Page 9 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

DALTON

P ickle and I found two stools at the bar. I felt eyes on us but I ignored it. I was used to people staring. Folks knew me around here. And Pickle? Well, everyone loved Pickle.

“Two beers,” Pickle said, slapping the bar. “Whatever’s on tap.”

The bartender grabbed two frosted glasses and started filling them. I scanned the room out of habit. It was the usual suspects. I nodded at a few pilots I recognized from other crews. They nodded in response before returning to their conversations.

The jukebox was blasting some old Lynyrd Skynyrd song. The owner had a thing for classic rock. I didn’t. At least, I never used to, but the more I hung out here, it started to grow on me.

The bartender put our glasses in front of us. “Anything to eat, fellas?”

“Burgers,” I replied.

“Coming right up.”

I nodded my thanks to him. We didn’t have to get into the specifics. Burgers was enough. That was why I liked this place. It wasn’t pretentious. No one was going to look sideways at me if I chewed with my mouth open or didn’t put a napkin in my lap to eat.

I grabbed the beer and took a long pull. It tasted damn good. Pickle had been right. It was exactly what I needed.

“So, what’s the deal with you and the new girl? “

I almost choked on the drink, then shot him a look that would’ve made most men run in the opposite direction. Pickle just laughed.

“Come on, man,” he said. “She’s cute. Smart. And she’s got balls—standing up to you like that? Most people wouldn’t dare. It’s all anyone can talk about. The new kid with a death wish.”

“We already covered this,” I said. “I’m not interested in talking about her anymore.”

He started to say something more but I tuned him out. The song switched up and nineties Aerosmith started to pump through the speaker.

“Did you make the drop?” I asked.

“Yep.” He nodded. He already knew what I was talking about. “Me and Chuckles nailed it first try.”

“Fuck you,” I grumbled.

He laughed. “You’ll be happy to know the ground crew had it handled within hours. They’re staying on site to make sure there aren’t any flare-ups.”

“Good.”

A woman slid onto the stool next to me. She was brunette, mid-thirties maybe, with dark eyes and a smile that was all teeth. She was wearing a low-cut blouse that revealed plenty of her assets.

“Hey there,” she said, her voice low and sultry. “You boys look like you could use some company.”

Pickle grinned at her like she was Christmas morning. “My friend could use a little stress relief.”

I shot him a dirty look.

The woman leaned in closer, her perfume washing over me.

It was heavy and floral and not my thing.

Her fingers brushed against my arm as she tilted her head, her dark hair cascading over one shoulder.

“You look like you’ve had a rough day,” she purred, her voice dripping with invitation. “Maybe I can help with that.”

I took another swig of my beer, not bothering to look at her. “I doubt it.”

She didn’t take the hint. Instead, she slid her hand up my forearm, her nails lightly grazing my skin. “You sure? I’m great at relaxing people.”

Pickle chuckled beside me, clearly enjoying the show. “She’s got a point, Herc. You could use a little unwinding.”

I shot him a glare that could’ve melted steel, but he just shrugged, grinning like an idiot. The woman wasn’t deterred. She leaned in even closer, her breath warm against my ear with her breasts smashed against my arm. “Come on, big guy. Let me take care of you.”

I put my glass down with a thud and turned to face her fully. She was bold, I’d give her that. And pretty. And if I wasn’t thinking about a sexy little blonde chick, I might have taken her up on her offer.

“Listen, I’m not interested. Thanks for the offer, but I’m here to drink and eat a burger. That’s it. Maybe another time, but I’m tired and I’m really, really not in the mood.”

For a moment, she looked like she might argue, but then she smirked giving me a onceover that felt like she was undressing me with her eyes. “Your loss,” she said with a shrug before sliding off the stool and sauntering away.

Pickle let out a low whistle as he watched her go. “Man, you are one cold son of a bitch.”

“Feel free to go after her,” I muttered, grabbing my beer again.

“She never even noticed me,” he said with a laugh. “That woman was ready to climb you like a tree.”

“Good for her,” I said flatly.

