Deadly Race by Margaret Daley Read Free Book Online Page B

obvious.
    “Oh, of course, now I see.”
    “Well, to make a long story short, no amount of persuading on Hodgey’s part could get me in that plane. I knew how hard it was to get me on the big one that flew me to London.”
    “Hodgey?”
    “Lord Sommerfield. He was most disappointed that I wouldn’t go flying with him. He didn’t have your form of persuasion.”
    “And what’s that?”
    “Bullets flying at you. That’s the only thing that would get me into a small plane.”
    His chuckle was low, warm. “How do you fly on those big ones, as you say?”
    “I don’t sit by the window where I can see out, for one thing. I also take a sleeping pill before takeoff, then I put my eyeshades on and listen to tranquil music. It takes all my willpower to visualize myself anywhere but thousands of feet above the earth. Somehow I usually manage, because I do love to see new places and traveling by air is sometimes the only way I can get there. For the longest time that was a dilemma of mine, until I came up with this routine that works pretty well.”
    She stopped talking, her gaze fixed on the smile that lit his face, the warmth in his green eyes that caressed her features. She swallowed hard and could think of nothing else to say. Silence reigned in the small airplane except for the sound of its engines, a silence that was eroding her composure even more than bullets flying at her.
    Slowly thoughts returned and because she began to think about their situation again she wished they hadn’t. “How far is it before we leave the island behind?”
    “This mountain range and we’re home free.”
    To take her mind off the fact that once they left the island behind they still had miles and miles of sea to fly over, Ellie laid her head back against the seat cushion and studied Slade. Again she was struck with how handsome he was. The vivid green of his eyes stood out against his dark features and was what drew her attention to his face first. What kept her looking at him, though, was his dynamic combination of strength and intelligence.
    His black hair curled loosely about his head. She had a strong urge to run her fingers through it; she clasped her hands tighter together in her lap. Her impulsive streak had gotten her into this awful mess. She certainly didn’t need to complicate it anymore than it already was by becoming attracted to this man. Of course, she strongly suspected it was too late. Hard not to be when he’d saved her life, but when they landed on U.S. soil, she’d be able to put this “adventure” behind her--and Slade Calvert, because she wasn’t blind. They came from two different worlds.
    “Next to your name, I know practically nothing about you,” Ellie said, trying not to think about Slade’s physical appeal. Boy, she would like to roll down the window like in a car and get some much-needed fresh air inside. She felt hot and she knew it didn’t have anything to do with the temperature in the cockpit.
    “I own a computer company in Boston.”
    “You own the company? I thought you worked at one.”
    “I do work at it. Practically every day for ten or twelve hours. How about you? Where do you live when you’re not traveling?”
    He flashed her a smile, packed with a compelling male charm that Ellie knew could be dangerous to her peace of mind. “New York.” Thank goodness they would be in Puerto Rico in a few hours and she could go her merry way.
    “You said you were a governess. I must admit you don’t seem the type.”
    Again his gaze slid to her, just a brief touch but electrifying anyway. “Type? What type is that?” she asked, knowing exactly what he’d meant. More than once she’d had trouble with that notion when she had gone to a job interview. She had learned to play down all her physical attributes in order to get the assignment.
    He laughed. “I think you know. You’re one good looking lady.”
    She actually blushed at the compliment and made the mistake of glancing out the