Page 43 of Get Lost

Chapter Sixteen

Of all the seats…On all the flights…In all the world…

Kelsey must havereallypissed someone off in a past life to deserve this fresh Hell.

She kept catching herself tapping her foot in annoyance, and the last thing she wanted was Alexander knowing the effect he had on her. Better, instead, that he think he didn’t affect her at all. So she stilled her foot, listening for anything from the seat beside her, muscles tense, brain on high alert—all while simultaneously pretending to sleep and being completely blind because as soon as he sat down beside her, she slid herWake Me for Mimosaseye mask back down over her eyes.

But even without her vision, she couldfeelhim beside her, just pure testosterone and smug satisfaction.

There’d be no sleeping on this leg of the trip, just pretending.

And avoiding. Because avoiding Alexander as much as possible with him sitting just inches away from her was her new task in life.

And good grief, what was that cologne? As soon as he sat down, it enveloped her, all manly and sensual, winding its way down into her core. She had to fight not to lean into the scent. Which, truthfully, was a huge freaking problem because KelseyloathedAlexander Arroyo.

Didn’t she?

Ugh, she really didn’t know anymore.

He moved beside her, bumping Kelsey’s arm with his elbow. Her muscles went rigid. She held as still as possible because she wassleeping, though he could probably see by the rise and fall of her chest she was wide awake.

Wide awake and aware.

Of Alexander. Because he was sitting right beside her, kicking off this dream event trip with a bang.

A bang of pure testosterone.

Smug satisfaction.

And cologne that smelled like an invitation.

She turned away from him, curling toward the window and giving him as much of her back as she possibly could without leaping out onto the wing of the plane and plummeting to her death. Although… they were somewhere over Nevada by now, she figured, so death would at least come swiftly.Just a fast fall into a hard ground. Boom. Done.

Unlike the plane ride from hell, which would probably last forever with her nemesis beside her, hogging up all the air for his big fat head.

This is such bullshit.Kelsey chewed on the inside of her cheek, regretting a growing list of unfortunate choices.

Like trusting Reagan to be reliable.

And allowing Lucky to tag along.

Or giving up her seat to Lucky, so he and Nessa could sit next to one another. If she hadn’t done that,he’dbe sitting here besideAlexander, and she’d be five rows back with her best friend…

Kelsey bit back a scream of frustration. All she could do—because she was pretending to be asleep, after all—was groan loudly inside her head, which wasn’t nearly as satisfying a release as actually groaning would be.

She’d been unable to get settled ever since he sat down beside her. She’d gotten zero sleep in the last few days with how ramped up her nerves were, how her brain had been in complete overdrive, and her mental checklists had been reviewing themselves day in and day out, keeping her awake and frazzled for days, so she’d planned on sleeping from LAX to JFK, then on sipping mimosas with her best friend for the second leg of the trip, from JFK to Bridgetown. But ohhhhh noooooo, the Universe wanted nothing to do with giving Kelsey what she wanted.

Maybe it was opposites day, because forced proximity to Alexander Arroyo was definitely the complete opposite of anything Kelsey would everwant.

Obviously.

Probably.

Ugh.

And, for the love of God, she was so frustratinglyawareof her seatmate that the flight crew might as well have pumped cocaine-laced oxygen into the plane for how alert she was. It was like a Vegas casino in here. So much for getting any rest. There was just no way in Alexander’s hometown of Hell that Kelsey would be able to sleep a wink with him sitting beside her. Every cell in her body was on high alert, like if she moved too quickly or breathed too loudly, the poisonous snake would strike.

And part of her wanted him to? So, like, what was she supposed to do with that?

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