Page 82 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

I already knew the answer to that. I was so screwed.

But I brought myself back to the moment. To Pickle’s situation. I was happy to talk about him rather than me.

I shook my head. “You’re asking the wrong guy for dating advice.”

Pickle raised an eyebrow. “Come on, man. You must have some thoughts.”

“Look,” I said, running a hand through my hair, and tried to collect my thoughts. Once again, thinking about Janna had thrown me off my game. “I keep things simple. No attachments, nothing to hold me back. It’s easier that way.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth, especially after what had happened with Janna yesterday. “But it’s not a life I’d necessarily encourage. We all have to walk our own path.”

He studied my face for a moment. “That sounds lonely as hell.”

“Maybe. But it’s safe. No one gets hurt.”

“Including you?”

I didn’t answer that. Couldn’t answer that. Because the truth was, I was already hurt. Had been since the moment Janna walked into my life and turned everything upside down. The casual thing we’d agreed to? It was bullshit. I was in deeper than I’d ever intended to get, and the thought of her with someone else made me want to put my fist through a wall.

“Laser’s a good woman,” I said finally, deflecting back to his situation. “But she’s got her guard up after Wild Bill. You’d have to be patient.”

“Patient I can do.”

I glanced back toward where the women were sunbathing. Janna had shifted in her chair. She’d pulled up her tank top to expose her stomach.

“You and Janna seem pretty friendly,” Pickle said casually.

My jaw tightened. “We’re not friendly. She’s part of the crew.”

“Uh-huh.” He wasn’t buying it. “You two were having quite the intense conversation yesterday after she landed. Looked like more than just pilot talk.”

“Mind your own business, Pickle.”

He grinned, clearly enjoying himself. “Relax, man. I’m just saying, for someone who keeps things simple and avoids attachments, you sure do watch her a lot.”

“I don’t watch her.” The lie came out too fast, too defensive.

“Right. And I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that you happened to break protocol yesterday when she was in trouble.”

I turned to face him fully, my hands clenching into fists. “Drop it.”

“Or what? You’ll glare at me to death?” Pickle laughed, completely unfazed by my intimidation tactics. “Come on, Dalton. We’ve all seen how you look at her. Like she’s the only person in the room.”

“You’re imagining things.”

“Am I? Because yesterday when she was getting tossed around by those thermals, you did something you’ve never done before. And don’t even get me started on how you rushed to her defense when Chief was questioning her performance. I think you might want to reconsider your motto.”

I rolled my eyes. “I think you might want to mind your own fucking business.”