Page 1 of The Thanksgiving Hookup

THE MOST ANNOYING PILOT

SKY

Oh, please, God,no, I grumbled under my breath as I neared the departure gate at the terminal, rolling my carry-on behind me.

River Santos, the world’s cockiest and most gorgeous captain, was sitting in one of the chairs, alerting me to the fact that he would be flying our plane tonight. I almost started bargaining with the Almighty, asking for anyone but River to take the controls, but knew it would be no use.

The airport was already tumultuous enough. An impending storm had canceled multiple flights, and the aftermath was all around me in the form of screaming babies and frustrated passengers just trying to get home. I knew that if our plane actually got cleared to take off, it was going to be a bumpy ride. In more ways than one.

I took the precious few moments before River noticed me nearing to really study him. It wasn’t something I usually allowed myself to do. Mostly because he was always paying attention to us flight attendants and trying to eavesdrop on our conversations. We were a gossipy bunch. But if the pilots didn’t give us such good material to work with, then we’d have nothing to talk about. Basically, it was their own faults that they were our favorite topics of discussion.

River used to date my friend and fellow flight attendant Stacy. At least, that was what she always told me. But that was before I started working for the airline. He was the first pilot Stacy had warned me about, telling me that he was as typical as they came. A man-whore who slept with half the staff and left a trail of broken hearts in his wake, hers included.

She had told me to stay away from him. And me, being the good rule-following friend that I was, had listened to her. I didn’t want to make things at work uncomfortable, and crossing that line with River would definitely do that. Stacy clearly wasn’t over him even though she claimed that she was. I saw the way she looked at him whenever they happened to cross paths and I was around. Her eyes lit up like he’d hung the moon and stars, and she acted like a lovestruck teenager, just waiting to be noticed.

Why is he so freaking hot? It’s not fair.

Just watching him annoyed me. He looked so at ease, sitting in a sea of frantic people, lost in his own world, typing something on his phone. His pilot’s hat was sitting in his lap, and his stupid dark hair was perfectly gelled into place, per usual. That man never had a bad hair day. It wasn’t in his DNA—or in the gel he probably owned stock in.

I took two more steps, and I swore that man could feel whenever I was close to him. He looked up slowly, like we were in some kind of movie, his deep blue eyes roving up the length of my body until he reached my face. A smirk appeared.

“Well, well,” he said before locking eyes with mine, stopping me in my tracks. “I get to have you tonight, Sky?”

I snapped my jaw shut and ground my teeth together, attempting to stop whatever sarcastic remark was about to come out of my mouth. It was all in vain. I couldn’t help it. River’s existence made me snarky.

“You’ll never get to have me,” I sniped.

He gave me a wink before adding, “So you keep saying.”

“At least I’m consistent.”

“No, Sky. You’re a challenge,” he said before licking his lips, and I pretended not to be the least bit affected by that calculated move. “Men live for a challenge.”

“Good thing I don’t see any men around here then,” I lied, glancing around the chaotic terminal to prove my point.

River laughed, a full-on attention-drawing howl, before pushing out of his seat and hovering above me. All six feet three of him. I held my breath as he leaned down, his lips inches from my ear.

“You’re not my type anyway.”

Thankfully, most everyone was distracted by all the cancellations and delays. On a normal day, whenever the flight crew was sitting at the gate, people couldn’t help but pay attention to us. They were fascinated by our perceived lifestyle. I’d been asked more times than I could count how often I flew, where my favorite destination was, if I was allowed to date the passengers, and what I was doing when we landed.

My eyes pulled together as my embarrassment swelled. I was nothing if not quick-witted. “There is a god,” I breathed out dramatically.

“It’s cute how you pretend you don’t want me.”

“It’s kind of psychotic how you think that I do. Are you sure you’re fit to fly? I mean, here.” I tapped the side of my head and made a face.

“Bet you’d love to see how fit I am.” His dark blue eyes narrowed playfully, but I wasn’t playing.

I shoved at his stupidly hard chest—of course it was probably perfect as well—and growled when he didn’t move an inch. “Just stay away from me.”

“Gladly.” He grinned, and I hated the way he could make me feel like I was beneath him somehow.

River was like a roller coaster, taking me up in the air one second and plunging me toward the ground the next. It was jarring, but even I had to admit that a small part of me enjoyed our banter. His comebacks always kept me on my toes. Unlike the other pilots, who weren’t even the least bit creative when it came to hitting on me.

I was just about to say something else to River when I felt a strong tap on my shoulder. I swung around, noticed one of our “senior mama’s”, and squealed.

“Oh! Carmella! I’m so happy to see you!”

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