Bliss (2 page)

“Yes, I do the affirmations every morning. I’ve been meditating several times a day.”

His goal had been to bring the perfect woman into his life. Perfect for him. In the time he’d spent with Hanna and Grey, he’d come to realize how much he wanted to be in a loving relationship. One where he was the most important man in his lover’s life. J.M. wanted someone who loved him as much as Hanna loved Grey.

He’d always had women who wanted to experience sex with a Tantra master, but he’d finally figured out that’s not what he wanted. He wanted a woman who wanted him because she was attracted to J.M. the person, not because she wanted to experience a sexual expert.

A woman raced by him, the wheels of her carry-on clattering along behind her. He glanced up and . . .

Her long, glossy, dark brown hair swirled over her shoulders and cascaded down her back. Beneath her open coat he could see her tailored, trim-fitting suit, which accentuated her slim waist. She slowed, then glanced around, saw the number over the gate, and stopped. Her blue eyes flashed with life, and he could feel her lively energy crackling through him.

Sparks danced along his nerve endings and a swirl of heat spiraled through his stomach.

“Grace, you won’t believe this, but I think I’ve just found my perfect woman.”

Kara glanced around at the crowded waiting area at the gate. There were a few single seats available, but she didn’t want to sit crowded between other people, especially since the flight, which had been delayed again, wouldn’t take off for a while yet. She noticed two empty seats at the end of a row. At least she’d have room to put her bag on the floor beside her and the empty seat meant she wouldn’t be bumping elbows with someone. She walked to the end seat and set down her things, then unzipped her bag and pulled out the blue file folder with her research notes. She put on her reading glasses.

Flirting.
It was a topic she was considering for an upcoming column, so she’d been reading several books and articles on the subject.

As she flipped through the handwritten pages, she felt as though she was being watched. She glanced up . . . and locked gazes with the most attractive man she had ever laid eyes on. She straightened in her chair, pulling her shoulders back.

He had a striking face with a square jaw, a strong, straight nose, and amazing espresso-colored eyes. Dark and compelling. His dark brown hair flowed in textured waves to his collar. Boy, she wouldn’t mind hooking up with a man like that.

He smiled, and she dodged her gaze to the right, pretending she’d simply been glancing around, breaking their eye contact. He returned his gaze to the book on his lap. She glanced back to her notes.

When we see someone we like, we naturally “square” our bodies.
Heat suffused her cheeks as she realized that’s what she’d just done. As soon as she’d seen him, she’d automatically straightened in her chair.

The notes explained that a person instinctively tries to look taller and more noticeable by pulling their shoulders back and holding their head high, often pulling in the stomach and pushing out the chest to enhance their looks.

Oh, man, she had just sent him a signal that she was interested in him. Not that he necessarily knew how to read the signal. Which was good because she didn’t pick men up at airports . . . or anywhere else.

She glanced at the man again and her insides quivered. He had broad shoulders and the hint of hard, taut muscles under his shirt. Clearly, she was attracted to him, and her body had known it instantly . . . and acted on it. He glanced her way again and smiled at her. Her gaze darted back to her notes.

This would be a perfect opportunity to do a little hands-on research, so to speak. She had his attention and he showed signs of being interested. She could put a few of the flirting techniques into action. And what was the harm? They were both here because they were about to get on an airplane. He was seated at the next gate, so it’s not like they were on the same flight. Soon enough, they’d board their planes and never see each other again.

Okay, so she’d give him some signals and see what happened. She glanced at him again and crossed her legs at the thigh, the most classic of a woman’s flirting techniques. So clichéd it was potent, one book had said.

After a moment, his gaze slid up from his book and his brown eyes focused on her. She placed her hand on her neck and massaged, which her notes mentioned would lift her breasts and expose her underarm, which apparently had very sexy undertones . . . something about pheromones. She didn’t know about that, but it made her feel very sexy.

