Her eyes lit with interest, a hunger I hadn’t seen in them yet. It was only a small flicker of heat, but it was there, which gave me more to work with.
I sucked my thumb and groaned. “Delicious.”
“The fruit?” she whispered, her voice an enchanting, husky timbre.
“You. I’m sure the fruit was good too.” I smirked.
A blush stole across her cheeks, and she sucked the lip I’d touched right into her mouth, her gaze evading mine.
“Since you don’t think there’s much to learn about you…” I said while picking up a piece of cheese and placing it on a cracker. “How about we play a game?”
“Game? Like what? Truth or Dare?” She snickered, laughing at her own joke.
Truth or Dare had amazing possibilities, but none I thought she’d be ready for just yet.
“Another time perhaps. Though I like where your ideas were headed.” I grinned.
“Oh! I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just, back in college, all the guys wanted to play it to get in the girls’ pants and I…” Her eyes widened to the size of saucers.
I chuckled. “No, no.” I waved. “Don’t stop on my account. I’m intrigued. Tell me, elskede, what roguish things did the university boys taunt the girls with to try and get in their pants, hmm? I’m all ears.”
She swallowed audibly, and her hand shook, proving her discomfort.
“I…I…I never played, but my friends did. Usually it was a precursor to them hooking up with guys they liked or sometimes guys they had only met that night. I didn’t judge. It’s just that I had a…” She stopped herself for a moment. “I wasn’t interested in a fling.”
“Mmm. I can see that about you. More of the type of woman to commit to one man, I take it?”
Her gaze flew up to mine, and her face crumpled right before my eyes. Her nose turned bright pink, her eyes turned glassy, and she bit down into her bottom lip. Then she unclipped her seat belt and stood abruptly, knocking over her nearly full champagne glass. The golden liquid spraying everywhere .
“Oh no, I’m such a klutz! I’m so sorry.” She grabbed her napkin and started to wipe up the mess.
“Ingrid!” I called out.
The flight attendant came out, assessed the problem, and dashed back into the galley before coming back with a damp cloth.
“Shoo, shoo. I’ve got this.” She ushered Savannah out of the way.
She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, one of her hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide and sad. “Do you, um, have a bathroom?” Her voice quavered, sounding small and childlike.
I stood and took her by the elbow, leading her to the back of the plane where a restroom was attached to the small bedroom onboard.
“Thank you. And I’m so sorry, I…I’m not very graceful. My pa was always telling me how much of a mess I made everywhere I went, and I just proved that true here. I know some great tricks for stains, I can clean anything. I promise.”
I turned her toward me and held her by the biceps. “Savannah, relax. Accidents happen all the time. It’s Ingrid’s job to take care of these things, and believe me, she’s used to it. We have corporate events on this plane all the time and serve heavy beer drinkers who spill all over the place. A little champagne is nothing. Please, don’t worry even for a second.”
She closed her eyes and stood still for a moment before offering a weak smile. “I’ll be out in a minute. Thank you for being so kind.”
“I’ll be back there.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder.
She nodded, and I took my leave.
When I got back, Ingrid had already cleaned the mess and provided Savannah with a fresh glass which she was refilling with champagne.
“Savannah seems lovely,” Ingrid noted.
“Skittish as a kitten though.” I smiled warmly, appreciating the simple truth that Savannah was not like any woman I’d known or dated in the past. She was uniquely charming in every way. Even her clumsiness was sweet.
Ingrid smiled and took her leave as Savannah came back perfectly composed once more.
“I apologize for spilling my drink and making a mess of things,” she stated and took her seat stiffly.
“There really is no problem. Ingrid has refilled your glass, and everything is good, yes?” I tilted my head and winked.
“Yes.” She took a breath and let it out. “So before I was a big dork, you were talking about playing a game?” she asked, reaching for a piece of bread and some cheese.