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  Mike didn’t know what was going on with her. He didn’t know why she was treating him so differently, why she didn’t want to talk to him. But he knew what she felt like lying beneath him completely naked, he knew what she tasted like, he knew what she sounded like when he was driving himself inside of her. And now he knew her name and hometown.

  He also knew when to strategically retreat. Pulling his card out of his pocket he asked Nikki, “Do you have a pen?”

  Julie pulled one from thin air and handed it to him with a wink.

  “Thanks,” Nikki gave her co-worker a look that clearly indicated she was not all that pleased with her help.

  Mike wrote a quick message on the back of his card and handed it to Nikki before handing the pen back to Julie.

  “Hope to hear from you soon,” Mike smiled at her one last time and then made his way back to his seat. That could have gone better. But Mike was a glass half full kind of a guy and he guessed it could have gone worse too.

  Phil glanced up as Mike sat down across from him. “Everything good?”

  Mike nodded deciding to look at the bright side. Fate had dropped Nikki back in his life again. And now she had his number and he knew her name and where she lived. Yep, everything was great.

  Chapter Seven

  Nikki pulled up to the curb in front of her sister’s small cottage style house. She saw that Matt’s truck was in the driveway and felt more than a little twinge of disappointment in her chest. Sister to sister talks were difficult to have with a new boyfriend hanging around and Nikki was in desperate need of one.

  The entire drive back to Hope Falls, Nikki just kept replaying the entire flight in her mind. Honestly, she felt like she must’ve been the victim of something right out of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. Aliens taking over her body was the only logical explanation for her behavior. She had no idea who the girl who had hidden in the galley—stricken speechless, mindless, and action-less—was, but it sure as hell wasn’t her.

  Nikki was not a freezer, avoider, or a hider. She was a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants, grab life by the balls and face-things-head-on type of a girl. She didn’t get overwhelmed. People did not intimidate her. She was by no means a shrinking violet. She had spunk. Sass. Hutzpah.

  Yet, when Mike had boarded the plane all of her personality seemed to be sucked right out the cabin door. Whoosh. It was gone like the wind.

  Of course now she couldn’t stop thinking about all kinds of clever things she could have said. A plethora of witty comebacks were filling her brain. Flirtatious banter had always been Nikki’s specialty but instead of whipping out dazzling one liners, she’d avoided having a normal adult conversation with Mike then hid in the galley. Oh and the cherry on top had to be when he’d come and sought her out, she’d stood in front of him like a petulant child repeatedly asking ‘why’ like a broken record. Smooth. Real smooth.

  And yet he’d still given her his card. She opened her purse and pulled it out. It had his cell number, email and on the back he’d written:

  Last night was one of the best nights of my life too. I hope we can share more of them together. - Mike

  She’d read it and reread over a dozen times. Why would he still be interested in seeing her again after how she’d acted? It couldn’t be that he thought of her as a challenge like the NBA douchebag did. She and Mike had already done the deed. He’d gotten the milk for free, so to speak.

  And it’s not like she’d been super cool afterwards. Nope. She’d fallen asleep (probably snored!), snuck out in the morning, and then proceeded to act like a totally socially awkward weirdo when they’d randomly ran into each other. Not exactly the persona she would have liked to portray.

  But, he’d still given her his card.

  Blowing out a breath of frustration as she made her way up the concrete path to Amy’s house, Nikki decided that new boyfriend hanging around or not she needed to talk to her sister.

  She knocked twice on the front door and waited. The dogs were both going crazy, wildly barking, inside. She knocked again.

  Her sister opened the door and warm air smelling of cinnamon wafted out. Amy’s hair was piled up on top of her head. She wore a pale pink “Kiss the Chef” apron and she had smudges of white powder on her nose. She looked adorable.

  “You look cute,” Nikki said.

  “I’m baking,” she explained as she wrapped her arms around Nikki and hugged her hello.

  Her family liked to hug.

  “Oh, so that must be flour on your nose and not cocaine. That makes more sense,” Nikki teased.

  “Ha ha, so funny.” Amy swatted Nikki with the oven mitt she was holding.