While maintaining eye contact, he leaned back in his chair, put down his book, and watched her, a half smile curling his lips. Encouraged by his total attention, she removed her reading glasses and brushed her hand through her hair, then tossed it over her shoulder. Then she placed the arm of her glasses between her lips. His gaze danced down her body, sending hormones fluttering through her. He paused on her breasts and her nipples swelled. According to the books, he would have scanned her body the second he’d seen her, but now he was letting her see him do it.

His gaze returned to her face, settling on her lips. Slowly, it returned to her eyes and he smiled. A smile that took her breath away. Not an I’ve-been-watching-you smile, but an I-could-make-you-faint-with-pleasure smile. As her pulse raced and her breathing accelerated, she was quite sure he could.

He leaned forward, fixing her with a steady stare. Oh, God, was he going to come over here? Suddenly, the empty seat beside her felt like an invitation. Her heart thundered in her chest. What would she do if he stood up and walked over here?

An announcement over the loudspeaker caught her attention. They were about to start boarding her flight. Thank God. An excuse to escape. She glanced back to him and . . . he stood up. Her heart rate accelerated. She deposited her glasses into their case and swept her notes into the folder, then put the folder and glasses into her carry-on, ready to leap to her feet and head for the gate. As she zipped the suitcase, she glanced back to him and . . . he had picked up his bag. He winked at her, then turned and walked toward the gate.

Oh, God. They were on the same flight.

J.M. smiled as he walked along the tunnel leading to the plane. The lovely dark-haired woman had definitely been flirting with him, but he could tell it hadn’t been natural for her. If he hadn’t already figured that out, her panicked expression when he stood up had been a dead giveaway.

His smile broadened. Since she’d begun packing up her things after the boarding announcement, he was sure she was on the same flight.

Before the flight was over, he intended to meet her.

Chapter Two

Kara waited several moments after the handsome stranger had boarded the plane before she joined the line. Her seat was near the front of the aircraft, so with any luck, he’d be far enough back that he wouldn’t see her board.

The line moved quickly. She stepped onto the aircraft, nodded a greeting to the flight attendant, then proceeded through the cabin. The man in front of her was tall, which would make it less likely her stranger would spot her walking down the aisle. She glanced at the seat numbers and quickly reached hers, then stowed her case in the overhead compartment.

Smiling, she glanced at the man sitting in the seat beside hers . . . and froze.

Her handsome stranger. Her heart thumped loudly.

Her seat was beside the window and he sat in the middle seat.

He returned her smile, then stood up. She stared at him, then at her allotted seat.

Oh, God, maybe she could dodge into the seat across the aisle. But a quick glance told her all three seats were taken, as were the other seats in the immediate vicinity.

She leaned back a fraction, as much as the crowded aisle would allow, as he stepped past her to let her in.

“Don’t worry. I don’t bite,” he murmured, a half smile curling his lips.

Tingles danced down her spine at the sight of that warm, sexy smile.

Ah, damn, she was overreacting. So she’d flirted a little. So had he. Anyway, when the plane landed, they’d go their separate ways. It wouldn’t matter in the least.

She returned his smile and slid into her seat, then held her breath, expecting to be overwhelmed by his masculine aura as he sat down, but instead of sitting beside her, he sat in the aisle seat, giving her a little space to breathe.

She raised an eyebrow.

“A friend of mine had to cancel at the last minute,” he said. “This was her seat. I thought you might like the extra space so you could stretch out.”

“Thanks.”

She fastened her seat belt and relaxed as people continued boarding the aircraft and settling into their seats. The handsome stranger didn’t mention anything about their interaction in the waiting area. Well, great. If he was willing to leave it alone, so was she.

After a few minutes, she began to feel uneasy. Would it be better to strike up a conversation and forge ahead rather than leave an awkward silence between them? Or would that just give him an opening to discuss it?

He glanced up and caught her gazing at him.

He smiled and held out his hand.

“Hi. My name’s J.M.”

“Oh, hi. I’m Kara.” She placed her hand in his. Goose bumps danced along her arm and down her back as he enveloped her hand in his bigger one. He squeezed a little, and hung on long enough that she was torn whether she wanted to pull her hand free or leave it in his warm embrace forever.

