. I mean I hate I had to get food poisoning for it to happen, but this is seriously good news. Tell me. Tell me. I love a good swooping story.”

  Skye sat behind her desk. Talking about everything that happened between her and Ben in her office felt out of place. Who she was over the weekend was nothing like the woman she was at work.

  “He is hot. As in, drop dead gorgeous hot.”

  “Oh, go on. I already like him.”

  “And we kind of tried to have a one-night stand.” She grimaced, this part of the story sounded awkward.

  “What do you mean tried? Wait? Could he not—”

  “What? Oh no, no. He was good.” Skye waved her hands. That’s not what she meant at all. She continued to whisper even though her door was closed, “We didn’t have any condoms.”

  “Ohh. That’s a bummer.”

  “Tell me about it.” Skye flashed to the moment when Ben asked her for one. Utter embarrassment.

  “I’m proud of you, Skye.” Kari smiled. “You went out in the world, and you hooked up with a hot guy. See? Without work there are actually fun things out there.”

  Skye rolled her eyes. “That’s what you keep saying.”

  “So are you going to see him again? Maybe with condoms next time?” She giggled.

  “We already went out again Saturday night.”

  “Oh, now it gets steamy. How was he?”

  “Kari!”

  “Seriously? You wouldn’t be telling me all of this if you didn’t want me to know the details, but you better hurry because we have five minutes before the meeting.”

  Skye looked at the clock over the door. The last thing she wanted to do was sit in a meeting with Greg and the bosses who yanked the account away from her, but she wasn’t about to quit. If she had to walk through these halls every day and stare them down until she landed the next big account she would. Greg couldn’t force her out. She’d worked too long and hard to turn around and run.

  “Skye? Come on, tell me what happened.”

  “How about at lunch? I don’t want to be the last one to walk in the meeting.”

  “Ugh. I guess I can wait, but this is a serious cliffhanger.”

  “Let’s just get this meeting over with.” Skye led the way down the hall and around the corner where a few of her co-workers were mingling.

  She and Kari took seats across from each other.

  “Good morning, everyone.” Stan Preston, CEO of Regency Advertising, greeted the assembly.

  A low murmur circled the table.

  He continued, “As you have probably already heard by now we landed the San Diego tourism account. This is a real coup for our company. I couldn’t be prouder of our research team. Skye, we owe you one.” Stan applauded in Skye’s direction, starting a chain reaction around the room.

  Skye blushed and nodded. This wasn’t the accolade she wanted. It was almost humiliating. Everyone in the room knew she had pitched the campaign to the city. The fact that they wanted the contract, but her bosses at Regency didn’t see the same qualities in her was frustrating.

  Kari shot her a sympathetic smile from the other side of the table. At least she had one friend in this shark tank.

  They had started working at the company within three months of each other. Skye admitted she wasn’t the easiest person to be friends with. She might have been the only human who didn’t move to San Diego for the California beaches and the sunny winters. Instead she moved strictly for her career. If she had money, stability, and a way to pay for her own things, she wouldn’t have to worry and scrape by like her mother. She wouldn’t waste tears on endless amounts of credit card debt and loans she couldn’t repay. Her six-figure salary was the start to that security. She would stand on her own, no matter what.

  Kari didn’t seem to mind Skye’s goals and ambition. They worked in different divisions and spent all their breaks rehashing meetings, office gossip, and of course whatever current guy situation one of them was dealing with.

  Eventually the meeting proceedings shifted toward the client satisfaction survey results and Skye felt her shoulders relax. The eyes were finally off of her and for the most part she knew everyone had forgotten her embarrassing ten minutes in the spotlight. But she wouldn’t forget.

  As Greg reached for another donut hole on the oblong platter, she vowed this would be the last meeting she’d spend watching him stuff his smug face.

  “Thanks for the reports you sent over.” She tried not to laugh at the powdered sugar on his lips. “The one on the zoo was especially helpful.” He picked up another pastry.

  Her stomach twisted in a knot. The zoo file had been her favorite. In the three years living in the city it had taken work to get her to visit the zoo. The minute she walked through the gates it had become her favorite spot. It wasn’t necessarily the animals, and it definitely wasn’t the herds of tourists, but the flowers and tropical plants that grew everywhere made her feel like she had accidentally slipped into a rain forest. It was gorgeous and exotic; everything her life wasn’t. Research at the zoo became an unexpected sanctuary in her life. For once, creating an advertising campaign for such an oasis was the easiest project she’d ever had.

  “Glad I could contribute to the project.” She folded her planner across her chest. Greg wasn’t going to see how upset she was.

