Chapter 9

Cassie was blue. He had been emailing back and forth with Cassie Smith, the goddamn PR account manager, for months. He had been losing his mind since he couldn't find her even though she had been there the entire time.

Fuck.

Would only he had known her name. However, wasn't that the purpose of that evening? Because his filthy stepbrother had hurt her, she had wanted to bury herself in anonymous sex. What a mess, by God. Before things became more difficult, he ought to have left at this point.

To gaze at her, he turned his head. Her long, black lashes were resting on her lovely, flawless cheeks as she slept off on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed. The pulse in her throat beat steadily, reminding him of what it felt like to have his mouth there. Her mouth was slightly parted, and her full bottom lip begged to be kissed.

Fuck.

He could not possibly leave this woman alone. There was no way he could live the rest of his life without another taste of her because he had only experienced one. He was drawn to Blue by some mysterious force. Every time she was nearby, his body would react, and he was curious about why. He wished to investigate

And he was very certain that he wasn't going to give her to his filthy stepbrother. She wasn't someone that little trash deserved, especially if he was going to use her as a filthy booty call. Blue deserves to be loved and worshipped by someone. She deserved to be treated like the goddamned goddess that she was.

He leaned his head back against the seat, clinched his teeth, clenched his hands, and closed his eyes. He didn't want to do anything to scare her away because he had just discovered her again. He found it incomprehensible that Nathan was leaving her. He wasn't, though, was he? To appease his father, he marries the "Jackie" while keeping his "Marilyn" separate. Furthermore, Blue was far more valuable than that.

We'll be arriving in a few minutes, "Mr. Colleen," the flight attendant said softly as she walked up to him. What more can I do for you in the interim?

He sat up after opening his eyes. "Yes," he said, "can you check to see if the captain has a moment to speak with me?"

Yes, she said before advancing to the front of the aircraft. While on board, he had planned to check in with the captain and the rest of the crew to see how things were doing, but his plans were interrupted when he saw Blue in the lounge.

Turning to face her, he gently kissed her temple while removing a strand of her rose-gold hair off her cheek.

He leaned down and murmured, "Blue," into her ear. "Wake up, honey, we're about to land."

She glanced up at him with a sleepy smile as her eyelids flickered open. As he looked down at her sleepy eyes and soft mouth, his cock jumped in his pants. Physically unable to resist, he leaned in close to her and lightly touched her lips.

He whispered, "Time to rise and shine," against her lips and felt her smile before she returned the kiss. Even though it was only a light peck, it ignited desire within him, turning his cock's interest from mild to intense in a matter of seconds.

The flight attendant said, "Sir," with a clear voice. The captain will now come to see you.

After exhaling, Brian raised his head and fixed his gaze on Blue's enormous doe eyes. He said, his voice huskier than he'd like, "There's a bathroom towards the back of the plane if you need to freshen up before we land." "I just need to have a brief conversation with our pilot."

He had to stifle a groan as she bit her lip. She said, "Oh, okay," as she fully awakened and the sleepiness left her eyes.

He secretly adjusted himself as he got up from his seat and followed the flight attendant to the front of the aircraft. It would be torture, but a sweet kind of torture, to keep his hands off Blue this week. By the time it was over, I hoped she would realize he was a much better choice than the arrangement she had with his idiot stepbrother.

Cassie's mouth dropped as she entered the restroom toward the back of the aircraft. This wasn’t some little cubicle-sized water closet, it was a full-on washroom like you’d find in a classy club. It contained lit mirrors, fresh towels, sample bottles of perfume and body spray, and many bottles of hand and body lotion. It was also tastefully designed and if she wasn’t being forced through thin air in a metal tube, then she would’ve been glad to relax on the upholstered chair and take her time correcting her makeup.

But she knew they were landing shortly and she was nervous about getting caught in there once they landed. The only thing worse than take-off was landing and she was fully meant to be in her seat, her safety belt secured firmly, her eyes clenched shut, and a death hold on Irish’s hand while the pilots landed this metal rust bucket.

Except that it wasn’t a rust bucket and if she was a regular flier, then she would probably be delighted to spend the additional money to fly this way all the time. But then again, maybe it had been the companionship that had made the encounter so delightful.

Waking up with Irish’s emerald eyes looking down at her like he wanted to eat her whole did wonders for her self-esteem. He was so intense and when all that intensity was focused on her, it did odd and beautiful things to her body and her head. No one had ever made her feel like the center of their attention before and it was a heady thing. Almost too much to bear…almost.

She gave herself a shake and touched up her cosmetics. She came here for a cause, to win back Nathan and halt his wedding. She adored Nathan, she wanted Nathan. Irish was merely a diversion. Despite being a sweet, lovely, and delectable diversion, it is still a diversion. She needed to be prepared since she was going to see Nathan for the first time in six months. Her situation was not going to be helped by the conflicting ideas of the tall, dark, and attractive Irishman whirling about in her brain.

