Page 106 of Reckless Harmony

Her jaw dropped. “You booked a private plane?”

He nodded. “Yes. Sorry it took so long to get it done. Andrew wasn’t replying to my texts.”

“I… who’s Andrew?” She sounded like a rhino had knocked her over.

“He owns the company I use to charter private flights,” Stark said. “The office is closed for the night, so I texted him directly. He was at dinner with his family, so it took him a while to get back to me. But the flight is booked and confirmed, so you can go ahead and contact the New York rescue.”

She stared silently at him, and when he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her chest again, she said, “Isaac, you seriously booked a private plane?”

“I did,” he said.

“They’re not going to let you bring twenty-seven dogs onto a private plane,” she said.

“Baby, I’m rich. They let me do whatever the fuck I want,” he laughed.

“I can’t… I mean, that’s amazing, but there’s no way the rescue can afford a private plane to fly these dogs,” she said.

“The rescue isn’t paying for it. I am,” he said.

“Isaac, that is so incredibly generous of you, but I can’t -”

“You can and you will,” he said firmly. “I want to do this, Rayna. It’s my gift to you.”

“I think I’m kind of terrible at graciously accepting gifts,” she said.

He laughed and squeezed her hip. “You’re welcome?”

Confident she was about to start crying again, Rayna hugged Stark hard. “Thank you, Isaac. Truly. This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me, and I don’t know how I’ll return the favour, but I -”

“It’s a gift,” he said. “You aren’t supposed to return the favour.”

She cupped his face and kissed him, slipping her tongue into his mouth when his lips parted. He pulled back and grinned at her. “Unless you want me to carry you to your bedroom like a caveman, you need to stop kissing me like that and call the New York rescue.”

She pressed another quick kiss against his lips before sliding off his lap and grabbing her phone. Stark leaned down to pet Bea, who had woken up and left her bed to sit on his feet again.

She watched him stroke Bea’s ears with infinite gentleness as the old dog panted happily. Warmth bloomed in her chest, and she clutched her phone tightly. She was feeling something for Stark that she had no right to feel, and she quickly left the kitchen before Stark saw those emotions on her face.

She stared at herself in the mirror in the hallway before taking a deep breath and blowing it out in a hard rush.

“It’s fine,” she muttered to her reflection. “Everything’s fine. You’re just feeling overwhelmed by and grateful for Stark’s generosity.”

Her face didn’t look like it believed her, but she took another deep breath and said softly, “You are not falling in love with Isaac Stark.”

CHAPTER 36

“Isaac?”

“One second.” Stark was texting on his phone when Rayna joined him in the living room. He was sitting on her lumpy couch, with Bea practically sleeping in his lap. Dog hair covered his pants, as well as a healthy amount of Bea drool.

Freddie twined around Rayna’s ankles, and she bent to pet him, grimacing when he gave her a bite for her effort. “C’mon, Freddie, don’t be a dick. This is why you’re never getting adopted.”

“He’s a foster?” Stark stuck his phone into his pocket before petting Bea. “I thought he was your cat.”

“No, he’s a foster,” she said as Freddie glared at both of them before stalking out of the room with his tail swishing. “But he has trust issues and likes to bite, so it’s not easy to find the right home for him. He was adopted out once, but she brought him back after only a few days.”

“Because he bit her?”

“Yes, and because he stalked and terrorized her niece who was visiting. He kept pouncing on the poor kid every time she even looked at him.”

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