  He smirked. “You always contribute, Skye.”

  She brushed past him before she let a four-letter word drop and sought the quiet of her office. She closed the door behind her.

  There would be other pitches. She would have other opportunities. She hated that once she actually fell in love with one she had to hand it over to Greg.

  Kari shook her head at almost everything on the menu. Skye felt bad that food still wasn’t appetizing to her.

  �
��I think I’ll just have a club soda with lemon and the bread basket.” She placed the menu on the table.

  “You’re eating all carbs for lunch?” Skye was stunned. Kari was a stickler for her diet and had the figure to show for it.

  “I’ll run an extra thirty at the gym tomorrow. I can’t handle more than bread.” She took a sip of water.

  They sat outside at a downtown deli close to the water. It was a sunny, breezy day, and perfect for dining al fresco.

  “Enough about my stupid stomach problems. You left off in the middle of a very juicy story. You have to tell me more about this guy. A name for starters.”

  Skye adjusted her sunglasses.

  “His name is Bolt.”

  “What kind of name is Bolt?”

  “It’s his call sign. His real name is Ben Hardcastle. I like calling him Ben, I think.” She still wasn’t sure which felt more comfortable.

  “Oh, good lord. Do not tell me you hooked up with a Miramar pilot.”

  “Why, what’s wrong with that?” Skye felt a little wounded and concerned. What did Kari know about the Miramar pilots that she didn’t? Probably a lot. Skye’s social life consisted of office events and client parties.

  Kari shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing at all. I think it’s great you met someone. I shouldn’t have said that. Tell me what you did on night two.”

  “No, wait. What’s the big deal if he’s a pilot?” She didn’t know why but suddenly there were nervous butterflies skydiving in her stomach.

  “It’s just I had a friend who dated a pilot once, and he was gone all the time and well…he ended up cheating on her with some girl in Japan. It was a mess. Total disaster, but I’m sure this guy is nothing like that womanizing man whore.”

  Skye ran her fingers through her hair. “Right. I’m sure he’s nothing like that.” She thought about how easily he had seduced her back to her place two nights in a row. If he wasn’t a player, she didn’t know what one looked like.

  “What’s wrong? I said the wrong thing didn’t I? Shit. I shouldn’t have mentioned my friend. I’m sorry.” Kari pinched off a roll, but hesitated to eat it.

  “No. It’s ok. You’re probably right. I already had a feeling since he was in the military it was a bad idea, but then I got caught up in how charming he was. And we just had this immediate banter that I liked. He wasn’t afraid to come back at me with something smart-assy, you know?” Kari nodded. “Ahh, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t sleep with him and besides that he hasn’t asked me out again, so he’s probably already moved on.”

  She didn’t like how that sounded and she didn’t like the idea of Ben buying another woman a drink, or driving someone else crazy with his baby blue eyes. But she barely knew him. She didn’t think she could name five things they had in common. Everything about the two of them was physical. It was best to move on now before she got attached and he cheated on her with someone in Japan.

  “I think if he does call you should definitely go out with him again.” Kari smiled.

  “We’ll see.” Skye knew she had already convinced herself dating Ben Hardcastle was nothing but a recipe for heartache and disaster, even if she’d had the best orgasms of her life.

  There was a Padres game at seven. He knew it was last minute, but the tickets went up in the ready room when he was in the air and Bolt didn’t see them until after his flight. He pulled out his phone to call Skye.

  “Hello? This is Skye Stephens.”

  He smiled. She was all business. It made him laugh. “Hey, it’s Ben.”

  “Oh, hey. Sorry I’m at work and didn’t recognize your number.”

  “I’m calling from the briefing room. You sounded very professional.” He pictured her in that tight black suit, with the skirt hiked to her hips. He had to remind himself about the tickets he was holding in his hand.

  She giggled. “I am at work.”

  “Right. Me too. I just landed, but I got a pair of tickets to the Padres game tonight. I was wondering if you would want to go.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yep. Game starts at seven, so I could pick you up at six-thirty. You’re not far from the ballpark.”

  “Oh, wow. I don’t know. That’s in a couple of hours, and I have a pile of work on my desk.”

  “Skye, come on. We both know that a night with me and the Padres is way more fun than any spreadsheet you’ve got going on.” He heard her sigh into the phone and he knew she was rethinking her hesitation.

  “Six-thirty?”

  “Yep, six-thirty.” He smiled.

  “Ok, I’ll be ready.”

  “Cool. It’ll be fun. I promise.”