The bartender slid two plates in front of us—burgers piled high with all the fixings and a side of fries. I didn’t waste any time digging in, hoping the food would shut Pickle up for at least five minutes.

It didn’t.

“So, why’d you lose your shit today?”

“You know why.” I grabbed a napkin and wiped my mouth. “That was fucked up.”

“Yeah, but you know our equipment has been put through the wringer. Shit happens.”

“No excuse. Malfunctioning gear is a death sentence in the sky. The question isn’t why I lost my shit. It’s why no one else did too.”

I took another man-size bite of my burger and heard a sound. Not just any sound. One that sent the little hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I whipped my head around and son of a bitch. She was haunting me.

Janna.

She sat at a table with Laser, laughing at something.

Her cheeks were pink from the heat or the beer or maybe the way she laughed with her whole damn soul.

It was like looking into the sun. They had a spread of food on the table that would make a group of frat boys proud.

She reached for a scoop of nachos, stuffed it in her face, and washed it down with beer.

What the fuck? The pretty little princess was normal ?

She wasn’t the bouncy sorority sister she first presented as.

I already knew that after watching her in the sim, but still.

Seeing her wearing a basic shirt with a deep V in the front, her hair loose and almost no makeup, was doing something to me.

The other woman made me feel nothing, despite her best efforts, but Janna was grabbing me without even trying.

What the hell was she doing to me? My cock was twitching. My palms were itching. And an old familiar feeling hummed through my veins. It wasn’t just your basic excitement. It was hunger, like a vampire when it smelled blood.

I turned back to my beer and drained the glass. Slammed it a little harder than I meant to.

Pickle raised a brow. “Thirsty?”

“Another,” I said to the bartender.

Pickle followed my gaze across the room. “Ah,” he said knowingly. “Got it.”

“Don’t start with your bullshit.”

He grinned. “She’s cute. Pretty. Sexy.”

“Are you sure you’re not talking about Laser?” I asked.

He blinked and sputtered into his beer. “It’s not like that. She’s—whatever don’t change the subject.”

“I’m just saying, maybe you’re the one falling for a fellow pilot, and you’re projecting those feelings onto me.”

“Maybe. Janna is cute, though,” Pickle added. “Fiery, too. I like her. Not the way you like her, but still.”

I snorted. “She called me an asshole.”

“Yeah, which means she’s perceptive, too. I mean, you were being an asshole.”

“Only because I had to.”

Janna was pretty, though. Sexy. And mouthy. She wasn’t going to throw herself at me like the bimbo earlier. She was a challenge and I liked a good challenge. If I really wanted to, I could have her begging me to fuck her, to make that body all mine.

But would that ever be enough for her? For me, it was never about romance. Never about some fairy tale forever. It was all about the heat and friction and sweat and release. Get in, get out, get on with it.

Maybe I was misjudging her. Maybe she was looking for a quick fuck. That charged moment in the simulator room had certainly hinted at desire.

“Fine, let’s go say hi,” I said after finishing my burger and most of my second beer.

Pickle gave me a side-eye. “Oh, really? I thought you weren’t interested?”

“Feel free to stay here. I’ll just go have a nice conversation with Laser without you.” I grinned at him.

He opened his mouth like he might argue but quickly snapped it shut. That’s what I thought. He liked her. “Lead the way.”

Janna looked up as we reached the table. Her eyes narrowed immediately. I saw her stiffen like she was afraid I was going to say something terrible.

“I come in peace,” I said.

Laser looked at Pickle and offered a smile. “Sit down,” she said.

I pulled one of the chairs out, sat, and took one of the onion rings.

Janna glared at me. “Did you just eat?”

“I did. Don’t act like you two are actually going to finish all of this.”

“Why? Because we’re women?” Janna challenged.

She really didn’t like me. And that was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

“No,” I said, leaning back in my chair and meeting her glare head on. “Because even I couldn’t finish this much food, and I’ve been known to eat my weight in burgers. You two are ambitious, I’ll give you that.”

Laser laughed, shaking her head. “He’s not wrong. We might’ve overdone it. We were hungry and it all looked good.”

