TIT FOR TAT

CHAPTER 6/TRIALS

From his seat facing her, Jackson watched Emily as she fidgeted and kept looking out the airplane window. He'd always thought of her as so tough, a warrior that didn't let anyone or anything frighten her and was curiously amused by her obvious anxiety. "Would you like a cocktail, champagne, wine, water?" he asked, his brows drawn together with concern.

She glanced at him irritably. "No, it'd probably make me hurl...but thank you," she answered with a wary tone, before her eyes held his questioningly. "There is a bathroom on here, isn't there?"

He'd never seen her like this. She seemed so vulnerable, of all things, and he felt a little tug on his heartstrings. "You're serious aren't you?"

She nodded and stared back out the window.

A smile touched his lips. "Have you never been on a private jet before?"

She wound a copper tress nervously around her index finger and shook her head but didn't look at him.

"If you were uncomfortable with it, you could have told me before we boarded. Why didn't you say something?"

"You would have laughed. Besides, I was trying to be all cool and sophisticated, so you wouldn't make fun of me?"

"I wouldn't have done that."

She turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Oh really? You love taunting me. You always have, just like a little boy sticking the girl's pigtails in the ink well. And don't you dare deny it and force me into giving you thirteen years' worth of examples. Because we're not supposed to be going to the past, remember?"

They hit a bump of turbulence and Jackson watched in horror as Em went pale and he could swear there was a green pallor to her skin. "The bathroom's up there." He pointed terrified she was going to throw up all over him. Her fingers were trembling so, she couldn't get her seat belt off and he reached across and undid it for her. The second she was free, she flew in the direction his finger indicated.

Now he was feeling bad. Had he really picked on her so much over the years that she was afraid to tell him she'd never been in a private plane and it wasn't on her bucket list? He scratched his head, thinking this didn't bode well for the beginning of the trip that, as Em so graciously pointed out, would make them or break them, and was grateful for the roar of the engines, so he couldn't hear her retching in the bathroom.

Damn it, I can't just sit here doing nothing. He glanced around and saw her overnight bag sitting on one of the empty seats and it occurred to him that she might need some freshening up. Standing, he grabbed it, went to the loo and tapped gently on the door. "Em, I've got your carryon. I'll leave it by the door in case you might need something."

There was no response, so he made his way back to his seat and patiently waited. About five minutes later, she appeared, face freshly washed, makeup touched up and he could swear he smelled the subtle scent of toothpaste or mouthwash. She sat across from him and gave a strained smile.

"Sorry about that, Jacks, and thanks form bringing my bag."

"Look, I really am sorry about all this. I had no idea that—"

She put a hand out to stop him. "No, don't apologize. It's just me. I'm insanely afraid of heights but I've learned to ignore it while on commercial flights with tons of other people around to take my mind off being thousands of feet up in the air. But this is so nice. It's just that if I'd known, I'd have prepared myself better, brought some medication along, taken something to calm my nerves.