Page 44 of Plane Passion

“We have to move on the second we step out that door,” he said. “But for our last few moments alone together, can we at least be honest with each other?”

She yanked her hand away as if she’d been burned.

“I’m being totally and completely honest when I say it was a mistake.”

She rushed back to the bathroom and dressed hurriedly, dragged a brush through her tangled hair, and brushed her teeth. Grabbing her purse, she ran out of the hotel room without so much as meeting Ernie’s eyes.

Mr. Dunston was at the front desk. Thank God.

“How soon will the snow be cleared, do you think?” she asked, noting with dismay that the snow had reached the height of the windows. A few errant flakes were still falling, but the storm had passed.

Laughing, he said, “You won’t be going anywhere today, young lady. It will take all day to dig the town out of this, not to mention the runway.”

They were stuck.

Oh, no. Not another night…

“Any chance a room might free up for me for tonight?”

Mr. Dunston shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry, Miss. No one is going anywhere in this mess.”

That’s it. I’m sleeping in the lobby.

She marched into the dining room and ordered herself a large breakfast. There was nowhere to go, and she had a lot of time to kill. Maybe she would pick up a shovel herself to see if she could speed things up. Another night in Ernie’s hotel room was unthinkable.

So, of course, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

All through ham and eggs with fresh-baked biscuits, she relived their night together. He’d taken her to heights she hadn’t thought possible with his knowing fingers, sinful tongue, and his… Oh, God, the way he felt inside her! It was like he was made for her, filling her and reaching new, secret places that drove her wild.

Barney was always in a rush. Everything was rough and fast with him. He didn’t linger over her like Ernie, taking pleasure in giving her pleasure for its own sake, not a means to an end. Things with Barney were good enough while they lasted, but they couldn’t compare to last night.

Being with Ernie was a revelation. Now she knew it could be so much better than she’d ever dreamed. Would she ever be able to find that again? Not with Ernie, obviously, because that was over once and for all. But with someone?

Speak of the devil…

“Might I join you for a moment?” Ernie asked, all cool formality. He’d dressed and shaved and must have had some coffee because he looked far more awake than her.

“If you must.”

He winced but sat.

“You probably heard we’re snowed in today. It’s going to take half the day to even dig a path to the airstrip, let alone dig out the airstrip itself.”

She nodded, keeping her eyes down.

“I asked about rooms,” he continued. “Unfortunately, nothing has changed.”

Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his. It was a mistake. All the fire and passion of last night was plain to read in his warm brown eyes flecked with gold. It stirred things within her, and she squeezed her knees together to keep it at bay. She had to look away. Someone would notice if they kept looking at each other like this.

“Pritchard,” came a booming voice, breaking the spell. Thompson clapped Pritchard on the shoulder. “Giving Miss Aldrich the bad news?”

Thompson looked anything but disappointed.

“Such a shame we get a snow day,” he continued. “I guess I’ll be forced to sit around and eat pie and read a good book, darn it all.” The man was grinning ear to ear. “Care for a game of chess later? I brought my board.”

“Sure,” Ernie answered. “Have you eaten breakfast yet? I’ve only had coffee. Want to join me?”

“Absolutely. Let’s eat. Care to keep us company, Miss Aldrich?” Thompson asked with a mischievous smile. Did he suspect something? No, he couldn’t possibly. She was imagining things.