Free Oceans Apart by Karen Kingsbury Page A

for both of them, but Connor didn’t let her see how intense his feelings for her had become. Before the summer was up, he got permission to borrow a friend’s Cessna. He got her to the airfield by telling her he was taking her out to eat, giving her a chance to watch takeoffs and landings and see that they weren’t so frightening.
    Instead, when they climbed out of his jeep, he reached into the back and pulled out two helmets, one for him and one for her.
    “Connor . . .” Her face went slack, and her mouth hung open.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Helping you conquer your fears.” He smiled and took her hand. And to his surprise, she took his in return.
    They flew for an hour that night, circling over the area and doing basic maneuvers that caused Michele to gasp out loud. She was seated behind him, and several times she reached out and grabbed his shoulders. “Connor!”
    Her voice was muffled in the helmet, but even from the front seat he could hear the panic in her voice fade. A minute later, she’d laugh, her hold on him looser than before. When they were back on the ground, he waited until they were in the parking lot near his jeep again before he asked her what she thought.
    “You won’t believe it.” She giggled, her cheeks ruddy from the exhilaration of the flight. “It was amazing, Connor. I’d go up again 65

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    in a minute.” She gave him an impulsive hug. “You took away my greatest fear.”
    “Good.” He leaned his back against the door of his car and eased her close to him. Then, for the first time, he kissed her. The slow, lingering sort of kiss that bared everything he felt for her, the kind he’d never given any woman before or since.
    “Why?” When she pulled away, she was breathless, her eyes colored with passion. “Why good?”
    “Because I broke your rule, Michele.” He framed her face with tender hands and kissed her again. This time he looked straight to her soul and said the words he remembered clearly to this day. “I fell in love with you. And I know I’ll spend half my time in the air, so I had no choice—”
    She kissed him this time, grinning all the while. “No choice but to teach me to love being up there, just like you do.”
    <
    The memories stayed with Connor long after his shower. As he made his way to the airport, they played in his mind, keeping him company and assuring him that Michele’s question was innocent enough.
    Married people asked that of each other now and then, didn’t they? Honey, have you been faithful? Have you ever cheated on me? Am I the only one you’ve ever loved? His answer had satisfied her. And, thankfully, he’d been right—she hadn’t brought it up again.
    Still . . .
    Connor shuddered. He pulled his suitcase and flight kit behind him, a sleek black unit emblazoned near the top with the airline’s fashionable insignia. He’d been briefed on the upcoming flight, a two-hour hop from West Palm Beach to Atlanta, followed by three short flights across the Midwest, and an overnight in Dallas. His 66

    – Karen Kingsbury –
    copilot that day was a man he’d flown with before, a young guy hired a year ago.
    Young and idealistic and dedicated to his family.
    The way Connor was when he first started flying. The way he still felt.
    He checked his watch and stepped into a men’s room three gates from his own. He had an extra fifteen minutes, time to make sure his uniform was pressed the way he liked it. The conversation with Michele had gone longer than usual, and he’d been in a rush since he left the house.
    Three men were washing their hands, and Connor waited until they were gone before stepping in front of the mirror.
    He already missed her, missed the proud way she held her chin, and the teasing sparkle in her brown eyes. Michele was not one of the needy, insecure housewives so many pilot friends married. She was a free spirit, a woman who carried a sense of independence that drove him crazy with desire. No