Estrella Azul Snippet ...

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Andre casually withdrew his touch and accepted the menu presented.

Erin looked at it over Andre’s shoulder, leaning close, and the sweet, spicy

scent of him assailed her senses, making her long for his suggestion, even over

·         dinner. The only thing on the menu that looked appealing was a cheeseburger and

fries,  so  she  ordered   that   with   a   Coke.   After   taking   Andre’s order, the flight

attendant left them alone again.

“Why do you leave your coat on, isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“I might take it off in a while, when everyone is sleeping.”

“Oh. Okay. Why do you have to wait?”

Andre leaned close. “I’m wearing my gun, sometimes it upsets people to see

it, and so I just leave my jacket on until the lights are turned down low.”

“How did you get a gun onto the plane?” Erin hissed. “I thought that was a

no-no.”

“My agency has federal clearance, so I’m authorized to carry a weapon any

time, any place, including planes. That’s why they let us stay on board at the

Houston airport.”

“If you have a gun on, why can’t you just go back there and get my purse?”

“Well, think about it. If I went back there like that, what do you think would

happen?”

Taking a deep breath, Erin let it go. “Never mind.”

“We’ll get it, I promise you.” Andre patted her knee, smiling at her.

Dinner was quick to come and for Erin, her plate was empty almost too

quickly. But at last, she was full. The evening movie held no interest for her and so

she watched out her little window as the sun began to set with pink hues in the

Western sky. Her blinking became longer and longer as her body relaxed.

The   dreams   that   resulted   were   sensually   terrifying.   Titillating  words   of

promise, mixed with Andre’s tantalizing scent provoked feelings of need and desire,

while the haunting reality of being caught in a game of cat and mouse kept the

feeling at bay. It was like an erotic purgatory, making Erin jolt awake bathed in

sweat. Blinking, her eyes focused on what was in front of her. Andre was sound

asleep, he had the thick blanket pulled up over his shoulder; concealing the holster

she knew was there. His bare bicep stretched out, leading over to her body and she

realized the weight pinning her was his arm, wrapped protectively around her. Erin

didn’t dare move for fear Andre would remove it and that was the last thing she

wanted to happen. This was the safest she had felt since all of this crap had begun

and she knew that feeling would end way too soon. There was more to come, she

knew that much, and feared it would not be any better. Looking beyond and across

the aisle, she could see out an adjacent window that it was still very dark out. This

little tube, full of people was cruising through the night sky;  bringing her closer

then she had ever been to the stars.

A sudden jolt and the feeling of going down a deeply rutted road shook them

all out of their security. Erin tried not to scream. Instead, a sound resembling the

squeak of a large mouse, escaped and she clutched her blanket tightly. Andre’s

thick arm coiled tighter around her, dragging her toward him, even as he slid her

·         way, meeting in the middle. Looking freshly woken and a little startled himself,

Andre chuckled, his teeth glowing from the stubble shadowing around his lips.

The loudspeaker crackled to life overhead and the pilot’s voice sounded. “Just

a little turbulence, folks.”

“See there? Nothing to worry about,” Andre soothed.

“I don’t like it,” Erin breathed, clutching the front of his shirt, making

wrinkles in the tightly drawn fabric.

“It will be all right. I’m surprised we haven’t run into it sooner. Denver is

usually terrible about turbulence.”

Swallowing, Erin released the wadded fabric and smoothed it over his warm,

hard chest. Her fingers played over the rigid contours of muscle and a sharply

pebbled nipple making his pecs ripple and flex beneath her fingertips. The pulse in

his throat quickened and Andre’s hand pressed harder to her back as he slid his

palm   upward.   Erin’s   touch   brushed   the   cold,   hard   metal   of   the   gun   handle,

contrasting his soft warmth. Her fingers folded as she quickly pulled her hand away

from him and look up into his dark gaze. Capturing her hand, he raised it to his

lips, kissing where she had touched the weapon.

“What’s the matter?” Andre breathed, placing her palm back to his chest,

pressing it there with his own.

“I don’t like guns.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve seen too often the damage they can do to the human body.”

“But that’s not the gun’s fault, it’s the person behind it that is responsible.”

“Perhaps, but I still don’t like them.”

“That’s fair enough, but it’s my job to carry one to keep us safe.”

“It’s a never ending circle, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Andre’s mesmerizing touch sliding over her back soon made Erin sleepy

enough that she fell back to sleep, tucked beneath the safety of his arm.