Free Pucker Up (A Damsels of Distress Novel) by R. A. Gates Page B

“Where's
    Thane? I don't even remember him
    getting on the plane . ” Good going, Ivy.
    “He's in the cockpit playing co-
    pilot.”
    She nodded as she braced herself
    for take-off. The plane started moving—
    slowly at first, then gained speed. When
    the wheels left the safety of the ground,
    her stomach dropped.
    “Breathe,” Garren said.
    She
    exhaled
    slowly
    and
    concentrated on taking her next breath. It
    gave her something else to think about
    besides how high they were and how
    long it would take to plummet to their
    deaths.
    “Open your eyes and look out the
    window.” Then in a softer voice, most
    likely to himself, he said, “It's really
    beautiful.”
    She pried one eye open and saw
    the look of awe on his face as he gazed
    out the side window next to him. He was
    visably relaxed and even seemed to be
    having some fun.
    Poor deluded fool . She ventured
    to peek out the dirty portal to her left. At
    first, all she saw was the wing, but then
    she forgot herself for a moment at the
    sight of the treetops below. Wow.
    Sunlight sparkled off the river gently
    winding through the forest. A bald eagle
    glided on the air currents, its wings
    stretched out.
    The plane jostled over and over
    as the wind did its best to put them back
    on the ground. “It's just a little
    turbulence. Nothing serious,” he said.
    Nothing serious, my... The plane
    jumped, tossing her up in the air high
    enough to hurt her butt when she
    slammed back down. ...ass.
    “Why can't your precious magic
    keep the plane steady?”
    He shrugged. “Captain Burgandy
    prefers it this way. He says the bumps
    and rolls from the wind let him know
    he's still in the air.”
    “You do know he's crazy, right?”
    “He may be a little eccentric, but
    he knows what he's doing. So,” he said,
    stretching his long legs out in front of
    him as he leaned back against a box.
    “Did you bring enough lip balm?”
    “Lip balm for what?” She kept
    her eyes glued to the intricate web of
    ropes and wires the captain used to jury
    rig the plane together. Every movement
    created squeaks and knocks that sent the
    little hairs on her arms on end.
    “Can you imagine how chapped
    Prince Sebastian's lips are going to be
    after 200 years of being asleep? I
    thought maybe you'd want to prep him
    before the big smooch.”
    She'd deliberately kept the idea
    in the back of her mind, but his words
    brought the image of kissing Prince
    Sebastian back full force.
    What if he's all decaying and
    stuff? What if his lips aren't even
    there? Her stomach took a tumble, and it
    wasn't from the turbulence.
    “Breath mints,” he said. “You're
    also going to need lots and lots of breath
    mints.”
    She smacked his arm with the
    back of her hand as she fought to keep
    her breakfast down. “Will you shut up?”
    Garren chuckled. “Just trying to
    help.”
    “Well, you're not.”
    They sat in silence for hours,
    gently rocking with the plane. She tried
    to sleep, but whenever she drifted off,
    the plane would lurch, jerking her
    awake. Her butt was numb from sitting
    for so long, so she shifted around to get
    comfortable when she bumped into
    Garren.
    He moaned. His breathing was
    quick and shallow and his skin was pale.
    A bead of sweat trickled down the side
    of his face, soaking into the collar of his
    shirt.
    “Are you all right?” She placed
    her hand over his as it rested on his
    thigh.
    He grunted his reply.
    The plane jerked again and she
    crushed his fingers in her grip.
    “If you break my fingers,” he
    uttered through clenched teeth, “I'll
    throw up on you.”
    “Sorry.” She released her death
    grip and watched the blood return to his
    fingertips. “I guess now wouldn't be a
    good time to ask if you wanted to split
    the tuna sandwich I stashed in my
    pocket.”
    The resulting gagging noise
    brought a brief smile to her face, but as
    his complexion grew greener, guilt got
    the better of her. She reached for the
    pack next to her and grabbed a bottle