Fight Like You've Never Lost (Summer Lake #14) - S.J. McCoy Page 0,2

Never even wanted one. Well, apart from during the time that he and Leanne had been together. Her apartment here had been home. And he’d wanted them to build a home and a life together. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out with a sigh. He needed to get over that shit. Okay, so he’d seen a fleeting glimpse of her. He didn’t need to let it drag him back down into the memories.

He looked up when the gate agent announced that first-class passengers could now board. He did a double take when he saw a blonde head at the front of the line.

It couldn’t be.

It was.

Leanne stepped forward and handed her boarding pass to the gate agent before disappearing through the doors. He couldn’t help watching her ass. She had the greatest ass. The only trouble was that seeing it again only brought the memories flooding back. Every time he’d held her ass in his hands. Every time … No. He had to stop. He shuffled forward with the other passengers until his turn came to show his boarding pass.

The gate agent smiled at him. “Have a wonderful flight, Mr. Brady.”

He nodded. There was no chance of that happening. Not while he was cocooned in the same space as Leanne. He almost wondered if he should ask the flight attendants if he could move back into coach. The first-class cabin on these commuter flights only had twelve seats. That wouldn’t be enough distance to put between Leanne and him.

He stopped once he was inside the cabin and shook his head in disbelief.

“Is everything all right, sir? Can I do anything for you?” The flight attendant’s smile told him she’d be happy to do whatever he suggested once they landed.

He shook his head and looked down at his boarding pass. His seat was 2B. Leanne was sitting in 2A. “Is the flight full?”

The flight attendant nodded. “It is.” She reached to check his boarding pass. “But you’re up front here with me.” She smiled. “I’ll take care of you.” She glanced back at the passengers waiting to come on board. “If you could take your seat.”

“Thanks.” There was nothing for it. He was going to have to go and sit next to Leanne. At least, she hadn’t seen him yet. She’d been looking down, he assumed at her phone, when he got on. Now all he could see was the top of her head.

His heart raced as he covered the short distance to the second row. He could think of nothing worse than to spend the next hour of his life sitting next to Leanne. Why? Because he wanted nothing more than to spend the next hour of his life sitting next to her.

She looked up as he slid into his seat. Her gaze met his. Her blue eyes were still as beautiful as he remembered. Her mouth formed a little round O of surprise and he had to drag his mind away from all the memories that stirred.

He sat down without looking away from those big, beautiful eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

He had to laugh. Not the wisest move; he knew that. She hated to be laughed at, but he just couldn’t help it. He held his hands up in a helpless gesture and shook his head. He didn’t speak. He didn’t know what to say, but even if he had, he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to. His breath caught in his chest and his heart hammered at being this close to her again.

She glared at him. “What are you playing at?”

He pressed his lips together and shook his head. He needed to get his act together. “Same thing as you and everyone else on this plane. Taking a flight. Trying to get home. And by the way … hello, Leanne.”

Her nostrils flared as she continued to glare. She was so damned beautiful when she was angry. She reached up and stabbed her finger at the overhead call button.

People were still boarding and making their way down the aisle. The attendant by the door gave Leanne a stern look. “I’ll be with you as soon as I can, ma’am.”

Leanne turned on the charm. “I’m so sorry, hon. I don’t mean to be a pest. It’s just …” she glanced at Ryan. “Is the flight full? Are there any seats empty? I don’t mind going back into coach.”

The attendant smiled before she too glanced at Ryan, apparently putting two and two together. “I’m sorry.