A Touch of Winter (A Short Story) (6 page)

BOOK: A Touch of Winter (A Short Story)

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And those eyes; wide, green and sparkling with curiosity and intelligence. Oh yes, this was a woman who could stand up to him if necessary. He enjoyed the snap of animosity between them and if things had been different, would have enjoyed taking things further.

But she was a journalist. That was bad enough, even without the cut- glass accent which he recognized as Old Money. He was never getting involved with a woman like that again. He’d learned his lesson the hard way.

He heard her inhale. ‘ Mr –’ He opened one eye at her, shook his head and closed it again. Ms Marshall would learn that if she wanted to interview him, she had to play by his rules and answer his questions. His interest in her answer was beside the point.

She huffed and he couldn’t resist a grin. She must have seen it because she huffed louder, but she refused to speak.

Gradually, the previous thirty- six hours caught up with him and despite the drone of the engine, he dozed.

The irregular splutter of the engines roused him. He opened his eyes and checked the cabin. Nothing looked out of place. Kev and Bryan had their heads together over an iPad and Abbie was curled up in her seat, her legs tucked under her in a way that his would never fit. When he glanced out the window, the engines looked as normal.
But – he frowned – they were flying closer to the clouds than he would have expected.

The engine coughed again and the hairs prickled on the back of his neck. He got up and headed for the cockpit.
On impulse, he snapped the safety belt around Abbie before he went. She woke up and scowled at him. ‘What are you doing?’ She sounded cranky and he wanted to smile, but his instincts were kicking in.

‘Stay here, and keep that belt tight on you.’

‘I don’t take orders from you.’

‘Take this one.’ He didn’t have time to explain his unease.

‘Like I was going anywhere,’ she said, but settled back down, with the belt still around her.

Jack moved forward, noticing that there was a distinct slope in the floor of the cabin. Something was wrong.

The cockpit was tiny, not so much a room as a seat and a bunch of electronics behind a folding screen and only enough room for one pilot. Jack forced the screen open and asked, ‘Is anything wrong?’

The pilot, a silver- haired man with ruddy skin, was paler than Jack remembered. His face had a light sheen of sweat and there was a blue tinge to his lips. ‘I don’t feel so well,’ he muttered. He gripped onto the steering column, but he seemed to be ignoring the urgent red lights blinking at him.

Under Jack’s horrified eyes, the pilot’s grip shifted and the nose of the plane dipped another few degrees.

To continue reading, look for THE PLEASURES OF WINTER in the Kindle store.

About the Author

Evie Hunter is actually two authors
– Eileen Gormley and Caroline McCall -
who met at a creative writing workshop in 2010 and discovered a shared love of erotica. Since then, while they have both written fiction in other genres, they have also written a number of BDSM-themed novellas together.
In November 2012, Penguin Ireland will publish
The Pleasures of Winter
, the first novel to feature Abbie Marshall and Jack Winter.

Also by Evie Hunter and featuring Abbie Marshall and Jack Winter:

The Pleasures of Winter

Also by Eileen Gormley and Caroline McCall:

Angels, Demons and Doms

Also by Eileen Gormley:

Don’t Feed the Fairies

Don’t Eat the Earthlings

Also by Caroline McCall:

Time Slip

Jake’s Prisoner

Virtually Yours

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