Page 25 of Out of Luck in the Outback

It takes me a moment. I squint like I’m drunk and not sure what I’m looking at. It takes me a full ten seconds to place him, mostly because my vision blurs as I look at him from his chest to the top of his head. He’s close. Too close. My nose is a centimeter from his chest, but I know that smell.

Without thinking, I reach up and wrap my hands around his neck. “Maddox, what the fuck are you doing on my plane?”

He snakes his arms around my waist and pushes his face into my hair. “I came to find you. I tried to find you last night but couldn’t.”

“I looked for you in every bar in Yulara last night,” I mumble, sobs already choking me. How is he here? “My hostel roommate and I looked for hours.”

“You said you were leaving town and were walking toward the bus station. I figured you’d head to Alice Springs and retrace your steps. I waited a few minutes, hoping you’d cool off and be willing to talk, and then I went there.”

“How did you find me?”

“Money,” he chuckles into my hair. “I hired about thirty private investigators last minute. Let me tell you, that wasn’t cheap, Calvert. I’d have rather bought you a ten-thousand-dollar purse. Anyway, they set up shop at every airport and train station in the area. I was already at the airport when one of them saw your name on the standby board at this gate. I paid way too much for a ticket, and here we are.”

“Were you the late passenger they held the plane for?”

“I hate running, but I ran through the airport to buy the ticket and get here.”

I pull back from his chest and look up at him. He looks down and strokes my cheek. “Have you ever flown commercial?” I ask.

He smiles a little. “I usually have my own plane, but I made an exception for you. I had to talk to you. I was ready to march up every aisle to find you, but I was told to buckle in as soon as I got on. I couldn’t disobey a direct order from a flight crew.”

“I’m sorry, Maddox. About everything I said. I guess I was shocked.”

He looks from side to side and nudges me back into the bathroom when he sees nobody is watching. As far as plane bathrooms go, it’s in first class and roomier than the typical plane toilet. It’s still small, barely the size of a closet, and he fills the space so I only have room to sit on the toilet or stand very close to him.

I choose the latter, wrapping my arms around him as tears fall in earnest. I don’t wipe them away. I let him see me as a blubbering idiot. He reaches down and grabs a wad of one-ply toilet paper. “Shh. It’s fine, Ava,” he whispers, blotting my face.

He steps back and cups my cheek, bending down to my eye level. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I’m wealthy. I should have told you on the train at least and not hidden it when we were in Yulara. You’re right to be mad, but I can’t let you go home without telling you how much you mean to me.”

I stiffen, sniff loudly, and blink twice. “You care about me? You didn’t get on a plane to tell me off?”

He laughs and leans closer so he laughs against my mouth, his lips vibrating against mine. His nose presses against the tip of mine, and I’m suddenly worried I’ll leak snot onto his upper lip. I can’t back up, though. He holds me in place, and I have nowhere to go in the small restroom.

“You think I got on this plane to tell you off? Fuck, Calvert, I got on this plane to tell you I want to be with you. You’re the only woman that has ever liked me for me, and I like you. If you think I’m not going to spend every last dollar I own to chase you to the ends of the earth, you’re crazy. I was prepared to go to your office if I had to and sweep you off your feet.”

“Maddox, I-I.” I’m speechless, and words won’t leave my mouth. When he stands straight again, I bury my face in his chest, not caring that tears run down my cheeks onto his t-shirt.

He lets me cry for a minute. Maybe I’m crying with relief that we found each other again. Maybe I’m crying for the lost day I could have been with him instead of acting like a spoiled child. Either way, he rubs my back and strokes my hair, soothing me like I was a lost hiker he found after weeks in the wilderness.

Eventually, he tilts my chin to face him and kisses my forehead. “And I’d go to the ends of the earth to find you. When a guy like me finds someone like you that likes him for him, he needs to hold on with both hands. I’m not stupid, Ava. I like you. I pick this one.”

I push myself up on my tiptoes and kiss him. Hard. I kiss him like I’ve never kissed another man. I usually go for a gentle peck before deepening the kiss if I initiate it. But I kiss Maddox like I haven’t eaten for days and he’s a steak and potato meal.

The familiar taste of him fills my mouth, and I wrap my arms around his neck. He returns the kiss and cups my cheek again with one hand.

His other hand isn’t quite as respectful. Thank fuck I wore a skirt.

His hand slides up my thigh and into my panties without preamble, and I bite his bottom lip. “Is this why you came for me?” I chuckle into his lips.

He nips my chin and moves to my neck, nuzzling my hair aside. “I told you I’d spend my last dollar to find you, but I’d also burn the world down for this pussy.”

I spread my legs slightly so he can get his palm on my clit as I groan into his chest, taking deep breaths. His adept fingers flick over my clit, and my knees tremble so much I’m afraid I’ll fall.

“Should we wait to do this when we land?” I ask, pushing him away.

His eyes are dark and hooded. “Actually, Calvert, I think we should join the mile high club.”

Mile High Club

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