know she was all right. They’d probably seen coverage of the storm on the news and she worried they’d be freaking out especially since she couldn’t reach them. Finally she’d managed a couple of brief emails to the office, astonished that the reaction from Barrett was, “What the hell is taking you so long? Get Dylan Schell back here RFN.” She’d also managed a short phone call home to tell her parents she was fine. At least they’d been concerned about her. It sounded like her mother was almost ready to get on the next plane to come find her.
Dylan’s breathing slowed as he fell asleep, and she tried to match her own breath to his to try to make herself fall asleep too. But it was hard not to think about him and the time they’d just spent together. It was hard not to get all warm and squirmy thinking about the things they’d done, in bed, even on the beach the last night in the shadows of the palm trees. She pressed her thighs together against the ache there. Giving up all that hot sex wasn’t going to be easy.
She would be going to her apartment. She’d thought Dylan might stay with his friend Matt, since he said he’d stayed there with him last year, but he’d shaken his head at that and said he’d stay at a hotel. In fact he already had a room booked at the San Amaro Hilton but not until later in the month, so in one of her emails she’d asked Tim to change his reservation for him, and also to book a rental car for him at the airport. Once they landed in San Diego, they’d be going their separate ways.
Which made her heart contract and her throat tighten.
But it wasn’t as if she wasn’t going to see him again. They had work to do. It would just be…different. Back to reality.
She finally drifted into sleep too, a light sleep, still aware of the noise of the plane, the footsteps of the flight attendants moving up and down the aisle, still aware of Dylan’s strong body against hers, his arms around her, that fresh air and water scent of his skin filling her head. She wanted to breathe that in and hold it inside her.
Hours later they both woke up, stretched, used the bathrooms and ate the breakfast the cheery flight attendants served them. Dylan read more of the materials she’d gathered about the charitable organizations and, surprisingly to her, used his laptop do some things – looked like he was reading some news stories, checking emails and responding to them. She’d forgotten that this was a business to him too. Or rather, no, she hadn’t forgotten. Dylan liked to give the impression he didn’t treat it like a business, but she was getting glimpses of a different side of him.
They claimed their luggage, including a special trip to the oversized baggage area for Dylan’s carefully packed boards, then paused before she headed to the lot where she’d left her car and Dylan got on a shuttle bus to the rental car office. People passing by glanced at Dylan then took another look. He was surrounded by a magnetic field of coolness that people seemed to recognize, whether or not they knew who he was, with his athletic grace, tanned skin and shaggy hair, wearing sunglasses and a loose shirt over shorts.
They looked at each other and more emotion swelled inside her. Oh God, this should not be happening. It felt like she was saying goodbye to him forever, and the wrench of loss she felt inside at that was all kinds of wrong. He smiled at her. “Okay, babe,” he said. “Here you go. You got what you came for. I’m back on U.S. soil. I guess I’ll see you at your office Monday morning.”
It was a little past noon on Friday. “Wait,” she said, frowning. “What will you do all weekend?”
He shrugged. “Not sure yet. Why?”
She struggled for words, for what to say. “You need to stay out of trouble. And out of the media.”
A shadow darkened his silvery eyes, but he grinned and gave her a look. “Oh yeah. Right. I’ll see if I can manage to behave myself for the next few
Dylan’s breathing slowed as he fell asleep, and she tried to match her own breath to his to try to make herself fall asleep too. But it was hard not to think about him and the time they’d just spent together. It was hard not to get all warm and squirmy thinking about the things they’d done, in bed, even on the beach the last night in the shadows of the palm trees. She pressed her thighs together against the ache there. Giving up all that hot sex wasn’t going to be easy.
She would be going to her apartment. She’d thought Dylan might stay with his friend Matt, since he said he’d stayed there with him last year, but he’d shaken his head at that and said he’d stay at a hotel. In fact he already had a room booked at the San Amaro Hilton but not until later in the month, so in one of her emails she’d asked Tim to change his reservation for him, and also to book a rental car for him at the airport. Once they landed in San Diego, they’d be going their separate ways.
Which made her heart contract and her throat tighten.
But it wasn’t as if she wasn’t going to see him again. They had work to do. It would just be…different. Back to reality.
She finally drifted into sleep too, a light sleep, still aware of the noise of the plane, the footsteps of the flight attendants moving up and down the aisle, still aware of Dylan’s strong body against hers, his arms around her, that fresh air and water scent of his skin filling her head. She wanted to breathe that in and hold it inside her.
Hours later they both woke up, stretched, used the bathrooms and ate the breakfast the cheery flight attendants served them. Dylan read more of the materials she’d gathered about the charitable organizations and, surprisingly to her, used his laptop do some things – looked like he was reading some news stories, checking emails and responding to them. She’d forgotten that this was a business to him too. Or rather, no, she hadn’t forgotten. Dylan liked to give the impression he didn’t treat it like a business, but she was getting glimpses of a different side of him.
They claimed their luggage, including a special trip to the oversized baggage area for Dylan’s carefully packed boards, then paused before she headed to the lot where she’d left her car and Dylan got on a shuttle bus to the rental car office. People passing by glanced at Dylan then took another look. He was surrounded by a magnetic field of coolness that people seemed to recognize, whether or not they knew who he was, with his athletic grace, tanned skin and shaggy hair, wearing sunglasses and a loose shirt over shorts.
They looked at each other and more emotion swelled inside her. Oh God, this should not be happening. It felt like she was saying goodbye to him forever, and the wrench of loss she felt inside at that was all kinds of wrong. He smiled at her. “Okay, babe,” he said. “Here you go. You got what you came for. I’m back on U.S. soil. I guess I’ll see you at your office Monday morning.”
It was a little past noon on Friday. “Wait,” she said, frowning. “What will you do all weekend?”
He shrugged. “Not sure yet. Why?”
She struggled for words, for what to say. “You need to stay out of trouble. And out of the media.”
A shadow darkened his silvery eyes, but he grinned and gave her a look. “Oh yeah. Right. I’ll see if I can manage to behave myself for the next few
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