Her anticipation exploded into full-blown excitement.
Good thing he wasn’t dangerous, because she had no recollection of where they drove. Her entire focus was on the smallest of things: his hands on the steering wheel, the barest hint of music on the radio—too low for her to tell what it was—the shaking in her core that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with Zach.
It wasn’t until he pulled the car into an almost empty lot and parked that reality hit. She realized she needed to know. “Zach,” she stalled, before he could open his door.
“Yes?”
His low voice only sent further shivers up her spine. “I’m guessing we’re not going out to dinner?” She tried to keep her tone light, but Zach plunged straight into the deep end.
He leaned closer, invading her comfort zone. “We both know what’s happening, Sadie. I think it’s time to stop beating around the bush, don’t you?”
“Um...”
“Don’t pretend this isn’t what you want.” If his words didn’t convince her, the way his lips traced her jaw definitely did.
But for once, she needed honesty between them. “I won’t.” Heaven knew she couldn’t. “But how can it be what you want?” She swallowed hard but forced herself to finish. “After I left?”
“You were trying to do the right thing, weren’t you?”
He would never know it, but she had. Her attempt to protect him from the callous, self-centered man who had been his father might not be the right thing in his mind, but it had been in hers. “Yes.”
“That’s the most important thing to me, Sadie.”
She instantly cooled as he got out of the car and walked around to her side. If she hadn’t known she would ultimately lose Zach, those words had spelled it out loud and clear. But she didn’t have time to contemplate. Zach opened her door. His hand folded over hers, and he eased her out onto her feet. “I want you,” he said, no longer holding back. “You have responsibilities away from here. I totally understand that.”
He lifted her chin with his other hand, positioning her lips exactly right for his kiss. “If I only have you for this weekend, so be it.”
Her defenses and resistance fell with his words, and she had a feeling she’d never be able to rebuild either again. Instead she took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.” Her voice wasn’t too shaky, at least.
As he locked up the car, she glanced around. Parts of Black Hills had become fairly familiar to her by now, but she had absolutely no idea where she was at the moment. Zach grabbed their bags, then her hand and led her across the asphalt to a large metal building.
They were spending the weekend in a manufacturing plant? It certainly didn’t have the romantic feel she would expect, but then, Zach was a guy. The dark night kept her from reading the sign farther down the wall. It wasn’t until they passed through the double doors that Sadie got a clue.
They’d arrived at the small municipal airport. The too bright, fluorescent-lit space wasn’t big enough for commercial traffic—mostly crop dusters and shuttle planes. Which also explained why it was mostly deserted at this time of the evening.
Zach dumped their bags near a grouping of chairs and waved her into a seat. “I’ll just get everything set up.”
Sure he would. She remembered him talking about loving every minute of learning to fly in the military, and he’d done some crop dusting in town until the notorious cotton killings last year.
“Zach, would you mind telling me what we’re doing?”
He paused a few feet away, his expression filled with an almost childlike excitement. “Do you like surprises?”
A frown started between her brows. “I haven’t had any good ones in my life.”
“Well, let’s try this one and see.”
* * *
Zach felt like he’d spent the entire two-hour flight grinning—and he wasn’t a grin type of guy. He preferred a smirk or a glare. But the reaction to Sadie’s every gasp and sigh was unstoppable.
Despite her initial shock, it was clear she’d enjoyed the view, no matter their altitude. Zach’s new private plane, no matter that it was small, made the trip pure pleasure. It was the first thing he’d bought for himself since he’d hit the big time. Add on the anticipation of being with Sadie, and yeah, he grinned.