Free UNSTOPPABLE (Siri's Saga Book 2) by Jessika Klide Page B

pilot emerges with a big smile and walks half way down to greet us. "Moore! Man, it's good to see you! How've you been?"
    "Good. Morris. And you?"
    "No complaints. Who's this beautiful lady you have on your arm?"
    "This is my lady." He says it possessively. "Siri Wright. Siri, allow me to introduce you to the first scoundrel I met in flight school. Mike Morris."
    He nods. "Nice to meet you, ma'am. Although, I'm surprised. Moore here has been a lone wolf as long as I've known him."
    "He was just waiting for the Wright one." I wink at Morris then I glance over my shoulder at Aurei and he gives me that killer wink. I smirk, roll the peppermint around my tongue so he can see, then turn to walk up the stairs.
    Morris says to him. "Must have been. You look different. Relaxed. It looks good on you."
    When we enter the cabin, I'm pleasantly surprised at the luxury. The seats are dark leather and plush. The stewardess is Mary. "Sit anywhere. You are our only passengers this trip."
    I return to the front and Aurei holds up his arm for me to slide under. I snuggle in and smile at Morris. He laughs and shakes his head, amused. "It's good to see him happy. I tell you, Siri. Good to see. Well, let me get us airborne and heading to Rome, then I'll come back and we can catch up."
    Aurei shakes Mike's hand again and as Mike goes to the cockpit, Aurei smiles at me. "Morris is a good guy."
    "I can see that. Where do you prefer to sit?"
    He selects seats on the right side, in front of the wing and offers me the window seat. We buckle up and as soon as the plane begins to move my nose is glued to the window. Aurei holds my hand and watches me. I love to fly! Every once in a while, I look at him and grin. "I love watching the world change."
    He grins back. "You enjoy every moment of every day, don't you?"
    "I try to. Why wouldn't you? Your heart only has so many beats. You better enjoy them."
    He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it. I turn back to stare out the window.
    After the jet reaches cruising altitude, Mike joins us for dinner. Mary brings us a glass of champagne and serves us. We eat and chit chat. Mike asks how we met, what I do, the typical things. I answer honestly. They talk about the things long term buddies talk about. How's Mike's wife. She's expecting their first baby. It's a boy. They've moved to Atlanta. Aurei resigned from the Army. His parents are in Italy to celebrate what would have been Grandpa Aurelius' 85th birthday. That's news! Ann is good. She is still putting up with Bee. Then they start reminiscing about their Army days together. They tell story after story about and on each other. The bars they crashed, shut down, or got thrown out of. The practical jokes they pulled. We laugh together and the time flies. When he leaves to go back to his pilot duties, it is dark and late. Aurei and I recline our seats. Mary appears with blankets and pillows. We kick off our shoes, and Aurei takes his tie then his shirt off. Mary eyes his body appreciatively as she takes them to hang with his coat.
    I ask as soon as we settle in.
    "So what’s this about your Grandfather's 85th birthday?"
    "Not just a party. It's a celebration."
    "Oh. What's the difference?"
    "Big and extravagant. We go all out for it each year making it a family reunion of sorts keeping the tradition he established. He would say that it's the Texan in him coming out." Aurei laughs.
    "Texan? I thought he was Italian."
    "He claimed both. It's a great story. Especially the part about courting my grandmother. 'It's quite the love story.'" Aurei says with a slow southern drawl that has just a hint of an Italian accent.
    I giggle. "Tell me the short version, please. It will make a good bedtime story."
    "My grandmother was a gifted dancer like you. She was a ballerina. They met and fell in love, but she wouldn't give up her career for him. At first his heart was broken, he took a job with this big company and they transferred him to Texas. He saved his money, bought