Flight to Paradise (Flight Trilogy, Book 1) (26 page)

When she released him, he brushed the back of his hand against her face as if he were touching delicate porcelain. The feeling of his touch was soothing. With his finger, he traced around her eyes, nose and then slowly over her lips and down to her chin. Her unrestrained submission to his touch encouraged him. He softly kissed her neck, her cheek, her eyelids, and she felt the moisture of his mouth linger wherever his lips had touched.

“Oh Ryan,” she responded with a breathy whisper.

As though she were suspended between worlds of black and white, the pleasure of her passion paralyzed her ability to clarify right from wrong. A world of gray engulfed her like a warm ocean. Her mind had no thought of the past or future, only the present.

She opened her eyes. He slowly brought his lips to hers; softly kissing only her upper lip, then the lower. It was their first kiss after many years. It felt good.

He
always
was
a
good
kisser
.

She wanted more.

Her hands found their way around his waist. She stepped in close, bringing their bodies together. She felt his firmness.

He held her head carefully and tenderly between his warm hands and kissed her again—lips parting—letting the kiss slowly grow. Her body exploded with sensations. She felt like she was floating.

The years of wanting to be with him dissolved in the passion of the moment. With every fiber in her body exploding with desire, she trembled, a weakness in her legs.

* * *

Ryan couldn’t believe this was happening. The moment she took his hand and moved it to her face, he knew there was no way he could resist. With his body exploding with desire, all logic, all restraint, and every ounce of willpower within him surrendered to the love he’d harbored deep within his heart for her. After all the years of wanting her, they were finally together.

He had never stopped loving her and felt foolish for ever believing Emily would somehow be able to fill the hole Keri had left in his heart.

His mind told him what he was doing, and about to do, was wrong—it was adultery, but in another place, somewhere deep within his heart, he believed it was right. After today, he and Keri would never be together again. He was married to Emily, and Keri would soon be with Bill. But today they were together. They had each other and, if only for this one day, nothing else mattered.

She took his hand and led him through an open door and into the master bedroom. He willfully followed. Once in the bedroom, Ryan asked, “Keri, are you sure?”

She put her finger up against his lips. “For today, we belong to each other. If only this once.”

CHAPTER 44

Ryan’s flight touched down at the DFW Airport at eight forty-seven that night, a few minutes ahead of schedule. He was not the same man he was when he took off for New York two days ago. Being with Keri had changed him. She was all he could think about. As if a corpse had risen from the grave, his heart was beating with new life. He had fallen in love with her all over again.

After taxiing the big jet to the gate and completing the necessary checklist, he left the cockpit and stood at the entry door greeting passengers. When the last passenger deplaned, he said good-bye to the crew, grabbed his kit bag and suitcase, and headed for the terminal.

His mind began its subconscious transition back to the familiar routines of home, except this time, it was different. The life that awaited him was not the same life he had left two days earlier. How could he face Emily after what he had done?

Although guilt pressed hard against his conscience, it paled in comparison to what he had experienced during the last twelve hours; something he had only dreamed of: the sincere love of a woman, but not just any woman.

How
can
something
so
wrong
,
feel
so
right
?

He needed to be alone, and the last person he wanted to see was Emily. He would be leaving for Atlanta in the morning to pack up his mom’s things and move her to Texas. The two-day drive was just what he needed. It would give him time to think about what had happened in New York.

He glanced at his watch: fifteen past nine. His only hope of avoiding Emily was to arrive after she’d gone to bed.

Once in the terminal, he stopped by a bookstore and browsed the magazine racks trying to kill time. He blindly flipped through a couple of magazines with no interest. His eyes floated over the rack: automotive, sports, money, cooking, bridal…

The woman modeling the wedding dress on the cover of
Modern
Bride
caught his eye.

That
looks
like
Keri
.

He pulled the issue from the rack for a closer look.

What
an
amazing
resemblance
!
That
woman
could
pass
for
her
twin
.

He knew it was impossible that Keri would have her picture on the cover of a major magazine and definitely not in a wedding gown.

I
must
be
going
crazy
.

He remembered the time he thought he had seen her in Atlanta in a passing car. Both times, now and then, he’d had her on his mind.

He checked his watch again: nine thirty-five. By the time he dropped his kit bag off in Operations, made his way to the employee parking lot and drove home, it would be well past ten. Hopefully, he could slip in the house, and Emily would already be in bed. Then he could wake up early and hit the road before she woke.

When he pulled into the driveway, the house was dark.

Good
,
she’s
probably
asleep
.

But when the garage door rolled up, her car was not there; relieved he wouldn’t have to face her, but curious as to where she might be. Before he’d left for New York, she had said nothing about being gone when he returned.

He pulled his car into the garage, grabbed his bags and went into the house. When he flipped on the kitchen light, the sight of the kitchen along with the rank smell from the overflowing trash can stunned him. Dishes caked with food filled the sink. He lifted the top to a pizza box on the counter revealing four cold slices.

He thought, Emily must have had a relapse from the Suzie-Homemaker role she had adopted over the last few months.

He knew he couldn’t sleep with the kitchen in such a mess, but he first had to change out of his uniform. The rest of the house resembled the kitchen. The bed was unmade and wet towels were on the floor in the bathroom.

He changed into a pair of shorts and headed back to the kitchen. It took him about fifteen minutes to stick the dishes in the dishwasher and take out the trash.

