Anything but Minor (28 page)

I looked over her and studied her beautiful profile in the morning sun. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun. She had a t-shirt that said “I heart Jake Ryan” and some dark jeans that cradled her perfect figure, and high top Converse. I made a mental note to replace that t-shirt as she looked over at me and gave me a wide smile.

“Almost there!”

I’d seen the sign for the airport a few miles back and was pretty sure I knew what the surprise was, but I kept quiet. I studied the curve of her slender neck, the perfect shape of her chin and lips. Her features were severely feminine. Even her tiny ears were beautiful.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“Because I want to, and you stare at me all the time.”

She quickly began muttering excuses, and I grabbed her hand and pulled it into my lap. “And I like it.” She looked over at me with an embarrassed smile and gave me a sly nod.

I adjusted myself in the seat again, the top of my head grinding against the small amount of cushion on the roof.

“Such a big boy,” she whispered suggestively. And that was all it took for my imagination to start wondering. I was on fire for her. The ache in my chest matched the throbbing of my cock. I’d just had her and I wanted her again. That well would never run dry, of that I was sure.

“Hold that thought,” she said as she read my mind and exited the highway. Minutes later, my suspicions were confirmed as we pulled up and parked yards away from a pint-sized plane not much bigger than her Prius. “Today, you will be my co-captain, Mr. Hembrey. You up for it?” I remained quiet as I studied her body radiating the purest form of happiness. I nodded and swallowed the emotion in my throat for the second time that morning. She had a way of making me feel...everything, and not in small doses, but all at once. It was overpowering in a way. She still made me nervous, but not in a way that was unsettling. In a way that was purely addicting.

“Well, come on, hot shot.” She winked as she walked toward the plane, where a man waited for us. Alice walked ahead of me and greeted the man with warm words. I caught up with her and scoured the small plane. There wasn’t much to it, and I felt a small amount of unease as I studied it. She looked over to me as she nodded at the man who introduced himself as Byron.

“She’s gassed up. You’ll be speaking to tower four.”

“Thanks, Byron.”

Byron nodded and turned to me. “You’re lit up this year. I’m a fan,” he said as I offered my hand.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“I don’t think you’ll make it another month.”

Alice looked offended as I winked at her in assurance. “Let’s hope so.”

Realization struck as she realized he was complimenting me, and then I saw the slight amount of fear cross over her features at the thought of me leaving. It vanished just as quickly as it came, but I caught it.

“So, what do you think about Columbia this year? That—”

“Sir,” I said as I interrupted.

“Call me Byron.”

“Byron, if it’s okay with you, I’m going to spend the morning with my girl and not think about anything else.”

He looked over to Alice, who snapped her attention to me with shock. A smile graced his face as he winked at me. “Understood.”

“I’ll have Alice send you some seats.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“It’s no problem,” I said as I wrapped my hand around her waist. “Ready, baby?”

She nodded as she said a few parting words to Byron and then we made our way to the small plane.

“Rafe, you didn’t have to do that,” she scolded as we boarded and buckled our seatbelts. She handed me a headset. “I didn’t mind you talking about ball, Rafe. It’s your thing.”

“I haven’t thought about ball all morning, Alice.”

Seeming satisfied, she looked over at me with pride and excitement. “Ready?”

“Hell yes.”

She started the plane and adjusted various controls. I watched her completely relaxed and in her element. She spoke a few sentences over the headset as she taxied easily to a large runway. I sat back, slightly dazed and completely impressed as she looked over and said, “You look a little nervous.”

“I’m good.”

“Do you trust me?”

It all came down to that. And though I was sure it was in regards to her skill as a pilot, I gave no pause as I answered with a quick “yes.” The question had me reeling.

Alice seemed satisfied as she pulled back on the throttle. We began the race between speed and the runway, and as I felt every single crack in the pavement, my thoughts raced along with the adrenaline rush. As soon as the plane hit air, I heard my exaggerated breath through the speaker.

“Rafe, you okay?” she asked tentatively with a quick glance in my direction.

“I’m fine, baby,” I assured as we gained some height.

“You’re a little green.” She chuckled, her voice a mix of silk and humor.

I realized I was white knuckling the slack in my shorts and let go as I began to scan the ground beneath us. I looked over to the beautiful woman to my left as she spoke to me calmly. “I think it’s time you saw Charleston the way I do.” In complete control, she flew us over the barrier islands with ease as she pointed out the window and told me a few things even as a local I wasn’t aware of. I looked down on my city with a bird’s eye view and a new appreciation. It didn’t take long at all for me to figure out what she meant. I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket and snapped a few shots of the marshland and the harbor. I took a shot of the mid-morning sun nestled behind the two-mile-long Ravenel Bridge.

“This is fucking incredible,” I noted as she kept the plane low, giving me a broad range of things to focus on. The peninsula seemed smaller and the land below felt more like a mystery than a place I knew I could travel by foot and never get lost.