  “I’m counting on it. Bye, Ben.” She hung up and he glanced at the phone. He walked to the lockers to store his gear. For the first time in a long time, he had a date and he was looking forward to spending time with Skye. Even if she was making him work for what he really wanted.

  He knocked promptly at six-thirty. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw when she pulled open the door. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing tight jeans and a fitted Padres shirt that dipped between her breasts. He knew he was staring.

  “Wow, you look great.” He thought of all the other things he could say to her.

  “Thanks. I got this shirt for a Padres promo we did last year, and I’ve never worn it. Seemed like a good night to try it out.” Skye locked the door behind her and turned to face him.

  Bolt winked. “I’m glad you saved it for me.”

  “They also gave me a big foam finger, but I left that in the closet.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, good idea.” He tapped the elevator button. “So, how was your Monday?”

  Skye rolled her eyes. “Shitty. How about yours?”

  “About the same.” He reached for her hand as the elevator descended and laced her fingers through his. “Sounds like we could both use a few beers.”

  She nodded and the doors retracted. “That sounds perfect.”

  “Ok, then let’s go watch some baseball.”

  The ballpark was built on the water, so depending on your seats the wind could rip right through the concourse tunnels and chill you to the bone. Bolt happened to have those gusty seats. He wrapped an arm around Skye, pulling her against his chest while keeping a firm grip on his beer with the other.

  “You know I was surprised you called.” Skye sipped on the large beverage in her hand.

  “Really? I said I would.”

  “Yeah, I bet you say a lot of things.”

  “Ouch. That hurt.”

  “Do not pretend with me that you don’t get a lot of numbers. I know your type.”

  “Type, huh? I might get a few numbers here and there. But I called, didn’t I? Anyway, I was kind of surprised you agreed to go.” He liked the feisty side of her.

  “Why do you say that?” she taunted.

  He wondered if he should be so blunt with her, but she seemed like she could take it. “Because you seem a little uptight at times. I figured you were done with the fun.”

  Skye wiggled out of his wind-bracing hold. “Uptight? You sure know how to compliment a girl.”

  “I don’t mean uptight, uptight, just a little rigid.” He shook his head as soon as he saw Skye’s expression. “Ok, rigid was definitely the wrong word to use. Dammit. I’m going to stop talking now.”

  She giggled. “No, I think you should keep going. You’re proving my exact point.”

  “And what’s that?” He was glad she wasn’t genuinely mad with him.

  “That you are the kind of guy who likes to have fun and that’s it.”

  Bolt scanned her eyes. “Are you saying I’m not deep?”

  “I didn’t say that. You think I’m uptight and I don’t think you’re serious enough. How about that?”

  He touched the beer to his lips and tried not to smile. “I guess that’s calling it fair.”

  It was only the bottom of the fourth inning and Bolt was already ready to start making his way back to Skye’s ap
artment. In truth, from the second she opened the door he didn’t want to leave. Something about her tapped into his more primal side, and it took more self-restraint than he wanted to admit to keep his hands off her. He was freezing and if he had to stare at the chill bumps on her breasts another second he would probably pounce on her right in the ballpark. He couldn’t stop thinking of all the ways he wanted to warm her up.

  “Are you enjoying the game?” He wrapped his arm around her and felt her ease into his shoulder.

  “I’m not much of a baseball fan, but yeah it’s good. Just wish we weren’t in a freaking wind tunnel.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I guess there was a reason these tickets were up on the board at work. How about we head back to your place and watch the rest of it on TV and neither one of us will have to freeze?”

  She eyed him suspiciously. “My place?”

  He put his hands up. “I know the rule, don’t worry. But please, I think my hand is frozen to the plastic cup.”

  She giggled. “Ok, let’s go.”

  Bolt smiled, knowing he could probably at least make it to third base tonight.

  “What’s wrong with you? I have never seen you inhale that much coffee.” Kari noticed.

  “Ben stayed over last night.” Skye wanted to crawl back in bed but the alarm went off as usual, and she got ready for work. He left at five and they had maybe slept three hours. Skye yawned.

  “Shut up! He stayed over last night? On a Monday night? You have turned into a wild woman, Skye Stephens.” Kari giggled.

  “Very funny.” She was supposed to be looking over a pitch for a new sunscreen client, but sun protection was the last thing she was thinking about. Ben’s hands between her legs and his mouth on her body was all she felt.

  “Skye, where’d you go?”

  “Oh sorry.” She blushed. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I wasn’t going to go out with him again, but he called with the tickets and he sounded so cute on the phone so I said yes. And then that of course led to us going back to my place, and then you know the rest.”