Before returning to her seat, she brushed her hair and sprayed herself with one of the available fragrances. Irish relaxed into her seat, closed her eyes, and began her breathing exercises in preparation for landing because the captain hadn't returned yet. Before confronting Nathan, she wanted to calm down, find her Zen, and get rid of any memories of Irish and what he had done to her body.

He said, "Hey," in her ear, and she struggled to control another full-body tremble. It seems to be her go-to response to him.

The 'fasten seatbelt' light dinged, and she responded, "Hey," opening her eyes as it did.

He moved about in his seat while adjusting his suit coat and fastening his belt.

When he felt comfortable, he asked her, "So, are you going to tell me your real name?"

"Nope," she said, shaking her head after smiling, "not until I know whether I need your services this week or not."

"Really Blue?" he scowled. He queried. "Are you going to abandon me?"

She chuckled, "Yep, I need to maintain some mystery about me.

Her stomach churned at the sound of his low-pitched growl.

"Okay," he sighed. So what is the strategy? While you have your big reunion, I guess you want me to remain hidden.

She sighed gently, "Yeah," feeling awful. "That's probably what would be best."

Additionally, he will drive you to your hotel while revealing everything to you.

"Right," she responded. In his conversation with her, Nathan expressed his eagerness to meet her. The idea of what he could want to say to her made her stomach flip.

And you'll meet me in the Oceans lobby at seven to let me know whether the operation is successful.

She gave him a grin while tilting her head to the side. You know you don't have to do this, she said.

He murmured, moving in close to her, "I know. To: "I want to."

As they landed, she felt the impact and heard the sound of the tires squealing. Irish's already intimate mouth moved even closer to hers as a result of the plane's turbulence. He then straightened himself while grinning like a Cheshire cat and kissed her lips. She gasped for air as the aircraft slowed and began to taxi near the terminal.

The tummy flutters she felt? They had nothing to do with the way Irish's beard had caressed her lips when he kissed her; they were because she was going to see Nathan. The way his eyes appeared to strip her bare and devour her had nothing to do with them. No. She was simply happy to see Nathan, that's all.

The other passengers, who she had entirely forgotten were even aboard the plane, started to shuffle around, grabbing purses and carry-ons as soon as they landed at the terminal.

Irish responded, "I'll just wait here and let you go first so I don't interfere with your reunion."

She stood and collected her handbag and laptop bag as she nodded. She was at a loss for words with him. Although it wasn't quite goodbye, she wouldn't likely see him again. He wouldn't have to pose as her boyfriend for the next week if things with Nathan went the way she wanted them to. She wouldn't have to see him once again.

To get into the aisle, she had to squeak by him. Her movement toward the door was stopped when he reached out and wrapped a huge hand on her wrist.

He said, "Good luck," and touched the sensitive flesh of her arm.

She drew back from his reluctance and said, "Thanks. Just before getting off the plane, she glanced back once and noticed that his emerald eyes were fixed on her ass. She grinned as her heart warmed. She knew she could always rely on the Irish to improve her self-esteem.

She strode through the station and down the air tube with fresh vigor. With the exception of the Irish, she was the last to disembark, and Nathan was waiting for her. He was beautiful to look at. With one hand in his pocket and the other browsing through his phone, he leaned nonchalantly against a wall. She halted and simply stared at him, her eyes ravenous to eat up every square inch of him. His beautiful golden hair covered his forehead, although it was now shorter than it had been for a time. Although it was attractive, it wasn't how she had imagined him to appear.

His body was as tight and toned as she recalled, and the barely noticeable stubble over his jawline was still there. He was dressed in light chinos and a blue button-up shirt with long sleeves folded up to reveal his forearms. Under his shirtsleeves, which were slightly browned, there were no tattoos, and they strangely felt absent.

She was captured in his hazel eyes as he looked up. She was inspired to take action by the grin that split his face. When she hurled herself at him, he outstretched his arms and caught her. She tightened her embrace on him as he held her close.

She whispered, holding back tears, "I've missed you."

He whispered in her ear, "I've missed you too, Bae. "Come on, let's leave right away."

He let go of her, and she turned to follow him to the luggage carousel. She caught a glimpse of her tall, dark, and ridiculously attractive seatmate as he entered the airport after emerging from the tunnel. She smiled as she followed Nathan as he gave her a wink.

Nathan's broad, stout stride hurried her along, and she grabbed his hand.

She gasped and shouted, "Nathan, slow down." Compared to your legs, mine are around two feet shorter.

He gave her another embrace after slowing down and laughing. It's lovely to see you, God.

They moved more slowly this time toward the baggage claim while waiting for her bags to arrive. After snatching it from the carousel, Nathan pulled her toward the door by yanking on her hand.

Come on, I parked just out here, he replied."