Chapter Four
Connor
“Are you sure about this?” Sophie asked as she settled into the seat next to me on the airplane. She was dressed casually today in a pair of jeans and a white V-neck shirt that molded to her perfect chest and hugged her thin waist and curvy hips.
She was killing my self-control, especially when she shifted to reach for her seatbelt and her breasts brushed against my arm. I was starting to think that this was a trip I should have made by myself. But it was too late to change things now, especially after I’d insisted she accompany me so I didn’t have to do this on my own.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, shifting uncomfortably in my seat as my erection pressed against the front of my pants.
“The winter storm,” she replied, as if I should already have known what she was referring to. “It’s in the weather forecast for Mount Surris.”
“Oh that?” I shrugged, unconcerned. “It’s not due to hit until the middle of the night. We’ll be long gone by then.”
“Do you ever worry about anything?” she asked, exasperated.
“Of course, I do. Why do you think I made you bring that emergency bag?” I said, referencing the one that I kept in the utility room at the office.
She frowned, her cute little nose scrunching up at me. “What’s in there anyway?”
“Dehydrated food, first aid kit, matches, candles, battery-powered radio.” I listed off some of the essentials. “And a couple of other things that might be useful in an emergency, since the lodge itself will be shut down.”
She smirked at me. “Now you sound paranoid.”
“Nothing makes you happy,” I said, chuckling.
The flight attendant made a few announcements, covering the basic information about emergency exits and buckling seat belts. When she was done, the plane started to roll forward. I heard a whoosh of breath from beside me and looked over to see Sophie’s eyes were closed as she let out a long, slow exhale of air. Her back was ramrod straight, and her hands were gripping the armrests tightly.
“Are you okay?” I asked, realizing that I’d never flown anywhere with her before.
“Yeah,” she said, nodding stiffly without opening her eyes. “I just don’t like take-off and landing. Once I’m in the air and everything is smooth, I’ll be fine. It’s just—”
She cut off and sucked in a sharp breath as the plane started to tilt upward. Instinctively, I put my hand on top of hers to provide as much comfort as I could while we made our ascent, trying not to think about how soft and smooth and enticing her skin felt beneath my fingers.
Just like she said, Sophie seemed okay once we were high in the sky and things leveled out. She relaxed slowly, and when she opened her eyes, looking at me, I saw a vulnerability there for the first time. It did something strange to me to see that side to Sophie, producing a feeling of protectiveness that I’d never felt for anyone other than family.
Then, her gaze lowered to where my hand was still covering hers. I pulled it away and purposefully kept physical contact to a minimum between us, not wanting to tempt myself any more than necessary. But I had forgotten all about my self-imposed rule in a brief moment that already felt like a mistake. Because touching her hand felt way too good, and far too natural.
“So, are you going to your sister’s for Christmas this year?” Sophie asked, breaking the awkward silence that had settled between us.
Thank God.
“Yeah,” I said, relaxing back into my seat. “And mom’s bringing Charlie.”
“Howarethe newlyweds?” she asked, smiling at me as she leaned her head against the back of her seat.
“Good. A little too lovey-dovey for me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. She’s in love,” Sophie said, sounding a little wistful.
“That doesn’t mean that I want to see her making out with my new stepfather,” I said in a droll tone before I changed the subject. “And what about you? What are your plans for the holiday?”
“Not much.” She shrugged. “I’ll go by the nursing home where my grandma is living and visit with her for a while.”
“That’s it? You don’t have any family to spend the day with?”
I regretted the question as soon as it left my mouth and I saw the pain flicker across her face. She quickly hid it away, flashing me a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“It’s just me and grandma. But that’s okay. I don’t have to worry about putting up a Christmas tree or anything like that, which makes things easy.”