Page 22 of One Kind Hand

Austin swallowed loudly, his dick like an arrow seeking a Charlie-sized target.

She leaned back on her elbows, her hand going to the space beside her.

In invitation?

A chime sounded and Charlie frowned as she dug her phone from her back pocket. Her brows lowered as she checked the screen.

“I have to go.” She wiggled the phone. “Rescue sitch in Sherbrooke needs a chopper. I should squeeze in a few jobs before I abandon my peeps to make a movie with you.” She grinned as she stood and she walked over to him where he’d managed to stay rooted in the doorway.

But she didn’t really walk.

She slinked. And Austin’s heartbeat intensified when she paused beside him in the tight space.

“Thanks for the tour,” she said. “Give me a lift back to the airfield?”

Their eyes met for a second then he nodded, but Austin made a plan right then to get Charlie back to this bedroom.

Soon.

****

Charlie held some ice to her left elbow as she stood in her kitchen. She’d smashed it helping on that rescue in Sherbrooke this afternoon and it’d swelled a bit. Nothing that needed medical attention, but definitely something that needed booze. Pinching the towel filled with ice between her tender elbow and her side, she pulled open her refrigerator and grabbed a beer. Her mind wandered to the fancy-schmancy mineral water Austin had given her at his suite. The water and the suite had been pompous, but the man had not been. Not at all. Austin had given off a . . . a real guy vibe that had surprised Charlie.

Seeing that master bedroom though? The place where Austin Rayhill would sleep tonight. Probably naked. Charlie shivered at the image. Before her phone had bugged her, she’d gotten it into her head that it’d be a good idea for Austin to join her on that bed. What she would have done if he’d complied she wasn’t sure, but they’d had a nice flight in her chopper, enjoyed a fun lunch at the steakhouse, and successfully completed a pup meeting. With a streak like that, wouldn’t a bedroom romp have been a good idea too?

Charlie wasn’t sure and it didn’t matter anyway because she’d had to leave before things progressed. Austin had given her a ride back to the airfield while Berto rode shotgun on Charlie’s lap and they’d engaged in more getting-to-know-you conversation that had gone pretty smoothly.

She was beginning to feel more comfortable around him. Yeah, it was still first in her mind that she’d spent a good fraction of the day with a movie star, but the more they talked, the more she realized Austin was an actual person.

A fascinating and ridiculously hot person. One she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since he’d dropped her off at the airfield. Probably why she’d smashed her elbow on the rescue. She’d been so distracted.

Their parting had been a little awkward though. She hadn’t wanted to get out of Austin’s car. He hadn’t wanted to let her. Finally, she’d turned her attention to saying goodbye to Berto and her silliness had given her an easy out. She’d left Austin laughing so that had to be good.

Now that she was coming down from the rush of helping on that rescue, however, she didn’t have much to do but review her day. A great day. One of the best she’d had in a long time. Working on a major movie was going to be a blast, especially because she’d get to fly which was her favorite thing to do. And she’d get paid a hefty sum to have all this fun.

And she’d get to spend more time with Austin.

Of course, he’d be busy doing his acting thing. She’d merely be flying him around in a few scenes. It’s not as if she’d get to make out with him on screen.

But can I make out with him off screen? The way he’d eyed her on his bed before her phone had chimed said that maybe the answer to that question was yes.

Charlie wouldn’t put too much hope in that happening though. Movie sets were probably crawling with people. How many chances would she have to be alone again with Austin? He had mentioned meeting Marco though, which could potentially require him to come to Maplehaven with her. But he was probably just being nice. He’d certainly been nice the entire time they’d spent together today.

She wondered what he was doing right now. Was he out? Was he alone in that huge suite?

In that huge bed?

Charlie shook that vision out of her head—or tried to anyway. She carried her beer to the couch and sat. Repositioning the ice so it covered her bruised elbow better, she called Isabel because her friend had left about a million messages asking for everything from a detailed description of Austin’s exact eye color to a complete list of every piece of clothing he’d been wearing to a catalogue of the thoughts in Charlie’s head as she’d sat beside Austin in her chopper.

When Isabel answered, Charlie said, “Aquamarine blue. Jeans, a thermal T-shirt with a jacket. Excited and aroused.”

Isabel giggled. “So he’s as sexy in person as he is on the big screen?”

“Sexier.” Charlie pictured Austin leaning in that master bedroom doorway. It had been a casual pose, but he still managed to look charged and . . . tasty. She fanned herself, suddenly feeling unreasonably warm. Even a generous swig of beer couldn’t cool her.

“What did you guys do?” Isabel asked.

Charlie gave her friend the general recap and Isabel oohed and ahhed in all the appropriate spots.