"Sorry, Reese." Beth grimaced.
Taylor mirrored Beth's expression. "We'll miss you! and don't worry, it's only a few hours. We'll be reunited before you know it."
"I will be just fine," I laughed as I watched my best friends take their seats on the plane.
I continued on to my seat, a few rows behind, smiling to myself about how I may have purposely lost the bet to decide who had to sit alone. Don't get me wrong, I loved my friends, but I wanted nothing more than three hours with a good book and no distractions. With two small kids at home, it was nearly impossible to find three consecutive hours to sit and read.
After I got settled into my seat, but before I had a chance to pull out the novel in my bag, a giant sat down in the seat next to me. Not kidding. He had to be nearly six and a half feet tall, his knees hugged the seat in front.
Not only that, but he was freaking gorgeous. And I mean gorgeous. A dream boat. A hunk. The kind of guy that sends your pulse into a flurry just at the sight of his chiseled, scruffy jaw and broad chest. The kind that smells intoxicatingly musky and inviting. The kind that sits down right next to you and.... doesn't even look your way.
Sigh. Maybe it was for the best. I was barely divorced a year and in no one place to meet someone new. Plus, all the good guys my age were taken.
"You've got to me kidding me." Hunky giant rifled through his bag frantically.
I couldn't help but ask, "is everything okay?"
He scratched the back of his neck with one big hand before he turned to me. "Oh, yeah. Just forgot my damn book. I was really looking forward to it."
He slumped back into his seat. I hurried to come up with more to say because something about this man made me eager to talk. It was unsettling.
"I have an extra. I'm not sure if it's your thing, but..." I grabbed a novel from my bag, the latest Stephen King. I always kept a spare just in case.
"Are you serious?" He asked, his jaw dropping, then his lips curving into a wide, disarming smile that made my skin prickle with anticipation and desire. He was seriously handsome.
"What? I know his stuff isn't for everyone, but-"
"That's the exact book I forgot at home." He shook his head in disbelief.
"You're kidding." I smiled and couldn't stop.
"No, I'm not." Hunky Giant had an adorable dimple on his left cheek.
"Well, here you go." I held the book out for him, and my eyes met his, which were a deep, dark chocolatey brown. My heart stopped as he took the book from my unsteady hands, his fingers, brushing over mine.
"Thank you. My friends call me twisted for my Stephen King obsession. I know his stories can be..." He trailed off, looking for the right word.
"Dark?" I finished.
"Exactly," he agreed. "But I like it. Maybe I'm a little dark at heart."
I laughed. "Me too. My TV is permanently set to the investigate Discovery Channel... When it's not on Disney Channel that is.
Hunky Giant chuckled. "Same. My kids are obsessed with disney." He shook his head. "You know, for total strangers, it's kind of weird how much we have in common."
I nodded. I was surprised, too. "My name is Reese." I told him.
"Noah." He offered his hand, and I couldn't resist.
"There. Now we're not strangers," I smiled.
We took off after the announcements played over the speakers. When we settled high in the sky, my entire body was on high alert as I watched the dreamy man next to me use his big, calloused hands to flip through the pages of my book.
No way in hell would I be able to focus now. And apparently Hunky Giant- I mean, Noah felt the same.
"So what's bringing you to Vegas?" He asked
I watched him lazily finger the pages of the open book in his lap. "A friends' bachelorette party." I tried to cover my cringe with a smile, but Noah caught on.
"Not looking forward to it?"
"It's just... I'm the only one who has kids or big responsibilities. And all I really want to do is relax. Like at the spa, or a quiet night with wine and a few laughs. Not gambling and staying up until five in the morning. I know, I'm lame."
"Lame? I don't think so."
He was probably being nice. "Why are you heading to Vegas?" I asked.
"A buddy is getting married. My ex has the kids for the weekend. It's my first kid free weekend in a year, and I want to do is stay cooped up at the hotel, eat bad food, and read. So believe me, you're not lame. Or if you are-then so am I."
I laughed.
"Your husband has the kids?" He asked.
"Nope. I mean, there's no husband. My mom has them for the weekend, God bless her. They are hyper. I hope she can keep up."
"Mine are hyper too." He laughed.
"So we escape to dark places," I teased.
"Yes... Or we have conversations with strangers on planes. Strangers with incredible green eyes, I might add..."
A blush burned my cheeks. "Thank you."
"Thank you for the book. Can't say I'm all that interested in reading it now, though." Noah flashed a smile that told me / was all he was interested in. He gently closed the book shut.
Reading was the last thing on my mind, too.
Author's Note :
Reese is on her way to vegas for a bachelorette party with her friends. Truth be told, she's more excited for the three hour plane ride there, than she is the partying and drinking. She's craving alone time, time to relax and read her favorite book. Something she rarely gets at home with two kids running around.
But when a Hunky Giant sits next to her, the trip takes an interesting turn. Suddenly, reading doesn't seem all that important. Reese discovers that she and single dad, Noah, have a lot more in common than their destination.
*****
On the way to a spring break getaway with your friends, you are seated next to a complete stranger. What should have been a short plane ride turns into something more when sparks begin to fly.
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Oh my, that love for books and the idea of conplete strangers that feels like your long lost soul mate is just fantastically amazing!