That caused him to look surprised. “Really?”
I shook my head. “High school, college, right up until the accident, I don’t have many memories.”
“You remember Saryn?” he asked, with almost a bit of hurt in his eyes.
“Yes, but still, only bits and pieces. Mostly of us at the riding stables. When she reached out to me a few years ago while I was living in Paris, I admit I had to think long and hard about who she was.”
He nodded.
I had to fight to keep from reaching out and touching his cheek. “I didn’t remember you at all when I saw you in Paris, but I knew in my very soul that we had a connection. When did we meet?”
Nolan looked down and frowned. It was like he was trying to decide if he should tell me or not. The internal war he fought was clearly evident on his face. Then he met my gaze. “We met in high school.”
My chin lifted and I said, “Ahh, I moved here my freshman year.”
“Yes.”
“You and Truitt grew up together?” I asked.
“Yes, and Saryn. Her brother Ryan is one of my best friends too.”
I chewed nervously on my lip. I really hoped Saryn kept that memory I shared with her yesterday to herself. I didn’t think it was the right time to admit to anyone my suspicions about my relationship with Nolan. There was a reason everyone kept it from me. Instead of being angry, I was now more curious than anything.
Suspicions? That made me laugh on the inside. Clearly this man and I had shared a past. I could practically feel the sparks between us. Why else had I been drawn to him in Paris? Hell, why had he even come to Paris in the first place? That was the biggest question of all.
“Are you okay, Linz?”
My eyes darted back to him. I needed to find out the answer to that and other questions swirling around in my head. And I had to hear him say it. “Were we close, Nolan?”
Nolan
IT FELT LIKE someone had jammed cotton down my throat when Linnzi asked if we had been close. I needed another minute to settle myself, so I asked, “Pardon?”
“You called me Linz. So far, you’re the only person who has called me that. In at least eight years, no one has ever called me that.”
“Um, we were, ah. I mean to say, that we were…well…um…”
She smiled a cute little smile as she tilted her head and watched me for a moment. “I mean, obviously we must have been friends if you called me Linz.”
I felt the tension lift from my shoulders. “Yes, we were friends. Like I said, we knew each other. We all hung around together a lot. Me, you, Truitt, and Ryan. And a few more people. We all hung out together.”
Linnzi slowly nodded. “I see. That makes sense. What doesn’t make sense to me, though, is why you traveled across the Atlantic Ocean, crossing thousands of miles from wherever you were to see me. And then you didn’t actually say anything, Nolan.”
Aw hell. Think, Nolan. Think. Fast.
I opened my mouth to speak and then shut it again. I cleared my throat. “Your parents were worried about you. I travel a lot for my job, and whenever I was in Paris, I promised them I’d check up on you.”
She looked slightly disappointed at my answer. “You travel a lot? And that’s the only reason you were there?”
“Yes…to both of your questions.”
Linnzi took another sip of her water and looked away for a moment before asking, “You’re in the Air Force?”
With a wide grin, I replied, “Yes, I am.”
“Saryn told me. You’re a test pilot, right?”
“I am.”
“What exactly does a test pilot do?”
Fucking hell, being this close to her for the first time after so many years was driving me crazy. I wanted to kiss her. Haul her into my arms and tell her I loved her. Wanted her. Needed her.
“I do all sorts of things in fighter jets. I’m certified to fly a few different ones, and my job is to fly and evaluate new and modified changes in the aircraft to determine if everything is operating correctly.”
She lifted one brow. “I speak multiple languages but even I don’t understand a word of what you just said.”
God, she was adorable, and being this close to her was doing all sorts of things to me. Smiling, I replied, “I make sure that when a situation comes up—a bad situation, like a flat spin, or stalled engines, things like that—that the plane’s computer system can help the pilot get things back under control.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
I played it off and shrugged. Because in the grand scheme of things, it was dangerous, but what I did saved countless lives. So in that sense, the danger was worth it.
She frowned, and for a moment I swore I saw a bit of anger in those baby blues of hers. “Do you purposely put the plane in bad situations?”
With a wink, I replied, “Yes, ma’am, I have to do that very thing. That’s my job.”
Linnzi drew in a sharp breath and then attempted to play it off. She was affected. I could see it in her eyes, in the way she was breathing. In the way she looked at me.
“When did you start flying, Nolan?”
I smiled once more. “When I was fourteen. My daddy wanted me to learn. He was a pilot in the Air Force himself, and he taught me to fly.”
“Crop planes,” she whispered so softly I barely heard her.
“I’m sorry?” I asked as I leaned in closer, which was a bad fucking idea. I hadn’t been this close to her in eight long years. I could smell her perfume, hear the slight hitch in her breathing, and it invaded my senses. She thought the things I did in planes was dangerous, but being this close without being able to touch her was the most dangerous thing I’d ever encountered.
“Nothing,” she said, an obvious attempt to change the direction of our conversation.
“We should probably get out there and join the party. Are you feeling better?”
Linnzi gave me a bright smile. “Yes, and you’re right, I’ve kept you entirely too long.”
“Nonsense, I’ve always loved talking to you, Linz.”
As we walked out of the kitchen and out toward the backyard where it sounded like everyone was, Linnzi asked, “What type of planes do you fly, Nolan?”
“Fighter jets. F-22, F-35, F-16, T-38, to name a few.”
“Wow!” she said with a laugh.
“I like planes, what can I say,” I replied with what I hoped was a sexy smirk. I liked seeing the way Linnzi reacted to me.
She tripped, and I quickly reached out and grabbed onto her. “You okay?”
With a quick nod, she replied, “Fine. I’m fine.”
“Good, wouldn’t want to see you get hurt,” I said with a look of concern in my eyes.
“Thank you. By the way, what’s your rank in the Air Force?”
“Captain.”
She smiled softly. “Captain Nolan Byers.”
I stopped in my tracks, and we faced one another. “You know my last name?”
With a slight frown, she thought for a moment. “I guess I do. I think Saryn might have mentioned it when she told me you were coming to the party, but yeah. I guess I remembered.”
Before I had a chance to say anything, I heard a sweet little voice call out to me.