Fake Boyfriend - Miley Maine Page 0,8
my face, and there wasn’t much room for my legs. And my seatbelt made a squeaking noise every time I moved. We were still lined up in rows, and we were still pretty close to each other.
For someone Jackson’s size, it really was a tight fit.
We were really close to each other. This was the closest I’d been to a man without a bodyguard breathing down my neck -- ever. Even when I’d been on dates, I’d known that the bodyguard was nearby. I didn’t really know what to do with myself.
I’d never really gotten to work on my flirting, and Jackson was probably too mature to want to flirt with me anyway. But that didn’t stop me from sneaking glances at him.
I turned around to look back at the coach area, but the curtain was down and I couldn’t see much.
“Nervous?” Jackson asked.
I jerked my head around. Was I being that obvious? Although I was more excited than nervous to be sitting next to him. “About what?”
“Takeoff.”
“No. I just haven’t flown on this type of plane before.” I pushed the plastic window shade up and then pulled it back down. The window was very grimy. “Would you like the window seat?”
“No. It's easier for me to fit on the aisle row.”
I noticed Jackson watching me, so I put my hands in my lap to force myself to stop messing with everything around me. “If you change your mind, let me know. The scenery when we fly over Colorado is amazing. Everything before that is just green fields. I know we need them, but they aren’t much to look at.”
“Have you flown to Seattle often?” he asked.
“Some,” I said. “What are you going to do when you get to Alaska?”
“Camp. Hunt. Fish. Go stay at my grandfather’s cabin.”
“I’ve never camped.”
“Never?”
“Not even once. Well. Not if you don’t count a tent in my backyard.”
“I don’t count your backyard,” he said.
“I didn’t think you would. You probably are one of those people who can camp without a tent or a sleeping bag.”
A small smile crossed his face. We paused our conversation as the flight attendant came by to show us the exit rows, and to go over the safety features. Finally it was our turn to take off.
As the plane rattled down the runway, I poked his leg with my pillow. “Am I right? Do you sleep out under the stars or on a tree branch? Or hanging off a cliff in a hammock that you tied to a rock?”
“How do you even know about that if you don’t camp?”
“I’ve read about it. And I have friends who do it.” I kicked at his seat. “Come on. Tell me.”
“Yes. I have camped without a tent. And I have slept in a tree, but it wasn’t for fun.” He shifted in his seat. Even in the first class seat, which was bigger than the coach from what I’d heard, his muscular body barely fit.
Over and over, my eyes were drawn to his defined biceps. And his strong jawline, where he hadn’t shaved that morning. “Oh for work. So you can’t give details on that.”
“Right. Are you wanting to camp outside? That sounds ambitious for a first try.”
I fiddled with the blanket the attendant handed to me. “I think I better start with the tent.”
“If you wanted to, then why didn’t you camp?”
“My parents are extremely overprotective in some ways. And extremely controlling in others. They didn’t approve.”
“Camping’s pretty safe. I mean, it’s not one-hundred percent safe, but it’s close.”
“They’re not rational. They are absolutely crushed that I’m a photographer. They wanted me to go to law school, or med school, which is what everyone in our family does unless they go to West Point or the Air Force Academy.”
“Did you ever consider any of those?”
The thought of me at West Point was laughable. “No. You saw me. I’d have no clue about the rules and regulations. The level of discipline required by all of those is not something I have in me.”
“I’m not creative. You would be horrified to see the photos I’ve taken.”
“I can teach you.”
He shook his head. “I doubt that. Why don’t you show me some of yours instead?”
“Okay. I’ll never refuse to show off my work.” I pulled out my phone and hit a few buttons. “These are the ones that have won awards, or been on display.”
As I leaned in closer to Jackson, I could smell just a hint of his cologne. He smelled amazing, like fresh cedar.