  Nikki reached down and picked up her wiggling barking little man. She pressed kisses to his warm soft fur as he tried to lick her all over her face. “I missed you. Were you a good boy for Auntie Amy?”

  “Yes he was. No “accidents” in the house and he was really good about sharing with Scooby,” Amy relayed happily as they made their way into her kitchen.

  Scrappy had a tendency to pee in the house, on shoes, couches, beds, basically anything that would get him attention, when he was upset. And he could also be really mean to Scooby—which was ridiculous because as a Great Dane, Scooby could squash the little Chihuahua with one paw! So Nikki was happy to hear that her boy had behaved himself.

  Looking around the bright cheery kitchen Nikki asked, “Where’s lover boy?”

  A slight blush rose up her sister’s cheek as a huge smile appeared on her face, “He’s in the back grading papers.”

  Nikki couldn’t be happier for her sister and her domestic bliss. Matt was a great guy and from what Nikki could see, he made her sister happier than she’d ever seen her. “Things are going good then?” She was pretty sure she knew the answer to that question but she wanted to check in just the same. Amy was technically Nikki’s big sister but in the ways of dating and love she was a novice. Nikki had a lot more experience in the men department.

  “Everything is perfect,” her sister sighed happily as she added more flour to the dough she was rolling.

  Even though Nikki had been playing in the big leagues—and Amy was barely starting in little league where the opposite sex was concerned—she still wanted her sister’s advice, because she felt completely off her game where Mike was concerned. She had no idea what the right play would be with him.

  She figured before she asked her sister what she should do, she should see if she knew who he was. If not, they had some Googling to do. “Hey, have you heard of Mike Gowan?” Nikki asked, honestly expecting her sister to have no idea.

  “The senator?” Amy stopped rolling and looked up at Nikki.

  “Yeah,” Nikki confirmed setting Scrappy down and sliding into the breakfast nook.

  “Oh, of course I do,” Amy said, shaking her head as if that was a ridiculous question.

  Okay, so maybe Nikki really needed to start staying on top of current events.

  Amy continued, “I voted for him. He ran on education reform. He founded “After School Success” when he was twenty eight. It’s a comprehensive after school program where kids are tested on their aptitude in diverse areas like science, arts, and engineering. Then a program is specifically designed to their individual strengths. They help kids get scholarships and internships. They also just implemented a mentorship and counseling program. It’s amazing. He is amazing.”

  Amy spoke so passionately about the work that Mike had done. Which was great. Nikki was happy to hear that he had done such incredible things. But for some reason her stomach still dropped to the ground as her sister spoke.

  “Plus,” Amy said wiping the tip of her nose with her sleeve, “He is sooo handsome. I think he even made some list like People’s-”

  “100 Most Beautiful People,” Nikki finished slumping against the cushiony back of the breakfast alcove. “Oh yeah, he sure did.”

  Amy stared at Nikki for a moment, “Why do you ask? Do you know him?”

  “Sor
t of,” Nikki gave her sister the same answer that she’d given Phil.

  “How?”

  “Well, I met him last night,” hearing those words come out of her mouth —that it had only been about twenty hours since she’d known him—felt so bizarre. “We talked for hours at the bar and then we were going back to our rooms and got stuck in the elevator.”

  “Oh no,” Amy’s eyes widened in horror, “are you okay, Sissy?”

  All of Nikki’s family knew that being stuck in an elevator was one of her biggest fears.

  “Yeah. Mike saved me from completely losing it. He calmed me down.”

  “It was just the two of you in there?” Amy asked.

  “Yep,” Nikki could still feel the panic that had taken over in the small metal box suspended in the air.

  “Did you guys…?” Amy didn’t finish the question but Nikki knew where it was going.

  “Not in the elevator.” Nikki said emphatically. She couldn’t think of a less sexy place. She knew some people got off on that kind of thing.

  “Oh,” Amy shrugged, “you said that he calmed you down, I just figured you know he calmed you down.”

