Read Online Songbird by Syrie James - Free Book Online Page B

that kind of thing. Red’s an emergency situation. There are lights on the wing tips, too. At night the color tells you if other aircraft are approaching or heading away. And if your radio should malfunction, the tower can signal landing instructions in code with colored lights. They can’t take a chance on someone who might misinterpret the signals.” He let out an ironic laugh. “I passed all the other tests with ease but...” He shrugged.
    “ If that’s what you really wanted to be, I’m sorry.”
    “ Don’t be. I don’t regret it, not anymore.” He took her hand again and they continued on down the beach. “I’ve become successful at what I do, and it didn’t keep me on the ground. I may not be able to fly for an airline or the air force, but I can still fly a private plane. I’m restricted to daytime flight, that’s all.”
    “ Really? You have a pilot’s license?”
    “ I do. And a twin-engine Bonanza. I use it for pleasure outings, short trips. It’s a great little machine.” He gestured animatedly with one hand. “There’s a special kind of excitement to flying. Up there you’ve got the entire sky to yourself, the world spread out beneath you. It’s incredible. Have you ever been up in a private plane?”
    A shudder ran through her body and she shook her head. “No. That’s one subject we won’t agree on—flying. I’m not a fan, especially of small planes. I have enough trouble getting myself to relax on a commercial flight.”
    He seemed disappointed. “If you’re inferring that light planes aren’t safe, they are. It all depends on the experience of the mechanic and the pilot. If you tried it, I guarantee you’d change your mind.”
    She shrugged. “Maybe.”
    After what happened three years ago, she’d vowed never to fly in a private plane. But she didn’t want to think about that now. The night was too perfect, with the crisp evening breeze, the dark velvet sky, and the frothy tide softly ebbing and flowing just a few yards away. She turned her head, focusing on the perfect sets of twin footprints they’d left behind in the damp sand. His looked large and solid next to her smaller ones. She thought how wonderful it was to have a man at her side, to walk with, talk with, share with. If only—
    Stop it, Desiree, she warned herself. You know it’s impossible.
    She searched quickly for a new topic to divert her mind. “What do you do about traffic lights when you’re driving?”
    “ I can tell by position. Red’s always on top. Green’s on the bottom.”
    “ I never thought of that.”
    “ It’s only a problem when there’s a flashing light. I’m never sure if it’s red or yellow, so I just plow right through.”
    She gasped, then saw his devilish expression and laughed. “You seem to have adjusted well.”
    “ No, I haven’t.” He stopped and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her close to him. “As you saw yesterday, I’m still embarrassed about it.”
    Her pulse accelerated as she looked up at him and felt her slender body warm against the hard strength of his. It seemed only natural to slide her arms around his waist. “Why is it embarrassing?” she asked.
    “ It’s a flaw. It means there’s something permanently wrong with me. When the leaves turn colors in autumn, I can’t see them. The trees all look the same to me. Just plain dull brown.”
    She hugged him tightly around the waist, wishing she had the courage to rub her hands up across his back, to learn the feel of his contoured muscles against the palms of her hands. “It hurts me to think of all the beauty you’re missing,” she whispered.
    He tilted his head back and looked at her, his eyes reflecting the moonlight’s glow. “All the beauty I’ll ever need to see is right here, in my arms.” He raised his hand and she felt the rough strength of his index finger caress her cheek and trace the curve of her jaw. When his fingertip reached the corner of her lips, he paused, his eyes