“Alice...wow.” I kept my eyes fixed on the city as she traveled a little further inland and pointed out Dutch’s house, which looked like nothing more than a blip on the radar. I could hear the excitement in her voice as I remained glued to the window. Alice opened up about her fascination with planes, and that she loved the idea that something that seemed so impossible at one time actually became so incredibly useful and a part of everyday life. She loved the idea of being in one place and climate at the beginning of the day and landing somewhere completely different at the end of it. It was her fascination with the world and culture that fueled her as much as the plane itself as a tool to gain a taste of it. She felt that all things were possible in the air. That the world could be conquered and she was capable of doing it while she flew. I understood her love of it. I felt the same juice when I held the weight of the game in my hand.

And all too soon, I felt the tires touch the pavement as Alice expertly landed the plane and taxied us safely back to the hangar.

I looked over to her as the plane wound down and the engine stopped. When we both unbuckled, I pulled her into my lap, and she protested only slightly.

She looked up to me with a grin, her eyes relieved. “You liked it.”

“I loved it,” I said with certainty. I felt the same overbearing lump in my throat as my chest expanded again, full of her, full of Alice. With the same certainty, I looked down at her as I let my words fly. “I trust you, Alice. I don’t trust the world, but I do trust you.” I saw her perfect lips part as if she were going to speak as she looked at me with soft eyes and decided against it.

“What?”

“Nothing, I just...I know it was...hard for you to say that.”

I shook my head in negation. “Not with you, not anymore.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re the most incredible, sincere, and beautiful woman I have ever met.” She lowered her chin to my chest, and I lifted it up so we were face to face. I wrapped my arms around her as she gripped me tight. “You aren’t alone anymore, Alice, and you never will be again, not you. You’re too good for the world around you. And you
are
too good for me.” Her mouth parted again as shock registered on her face and a silent tear fell down her cheek. “But the thing is, I love you, and I’ll be damned if I give anyone else the chance to.”

Frustration rolled off me with the knowledge that when she needed me down the road, I may not always be there. I may not always be present when she felt like a rolling stone and needed stability—needed
me
. Because as much as she craved adventure, I knew she craved a real home to belong to. And we were exactly the same in that respect.

It was selfish of me to ask her to take me the way I was, with only the time I could give, but I wanted her in a way I could never explain or try to. She had so much strength, so much ability. She was so fiercely independent at times; I couldn’t believe she could need anyone at all. But she trusted me, she looked out for me, and when we were together, I could feel her need for me. She was everything I’d ever wanted and never thought I would find in a woman. And as she slipped her arms around my neck and returned my kiss with the same gentle fire, my heart solidified. It was Alice. It could only be Alice.

Alice: Do you believe in God?

Rafe: What? Why?

Alice: I just want to know.

Rafe: Isn’t this a conversation for after sex.

Alice: You always fall asleep after sex.

Rafe: Exactly.

Alice: Rafe!

Rafe: Yes, I believe in God.

Alice: Thank you.

Rafe: What are you Googling?

Alice: Lifespans.

Rafe: Why?

Alice: I’m curious. The mayflies have the shortest life span. They live only a day. That’s so sad.

Rafe: Terrible tragedy.

Alice: What would you do if you could only live for a day?

Rafe: I already do it every day. I play ball and then let you play with mine. ☺

Alice: I can’t believe you just texted that.

Rafe: Yes you can.

Alice: I’m forwarding it to my mom.

Rafe: Tell her we can send picture proof from home. Kind of like a new Hallmark card.

Alice: Ugh, never mind. You lack romance, Rafe.

Rafe: Alice, right now I have my arm soaking in a bucket of ice. My ass and thigh are killing me because I got nailed by a ball. My lips are chapped, and I have a fucking broken toe. Can we talk about God, lifespans, and my balls, and lack of romance when I get home?

Alice: Well...you didn’t have to text back. Hurry home. I have questions and Vaseline. I’ll make you look like you sucked off an elephant.

Rafe: I love you.

Alice: The longest living creature on planet earth is the bowhead whale...In case you were curious.

Rafe: I wasn’t.

Alice: Now you know.

Rafe: Still needless information.

Alice: I’m educating you.

Rafe: On useless facts I’ll never use.

Alice: Jeez, you’re cranky.

Rafe: Again, arm in ice, dinger sting in the ass, broken toe, dry lips.

Alice: How is that brawn working out for you now?

Rafe: I’m on the bus, baby, headed home.

Alice: I want it hard.

Rafe: You’ve turned into a nerdy pervert.

Alice: Whatever, hard please.

Rafe: Gladly. I’ll throw in some cuffs, rope, and anal play.

Alice: I’ll have to do some research.

Rafe: You do that and get back to me. Just research with one of your pornos.

Alice: You looked at my browsing history!

Rafe: Every chance I get. You cover your tracks mostly, so I take it to the bathroom when you aren’t looking. Did you really research the average size of the penis?

Rafe: What, no quick quip? No come back? At least you know you won the penis lottery. ☺