His eyes searched avidly through the crowd of people flocking off the plane. Standing over six feet tall, Jason could see each person as they disembarked.
"No, too heavy... no, too short... no, too dark...," he fervently thought as his blue eyes assessed each person. Stephanie would soon become familiar with their touch of gray and green like an artist's palette.
"Wait, is that... could that... it is!" he thought excitedly as he saw the blond, flipped hairstyle belonging to the person he sought coming towards him.
"Stephanie!" Jason exclaimed excitedly as he wove his tall, lean body towards her.
Stephanie saw him and her rosy lips extended into the most glorious smile, showcasing her white teeth. When Jason had Stephanie's lithe figure in front of him, he enveloped her in his arms.
"Jason, you are smothering me," Stephanie lightly protested in her soft Southern drawl before she returned his hug.
Disengaging himself from her arms, he took a step back and placed his hand under her chin and tilted her lips towards his. Gently covering her lips with his in a seductive kiss, he spoke a thousand words without saying a thing.
Jostled by another onslaught of travelers from the next arrival, they reluctantly broke their kiss. Putting his arm around her to protect her from fellow travelers, Jason guided her to the luggage area.
Seeing no luggage on the conveyor belt, he backed Stephanie into a corner to continue his nonverbal assault on her senses. Five minutes later, and a lifetime too soon, he heard the belts kick into gear. Reluctantly, Jason stepped to one side to allow Stephanie to identify her luggage.
As she waited in front of him, he stood back and assessed the beauty who had traveled many miles to see him. Her round bottom was showcased by a pair of snug Levi 501 jean shorts; the hot pink short sleeved top that hugged her body emphasized her womanly figure. When she turned to the side, he caught his breath. Most people would not be amazed by her modest chest, but on her, her bosom looked perfect.
Locating her luggage, Stephanie pulled the suitcase off the belt and towed it back to him. Jason was amazed. Most women would have expected the man to retrieve the luggage for them. She had neither asked nor hinted that she wanted him to stand up there in her place. With a smile, he reached over to grab her suitcase with one hand while reaching for her hand with the other.
Together, hand in hand, they walked out to his silver Ford Ranger pickup.
"Did you have a good flight?" he queried.
"It took too long," Stephanie exclaimed with a grin in her voice. "I never knew that two hours could last so long. There were kids all around me - jumping, talking, hitting - fighting. One little boy even tried to shoot me with a water gun!"
Jason laughed.
"Damn, it is good to see you here," he said as he silently thanked the powers that be for a safe flight.
Hoisting her luggage into the bed of his pickup, he walked with her to the passenger side of the vehicle. Stephanie reached for the door handle as he unlocked it and he light-heartedly swatted it away. He opened the door and made sure she buckled her safety belt before trotting around to the driver's side. Making sure he was secured, Jason started the truck. Slowly he wound his vehicle through the cars in the lot until he reached the toll booth. Paying the parking fee, he inched onto the Red Bluff Freeway and toward his home.
As they drove, Stephanie was feeling relaxed in his company. With nails that matched her hot pink shirt, her fingers tickled their way up his arms. She giggled as she snuggled as close to his body as she could with the belt on.
"It is so good to finally see you," she sighed. "Thought I would never get here. I missed talking to you even though it only took two hours to get here."
"Time has crept by," he agreed wholeheartedly.
Over the past two months, he and Stephanie had spoken at least four hours daily. Looking at her, he knew no one would guess what she did for kicks. A stranger couldn't fathom that she wrote erotic literature. That was how they'd met. Inspired by one of her stories, Jason had glanced at her profile and become entranced with her picture.
Curious to know if her stories were based on life experiences, he had e-mailed her, wondering if she minded him asking a few questions. Quickly responding, she assured him she did not mind in the least.
Thus began a flurry of activity that kept the Internet busy. On an average day, they chatted all day via instant messaging and most of the night on their telephones. It didn't take him long to realize that she and the writer were two different people, and both of them he adored.
