Without thinking, Jade flicked off the seat belt as she shifted in her seat. “You did it,” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Cash’s neck.
“Damn,” he whispered. “That was . . . way too close.”
One strong arm banded around her waist and he buried his face against the side of her neck. Cash held her tight and Jade inhaled, pulling a heavy dose of raw masculinity and a hint of woodsy cologne. An unexpected curl of lust hit her hard.
Cash eased back and smoothed her hair from her face. That dark gaze seemed to roam over her as if making sure she was indeed all right. Silence enveloped them, and for several moments, Cash continued to cling to her . . . or maybe she was clinging to him.
“Are you hurt?” he finally asked.
For the first time since she’d gotten to know him, Jade didn’t hear a hint of sarcasm, ego boosting, or flirting. Cash expressed genuine concern, and the way he was looking at her, like he was devastated to have put her in this situation, had a brand-new emotion rolling through her. Everything about this side of Cash appealed to her.
Jade dropped her gaze and landed on his lips. What would it be like? Just one taste. Nobody would have to know, right? If she just leaned in a little more . . .
Cash gripped her face in his rough hands. “Not a good idea, Red,” he growled.
She blinked and mentally pulled herself back. What had she been thinking? She couldn’t be attracted to Cash, and right now she had much bigger issues than worrying about these unwanted feelings.
“Jade, are you okay?” he repeated.
Disconnecting herself from whatever trance she’d been in—had she seriously gotten caught up in the way his mouth moved and that short beard along his jaw?—Jade nodded, but then noticed the side of his head.
“You’re bleeding.”
She reached up and touched beneath the wound, causing him to wince. Jade jerked her hand away and cursed herself for hurting him even more.
“It’s fine,” he assured her, taking the bottom of his shirt and pulling it up to swipe the wound. “Just hit my head on that landing. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Cash released his shirt, covering up his taut abs. That dark gaze landed back on her and he continued to visually assess her.
“I’m fine, I think.” She eased away from him before the adrenaline rush had her making decisions she may regret. “I can’t believe we made it.”
Cash blew out a deep sigh and sank back against his seat. “I’m not sure we made it, considering I have no idea where the hell we are.”
“You don’t know where we are? Aren’t you supposed to track those things?”
“Oh, I know we’re in Tennessee,” he corrected, raking a hand over that stubble on his cheek, generating a scratchy sound. “We were only about eighty miles from Nashville just before the engine went. I need to check the plane to see what the hell happened and assess any damage.”
He jerked on the handle of the door and climbed out. Jade watched as he walked to the front of the Skycatcher, then around the sides. Cash circled once again before bending down out of sight. She may not know very much about aviation yet, but she was pretty sure this plane wasn’t going anywhere.
On a groan, she reached down to grab her phone from her purse. But her purse had dumped somewhere between bumps one and eight and scattered her belongings all around her feet. She shuffled around through lip gloss, her planner—yes, she still carried one—her wallet, ah . . . finally. She gripped her cell like a lifeline and tapped the screen. She would get help and be on her way—
No service.
Fan-flippin’-tastic.
Jade tugged on her door handle and climbed out of the Cessna. She quickly adjusted the short skirt of her dress and held her phone up in the air, desperately searching for a signal. Just one bar . . . was that too much to ask? Could this weekend get any worse?
No. She didn’t even want to answer that rhetorical question.
“Your cell is pointless.” Cash moved alongside her and propped his hands on his hips. “The plane isn’t going anywhere either.”
Jade dropped her hand to her side and spun in a slow circle, hoping she’d merely overlooked some semblance of civilization. But, no. That would be too easy.
“So, now what?” she asked as she circled back around to face him.
“We start walking,” he said, as if the fix could be that simple.
“What direction? There’s literally nothing in sight.”