As he was cleaning off the counters, he noticed a hand-written note from Emily.

Ryan
,

I
know
the
house
is
a
wreck
,
just
like
my
life
would
have
been
if
I’d
hung
around
here
much
longer
.
I
thought
it
would
work
,
but
I
guess
I
either
lost
the
love
I
once
had
for
you
or
never
really
had
it
in
the
first
place
.
I
probably
could
have
stayed
with
you
if
you
hadn’t
broken
all
your
promises
and
,
basically
,
lied
to
me
.

I
decided
that
you’ll
never
be
able
to
give
me
what
I
need
,
and
I
don’t
intend
on
working
the
rest
of
my
life
,
like
some
slave
.
I
was
stupid
to
have
ever
believed
you
in
the
first
place
.
Plus
,
you
are
never
home
,
and
I
told
you
if
you
ever
brought
your
mother
here
,
I
was
leaving
.

My
car
is
at
the
airport
.
I
won’t
be
needing
it
.
You’ll
be
hearing
from
my
lawyer
.

Emily

* * *

While Ryan tried to make sense of the note, Emily was 750 miles away settling into her new life in Atlanta. Her flight had arrived at the Hartsfield Airport late that afternoon. She was met by a limo driver and taken to her new home: a large, newly-remodeled luxury apartment in one of downtown Atlanta’s best areas.

As a vice president and special assistant to the president, she had been given a lucrative salary, benefits, and the car of her choice. But she didn’t come to Atlanta to pursue a career; it was a man she was after, a very wealthy man.

In her numerous trips to the company’s headquarters, she and the president had become close. Although he was a married man and much older, she knew that in time, she would become the new, Mrs. Ronald Hart.

CHAPTER 45

After tossing and turning all night, Ryan couldn’t take it any longer; his thoughts ricocheting between his mother, Emily, and Keri. Trying to sleep was a waste of time.

The digital clock on the nightstand glowed: 4:50 a.m.

He pulled himself out of bed, took a shower, repacked his suitcase and grabbed a quick bite to eat. With a fresh mug of coffee, he launched off for Atlanta.

Until reading Emily’s note, he had envisioned his drive would be a twelve-hour struggle for answers, mostly filled with compromise and acceptance of life’s reality. But now, thanks to his coincidental rendezvous with Keri—a divine appointment, of sorts—Emily’s departure had freed him to dream of his first love. His newfound hope was anchored by his mother’s words from long ago. “I believed when two souls are meant to be together, nothing can keep them separated. Eventually they will find each other.”

As the morning sun pushed above the horizon and the caffeine started to kick in, instead of taking two-days to make the 782 mile drive, he decided to drive nonstop. Arriving late Monday night would give him a full day on Tuesday to start packing up his mom. In her state of mind, he expected to run into a few surprises once he started negotiating with her what she could and could not take back to Texas.

More than anything, he wanted to talk to Keri, to tell her about Emily. He knew she would be excited to hear the news. Hopefully, his mom had Keri’s telephone number, if not, he would be forced to call her parent’s home before he returned to Dallas on Sunday. The thought of possibly having to speak to Keri’s mom wrenched his gut.

Sleep deprived and thirteen hours later, Ryan rolled into the driveway of his mother’s small rental house. He peeled himself from the driver’s seat, stood by the car, and stretched.

Finally
.

He knew his mom would be surprised to see him a day early.

He slipped in through the back door leading into the kitchen. When she heard the door, she turned from the stove and rushed over to him. “Ryan!”

“Hi, mom.” She wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. “Sure smells good in here. Look at all this food! It looks like you’ve been cooking all day.”

“Well, my memory may be going but I still remember how to cook. I fixed all your favorites, including an apple pie.”

His eyes caught the lattice-top pie on the counter. “Wow! I can’t wait.”

“I’ll bet you’re exhausted. How long was the drive?” She reached behind her and pulled the strings holding her apron.

“Yeah, I’m beat.” He glanced up at the wall clock. “Counting the stops, it took me exactly thirteen hours.”

“Poor boy. Are you hungry? Let me fix you something to eat. How about a fresh turkey sandwich?” She reached for the refrigerator door. “I know how you love Thanksgiving, so I decided to cook you a turkey.” She pulled a whole turkey from the fridge.

“Mom! I can’t believe you.”

“Why not? I planned a big meal for your arrival tomorrow, but, since you are already here, you can start on it now. I also figured we’d need sandwiches for our trip to Dallas.”

The sight of all the home-cooked food and attention from his mother was just what he needed.

She carved the turkey and stacked it high on fresh wheat bread. After adding some lettuce, she placed it on a plate and poured him a glass of milk.

“You look good,” he said.

“I feel great. How’s Keri?” she asked.

He paused.

Let
it
go
.
It’s
not
worth
trying
to
explain
.

“She’s fine.”

In time, he knew he would be faced with the impossible task of trying to help his mom understand, but for now, he couldn’t deal with it.

Wouldn’t
it
be
weird
if
Keri
and
I
get
together
?
Then
she
would
never
have
to
know
. He chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. I just thought about how much food you cooked, just for the two of us.”

“Well, look at you. Somebody needs to feed you. I’m going to have to talk to Keri when I get to Dallas. I thought I’d taught her better.”