Falling for the Backup
Page 3

“Ack!” Aynslee yelped as she jumped up, her Kindle going one way while her neck pillow went another.
“Shit,” a deep voice said from beside her. “I’m so sorry. Can we have some napkins?” he said, the first to her and the next to the flight attendant who happened to be near their row.
Aynslee was speechless and totally forgot the coffee as she looked up into Mr. Sex’s beautiful face. He was gorgeous and had long legs that made her think he was super tall. He had a strong jawline and light-blue eyes that were framed by thick brows. His nose was on the larger side, but she found it hot. Hell, everything about this man was hot. His lips were full, and his jaw was covered in stubbly hair. He had dark wavy hair that curled behind his ears and fell messily along his forehead. She had the craziest urge to run her fingers through it. And then lick him. Everywhere.
His eyes were filled with concern as he helped her pat her dress dry, apologizing over and over again.
“It’s okay, it was an accident,” she reassured him.
She was proud of herself for being able to speak, but when he looked at her, Aynslee promptly forgot how to talk. Her dress was also forgotten as they stared at each other.
Holy fireworks, Batman!
“Ma’am, your things,” someone said, but Aynslee couldn’t tear her eyes from his.
He glanced away first, freeing her from his intense gaze. She then turned and thanked a nice older lady for retrieving her things.
As the woman went back to her seat, Aynslee used her free hand to pat the wet spot on her dress.
“I am really sorry.”
She knew if she looked at him again she wouldn’t be able to stop staring, so she just nodded as she continued to pat.
“It’s okay.”
“Do you have something you can change into before we take off?”
Aynslee shook her head. “Nope. This is all I have.”
She peeked over at him, and he seemed stricken.
“I feel horrible.”
She smiled as she waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Happens all the time.”
“It does?” he asked.
“Actually, this is the first time it has happened to me.”
He let out a hearty chuckle that caused her stomach to flutter with want. Jesus, he was hot.
“That makes this even worse.”
“No, I mean it, it’s okay. It will be a nice memory and a great story to tell my friends.” Spilled coffee and Mr. Sex. Yum.
He gave her a perplexed look. “How is having coffee spilled all over you a great story?” Mr. Sex asked.
Aynslee smiled as she said, “Well, you see, it only adds to my horrible day—”
“Terrific. I’m glad I could contribute to that,” he interrupted, with a shake of his head that caused her to laugh.
“You should be—it really is a great horrible day. First, I have been in Buffalo for the past week for my eighteen-year-old niece’s wedding and was reminded every day that I am single. Then this morning, the day of the wedding, my landlord calls to tell me a water main broke in my house, flooding the basement. Fantastic, right? But it gets better,” she said, his horrified expression making her laugh again. “My klepto aunt Fern ‘grabbed’ my suitcase instead of hers, and now I have lost a week’s worth of clothes and shoes until my mother can get my bag back and send it to me. My feet are aching because my niece thought that her thirty-one-year-old aunt should wear stripper shoes, and now I’m soaked with coffee. I’m telling you, this is one of those days for the books.”
“I’m not sure what to say. I feel horrible for being the cherry on top of your horrible-day cupcake.”
She flashed him a grin as she jokingly said, “I think the least you could do is tell me your name so I can bad-mouth you later to my friends.”
She could tell he wasn’t sure if she was joking or not, but soon he was smiling back at her.
Holding out his hand, he said, “Jordan Ryan.”
She looked down at his hand and then took it, enjoying the way his large fingers swallowed hers. With heat and tingles running up her arm and other places, she said, “I’m Aynslee Shaw.”
Chapter 2
“I like your name; it’s very unique,” Jordan said after the plane took off.
Aynslee was holding her dress up from her lap as she held his gaze. He felt horrible for spilling her coffee, but in a way he was glad it happened. If it hadn’t, he probably would have slept the whole way home. Instead, he was now engaged in conversation with the beautiful redhead beside him.
“Thank you,” she said, still smiling. “My mom spelled it all crazy weird. You see, a normal person would spell it A-i-n-s-l-y, or even A-i-n-s-l-i-e, but not my mother—she spelled it A-y-n-s-l-e-e. And let me just say, being a four-year-old and learning to spell my name wasn’t easy. Especially when my middle name was Kathleen. It was horrible.”
Jordan liked her name. A lot. He liked her even more.
“So Aynslee Kathleen Shaw?”
She nodded, her grin growing. “Yup, very long and very Irish.”
It was a stupid question, but he asked it anyway. “So you’re Irish?”
“I am, a hundred percent, and before you ask, no, I’ve never been to Ireland. I want to, but I haven’t had the time yet. And, yes, I do love Lucky Charms.”
He looked down at her hands as he chuckled. Besides the fact that she made him laugh, she also made him want to ask her if he could take her to Ireland. Jordan had no clue where the thought came from. He loved Ireland, had been a couple of times, and, for reasons unknown, he thought going with her would be better than all the other times. He didn’t understand it. Why was he so completely taken with her? Yes, she was gorgeous, but simply looking at her had him shifting in his seat, hoping his hard-on was hidden.