Chance Encounters Page 3

  “You okay?” he asked, without moving. She smiled and the attraction between them was like lightning in the night’s sky. He took a quick breath and confessed, “I want to kiss you so bad,” as he tucked a long blonde strand of hair behind her ear.

  She wanted him to do it. Her lips screamed at her to let him. But the reality of her situation, and Clay, was something her conscious mind couldn’t get past.

  “I…have a boyfriend,” she stuttered. It was the truth, but at that moment she wished it wasn’t. It was the first time she had spoken those words and felt nothing but disappointment. What was wrong with her? Clay was not the type of guy a girl was disappointed to have.

  “I’m truly sorry to hear that. He’s one lucky guy,” he informed, still holding her.

  Caroline’s mind drifted to thoughts of kissing this stranger. Touching him. Allowing her hands to roam all over his body. She wondered how bad could it be? She could kiss him and never speak of it again. It was the perfect scenario for a hookup—a plane flight across the country surrounded by strangers. No one would be the wiser. No one would ever know. She sighed softly and thought to herself, I would know. I could never live with myself if I did that to Clay.

  She inched away from his secure arms and leaned her head into the seat. As they faced each other she said, “I’m so attracted to you. I really want to kiss you, but I can’t. It’s not right.”

  “I understand. I respect you for that. But I’ve still got four hours or so to change your mind,” he teased.

  “I’ll make you a deal. If this plane goes down, I’ll let you kiss me the whole way,” she told him laughing.

  “I’ve never wanted a plane to crash so badly in my life.”

  Caroline was keenly aware that this flight would come to an end, this guy would walk out of her life, and she’d be forever changed from it. She felt things stronger than most people. Sometimes she felt it was a curse to feel things so deeply, but other times she felt it was one of her best qualities.

  The two of them talked for hours. She kept her legs tangled in his and he acted as if he wouldn’t take his arms off of her if someone paid him to.

  “So what do you do?” she asked.

  He paused for a moment, as if unsure of how his words would sound. “I’m finishing up business school in the city, and I work on my parents’ farm.”

  Her face lit up with surprise. “A farm? In New York? What kind of farm?”

  “It’s upstate…a dairy farm. We have some orchards, too. I like to help out my dad when I can.” He smiled at her and cocked his head in the most charming way.

  “You’re way too hot to be a farmer,” she flirted.

  “Oh, really? How many farmers do you know?”

  She laughed, then shrugged. “Counting you?”

  “Sure. Counting me.”

  “One.” She smiled and her face crinkled up. “Do you like farming? I mean is that what you want to do?”

  He laughed at the simplicity of her question. “I do. The farm has been in my family for generations and I want to keep it that way. That’s why I’m taking these classes. We have to keep up with the times, you know?”

  Caroline warmed, the heat of desire and respect coursing through her veins. “I love how proud you are. And respectful. It’s very attractive.” He blushed and averted his eyes. She continued to compliment him. “You’re smart, passionate, and determined. I really respect that.”

  He smiled gently. “Thank you.” Longing to change the subject he asked, “What about you? What do you do?”

  “I’m a marketing assistant for JD Walters,” she said proudly.

  He cocked his head. “Am I supposed to know who that is?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Not in your line of work. He’s one of the best print ad photographers in San Francisco.”

  “What does that mean? Print ads…like magazines, billboards, and stuff?”

  “Exactly. Guess you’re not all body and no brains after all,” she teased.

  “Oh, no no no. I’m definitely all body.” He smiled at her.

  “My best friend, Bailey, works there too; I’ve known her since high school. She got me the job, actually.”

  “You have good friends.”

  “The best,” she smiled.

  “Is that where you’re from?”

  “Where? San Francisco?” Her expression soured. “God, no. I’m from Southern California. I just moved to Nor Cal for work.”

  “That’s…” He paused as he struggled to find the right word. “Convenient.”

