more and held himself inside me, groaning as he came.
Damp with sweat, he eased his body down to mine and we remained together for several minutes, catching our breath... until I drifted off to a deep, peaceful sleep.
22—Devlin
Sunlight crept in through the blinds of Mac’s bedroom. It created a series of perfectly slanted rectangles of sunlight on Mac’s naked back. I glanced sleepily at the morning sun and then ran my hands along the curve of her spine. She shifted in bed slightly and made an mmf sound. I wondered if she was a sound sleeper. I had no idea. It would be one of those small things that I would have the pleasure of discovering in the coming weeks… months… years. I grinned.
I sat up slowly and looked to her, still sleeping. I then looked around the room, taking in the tangle of clothes on the floor. Last night was a blur in my head, but one that was filled with more joy that I can ever remember having in a very long time.
I would be calling Adam today. It was something I had thought about last night as I had fallen asleep with Mac’s arm draped over my chest. I’d tell him that if he’d give me two more weeks, I’d take a look at that contract for the super hero movie. But before I did that, I’d need to talk to Mac.
Wherever I headed after this, I wanted her to be a part of it. That is, if she wanted to tag along.
I slowly got up and gathered up my boxer briefs and pants. I pulled them on slowly, trying to be quiet.
Apparently, I failed.
“What are you doing?” she asked sleepily, peering at me with one squinting eye.
“Good morning, Beautiful. I'm getting dressed.”
Mac growled softly. “Too early. Sleep.”
“I can’t sleep very late,” I said. “I’m an early riser.”
She rolled over and looked at me with a lazy smile. “Oh no. I’m afraid this just isn’t going to work.”
“Still tired?” I asked.
She nodded. She was only partially covered by the sheets; the slants of sunlight fell perfectly to highlight the swell of her luscious breast and the curve of her waist.
“If you want,” I said, slowly approaching the bed with an evil smile, “I can maybe try to wake you up.”
Her grin widened and she playfully patted the side of the bed I had been sleeping on.
I accepted the invitation and, moments later when our skin was touching and our hands exploring each other, it felt alarmingly natural.
23—Devlin
Twelve weeks later
I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched Mac climb into the plane. Really, it had always been her plane even though I still tease her about how I had beaten her to the punch. She was nervous, but trying not to show it—especially not to the group of three clients that was standing on the dock, waiting to board.
She’d gotten her pilot’s license last week. She had seventy-one hours of flight training under her belt, ten of which had been solo. I’d been up with her since then, the only non-class flight she had taken. She was good at it—a natural even. She had nothing to be nervous about. But that’s just the way she was.
I walked down the dock, nodding to the group of people—two men and a woman—that would soon be flying out to one of the more remote parts of the state to do some camping and fishing. The woman gave me a quizzical look…a look I got a lot these days. She knew who I was but, I think, was too afraid to say anything in the event that she might be wrong.
I had ditched the beard, opting instead for the permanent dusting of a five o’clock shadow, but only because Mac preferred it. It wasn’t nearly enough to keep my identity hidden. Most of the people in Sitka were used to seeing me around town and I think the coolness of having a celebrity living in town had already worn off.
I walked up to the cockpit and climbed up. Mac was checking her instrument panels and talking to herself as she walked through everything she needed to do.
“You’ll do fine,” I said.
“Easy for you to say.”
“It is. Because you’re a good pilot.”
She sighed, stopped her frantic checklist, and looked to me. She grinned and kissed me softly on the mouth, lingering for a moment.
“How about you?” she asked. “You all set?”
“Yes. I’m heading back to the cabin after you take off and will