“We’re in the bay. Please bring her here.” He hung up, smiling at Elle. “Your friend is here.”
Elle’s resulting squeal made him laugh. He hadn’t even been that happy to see Mickey Mouse on his first trip to Disneyland Paris. He turned, following Elle’s gaze toward the woman whom she was so excited to see. Hopefully Elle’s best friend was as qualified as Elle—and Rosie’s firm’s website—made it seem.
At first, Rosie’s gaze was skyward. Roaming. He registered flame-colored hair cascading over straight shoulders. His eyes swept up shapely legs, a lithe form in a demure dress, graceful ivory neck, and delicate chin. Then she reacted to Elle’s near-shriek and full-body hug. Her chin dropped and a radiant smile overtook her face.
When her honey-gold gaze connected with his, Tate stopped breathing. Every muscle in his back seized, forcing him to straighten. He couldn’t look away as he read the story of Rosie in her eyes. In her face. Every part of Rosie Flynn spoke of sweetness and safety. With her, he saw what’d he always been missing.
How could such a beautiful, elegant, innocent face shatter his beliefs with such violence? Without a word or a touch between them, Tate knew. He just knew.
This is what the rest of my life looks like.
5
Rosie’s physical reaction to meeting Tate had to be tamped down as Elle made formal introductions. As formal as Elle could be, anyway. Tate’s thick hair, strong jawline, and smile were straight out of classic Disney. His eyes came from the earth, aquamarine with veins of amber. World’s handsomest man, indeed. Elle had not been exaggerating.
“Rosie Flynn, world’s greatest architect and my best friend, meet Tate Geier, world’s greatest boss and Chief Operating Officer here at OrbitAll.”
Tate chuckled at Elle’s introduction, the velvety sound settling low in Rosie’s body. “I’m not sure I can claim that first title.”
“Neither can I,” she replied, floored by the depth of his gaze. “Elle gets really excited, if you haven’t noticed.”
How was she forming coherent sentences?
Tate’s hand grasped hers. The jolt of electricity moved through her blood like lightning and flickered in her heart. She searched for warning signs in his open manner. All she found was that neither of them seemed to want to let go.
Strange. Since Chad, she’d avoided meeting men unless forced through business or flat tires. With Tate, she couldn’t get close enough. His reluctance to move his gaze, his hand, hinted that he felt the same.
Somewhere in her mind, she knew she should continue introducing herself to the OrbitAll team. It wasn’t just the two of them in the room, regardless of how she felt. As she forced her attention away from strong hands and stronger attraction, Rosie’s lungs spasmed for the second time. “Chen Lew!” Her gasp was audible as the astronaut she knew so much about grinned back at her. A dimple appeared in his cheek below dancing eyes. “Oh, my gosh. I had no idea you were in the States. In California. You work here?”
Her gushing only made his smile wider. “So nice to meet you, Rosie.”
How could Elle not have told her Chen Lew was on their team? But then she remembered Elle was on the island during Chen’s legendary trip to space. His miraculous reentry without guidance from Mission Control had been the topic of every conversation in the Flynn family for weeks, but Elle had been absent then.
“My dad I and followed your spaceflight,” she told him. “I think he even teaches about it. I can’t believe I’m meeting you. He’ll be so jealous.”
Still grinning, Chen slung his arm around Rosie’s shoulder. She tried to control the color of her cheeks but knew that was a lost cause. “Let’s make him more jealous. You need a tour from your favorite astronaut. Hotel talks can wait.”
Warmth flooded through her. Meeting Chen Lew, experiencing Tate? Despite the hiccup on the highway, her day could not be more exciting, or more unexpected. With one last look at her friend and the stunning, smiling COO, Rosie let herself be led away.
Chen dropped his arm from her shoulder as they moved around the back of the spaceship. “What questions do you have? Let’s play the game where I tell you something about OrbitAll and you tell me something about Elle. She’s a tough shell to crack.”
She didn’t have the heart to correct his idiomatic error. She wondered why he was so interested in “cracking” Elle to begin with.
Rosie’s gaze swept up the spaceplane, its sleek white-and-silver body resembling a private jet. She’d done some research and had a basic understanding of OrbitAll’s program. The spacecraft in front of her was lifted into the air by a mothership. They disconnected at fifty thousand feet, where the astronauts and rocket power took over the ascent. A trip up to the Karman Line, the edge of space, ensued. The guests would get about ten minutes in space before reentry and descent. The whole trip would take about two-and-a-half hours. Every minute utterly life changing, Rosie was sure.
More important than their process, she’d connected with their mission. Of the six spots available on each flight, they planned to give away two using a lottery system. OrbitAll was a company making dreams come true for everyone, even people who could not afford a ticket. She had to admire that philosophy. She was thrilled to be in contention for any part of the OrbitAll experience.
“What exactly do you do here?” she asked Chen. “Commercial flights don’t start for another couple years, right?”
“How about I show you?”
His grin compelled one in return. At the belly of the plane, he waved her up the narrow steps into the cabin. The aisle was tight; only one person could move through the narrow cabin at a time. The interior was more gorgeous than an aircraft had any right to be, and distinctly futuristic-feeling. Small, round windows that would let in starlight and epic views of Earth peppered the ceiling and sides.
“She’s called Stratos.”
“This might be the most beautiful interior I’ve ever seen.” Rosie turned in a circle to take in the different elements, technical and aesthetic both. Metallic, geometric wall coverings. Plush gray carpet. Supple white leather. They’d done a fantastic job making a space so technically complex look luxurious. “That’s saying a lot since I’ve been to Morocco.”
Chen chuckled. “Elle had a similar reaction when she was in here for the first time a few minutes ago.”
That was twice in five minutes he’d mentioned Elle. Rosie’s suspicion about his interest in her friend deepened.
He pointed at the cockpit. “Right now I sit in that seat and drool, but the next test campaign should start within the month and then I can see what she’s capable of. If you want to get really technical, what I’m doing right now is reading flight test reports and revising the safety protocols. Riveting, right?”
It was, actually. “I’m sure you’re excited to compare Stratos to Shenzou.” She name-dropped the spacecraft he’d manned alone nearly two years before.
There was his dimpled grin again. “Beyond excited.” He studied her, friendliness all over his face. Rosie smiled back. She couldn’t believe she was standing inside a spacecraft with Chen Lew. “An architect in love with space. Sounds like you’ll be a perfect fit for the team.”