Page 127 of Crazy for this Girl

That voice...that voice is going to kill me one day, I swear.

The deep octave mixed with years, trials and tribulations, and pure male seeps into my frame and malfunctions my mission to remain calm, unbothered, and ignoring of this whole situation.

I’d rather take my chances with a piece of fabric right now that’s made to keep me from aimlessly falling to the Earth below than focus on what Cal Harper is made up of these days.

“Sit by me,” Tanner says, then points somewhere behind me. “I’m wayyyyy in the back.”

“Yeah, you will be,” Cal grinds out before guiding me to turn around, fingers grazing my hip and burning a trail of heat along my clothed flesh since I’m not doing it fast enough for him. “You’re lucky we’re related.”

I hear Tanner chuckle as I step away from them, needing space and a quick moment to get myself together.

Finding a random set of chairs to sit down in, I proceed to pull out my headphones and phone. I’m only able to get one earbud in when Cal and Tanner are walking down the aisle to the plane, still going at it with each other.

Well, Tanner sounds to be the one still going at it, appearing to love pushing his cousin’s buttons while Cal plays perfectly into his teasing hands.

“Because you’re always on the beach while you eye-fuck every bikini that walks by,” I hear Cal mutter seriously. “I’d rather do it myself than have you cripple my company.”

Tanner rolls his eyes, not wiping the smile he’s been wearing off his model good-looks. “I’ve been stressed.”

“Mhm.” Cal rounds my knees and takes the seat next to me by the window, bypassing any other sections of places to sit. “Why don’t you go answer some emails from HR and check on anything pressing that you might need to provide. Then I want a full report on your mother when you’re done.”

“She’s fine, Cal,” he retorts, almost whining as if he’s already said it a million times. “She’s responding well to the chemo and has been going to all her doctor’s appointments.”

“We’ll talk about this later.” Cal slits his eyes, ending their conversation once and for all. “Have fun. And remember…you’re speaking to HR. Don’t harass my employees.”

My mouth is tempted to open and divulge for him to take his own advice, but my brain quickly catches it.

Tanner looks heavenward but doesn’t go toward the back of the plane right away like he was told to do. Instead, he slowly leans over the armrest of my chair, smelling of smokey rosemary. “We should get to know each other. I can let you in on some secrets and get you in the good graces of—”

“Get lost, Tanner,” Cal barks out, earning another immediate set of amused laughter from his cousin, but he takes his order and disappears down the back of the plane.

A stewardess shows up in his wake almost immediately afterward, young and pretty with pinned-up red hair and a shit-eating grin directed at the man next to me.

I’m still not used to that.

Vanessa tried to weasel her way up on our floor earlier this week and my inner teen came raging out of my body full force.

I actually had her employee card denied access to our floor.

“Hello, Mr. Harper,” she greets enthusiastically, rising on her heels and placing both of her hands behind her back so that her breasts stick out. “Can I get you the usual?”

“Yes, please.” He motions for me while fishing out his cell from his jacket. “And please get my assistant whatever she wants.”

She slices a cheerless expression to me, and it almost feels like backlash for a moment before I remember female equals bitchy when there’s a hot male in close proximity. And I’m a threat. “Oh, another one?” Then she shows her true bitch when she smirks. “I’m going to have to start keeping a list of the names.”

“You’ll be seeing her a lot,” Cal emits confidently. “Or not because you’re easily replaceable, just like my previous assistants. So, if we don’t have our drinks before this plane takes off, I hope you’ve learned more in your miserable life than to be petty because I’ll have you tossed on your non-existent ass while we’re speeding down the runway. It’ll hurt, just so you know.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“You did.” Cal lifts his chin to look at her for the first time. “And you’ll treat her with just as much respect as you do me or you won’t be working for any airline by the time I’m done spending two wasted minutes ruining your life. Understood?”

“Of course.” She quickly dips out, but not before sending a glare my way like I had something to do with what he just said. I’m not even able to register what the hell just happened when my phone is plucked from my fingers and Cal’s thumbing his way through my created playlists on my Spotify app.

“Please don’t tell me you have the Jonas Brothers on any of your playlists.”

“The Jonas brothers?” I repeat because just that question has me not yelling at him for touching my stuff. That and did he just low-key, all business-like, stick up for me? “Aren’t we a little too old for—”

“Good answer.”

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