Page 67 of Two Tickets to Paradise

They turned and walked down the wide ramp toward the security check in.

As they walked, Vince looked over at Cora and saw her glancing over her shoulder at the curb.

She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm okay."

He nodded at her. "Yeah, you are. You're awesome."

She blushed and squeezed his hand. "We are."

They didn'tpart at the baggage claim, Vince had his car in the parking lot, and he got a cart to pile their luggage on to get it out there.

Cora was trying to focus on the moment instead of the lonely night ahead. Vince had to get back to his place and sleep because he was due at the base in the morning.

She knew that the small talk that came out of her mouth was probably inane, she just hoped it wasn't mind-numbingly stupid.

Vince opened her door for her and held it while she got in.

She reached out to grab the handle and close it, but felt his hand catch hers.

"I got it, sweetheart."

Cora looked up at him, shocked. He gave her a grin and walked around to the back to load in the bags.

When he opened the driver's side door and got in, she was waiting to meet his gaze.

He looked over at her and his smile slipped a little. "Too much?"

She blinked at the tears that gathered in her eyes and lifted a hand to wipe them away.

"Hey," Vince reached out and touched her shoulder, "is something wrong?"

"No. No." She waved off his question and concern, but it was nice to have it. "I'm exhausted and while I work for an airline, I haven't flown in a few years."

Cora felt his thumb gently rub against her shoulder.

Looking into his eyes, she smiled. "And no, it's not too much." She let out a breath. "It just... It just took me by surprise."

"Well, meeting you took me by surprise."

Her smiled deepened. "Like going to Hawaii on a lark? With a strange woman you'd just met?"

"You're not strange." He drew in a breath and let it out. "You light up a room. You make me smile. And I'm hoping that," he lifted his hand from her shoulder and turned it over to touch her cheek, "we're going to be seeing a lot of each other."

"I'd like to think so. I'm planning on it."

"Good." He leaned in and kissed her, but she was the one who pulled back first. "It's time for us to get going. You have to go to work in the morning."

Vince pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. "Can't argue with good logic. And I can't find a reason to argue with a gorgeous woman."

She rolled her eyes. "Now I know you're exhausted. Let's get going so you can get home before I worry that you're going to fall asleep at the wheel."

"I won't do that," he explained, "I have precious cargo riding shotgun."

By the timeshe climbed into bed that night and pulled the covers up to her chin, Cora felt like the world had changed completely.

The last time that she'd been in her bed, looking up at the ceiling, she'd been ready to go to work and start her vacation in Hawaii. But now, she'd visited paradise for almost a week and try as she could, she couldn't ignore the plain truth.

She'd gone and fallen in love in paradise.

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