Janna didn’t seem amused, and as if to prove a point, she snatched one of the few remaining onion rings. I watched as she tore it in half and dipped it in the sauce. “So, what brings you over here? Come to critique my eating habits too?”

I couldn’t hide my smirk. “Well, if you want to know, I’d go for the ranch instead of that dipping sauce.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, you would have an opinion.”

Pickle chuckled, grabbing a nacho from the pile. “Careful, Herc, I have a feeling she’s still a little pissed at you for trying to kill Tyson.”

Janna looked at Pickle like she was just seeing him for the first time.

“This is Pickle,” Laser said by way of introduction.

Janna looked at Pickle and offered him a friendly smile, something I had not been blessed with.

“Pickle?” Janna said. “I’m afraid to ask how you got that name.”

Poor Pickle. He sighed and shook his head. The story was funny but he was a little embarrassed. “I ate a pickle on my first day.”

Janna blinked and then looked at Laser, then me. “That’s it?”

“Yup. I don’t even like pickles. I just took it when someone offered it. I mean, pickles on my burgers are fine, but I don’t just walk around eating pickles.”

Janna’s face lit up with a laugh, and fuck me, she was beautiful. She took a drink of her beer and made a show of wiping her mouth. We were all watching her because, shit, it was impossible to look away. Did she know how alluring she was? It all looked so natural.

“Sounds like quite the pickle,” Janna said.

Pickle groaned. Laser burst into laughter. And me? I was staring at her mouth. Her saucy, sassy little mouth.

The server came back around. “You guys want another round?”

“Yes, please,” Janna said.

We all agreed to have another round.

“Beer?” I questioned Janna after the server left.

“You here to critique my drink choice now, too?” She snapped the question and didn’t even try to hide her irritation.

“Relax, princess. No one is critiquing you.”

That earned me a hard glare. And a blush.

Laser leaned over to Pickle, grinning. “You hear that? He gave her a nickname. That must mean he likes her.”

Janna scowled. “I’d rather be set on fire than be called princess.”

I grinned. “Stick around long enough, you might get your wish.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Laser!” A male voice cut off any retort she was about to shoot back at me. “We need to talk.”

Wild Bill stalked toward our table.

Laser sighed. “Not now, Bill. We were having a nice night.”

“We need to talk ,” he insisted, ignoring everyone else. “What the fuck? You’re fucking around with this punk now?”

“Punk?” Pickle repeated. “I’m going to assume you’re talking about me, because you’re not dumb enough to talk about Herc like that.”

Bill didn’t even look at him. “Outside, Laser. Now.”

Laser stood up, her shoulders back and a look on her face that could cut through steel. “I’m not going anywhere with you while you’re being a dick.”

“You’re fucking Pickle now?”

“Shut your mouth, Bill,” I warned.

Laser’s nostrils flared. “You don’t get to decide who I talk to.”

Janna stood. “Laser, come on. Let’s go.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Bill snapped at Janna.

That’s when I got up. “Don’t,” I warned.

Janna had grabbed Laser’s hand and was pulling her out of the bar. Bill made a move like he was going after them, but I stepped in his path.

“Let them go,” I said.

He blinked. “What?”

I squared my shoulders. “You heard me.”

He didn’t like that. “Stay out of it, Dalton. This isn’t your business.”

“She made it my business when she told you to leave her alone.”

His lip curled. “You always got something to prove, don’t you?”

“I don’t have to prove anything,” I said, stepping closer. “But you sure as hell do.”

Bill tried to shove past me to go after the women. I didn’t let him. “Nope,” I said.

He swung.

Big mistake.

I caught the punch with my forearm, then answered with a right hook that cracked clean across his jaw. His head snapped sideways as he stumbled back. “Motherfucker! Herc, dammit!”

Pickle winced. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

I shook out my knuckles and walked toward the door without another word. I wasn’t worried anyone was going to call the cops or Bill was going to come after me. It wasn’t the first time we’d thrown punches and it wouldn’t be the last.