Hot Item by Carly Phillips Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Carly Phillips
Tags: Fiction, Contemporary Women
apart.
“Here you go.” The flight attendant returned. She placed their drinks on their tables, pausing by Riley’s aisle seat. “Can I get you anything else?” The woman barely offered Sophie a glance and when it came to Riley, she wasn’t talking about food or drink.
“No thanks, but I’ll be sure and ring your bell if I think of anything,” Riley said in that sexy voice of his.
The flight attendant smiled and headed to the row behind them.
Sophie tried to relax and took a long sip of her red wine, savoring the flavor when suddenly the flight turned bumpy, the plane jostling in the air.
Riley laughed. “Isn’t that the way? As soon as they serve drinks, the turbulence starts.” He lifted his cup and took a large sip to lower the amount so that it wouldn’t slosh over the top.
Sophie did the same with her wine, more for fortification than need. Riley wore a short-sleeve T-shirt that showcased his muscular forearms and tanned skin. Obviously he’d been on vacation recently, she thought as she admired him all the way down to his gold Rolex watch and long, tanned, ringless fingers.
His dark lashes fringed his eyes, which looked more hazel than brown today. But he was the same man who easily tossed out sexual innuendo and caused her hormones to go wild. She just couldn’t reconcile this sexy, carefree man with one who had responsibilities as a parent.
Parents were warm and loving, soft and caring. At least those were the fuzzy memories Sophie had of her mother and father before the plane crash took them from her for good.
“So how’d you become a father?” she asked, steering her mind off the ever-painful topic.
“The way most people do.” He shot her an amused look. “You do know about the birds and the bees?” He nudged her elbow with his.
A heated flush burned her cheeks. “I meant I didn’t know you were a father.”
“Whew. I’d hate to think I needed to teach you the facts of life,” he said, still grinning. “Though I suppose that could be fun.”
This conversation was definitely getting out of hand. Her hands trembled and she placed her wine on the tray, still holding on to the cup because of the turbulence.
She bent over, searching for her MP3 player and headphones just as the plane bounced once more. She grabbed for her cup and missed, knocking over the lightweight plastic, causing the red liquid to spill. The wine traveled across the tray, onto her lap, and splattered on her white shirt.
“Damn!” She tried to blot the mess with paper napkins, but it wasn’t working. She needed the bathroom to clean up.
As if anticipating her next move, Riley stood so she could exit the row and head back to the restrooms. His coloring was ruddy as he tried without success not to laugh at her.
So far, this wasn’t a flight she wanted to remember and she just hoped it wasn’t an omen for their quest to find Spencer. Holding on to the seat tops to steady herself, she walked quickly down the aisle toward the lavatories. Thank God one of them was vacant and she let herself inside.
“Wait.”
At the sound of Riley’s voice, she paused, giving him time to place his foot inside, preventing her from closing the door.
She looked at his sexy face and her heart rate picked up speed. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Joining you.” A hint of a challenge tinged his voice and a teasing smile curved his lips.
“No!” She summoned outrage when she was really intrigued.
“Come on, sugar. I want to help you.” He leaned a broad arm against the small opening.
This wasn’t the first time she’d heard a hint of a Southern accent and she wondered where he was raised, but inquisition and conversation could come later.
She licked her too-dry lips. “Thanks but I can handle cleaning up all by myself.”
“So you clean and I’ll watch. It’ll give me a chance to talk to you in private.”
She panicked, not from fear but from the overwhelming desire to get up close and personal with
“Here you go.” The flight attendant returned. She placed their drinks on their tables, pausing by Riley’s aisle seat. “Can I get you anything else?” The woman barely offered Sophie a glance and when it came to Riley, she wasn’t talking about food or drink.
“No thanks, but I’ll be sure and ring your bell if I think of anything,” Riley said in that sexy voice of his.
The flight attendant smiled and headed to the row behind them.
Sophie tried to relax and took a long sip of her red wine, savoring the flavor when suddenly the flight turned bumpy, the plane jostling in the air.
Riley laughed. “Isn’t that the way? As soon as they serve drinks, the turbulence starts.” He lifted his cup and took a large sip to lower the amount so that it wouldn’t slosh over the top.
Sophie did the same with her wine, more for fortification than need. Riley wore a short-sleeve T-shirt that showcased his muscular forearms and tanned skin. Obviously he’d been on vacation recently, she thought as she admired him all the way down to his gold Rolex watch and long, tanned, ringless fingers.
His dark lashes fringed his eyes, which looked more hazel than brown today. But he was the same man who easily tossed out sexual innuendo and caused her hormones to go wild. She just couldn’t reconcile this sexy, carefree man with one who had responsibilities as a parent.
Parents were warm and loving, soft and caring. At least those were the fuzzy memories Sophie had of her mother and father before the plane crash took them from her for good.
“So how’d you become a father?” she asked, steering her mind off the ever-painful topic.
“The way most people do.” He shot her an amused look. “You do know about the birds and the bees?” He nudged her elbow with his.
A heated flush burned her cheeks. “I meant I didn’t know you were a father.”
“Whew. I’d hate to think I needed to teach you the facts of life,” he said, still grinning. “Though I suppose that could be fun.”
This conversation was definitely getting out of hand. Her hands trembled and she placed her wine on the tray, still holding on to the cup because of the turbulence.
She bent over, searching for her MP3 player and headphones just as the plane bounced once more. She grabbed for her cup and missed, knocking over the lightweight plastic, causing the red liquid to spill. The wine traveled across the tray, onto her lap, and splattered on her white shirt.
“Damn!” She tried to blot the mess with paper napkins, but it wasn’t working. She needed the bathroom to clean up.
As if anticipating her next move, Riley stood so she could exit the row and head back to the restrooms. His coloring was ruddy as he tried without success not to laugh at her.
So far, this wasn’t a flight she wanted to remember and she just hoped it wasn’t an omen for their quest to find Spencer. Holding on to the seat tops to steady herself, she walked quickly down the aisle toward the lavatories. Thank God one of them was vacant and she let herself inside.
“Wait.”
At the sound of Riley’s voice, she paused, giving him time to place his foot inside, preventing her from closing the door.
She looked at his sexy face and her heart rate picked up speed. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Joining you.” A hint of a challenge tinged his voice and a teasing smile curved his lips.
“No!” She summoned outrage when she was really intrigued.
“Come on, sugar. I want to help you.” He leaned a broad arm against the small opening.
This wasn’t the first time she’d heard a hint of a Southern accent and she wondered where he was raised, but inquisition and conversation could come later.
She licked her too-dry lips. “Thanks but I can handle cleaning up all by myself.”
“So you clean and I’ll watch. It’ll give me a chance to talk to you in private.”
She panicked, not from fear but from the overwhelming desire to get up close and personal with