Learn to Fly (3 page)

She had fidgeted slightly while she waited for the call
to board their flight. Luke noticed her chewing the inside of her
cheek as she quickly tapped out a text and then pocketed her phone.
Her build said she was probably an athlete, her toned legs hinted she
was a runner. Luke wondered vaguely what she was running from.

And now, as he finally got an unobstructed view of her
face in the early morning light, he could see her brow furrowed in
deep thought, as if trying to will a memory away. On her lap she
clutched a notebook with a pen in the spiral.

“
Are you a journalist?”
Sway asked. Luke knew full well she was not, journalists tended to
give off a certain aura that repelled him. However, he was actually
thankful that his pushy friend was keeping her talking.

Lenny’s eyes fluttered open and she looked at the
notebook in her lap, “No, just a poet,” she said
absentmindedly. Luke strained, trying to listen in on their
conversation without being obvious. Damn Sway for getting the seat
next to her.

“
Oh, so it’s a book of
secrets, is it?” Sway's tone staying light. He could never
resist a pretty girl.

Lenny winked, “Everyone has secrets.” She
smiled easily and changed the subject, “Why are you going to
Chicago?”

Luke could tell Sway was enjoying her spunky back and
forth. “We’re heading there to kick off our tour,”
he answered with a hint of pride and Luke rolled his eyes.

Lenny frowned, “Tour? Are you in a band?”

Laughter and snickers erupted from the other members as
they overheard. Sway smiled, pretending to be embarrassed that she
didn’t know who he was. “I guess you could say that,”
he took a bottle of water from the drink cart as it passed. “I’m
sorry, I thought I introduced myself. I’m Ryan ‘Sway’
Schaeffer, bass player for a band called Double Blind Study.”

Lenny's brows drew together, “Okay...”

Sway wasn’t disappointed. Instead, he grinned from
ear to ear, showing her his dazzling perfect teeth. “We’re
kind of a big deal,” he bragged.

“
Is that why you thought I
would be impressed with your flattery? I imagine most girls are,”
Lenny raised an eyebrow pointedly and Luke smirked. Girls didn't
tend to call Sway out on his obvious self-important air. Luke was
even more compelled to get to know this one better.

Sway continued to grin. “Of course,” he
admitted.

“
Why are you smiling then?”
Lenny narrowed her eyes at Sway.

“
You’re obviously not
like most girls. I’ll have to change my tactics.”

Lenny was rolling her eyes when Luke had heard enough
and crossed the aisle, grabbed Sway by the arm and pulled him to his
feet. “You talk too much, Sway,” he said, almost
scolding. He took Sway’s vacant seat and turned to Lenny,
“Sorry, he can be pushy with pretty girls.”

“
With girls in general,”
Blake, who was sitting ahead of Lenny, snorted.

“
I resent that!” Sway
defended as he sank into Luke's empty chair, “I have never hit
on an ugly girl.”

“
Good job, dude. I’m
sure that little statement will convince her that you are, in no way,
a pig,” Mike said sarcastically from next to him.

Sway turned to him, “Thanks for backing a bro up.”

***

Lenny was amused at their
interaction, they reminded her of her brothers. But she couldn't get
distracted, she had a job to do.
Time
to become their new best friend.

Lenny had been blessed with a photographic memory. It
came in handy more often than not, allowing her to learn tasks
quickly and become proficient in them. She noticed and stored
details as precisely as a computer. It was her best kept secret, and
she had always used it to her advantage.

The guy who had switched seats and was now sitting next
to her was the lead singer of the group. Double Blind Study had been
her favorite band for some time now. Hard rock with a bit of metal
influence. They hadn’t toured in two years because of the
drummer doing hard drugs when they were overseas and landing in the
hospital. The tabloids ripped them apart, sensationalizing the truth
of the matter. They printed gossip and pointed blame on drinking,
girls and the band’s inability to get along with one another.
The band members refused to do interviews and took a hiatus. Their
fame skyrocketed. Fans demanded new music and a follow up tour.

She covertly studied Luke Casey sitting next to her. He
was casually browsing through a guitar magazine, not as interested in
her as Sway had been. His short blonde hair was covered by a Celtics
ball cap, not a surprise since most of them were natives of Boston.
His gray t-shirt was snug against his lean but muscular chest and
shoulders. Tattoos leaked out from his short sleeves and down to his
elbows. Despite his rumpled appearance and worn jeans, he smelled
clean and his face was shaved smooth. His reputation was one of
smoldering sex appeal and refusal to get tied down. Typical lead
singer qualities.

Lenny put on her most amicable smile, tucked her hair
behind one ear and asked, “Are you guys always this nice to
each other?” She still hadn't gotten a clear view of Luke's
face, and she was wondering if he was as good looking in person as in
the magazines. Not that it should matter, she was now on the payroll
and Carl had been pretty specific about how he felt with her
'fraternizing' with the band members. However, those facts did
nothing to extinguish her curiosity. She was still a woman, after
all.

“
Pretty much.” He thought
for a minute, seemingly engrossed in the periodical, then added, “We
look out for each other. Some of us don’t know our weaknesses
as well our friends do. You need someone to watch your six.” He
turned his stunning blue eyes on Lenny, “You know what I mean?”

Lenny nodded her head even as an electric current ripped
through her body. She knew exactly what he meant but she couldn’t
speak for a moment as her voice had gotten stuck in her throat while
she had been busy trying to figure out exactly what shade of blue
Luke Casey’s eyes were.

