She caught his eye when he first walked in. Even through the crowded space he could tell she was different. She held her head high and she walked on ahead like she was trying for an air of confidence, something he could tell she didn’t feel.

When Josh got to through the security checkpoint and made it to the gate he was surprised to find her there. She hadn’t noticed him, of course, it was his job to blend in, but he noticed her.

A quick scroll through his phone confirmed she wasn’t a restricted passenger so he passed her uneasiness off as a fear of flying. He’d certainly seen his fair share of people like that since he took the job as air marshall.

The truth was, Josh loved his job. It was pretty basic, fly around and make sure nothing happens that isn’t supposed to. He got to see beautiful places and meet interesting people, and every so often he’d get the chance to share his bed with a woman.

He tried to focus on his job, but his mind kept drifting back to the brown-eyed beauty sitting with her back to the wall. Her eyes darted around, watching out for people who might approach, keeping anyone curious away. Josh couldn’t help himself though. He told himself it was part of his job, to check out anyone who seemed suspicious, but he knew it was more than that.

He wanted to protect her from whatever was bothering her.

He took the seat next to her and watched her eyes grow wide as he turned his smile on her. “Hi, I’m Josh,” he said as he offered his hand.

She looked at it as though she thought his hand would attack her. He wondered if she’d been abused.

“I’m Kelly,” she said finally, but never took his hand.

“What brings you to the airport today Kelly?” he asked, trying to keep her talking. Even with the obvious fear in her voice, Josh loved hearing the sweet sound from her lips, wondering if she would sound so innocent writhing beneath him.

He twitched in his jeans and shifted his weight, angling closer to Kelly, which made her lean away.

“I’m going to see my parents.”

“Do they live in Orlando?” he asked, indicating the destination of their flight.

Kelly looked shocked and blanched as she looked at the screen nearby that read out the details of their flight. If Josh didn’t know better he would think she was on the wrong plane, or maybe hadn’t thought through her plan of whoever she was running from.

“My parents are dead,” Kelly stated matter-of-factly. She didn’t offer an explanation for why she was going to visit them or where she was going which only peaked Josh’s curiosity even more.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Is your husband joining you?”

“I’m not married,” she answered too quickly. Josh wondered if it was a sore spot because she wanted to be or if it was because her husband is who she was running from. Either way, he realized it wasn’t a topic that would get her to open up.

“Neither am I. So what do you do for a living? I’m a writer,” Josh said. Being a writer had become his cover story when one nosy passenger started trying to read his notes one day on a flight. He had to tell her something or risk blowing his cover and figured being a writer was as good a cover story as anything. Plus, it wasn’t like he ran into the same people over and over again.

“I’m a teacher,” she answered, shifting in her seat. His training told him she was lying although he had no idea why anyone would lie about their job. Well, except him.

“What do you teach?”

“Um, history,” she said with a glance around the gate area. He wondered if she was looking for someone or if she was trying to tell him she was done with their conversation.

It didn’t matter. He pushed on, asking her question after question until they boarded the flight. He stood when she did and discovered they were seated next to each other on the flight. Josh grinned at the idea of spending the next three hours talking to Kelly, making her nervous.

For some reason, he loved seeing the anxiety in her eyes when he asked a question she didn’t want to answer, which was pretty much all of them. Josh knew Kelly was opening up to him, a talent he’d developed over years as a police officer. People liked to talk about themselves more than they wanted to listen, but Kelly was the opposite. She didn’t ask him many questions, but when she did he could tell she was intrigued.

As their flight landed in Orlando, Josh felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. He still hadn’t found out where Kelly was going or if he would see her again. All he knew was he wouldn’t be able to get her out of his head.

“Can I give you a ride somewhere?” he asked as they walked up the gangway into the terminal.

“Sure,” she answered, surprising him. He never expected her to take him up on the offer, but he was thrilled that she did. His grin matched hers as they walked through the airport side by side.

Kelly got her suitcase from the baggage claim while Josh went to the counter for his rental car. He didn’t have to fly anywhere for a few days so he had planned to head to the beach, although he didn’t know which one. When Kelly sidled up to him he was glad he didn’t have plans.

“Where are we going?” he asked. He still couldn’t get over how much she’d changed in their flight. No longer was Kelly the quiet and unsteady woman she’d been when they boarded the flight. She’d let her hair down, literally and figuratively, and her long chestnut curls drifted down her back as she smiled at him.

“Wherever you’re going is fine with me,” she said with a grin.

Josh wondered how he’d managed to find a woman so ready for anything when he thought she was so timid. If only he knew who she really was…

 

To be continued…

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little snippet. Kelly and Josh’s story will continue next week. Come back to find out where they’re going, and learn who Kelly really is!