Free Kiss Me Forever (Bachelors & Bridesmaids #1) by Barbara Freethy Page B

take her.
    "I know we're at the airport, but why are we here?"
    "You'll see," he said. There was just enough light coming from the adjacent runway to show the smile in his eyes. "Watch."
    A moment later, a jumbo jet turned and sped down the runway in front of them, launching into the sky with a roar and a rumble that shook the car, and then there was nothing but silence.
    "It never fails to impress me," Alex said quietly.
    She glanced over at him. "So you like to fly, I guess."
    "I do, but when I first started coming here, flying somewhere else seemed like an impossible dream."
    His voice was quiet, reflective. She almost didn't want to ask another question, because he seemed lost in thought, and she was afraid any word from her would stop him from talking further. He'd put his guard back up and remember she was a reporter and someone who threatened his privacy.
    He looked over at her. "No questions?"
    "When did you find this place?"
    "A long time ago."
    "After your parents died?"
    "Yeah," he said shortly. "We should eat. I hope you don't mind a picnic in the car?"
    "If you don't mind food in this beautiful car, it's okay with me." She actually liked the idea of sharing a meal in complete and total privacy, no other people or distractions except the planes, of course. She pulled out the containers and a couple of plastic forks, and for a few minutes they ate in silence, the only break in the quiet coming from the jet engines.
    "That was good," she said, sliding their empty containers into the bag. "I'll have to remember that place."
    "I told you it was the best Thai food in town."
    "You did. And you were not exaggerating." She paused as another plane took off. "How did you find this place?"
    "For about six months, I lived a mile away—on the other side of the freeway. I used to come over here whenever I needed to get away."
    "Who were you living with then?" she asked, trying to figure out what period of his life he was talking about.
    "A foster family. There were a couple of different ones over a few years. This particular family had taken in four other kids, and it was a small house. It felt really crowded to me, so I got out whenever I could."
    "Why did you end up going somewhere else?"
    "I don't really remember."
    She doubted that. Alex seemed like the kind of man who remembered everything.
    "Let's get out of the car," he suggested.
    "It's kind of cold," she protested.
    "You can wear my coat."
    "All right." She stepped out of the car and followed him over to the chain link fence.
    He took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. "How's that?"
    "It's good."
    Alex put his hands on the fence, linking his fingers around the wire as the next plane pulled into position. "This runway opened up the world for me. It made me feel like I could dream, like there was freedom somewhere, I just had to find a way to get to it."
    "You certainly did that. You not only found a way to get on a plane, you found a way to own your own plane—didn't you?"
    "I do have my own plane. I'll have to give you a ride some time."
    "That would be amazing. I've never been on a private jet. Now you can go wherever you want. You're about as free as any man could be."
    "I am." He shot her a quick look. "And I want you to know that I don't take my success and good fortune for granted, Andrea. I worked hard for it, probably a lot harder than anyone would believe."
    "I don't doubt that. You faced a lot of challenges as a kid, but you didn't let those obstacles keep you down."
    "I was too stubborn to give up. I knew there had to be more to life than the one I was living. There were people on these planes, people who'd found a way to take off on an adventure, maybe people like me." He paused. "One of my first games, Wing Rider, is based on all the days I spent standing on this fence."
    She made a mental note to check out the game as soon as possible.
    "It was my first bestseller," he added.
    She liked that his childhood dream had turned into a reality. It