  “I guess so.” Caroline smiled. “When’s your birthday?”

  He cocked an eyebrow at her. “January 17th. Why?”

  “Just wondering,” she said while her shoulders lifted. “So, what does that make you? A Capricorn?”

  He nodded. “I think so. When’s your birthday?”

  “July 2nd. I’m a Cancer,” she informed him.

  “Yeah, you are,” he responded playfully.

  “You’re the cancer! You’re like a growth or something.” She crinkled her nose at him.

  He laughed at her cheekiness and mimicked her response before asking. “So why were you in New York?”

  “I had to go to a funeral.”

  “I’m sorry. How did you know someone from New York if you’re from California?”

  She smiled at his handsome face and stunning blue eyes. “I went to college there. I just moved back to California a few months ago, after graduation.”

  “Oh. So whose funeral was it?”

  “His name was Johnny. He was one of my closest friends. A really good guy…you would have loved him.”

  “I bet I would have.”

  Caroline knew he didn’t try to be charming, but every word this gorgeous farm boy spoke was nothing but.

  “More importantly,” she smiled, “he would have approved of you.”

  He leaned toward her and kissed the top of her head again and the attraction pulsed throughout her veins. She had to fight off the impulse to tilt her head up and allow him to kiss her lips.

  Caroline reminded herself constantly that it was wrong. Even though every fiber of her being screamed out for him, she allowed her conscience to win the battle.

  “So why are you flying to California?” she wondered out loud.

  “I have some meetings for farm stuff, and my buddy is getting married.”

  “Seriously? So how do you have a friend in California, if you’re from New York?” she asked him mockingly.

  “He moved out there for work. He loves it. I think he’s crazy.” He shrugged and smiled.

  She laughed out loud. “Have you ever been or is this your first trip?”

  “First trip.”

  “I think you might surprise yourself,” she said and winked at him.

  “What do you mean?” He leaned toward her, his eyes looking her up and down.

  “I’m just saying, you never know. You might love it there.”

  “Do you?” he fired back in response.

  She laughed and told him, “Not at all. But don’t get me wrong. I’m from Southern California and Northern is just so different. The weather will be the death of me, I’m sure of it.”

  “How did you ever survive in New York?” he teased.

  “That was different. I tolerated the weather for the atmosphere and the energy. I love it there so much!”

  The teenager tried to interrupt their conversation, but Caroline quickly cut him off. “Not now, boy, you’re on a time-out.”

  “For what?” the boy pouted.

  “For talking. Quiet time.”

  Caroline and her stranger laughed as the teenaged boy slumped into his seat and folded his arms with a grunt. Then her stranger leaned in close and whispered, “I wish I could bring you to the wedding.”

  Having his lips breathe words into her ear sent chills racing all the way down to her toes. She could barely handle it as her heart raced and her breath felt sporadic. “I bet we’d have the best tim
e. Do you dance?”

  “Of course,” he stated, both confident and sexy.

  “Will you think about me?” She played with fire, but thought if he felt the same, then maybe it would make it all less wrong somehow.

  “Of course I’ll think about you. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  “Well, it’s a wedding. Lots of single girls, I’m sure. You’ll probably have a slew of new fans before the day is over.” She tried to act cool and nonchalant, but deep down she wanted to be the girl who was different—the one who made a guy do things he’d never normally do, behave in ways he’d never behaved, because he met her, or had to have her.

  “You’re probably right,” he joked.

  Pangs of disappointment darted through her body as she faked a smile.

  The plane started to lose altitude slowly and that could only mean one thing. “I’ve been dreading that feeling,” he confessed, interlocking his fingers with hers.

  “What feeling?” she wondered, keenly aware of his touch.

  “We’re going to be landing soon. I don’t want this flight to be over.” He rubbed her fingers with his thumb.

  She was aware of the moisture that started to fill her eyes and she blinked quickly to keep her emotions at bay. “I don’t want to go,” she said and then quickly buried her head into his chest.

