Blue Skies (39 page)
Authors: Robyn Carr
“Hey, boss,” Sam said.
Nikki turned around with a start. “Sam!”
“I'm back.” Grinning with that perfect bad-boy smile, his hair floppy from the wind, he stood right behind her, hands on his hips. It sliced through her again, how handsome she found him. She didn't know if he really was, but she sure responded to that square jaw and bushy brows.
“So you are. How're you doing? How're the girls?”
“Everyone is good. You going to let me work again?”
“I told you. Anytime. Are you sure you're ready?”
“I got a note from the shrink. I was sure, anyway, but I wanted good backup.”
“You're not scarred from the experience?”
“No. You?”
“No.”
“I think we worked pretty well together,” he said.
“We did. Mission accomplished, anyway. No one got hurt.”
“It hasn't been that long, Nick. Three months. And we were just about toâ¦Weren't we?”
“Seemed like it,” she said.
“How do you feel about that now?”
She shrugged. “How do you feel about it?”
“Every time we talked, I kept waiting for you to say something like, âI miss you.' Or âHurry back.' Or, âAre you almost ready to come back?' But you never did, so I assumed it meant I was welcome to come back as a pilot, but not anything more.”
“I didn't want to push.”
“You sure didn't.”
“Well, you never said anything, either. Like you really missed me and couldn't wait to get back orâWell, I did some assuming, too.”
“I didn't want to push,” he said. “You never were real comfortable with the idea.”
“It was growing on me.”
He took two steps toward her and put his hands on her waist. “Then one of us is going to have to push.”
“And I guess the other will have to push back,” she suggested.
He pulled her closer. “That's what I'm talking about.” He held her for a moment and then, holding her away from him just a bit, he asked, “By the way, what did Riordan say that got you to come here, take this on?”
She frowned as she thought. Then her face broke into a grin. “He said, âNikki, I think you're going to like this New Century.' And you know what? He was damn straight. It just gets better every day.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3733-3
BLUE SKIES
Copyright © 2004 by Robyn Carr.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