He was everything she was afraid he
would be. The pictures didn't do him justice. He was even more
gorgeous while in motion, as if his raw masculinity had to be
felt
and
no camera would ever be able to capture it. And his voice, that
voice that could go from soothing and melodic to a fury filled growl
in a span of micro seconds, was washing over her like a warm rain
shower. She
tried not to stare at his perfectly chiseled jaw line as he spoke
more words to her. Words she was going to need to respond to any
minute.

“
I totally agree,” she
suddenly blurted out. She didn’t know what she had just agreed
to, but Luke seemed satisfied so it must have made sense on some
level. She inwardly cursed herself for turning into an instant
jellyfish and resolved to not let her hormones ruin this. She just
wouldn’t look at his eyes. Or his smile. Or his arms.
Oh,
geez, his arms.

This was unexpected, and in no way normal for her. Her
body was betraying her logical practicality. She took a breath and
resolved to shake it off. She was nothing if not a professional.
Lenny had been ignoring attractive men her whole life, Luke Casey
would be no different. Right?

***

“
You have a lead on a job in
Chicago?” Luke was trying to be polite but he couldn’t
help feeling uneasy. He had purposed to rescue her from Sway before
Sway could start humping her leg. Now Luke found himself trying not
to talk to her too eagerly. He kept trying to meet her eyes, they
were the deepest blue he had ever seen, almost sapphire. But she
continuously looked around the cabin.

“
Nothing definite, just an
impulse,” Lenny smiled, and Luke couldn’t help but
wonder what it would be like to kiss those perfect lips.

“
You look familiar,”
Harrison was up on his knees in his seat and had turned around to
join their conversation. Luke was both thankful and annoyed at the
distraction.

“
Maybe you saw me at the
airport.” Lenny raised her eyebrows in an obvious gesture.

Harrison chuckled at himself, “Yeah, that was
probably it.” He stuck out his hand, “I’m Harrison
O'Neil, I play lead guitar in the band you’ve never heard of.”

Lenny grasped his hand and Luke was surprised at the
sudden surge of jealously that filled his gut when they touched. He
pushed it aside quickly. He was not going to lose his head over a
girl he didn't know.

“
You have gorgeous eyes,
Lenna,” Harrison blurted out what Luke and Sway hadn’t
gotten to yet. Luke glared at Harrison discreetly but Harrison
either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“
Thanks,” Lenny accepted
the compliment and then added her own, “You have gorgeous
hair.”

Harrison blushed and immediately ran his fingers through
his luscious locks. He worked really hard at making his hair look
effortless and Luke knew he enjoyed people complimenting it.

Lenny seemed amused at his reaction and gave him a
small, lopsided smile and added, “You can call me Lenny,
everyone else does.”

“
Lenny? That's rather unique,
and kind of manly,” Harrison waggled his eyebrows and Luke had
to suppress his laugh. Harrison flirting was the exact opposite of
Sway. No matter how hard the guy tried, he couldn't help but come
across as adorable and was immediately 'friend zoned.'

Lenny laughed lightly at Harrison's
remark and her eyes darted to Luke's. “I guess I've always
been more comfortable just being one of the guys,” she
explained. Luke felt disappointment drift across him when he realized
they had
all
just been 'friend zoned.'

Harrison didn't seem to mind though,
and he kept the conversation going. The rest of the band members
began to join in the discussion, and Luke was impressed with how well
Lenny held her own. She stayed active in the dialogue, adding jokes
and quips. Luke had known these guys a long time and it could be
difficult getting a word in edgewise, but Lenny fit in like a missing
piece that they didn't know had been missing. That was a weird
thought.
Don't go
down that road, Casey.

Luke did, however, notice that Lenny continuously
steered the conversation back to the band. She spoke very little
about herself and the guys preferred it that way. They were
entertainers for a reason.

The attendant with the drink cart made another pass and
he paused at their row. Luke looked up to see the young man looking
at Lenny like he was trying to place her. Luke frowned and turned to
her as well. She was still talking to Harrison, having not yet
noticed the attendant. Was he just checking her out? That was kind of
unprofessional, Luke criticized internally.

“
Can I help you, man?” He finally asked the
gawker.

“
I'm sorry, I just, uh, I...” the young man
swallowed and tried again having gotten Lenny's attention now. “You
look really familiar.”

Wow, this guy was serving drinks to rock stars and yet
he'd decided to hit on a passenger with one of the worst lines
available. Luke was the opposite of impressed.

“
I get that a lot.” Lenny smiled
apologetically. “I guess I have one of those generic faces.”

“
Oh, sorry.” Th attendant turned red and
shuffled on his way.

Luke wanted to disagree loudly with Lenny's assessment
of herself. Generic? Was she joking?

***

Lenny eased back into the conversation, letting it flow
and grow around her. She'd almost panicked when the flight attendant
had nearly identified her. That would end her new career before it
really got underway. She couldn't risk the shadow of what she was
running from decide where she was going.

That brought her back to the band and her goal to win
them over. She was finding herself really liking these guys. They
were friendly and good-humored and made her feel equally witty and
important. That didn’t surprise her; Lenny had always gotten
along with guys better than girls. It came from having three older
brothers…and of course the male dominated sport she had just
abandoned.

The drummer, Mike Osborn was sitting beside Sway. He was
tall and lanky, tattoos spiraled up and down his arms and his hair
was a shaggy, caramel color. He hadn’t shaved in a few days,
as evidenced by the dark shadow cast across his jaw. He seemed to be
the most subdued of the group, even though he was constantly smacking
his legs to a beat in his head.

“
How did you guys come up with
your band name?” Lenny kept the conversation moving with the
intent of learning as much as she could about them and preventing
them from asking about her. And the band name had always seemed a
little ambiguous.