The pilot began his announcement and her handsome stranger—J.M.—released her hand. She watched the flight attendants give their safety spiel with their sample seat belt and oxygen masks. The aircraft jerked into motion and soon rolled along the taxiway to the runway. Snow swirled against the small aircraft windows. She felt her stomach flutter at the thought of flying through a blizzard.

“I guess we’ll have some rough weather ahead,” she said. “It’s a good thing they’re continuing to fly though. I’d hate it if they’d canceled the flight.”

“Don’t worry. They wouldn’t be taking off if they didn’t feel it was safe.”

She glanced at him and released her lower lip, not realizing she’d been tugging at it with her teeth.

“Of course.”

The engines roared. Her hands curled into fists in her lap. The plane was about to take off.

“If you take a deep breath, then release it slowly, it will relax you,” he said. “Do that several times during takeoff and it should help.”

Ordinarily, Kara would deny any nervousness about flying, but the warmth in his voice made her feel comfortable enough to admit the truth.

As the aircraft began to move forward, her entire body tensed. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. The aircraft picked up speed and she felt her pulse quicken, but she released the air from her lungs and drew in another deep breath.

“Think of the air filling your lungs as a beautiful white light filling you with calming energy,” he murmured beside her.

She tried to relax as she drew in another breath, but her jaw remained clenched and her muscles drawn tight. They sped faster down the runway, the plane jostling up and down as the wheels bounced along the concrete.

“Let the energy fill you. Body and soul. Calming you. You know you are totally safe.”

The warm sound of his voice soothed her. She willed her tightened muscles to release. She breathed out and drew in air again. Out and in again. Her body relaxed a little.

The jostling stopped as the aircraft lifted into the air. Her breath caught and her fingers tightened around the armrests.

His hand slid behind her, between the seat and her body, and flattened on her back, behind her heart. Heat emanated from his palm and fingers, seeping into her.

“Draw in another breath. Let the light fill you.”

She breathed in, allowing the comforting tone of his voice to soothe her. The heat from his hand calmed her. He continued to talk to her, encouraging her to breathe. Slowly, tension eased from her. Her muscles relaxed, her jaw unclenched. The breaths came easier now as the comforting heat from his hand filled her.

Finally, she opened her eyes. They were in the air and flying high. The worst was over.

She smiled at him. “Thank you. I usually get through it fine, but with the weather and all . . .”

He drew his hand away, along with the comforting heat, and she immediately missed it.

“You’re very good at that. Do you do that kind of thing for a living?”

“You mean, help beautiful women relax through takeoffs?”

She smiled at his compliment. “Are you a therapist or something?”

“I do counsel people, but not as a therapist. I . . . teach at a university and part of my course covers various techniques to relax. Students sometimes come to me to seek advice on specific problems.”

“A university professor. Impressive.”

He shrugged. “And what do you do?”

Oh, God, she was
not
going to tell him she wrote a sex column. That was a bad idea at the best of times—guys figured it was an open invitation to make a pass at her—and she didn’t want him to think she’d been using him as a guinea pig for her flirting column. Even though she had been.

“I . . . uh . . . do research.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Scientific? High-tech?”

“No. More . . . sociological.” Okay, it sounded hoity-toity, but it was true in a way. Sex was a study in social customs and mores. “You know, we’ve got a long flight ahead and I hate talking about work.”

“All right. So are you going away on business or pleasure?”

Uh-oh.
She did not want to tell him she was going to a conference about sex.

“Pleasure.” It was the truth. Sex was all about pleasure.

He nodded. “I’m going on business, but I won’t bore you with that.”

“Okay, no work, no travel plans. What about family? Do you have any brothers and sisters?”

“No, I’m an only child. My parents live in Colorado and we see each other several times a year. What about you?”

“I’m an only child, too.” Kara had been five when her father had left. It was a good thing he hadn’t stuck around long enough to sire any other kids. It had been tough enough on Mom with just the two of them. “My mom lives in Hawaii.” She’d remarried a few years ago and moved there.