Page 30 of A Billionaire's Secret

“Yeah, baby!” he exclaimed. “Should I tell them to stop the plane? Or are you ready for an adventure?”

I gave him a light smack on the arm and raised an eyebrow, saying the same line I had used during our first night together, “I think we both know the answer to that.”

The engine noise grew louder, and the vibrations beneath my feet intensified. I felt the subtle shift in momentum as the plane gathered speed and watched the world below transform into a patchwork of landscapes, small buildings, and tiny cars.

Christian’s hand landed on mine and remained there until the plane leveled out over the serene white clouds, leaving all our doubts, worries, and regrets behind. Just us, alone.

Not long after we had ascended, the flight attendant waltzed in with freshly-brewed coffee, muffins, and a selection of cold drinks. I grabbed a muffin and bit into it, completely forgetting my manners and realizing that with the anticipation of meeting Christian, I had forgotten to eat anything at all.

“How is Diana,” I asked while chewing the most delicious muffin I’d ever tasted.

“She’s better. Staying with her mother for now.” Christian explained with slight annoyance in his tone. “We’ve been talking more, and she’ll be fine. Don’t worry about her.”

“Where does her mother live? Amelia, is it?” I continued prodding now that he had nowhere to run.

“Hey, what’s this, Detective Hampton? I didn’t sign up for cross-examination,” he furrowed his brows.

“What are you going to do about it? Run?” I joked. “You’ve never mentioned anything about your ex-wife. I was just curious, that’s all.”

His eyes darted from side to side, deliberating whether to satisfy my curiosity with details about his past marriage.

“Amelia seemed like the right choice for me. According to my parents, that is,” he began hesitantly. “We had known each other for years, our families were close, and we knew where things were headed.”

I put down my fork and listened intently as he began opening up to me.

“So, it was arranged?” I asked with a note of concern.

“Not in the traditional sense. No one forced us into it. But we knew they expected it, and having grown up in an environment of respect and obedience, we simply went with it.” Christian explained, his face turning into a frown from the unpleasant memories I was unveiling.

I took his hand in mine and meshed my fingers with his. “I’m sorry if this is bringing up painful memories.”

“Hey, I’m an open book, even though some chapters are more irritating than others,” he winked at me, his face leaning closer to mine. “I have some questions, too, you know.”

“Oh yeah, like what?” I stared at him, awaiting my portion of uncomfortable emotions.

“Like, why the hell you’re single?” He swiped his hair, leaned back in his seat, and crossed his arms.

My mind darted through snippets of possible answers. I could have taken a deep dive into an unfortunate series of dates, brief relationships, and heartbreaks, all of which resulted in my utter disgust with men. I could have warned him about my intense work and training schedule, but he already knew that. And, for some reason, he was still here.

“I guess I haven’t met anyone who’d stick around all that horse smell,” I smiled timidly.

He held my face in his palm, and his lips dove into mine for a long, wet kiss.

“You have now,” he whispered, pulled me onto his lap, and slid his hand under my shirt.

14

Christian

IwatchedVictoria’ssun-kissedface as her head leaned on a plush pillow facing the shaded airplane window. She had been asleep for a few hours while I fought unsuccessfully with my eyelids to even remotely close shut. Eventually, I gave up, and that’s when I found solace in the view before me.

The purity of Victoria’s heart and the ambition with which she moved through her life had ignited a fire within me that I couldn’t quite understand. In all my years of marriage, followed by periods of cheating and eventually my playboy era, I hadn’t met anyone for whom I wanted to care so genuinely and unconditionally.

Making sure that she was still asleep, I opened the lid of my laptop and typed the name of a horse farm in Newmarket, England. I had already spoken to Henry Singleton, my attorney’s close friend, and ensured they had one of their best horses ready for a test ride when we arrived. They had also sent me a sales contract which I planned on filling out in advance in case she fell in love with the horse.

Just as I started typing, the pilot’s voice sounded over the intercom, jolting Victoria up from her comfortable seat and forcing me to slam the lid of my laptop shut before she caught me.

“Are you working?” She questioned me with astonishment as she stretched her back.

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