As the group breaks up, my eyes drift back toward the tarmac.
And there she is.
Amelia Maddox, flight jacket slung over her shoulder, her ponytail catching the sunlight as she props her aviators on her head. She walks away, but not before glancing over her shoulder—just for a second.
And then she winks.
It is quick, almost too quick to catch, but damn if it doesn’t hit me like a jet engine at full throttle.
I freeze for a moment, watching her disappear toward the hangar. That wink wasn’t playful, and it wasn’t mocking—it was something else entirely.
“Yo, Carr,” Noah says, nudging me with his elbow. “You good?”
I snap out of it, shaking my head and taking a long swig of water. “Yeah, I’m good.”
But as I walk back toward the locker room with the others, the grin I’ve been wearing shifts into something quieter, more thoughtful.
She is in my head now, and I have a feeling that wink will not leave soon.
The stack of paperwork in front of me isn’t exactly thrilling, but it’s necessary. After a long day of drills, the airfield still echoes in my head—radio chatter, the roar of jets, and the hum of engines. I am halfway through logging the day’s maneuvers when the door to my office opens and then clicks shut behind someone.
I glance up briefly, expecting Knox or one of the ground crew, but my pen freezes when I see him.
Ash Carr.
Freshly showered, his dark hair still damp and curling at the edges, a gray T-shirt stretched across his broad chest. His dog tags catch the light as they shift against his collarbone, and the easy smirk on his face says he knows exactly what he is doing by walking in here uninvited.
“Carr,” I say, setting my pen down and crossing my arms. “Something I can help you with?”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he strides across the room, his boots muffled by the rug as he closes the distance between us. My heart rate ticks up a notch as he reaches my desk, his movements deliberate and unhurried.
Before I can speak again, he spins my chair around, making me face him completely. The audacity.
“Carr—”
“Phoenix,” he says, his voice low and smooth, cutting me off. He leans down, his hands braced on the armrests of my chair, caging me in. The scent of soap and jet fuel clings to him, warm and intoxicating.
He is close. Too close.
I force myself to hold his gaze, my pulse quickening as his dark eyes burn with something unreadable. For a moment, I think he might actually kiss me, and a flicker of something dangerous flares in my chest.
But then he leans in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he whispers, “Fun air time today, Phoenix.”
The deep timbre of his voice sends a shiver down my spine, and I curse the way my skin betrays me, goose bumps rising in response.
Before I can form a reply, he pulls back, that damn smirk firmly in place as he straightens.
I clear my throat and grip the armrests of my chair to keep myself steady. “Carr.” My tone is sharp, though it sounds weaker than I want it to. “If you’re done trying to intimidate me?—”
He chuckles, the sound low and infuriatingly smug. “Not trying to intimidate you, Commander. Just letting you know how much I enjoyed keeping up with you today.”
With that, he turns and walks toward the door, leaving me simmering in a mix of annoyance and something I’m not ready to name.
As the door clicks shut behind him, I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair.
Ash Carr is trouble. And for the first time, I’m not sure I can stay immune to it.
As soon as the door closes behind Ash, I swivel back to my desk, trying to shake off the heat still lingering from his proximity. My heart is racing, and I hate how he got under my skin so easily.