  “I was a total basket case. It was not a sexy vibe,” Nikki explained even though before the doors opened she’d been plastered against him and felt his hard length pressing against her hip. They had definitely had a ‘sexy vibe’ thing going on then.

  “I never understood how you could possibly be a flight attendant and be claustrophobic. Don’t those small planes freak you out?” Amy asked as she began sprinkling sugar and cinnamon on the dough.

  Nikki’s mouth watered. Amy’s homemade cinnamon rolls were to die for. She could smell that some were already in the oven and she couldn’t wait. “It’s not the same. I’m not even sure if I am claustrophobic or just really scared of elevators.”

  Amy looked up a little confused.

  “It’s like how you’re terrified of spiders but not ants or any other insects,” Nikki tried to give her sister an analogy she could relate to as she rubbed Scrappy’s belly. He’d jumped up on the cushion beside her and flopped on his back for attention.

  “Well, actually spiders are not insects they’re arachnids,” Amy pointed out, when Nikki just stared at her she added, “But I see your point.”

  “Anyways, we did end up going back to my room and we spent the night together.”

  Amy nodded. Nikki had always appreciated that no matter what her lifestyle had been, even if she’d behaved in ways that Amy would never behave, her sister never judged her. Amy always listened and approached things from a logical, cerebral place.

  Nikki tried to be the same way with her. However, she knew that she’d fallen short more than she wanted to admit. It was just so hard for her. She was a very emotional person. She acted first, thought second. Amy was the other way around. She thought all of her words and actions through first.

  “In the morning I left. Without waking him up or saying goodbye-”

  “Was it…I mean…did you not have fun?”

  “No,” Nikki shook her head, “the opposite actually. It was one of the best nights of my life.”

  “Okay,” Amy’s tone indicating that she didn’t quite understand why Nikki would bounce if it had been such a good night. Well, she could join the club.

  “Cut to four hours later. I am working this chartered flight-”

  “He was on the flight?” Amy interrupted excitedly.

  “Yes,” Nikki confirmed. “He was. Oh and I forgot to tell you. I had no idea who he was at this point.”

  “What do you mean? I thought you said that you spent the night with him.”

  “I did. But we didn’t even exchange last names. So, he boards the plane, two hours late I might add, with his sleazy campaign manager and I find out he’s a senator and I freeze. I don’t know what to say. He asks to talk to me and Julie had to run interference. Then when Julie showed me his search results, I just stayed in the galley and hid. I didn’t know what to say to him.” Nikki knew that she wasn’t really making sense.

  “Why didn’t you just talk to him?” Amy made it sound so simple. So easy. And it should have been. But it wasn’t.

  “Well, I had to when he came up to the front and found me. I mean, I sort of did. I just kept asking ‘why’ every time he asked me a question.”

  Amy sincerely looked like she was trying to understand what Nikki was talking about. “Not to be a copycat, but why?”

  “I just, I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure it out,” Nikki’s hands flew up animatedly, “I haven’t been myself since I woke up this morning. I’ve been second guessing every move I make. It’s freaking me out. That’s why I’m talking to you.”

  “Okay,” Amy spoke softly as if she was trying to calm a wild animal.

  The dogs started barking happily as Matt stepped into the kitchen. He greeted Nikki, Scooby and Scrappy before stepping behind Amy, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck.

  Nikki watched as her sister lit up light a Christmas tree. Amy was beaming. Nikki didn’t want to be a third wheel so she picked up Scrappy. “I’m gonna head out.”

  Amy looked up with concern in her eyes, “No, we haven’t finished talking.”

  “Oh sorry,” Matt looked up. “I can keep myself occupied. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  Nikki appreciated their offer but she didn’t want to be that girl. “No it’s fine. We’ll talk later.” Nikki leaned over the counter and kissed her sister on her cheek.

  When she pulled away she still saw worry in Amy’s big blue eyes.

  “I’m fine,” Nikki assured her. “Really. I’m going to go home and go to bed. I’m sure everything will make more sense after some sleep.”

  Amy nodded, “Okay. Love you.”

  “Love you too. And thanks again, guys,” Nikki said to both Matt and Amy, “for taking such good care of my little man. I’ll see you at Sunday dinner.”

