Explosive Alliance by Catherine Mann Page A

thought through to a possibly sensual conclusion, his attention snagged on the tiny craft descending, too fast. The Cessna's nose flared up, too high too soon. Who the hell was flying the plane? A five-year-old?
    Obviously some newbie looking to log hours for free. "That's your temporary pilot?"
    "Yes." She crossed her arms defensively.
    The nose gear hammered the landing strip. No damn surprise. His teeth ached in sympathy for the passenger. The plane bounced back up off the ground before nailing the asphalt twice more. Thank God the plane held together. This time. His determination to see more of Paige, to reassure himself, to find answers jelled into a simple answer that actually promised to be fun.
    Purpose set, he threw the track into Park and his determination into overdrive. "You climb in the plane with him and you'll make your daughter an orphan before long."
    "He has his license—"
    "For a Moped maybe."
    Hooking his arm over the steering wheel with a relaxed air, at odds with the anticipation knotting his gut, he shot a smile her way that had won over far tougher cookies than Paige Haugen. And he did not need to think about just how soft this tough cookie was, or he could forget about appearing casual. "I'm stuck here for at least two weeks baby-sitting the busted C-17 while they wait for replacement parts, then for Mako to complete the repairs. That will leave me with more than enough time."
    Her hitched breath pushed her full breasts tighter against the pretty yellow fabric. "Enough time for what?"
    "Time for me to be your temporary pilot."

Chapter 4
    "Whoa. Hold on just one minute. We already have a pilot, but thanks for the generous offer." Paige gripped the truck door in search of some control and steadiness. Bo Rokowsky couldn't actually be proposing he spend two weeks flying her around North Dakota?
    "Calling that guy—" Bo stabbed a finger toward the blur of the plane fishtailing down the landing strip "—
    a pilot constitutes aviation blasphemy."
    "Well, he's licensed." She paused, picking at the frayed knee of her jeans. She glanced back up at the fuzzy image of the plane, the whole yard hazy, thanks to her broken glasses, the world narrowing in focus to just her and this man. "And he's, uh, reasonably priced."
    "Nah? Really? I never would have guessed."
    "No need to be snarky." She slumped back into her seat amid a symphony of hello-barks from the dogs in the boarding kennels.
    "Lady, I'm actually complimenting you, here, because I figure you had to be smart enough to know that
    —" he nodded toward the air-hack again "—isn't worth top dollar."
    "And you are?" She couldn't resist jabbing defensively.
    "You bet your fine ass I am."
    Damn his arrogance and—
    Fine ass ?
    Hers?
    Heat tingled along her skin, then cooled. He must have some agenda here for dishing outrageous compliments. She'd barely understood why he would want to spend an afternoon with her. But two weeks? That went beyond logical. Something was up, and she hated that she didn't know what. There had been enough secrets over the past years. She studied him through narrowed eyes until he frowned.
    "What?"
    "I can't figure you out."
    "Quit trying. It's been my experience that women spend a lot of time searching for something in a guy when the obvious answer was right there in front of her face."
    Great. She was darn near blind.
    "How about clueing me in to the obvious, then?" Not that she intended to take him up on his absurdly generous—and suspicious—offer. However, it would be reassuring to know why he'd made it.
    He stared out over the runway as if gathering fuel for his argument. God, he really was too handsome—
    strong cheekbones and jaw set in a classic face that belonged on some Renaissance statue. And how ironic was it that her crummy vision even gave him a sort of halo effect?
    "Well, Captain? What's your reason for this altruistic offer to help a couple of strangers in North Dakota?"
    He shifted in the seat to face her,