Twenty minutes later, we got the call to return to base. Playtime was over.
“You think she noticed your flyby?” Jack asked after we landed and walked back in.
I laughed. “Sure as hell hope so.”
After getting out of our gear, I made my way to my commander’s office. Lieutenant Colonel Williams was one man I had great admiration for. He had been more than just a CO. He had been a friend of my father’s, although he rarely spoke of him. I drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door.
“Enter.”
I stepped inside.
“Sit, Byers.”
Doing as he asked, I watched him finish what he was doing before he leaned back in his chair.
For at least a full minute, he didn’t move. As he studied me, I noted his graying hair cut short into a military buzz cut and the muscles under his uniform. I’d seen him out running plenty of times and knew the man kept in shape. He would often tell us he needed to be able to go up against any of the younger pilots should the need arise. He also cared about the men he led, and it showed in more ways than one.
Finally, he cleared his throat. “I know I never talk about this with you, but I flew with your father, Nolan. He was a damn good man, and he would be proud of the pilot you’ve become, the man you’ve become.”
I swallowed hard and adjusted in my seat. “Thank you, sir.”
“When he first introduced me to your mother, I could see why he was willing to walk away from his career in the Air Force.”
With a smile, I said, “She was an amazing woman.”
He nodded. “That she was. Let me ask you something, Byers. What made you become a test pilot?”
I stared at him. “I’m sure you read my psych evals, sir. If anyone can guess as to why, you’d be the person.”
Another nod. “I did. And I’ve never said it because you’ve never brought it up, but I am sorry for your loss, Nolan.”
I swallowed hard. “Thank you, sir.”
He lifted a brow, and the corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. “Same girl?”
I closed my eyes and inwardly cursed. Fucking Jack. I looked back at him and gave one nod. “Yes, sir.”
“Is your head clear, son?”
“Yes, sir.”
He cleared his throat. “You have leave, you know. You can put in for it. Spend some time with her.”
“I was going to put in for leave, sir.”
“Good, do it and take some damn time off.”
I laughed. “I do take time off, sir. I just came back from leave.”
His looked up and our eyes met. “I was thinking something that didn’t involve jumping out of something or climbing up the sides of mountains. Or rolling down a hill like a fucking gerbil.”
I fought to hold back my smile. Clearly he had spoken to Pete.
“Yes, I heard about it,” he said.
“I’ll most likely head back home to Texas, sir.”
He nodded. “Good. Go be a goddamn cowboy for a couple of weeks and learn to relax, Byers.”
“Yes, sir. I will.”
“Get the hell out of here and go enjoy your evening.”
I stood. “Thank you, sir. May I ask, was it Jack who told you about Linnzi?”
He simply nodded. “He’s worse than a woman with the way he likes to talk.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Yes, sir, he certainly is.”Linnzi“DO YOU THINK he’s going to like it?”
When I didn’t get a response, I glanced down at the two dogs laying at my feet. Duke looked up at me with pleading eyes, while Belle was out like a light.
“Would you like to give it a sample test?” I asked Duke.
He gave me a sort of quiet bark, almost as if he was afraid to wake up Belle for round five hundred of play time. Duke needed the break as much as I did.
Smiling, I took one of the pieces of a pasta and bent down to give it to him. He swallowed without even chewing it.
With a frown, I asked, “How are you supposed to know if it’s good when you don’t chew it, Duke?”
“He never chews.”
Glancing up, I felt my entire body heat with desire.
“Dear God,” I whispered.
Nolan gave me that crooked smile of his, and I had to grab hold of the counter to keep from tumbling right over.
“You okay?” he asked, still giving me a sexy-as-hell grin.
“I am. I think.”
He tilted his head as he watched me. “Do you need me to help hold you up?”
“If you touched me right now, I’m pretty sure we’d have to have sex here in the kitchen.”
That made his brows raise, and the way he looked at me made my insides melt on the spot. “I’m totally down for that. Was it the flyover?”
“Flyover?” I asked in a confused voice.
“Yeah, I flew over the house. I told you I would.”