  “Me either,” he said, and she knew he meant it.

  “I don’t want to let go.” Caroline refused to unwrap her hands from his body.

  He smiled. “I know exactly what you mean.”

  She felt his grip tighten slightly and she took a slow, deep breath before closing her eyes, completely consumed in him. Her heart hurt and she wondered why and how this stranger could affect her this strongly in such a short amount of time.

  “I can’t believe this is it.” She lost herself for a moment in the blue of his eyes. She stared deeply into them as every thought she didn’t dare say aloud floated around in her mind. Like how much she wished she could leave with him. How she wanted to see him again before he left town. How desperately she wanted to kiss those full, gorgeous, soft-looking lips. How she couldn’t believe she had to let him go and walk away as though they’d never met.

  “I think I’m really going to miss you,” he said, his voice half surprised so it came out weird.

  She rolled her eyes. “Wow. That was sweet,” she said, her voice dripping with teasing sarcasm.

  She wanted to grab him by the back of the neck and crush her lips against his. The way his lips moved when he spoke tempted her. Everything tempted her. He leaned close to her face and softly kissed her cheek. The brush of his lips against her cheek made her feel flushed. When he pulled away, the heat still lingered. She struggled to catch her breath.

  “And hey,” he said softly as he tilted her chin up. “I won’t cheat on you this weekend.”

  “What?” Completely lost in his touch, she had no idea what he meant.

  He laughed. “At the wedding. The other girls. Don’t worry, babe. None of them will be you.”

  Her mouth fell open slightly and she didn’t respond.

  “By the way, this has been the best flight of my life,” he confessed to her with a smile, as the plane landed with a few bumps on the runway.

  Caroline looked out the small, dirty window at the city in the distance before she turned back to him. “Me too. I can’t believe I have to let you walk away.” She believed people came into her life for a reason and although she wasn’t entirely sure what his purpose was, she knew she had never had feelings like this for a stranger before. She didn’t want to let him go, but knew she had to. Letting him go felt wrong somehow, but what other option did she have?

  “Bye, you guys,” the teenager said, before heading out with the rest of his group. “By the way, you two are a really nice couple.”

  “Aww, thanks. See ya!” Caroline said to him cheerfully, and then realized they never exchanged names. None of them had.

  “Oh my gosh.” She looked at her handsome stranger and said, “I don’t even know your name!”

  “I guess we never really got that far, did we?”

  “We kind of skipped all that. I’m Caroline.”

  He looked at her, his eyes filled with warmth as he extended his hand. “Jax.”

  “Jax?” she repeated as her lip curled up into a slight grimace.

  She thought the name didn’t suit him at all until he corrected her. “Jackson.”

  The grimace quickly turned into a large smile and she nodded her head in approval. “Jackson. I like that.”

  He tilted his head and smirked with sexy confidence. “I knew you would.”

  He led the way as they headed out of the plane together and she took in every detail she could about him. He was over six feet tall and his body was incredible. His loose cargo shorts fit him nicely and his shirt couldn’t help but hug at the muscles in his shoulders and biceps. She laughed when she saw his sunglasses face her on his backward cap. Out of nowhere, she remembered they took a picture together and she was immediately thankful.

  The sign above them read Baggage Claim and she knew Clay would be waiting for her there. “Wait,” she pleaded, her voice tight.

  “What’s the matter?” He looked at her with eyes that mirrored her own emotions.

  “Just…one last hug.” She hated everything about this. Leaving him. Being back in San Francisco. She knew she should feel guilty and her thoughts should be with Clay, but at that moment, nothing and no one else mattered. She had to steal whatever moments she could with Jackson before it all ended. The thought alone made her stomach clench in despair.

  Jackson held her tightly against his body and then he kissed the nape of her neck softly. Their breathing was in sync as each rise and fall of their chests matched. Caroline pulled back and looked into his blue eyes before she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Her eyes quickly turned misty, so she walked away from Jackson, her heart aching with each step.