  “Actually there’s book club tomorrow night at Lauren’s.”

  “Okay, well then I’ll see you then.”

  As Nikki carried Scrappy to the car, she hoped that she had been telling her sister the truth. That after a little sleep, things would seem clearer. It could happen, but she wasn’t holding her breath.

  Chapter Eight

  Yes, that’s her. Mike felt like jumping up on his desk and doing a victory dance as he clicked on the small thumbnail of Nikki’s profile pic and waited for her page to load on Facebook.

  Finally, he’d found her. It had taken over an hour to find her. Another wave of excitement hit him when he saw that her page was set to public not private. Score! His eyes were glued to his computer screen.

  Nikki Maguire. Her profile picture showed her with a baseball cap sticking her tongue out at the camera. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, he didn’t have any idea how she managed to be cute and sexy simultaneously, but she pulled it off. Her timeline cover was a photo of her with another girl, two guys and an older couple. He assumed it was her family.

  He quickly clicked on the ‘about’ tab, anxious to find out anything he could about the girl who had hijacked him, emotionally, physically, and mentally over the last twenty-four hours.

  Lives in Hope Falls, California. Works at Ascendant Airlines. Studied at UCLA. She was twenty-eight years old. There were also thumbnail pics, under the heading family, of the people in her cover photo. There were pictures of her two brothers, Eric and Jake, her sister, Amy, and her parents, Sean and Rosalie. On the right side of the page, it also had her email and phone number.

  An uneasy feeling crept up in Mike’s chest. Sometimes he was a little freaked out at just how much information was available to anyone with only the brush of a few keystrokes. The internet was a powerful thing that could be used for good or evil. He tried to convince himself that this “research” he was doing didn’t really fall into either category. It was just information gathering.

  His cursor was hovering over the ‘photo’s’ tab but be
fore he clicked on it he paused for a moment assessing what was causing him to hesitate. Did he feel like a little bit like a cyber-stalker? Maybe. Was it going to stop him from looking at her profile? Hell no.

  He’d been completely consumed with thoughts of Nikki since the moment he laid eyes on her in the hotel bar. Even today with its hectic, non-stop, go-go-go pace from the moment he’d gotten into the car after the flight, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He’d fielded dozens of phone calls. Had several meetings. A working lunch. A working dinner. And a sit down over drinks. Answered over a hundred emails. And the entire time he should have been focused on the task at hand, his mind kept drifting back to Nikki.

  Snapshots of her just kept flashing in his mind like erotic lightning bolts. Her large hazel eyes. Her perfect soft lips. Her long toned legs.

  He assumed that part of his inability to focus had to be due to the fact things had been so strained between them today. She had been so different on the flight. After their all-too-brief encounter, where he’d cornered her in the small kitchenette on the airplane, he’d only caught brief glimpses of her.

  During the remainder of the flight, when she had continued to avoid him, he had started to think that maybe he’d read the situation wrong. He’d thought that the night they’d spent together was special, amazing, and not to be too dramatic but he would even go as far as to say earth shattering. He had started to think that maybe she didn’t reciprocate his feelings. That line of thinking completely changed though when he was disembarking and their eyes met. There had been so much electricity between them that he was surprised they hadn’t spontaneously combusted.

  Her honey colored eyes had dilated, her face had flushed, then her lips parted and she’d whispered a soft goodbye. His body had been filled with so much desire and need that he only nodded, not trusting himself to speak. All doubts that she wasn’t feeling what he was were gone. Especially, when he’d been halfway down the stairs and overheard Julie say with amazement, “Daaaamn girl that was hot!” and “I have never seen you speechless!”

  Although he was now certain that the attraction they felt was mutual, it was still making him crazy not knowing what was going on in that beautiful head of hers. Mike was sure that if he could just talk to her, alone, he could get to the bottom of whatever was bothering her. He knew it was odd that despite the fact that he’d only known her for less than twenty-four hours, he absolutely knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was something going on with her. It was more than just reading her body language or even how she acted, he could feel it, in his bones.