After a short conversation with the crew, I settle in to read news reports on my tablet.
And wait for Rachel.
I don’t wait long. Soon, she arrives, and the part of me that has been waiting to see her all day looks up eagerly.
I find her gazing at me with a strange expression on her face.
She looks lovely in soft pastel pants and a white shirt. Her hair frames her face in soft waves, and I wonder if she knows just how pretty she is.
I should be wooing her with well-planned dates and focused attention, not using her sexual attraction to me to pull her into my bed.
I should be making her fall in love with me.
I shake the strange idea out of my head.
Why on earth would I want that?
“Hey.” I give her a smile.
“Hey.” She smiles back, walking toward me. There’s something edgy and nervous about her demeanor. Has she changed her mind?
“Come sit.” I pat the seat next to me. “We should be leaving in a few minutes, so buckle up.”
She does just that, staying silent as the plane ascends. I close my eyes and let my mind relax. I can feel her gaze on me, and when I hear her chuckle, I open my eyes.
“What’s funny?”
“Nothing.” She shrugs.
Deciding not to push it, I go back to my news reports.
“I thought Tony would be here,” she says, retrieving a laptop computer from her handbag.
“He’ll arrive tomorrow.” For entirely selfish reasons, I wanted tonight to be just us.
She opens the tiny laptop and starts typing. I don’t ask her what she’s working on. I continue reading my reports then abandon them to focus on her. She has a small frown on her face, and as she works, she chews on the corner of her lower lip. When she catches me staring, I don’t look away, but she does, turning her gaze back to her screen.
Did something change between yesterday and now? I don’t want to consider that possibility, but if something has changed, I can’t very well force her to adhere to our agreement.
She’s typing again, chewing furiously on her lip.
“If you need anything—a drink, food—there’s a button right there.” I show her. “If you’d like to lie down, there’s a bedroom through the doors at the back.”
Something flashes in her eyes, something I recognize. Lust. Then as fast as it came, it’s gone again.
“You’re the one who looks in need of a bed,” she says, a teasing note in her voice.
She’s right. I am exhausted. “Yes, but I have no intention of going in there without you.” I give her a slow smile. “And if I get you in there, neither of us will be getting any sleep.”
Her eyes skitter back to her screen, nervousness coming off her in waves. Now, I’m more convinced than ever that she has changed her mind. I’m about to ask her if that’s the case, but she starts to talk about the Gold Dust, and we discuss that instead.
When she’s satisfied with my answers, she goes back to looking at her screen. I order fresh juices for the both of us then go back to reading the news on my tablet.
Soon, she’s asleep. I make sure she’s comfortable, trying to focus on work even when she curls up at my side with her head on my shoulder. She sighs in her sleep, and at one point, she mumbles my name.
It’s a few hours before she wakes. She straightens, blinking. “I fell asleep.”
“So you did.” I give her a reassuring smile. “I hope you enjoyed using me as a pillow.”