Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Although he was hot; especially now that I was closer and got a good look. He had broad shoulders but a slim, tight build; the muscles in his arms were obvious but not bulky as he gripped the seat. He had thick brown hair coiffed to the side and a square jaw which was speckled in brown stubble. I wanted to peel his eyes open and see if they were as gorgeous as the rest of him. Holy hell, I am thirsty.
Thankful that he couldn’t see ogling him, I cleared my throat and said, “I’m Jesse, by the way.”
“Hayes.” He let go of the armrest long enough to hold his hand out towards me. I shook his cold, clammy fingers, and when I let them go, they went back to their death grip.
“You know, flying is very safe,” I offered helpfully. “It’s actually much safer than traveling by car.”
“So I’ve heard,” Hayes replied, sounding unconvinced. “But I know that I’m a safe driver and in my car, I’m in control.”
“So you like to be in control?” I replied, praying he missed the intrigue in my voice. Luckily, he was too distracted.
“Well, sure. Up in the air, I’m at the mercy of a pilot whom I know nothing about. He could be a total hack. And if there’s an emergency, none of us can do anything except bend over to kiss our asses goodbye; we’re all screwed.”
"I bet you're fun at parties," I teased, and luckily it went over well, as Hayes chuckled.
"Okay, maybe that was a little intense, but I don't know what to expect and I guess I've got myself prepared for the worst."
"If it makes you feel any better, I've flown a lot over the years for work, and I've never had an issue."
"That does help a little," Hayes replied, and pride warmed my chest at having made him feel even a bit more at ease. "What kind of work do you do?"
"I'm a business consultant. I work with companies to streamline their productivity, and a lot of time that means traveling to their facilities."
"Is that why you're traveling today?"
"No, unfortunately this trip is a vacation."
My surely confusing words finally made Hayes open his eyes. They were just as pretty as the rest of him; deep brown and inviting. But they worried me when they widened slightly as he studied me. "Not what you were expecting?" I asked, and he slowly shook his head. "Surprised that I'm such an old fucker?"
Hayes snorted a laugh and shook his head again. "Actually, I was surprised at how handsome you are."
Surprised? Does that mean I have a non-handsome voice? What was he expecting? Wait, why do I care? He thinks I'm handsome!
I knew I wasn't bad looking, but I didn't see myself as a major prize, either. I was thickset in build; what once was firm muscle was now soft, and everything was coated in salt and pepper hair. But at least my head was too; even though I was over forty, I still had nice locks, along with a neatly trimmed beard.
In my time, a man or two had told me that my hazel eyes were my best feature. Of course, I'd also been told that my smile was my worst feature; people claimed it looked more like a grimace than a grin, so there's that.
"Back at you," I told Hayes with my best grimace-grin, before rolling my eyes at myself. "Well, no, I'm not surprised at how handsome you are, since I've been staring at you this whole time." Dammit. I was terrible at flirting, if that’s what this was. I was more of a ‘swipe right and have a hookup’ kind of guy. It was quick, easy, and didn’t require a lot of time or attention, as I was usually too involved with my work for anything else.
Hayes flashed a smile that was way prettier than my own, before he appeared perplexed again. “So why exactly are you disappointed to be on vacation?”
“Oh, that.” I shrugged. “I just have so much work that needs to be done; clients to see, spreadsheets to fill out. I don’t have time to jet off for sun and fun.” When his confusion didn’t clear, I added, “My assistant booked me on this trip without my permission.”
“Ah, I see,” Hayes replied with a nod. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the flight attendant.
“May I have your attention?” a lady in a blue pantsuit asked over the speakers. “I’m going to walk you through the safety information for our flight.” I’d heard the spiel a hundred times, so my attention drifted, but Hayes was glued to her every word.
When the flight attendant finished her speech, the plane began rolling backwards, and Hayes returned his death grip to the armrests.