Page 2 of Secret Baby Next Door
If so, it was extremelyunprofessional. No doubt she was attractive but dealing with some flirty flight attendant was the last thing I wanted to do while we were stuck on the ground.
“Any updates on the late passenger?” I asked her. I was both curious and eager to change the subject.
She nodded. “Just got a call from the check-in desk. She just arrived.”
Relief washed over me. “Thank God. If I had to be stuck on this plane for another five—”
“Oh my God; I’msosorry!”
I didn’t get a chance to finish. A woman’s voice cut through the first-class cabin, drawing the attention of everyone in the immediate area.
The flight attendant and I turned in the direction of the voice.
I was stunned at what I saw. The woman, who couldn’t have been older than twenty-five, her ice-blue eyes wide, was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen in my life. She was so beautiful, in fact, that the flight attendant next to me, still leaning over, seemed to vanish from my periphery.
The woman at the front of the cabin was dressed in black athleisurewear, the clothing tight enough to show off her ample curves. It took all the restraint I had not to stare at her round hips and her full, perky breasts. Her face, however, was what I really couldn’t take my eyes off of. Her blue eyes were set above high cheekbones and a slim nose, her mouth wide and full. Her hair was a dark blonde, tied into a simple ponytail. She was stunning, like something from a dream.
“You ever have one of those moments whereeverythinggoes wrong? That was today. First, my alarm didn’t go off. Then, I get to my car, and the battery’s dead. I finally get on the road and of course there’s traffic. But that goes without saying, right? It’s Denver, I should be used to it.”
The flight attendant placed her hand on my shoulder as if sensing my attention had been stolen and she wanted a little back for herself.
“One moment,” she said with that same sensual smile. She stepped away from me and walked toward the woman.
“Anyway,” little miss late went on. “That’s not even the worst part. The worst part happened when I got to the airport. I parked, took the shuttle, and arrived to the gate only to find out that I didn’t even have a ticket! Isn’t that crazy?”
People began to speak around me, talking in hushed tones, clearly annoyed. I couldn’t blame them—this woman had already delayed us enough, and now she was taking up even more of our time with excuses. Her looks weren’t enough to assuage my irritation.
“It’s fine.” The flight attendant approached the woman with a professional smile. “Things happen. Why don’t we get you seated so we can get the flight on the way?”
“Oh!” The woman acted surprised, almost as if she’d forgotten the reason she was on a plane was to fly somewhere. “Yeah, OK. Let’s get going.”
I shook my head, imagining the series of bad decisions and poor planning that must’ve led up to her running this late. I watched as the flight attendant spoke with her, reviewing her ticket and trying to find her seat. Strangely, in spite of the irritation the woman had caused me and everyone else on the flight, there was something about her other than her obvious beauty that caught my attention. She had a certain charm that seemed to diffuse the anger all around us.
The flight attendant and the woman began moving down the aisle, making their way toward me. Glancing at the empty seat beside me, it didn’t take long to realize what was happening.
Shit.
“3F,” the flight attendant said, gesturing to the seat next to me. “You’re right here.”
The woman grinned. “Perfect!” Without saying another word, she turned to slide into the seat and her duffel bag slammed into my face.
“Ow!” It didn’t hurt as much as it startled me.
The woman’s face turned beet red, her eyes becoming as wide as saucers.
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, bending down and looking me over.
It took everything in me not to lecture her on proper behavior for a flight. I took several deep breaths and tried to harness some sense of calm. “It’s fine,” I said, my cheek throbbing from the impact. “Really, don’t worry about it.”
The woman shook her head. “It’s not fine. Your cheek’s all red.” She stood up and turned to the flight attendant. “Can you please get me some ice for him?”
The flight attendant glanced down at me, the look on her face making it clear she and I were on the same page.
“Miss? Why don’t we get you seated first? And if the gentleman wants some ice for his face, we can easily get that for him once we’re in the air.”
“Are you sure we should wait? I mean, his cheek is—”
“It’s fine,” I repeated, my words tinged with irritation.