  Clay stood at the base of the escalator with an armful of yellow roses. A smile instantly appeared the moment he saw Caroline coming toward him. She forced a smile in return, her heart longing. As Clay hugged her, she looked over his shoulder and her eyes locked on Jackson’s. At that moment, all she wanted to do was break free from Clay and run into Jackson’s arms. She knew it had to be written all over her face. She wondered if Clay would be able to tell.

  “I missed you. How was the flight?” Clay asked sweetly.

  She looked at Jackson and then at Clay, her heart beating loudly in her ears. “It was really nice. I had a great time.”

  “Really? What made it so great?” Clay asked, his voice piqued with curiosity.

  “I just had great conversations and met some really nice people.”

  Caroline watched as Clay glanced in Jackson’s direction and quickly shifted his weight uncomfortably from leg to leg.

  “What about him?” he motioned in Jackson’s direction.

  “Yep! That’s who I sat with. He’s amazing. Let me introduce you.” She pulled Clay reluctantly toward Jackson.

  “Jackson…this is my boyfriend, Clay. I just wanted you two to meet.” She wasn’t sure what the hell she was doing exactly. Why was she introducing them, was she crazy? There’s no way Clay wouldn’t be able to sense the chemistry between them. Was she signing her own death sentence?

  She watched as Clay stuck out his hand and was met with Jackson’s much larger one. She noticed Clay wince slightly at Jackson’s grip. Clay’s eyes narrowed. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking care of my girl on the flight. She said you were great.”

  “She’s pretty amazing. You’re a lucky guy. I’d hold on to her if I were you,” Jackson responded confidently.

  Caroline freaked, but part of her enjoyed the confrontation. She silently berated herself for liking this sort of thing and then convinced herself that only crazy, insane people would get off on situations like this. The truth was it gave her comfort in the midst of her own internal chaos t
o know that Jackson was attracted to her.

  Clay grabbed her hand tightly and started to walk her out of the airport. He turned to Jackson and said, “It was good to meet you. We have to go…reservations, of course.” He sounded snide and condescending. Caroline had never seen this side of Clay before and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

  “Of course. See you, Caroline.” Jackson smiled at her and her heart went into hysterics. She couldn’t believe this was it. She walked out of the airport like it was any other flight, when it was anything but. What was she doing? How could she just leave like this? But how could she not? Secretly, she hoped to see Jackson run after her and beg her not to leave with Clay. She imagined the scene like something out of an over-the-top romantic movie where everyone lived happily ever after (of course).

  She knew it wasn’t right, but at that moment, she didn’t care. She felt like she left her heart on the floor of the airport baggage claim. Jackson could either pick it up and carry it with him, or simply leave it there to stop beating altogether. How do you go on living your life as usual, when you feel like that?

  “So what did you and Jackson talk about on the flight?” Clay asked her in the car.

  “I don’t know. Work, life, you. Everything.” She was dazed and confused. Her heart was in more pain than it should be in this situation. She stared out the car window, replaying moments that would now only exist in memory. How quickly life turns into pictures…moments captured, quickly lived, forever memorized, or forgotten.

  It was then that she realized they hadn’t exchanged any information to stay in touch. She didn’t even know his last name. They really were never going to see each other or talk to each other again. She did her best to stop the tears, but it was no use. They flowed uncontrollably and her face held so much pain.

  “Hey, Care. What’s wrong?” Clay’s concern only made Caroline feel worse. She didn’t cry often, but she had cried so much lately. Whenever she broke down like this, Clay did everything he could to take away her pain.

  “Sorry, just overwhelmed from the funeral and everything. I’ll be okay.” The truth was that not a single one of those tears was for her dead friend. Every teardrop that fell belonged to the one person she was certain she’d never see again. How was she supposed to be okay with that? And why did she feel this way about a person she barely knew?