Page 41 of Seaside Cowboy's Marriage of Convenience

Would Austin think she was showing off her wealth? Usually, she didn’t ask for the jet due to environmental concerns. But taking the jet in this case was a matter of convenience, safety, and time. And time was something they could never get more of. That was what her uncle always said.

“I can only imagine.” Austin’s tone was drier than usual, making her wince, but then his familiar smile reappeared on his handsome face. “I’m starting to feel like a male version of Cinderella.”

She froze, then placed her half-full glass down fast. She could dislike his comment or go with it. She chose the second. She winked. “Does that make me a Princess Charming?”

“Hmm, considering that you’re gorgeous like a princess and you’re beyond charming...” His voice turned soft.

The compliment hit her wrong, but that was her fault for asking. Her fingers tightened around her smooth cold glass. “I’m far from gorgeous. And frankly not that charming. And for the record, I’d give up all my privilege if it could bring Zoey back.”

A band tightened around her heart and pulled. The chances of finding Zoey in Lazoria were slim to none, but she still had to try. But were her chances of keeping Austin even slimmer?

Chapter Eleven

AUSTIN COULD TRULYsee how far apart their worlds were. An ocean as big as they were flying over divided them. Kennedy had tried to open the door into a new world for him, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to enter it.

Yet, somehow, they were together for the time being. The sight of clouds beneath them gave him a feeling of awe, but so did the woman in the cloud-white puffy-soft leather seat near him. During the takeoff, he’d nearly squealed like a child in a candy store while the houses rapidly became smaller. How people managed to create this thing that flew high in the air was a mystery to him.

Kennedy was an even bigger mystery. She pulled back sometimes, and he couldn’t understand why. He was married to her, and yet he couldn’t decipher her. He was the foam on the surface, but she was like the proverbial ocean with so many different layers, and he was already out of breath from delving them.

She was his wife, and as he studied her lovely face while she slept now, he was eager to give her anything she wanted. But he couldn’t figure outwhatshe wanted. She might not know herself. Besides, what could one give someone who already seemed to have everything?

Though they’d both grown up in Port Sunshine, their lives seldom intersected. While of course, everyone knew she was well-off, she didn’t have a lavish lifestyle unlike her parents, so he’d never grasped how much she’d really had. Besides, according to rumor, by the time of the car accident when her uncle had taken over as her guardian, he’d had to rebuild most of the family business. And later, Kennedy with her brilliant mind breathed new life into it.

He stretched the impossibly soft blanket over her. After some loud protests, Caramel and Smiley had fallen asleep in their crates. Besides the pilot, only one other person accompanied them on this flight. But after serving beverages, Rachel, who doubled as security and a flight attendant, was so quiet she could’ve been part of the interior. Maybe that was her intention.

Okay, he knew one thing Kennedy wanted, that was important to her—finding her missing cousin and childhood friend, Zoey. The chances of Zoey being alive were small, and if she were, the chances of finding her were even smaller. But they had to try.

Kennedy opened her eyes, and her plump oh-so-kissable lips moved up. “Are you doing all right?”

How was it he hadn’t kissed her yet? Well, except at their wedding or a few pecks on the cheek. He meant, really, really kissed her yet. His heart somersaulted just from the thought.

But he didn’t want her to feel obligated to let him kiss her because they were married. He sensed her need for personal space was much larger than his was, and he respected that. People these days kissed on the first date. He only kissed a girl when he had feelings for her and knew they were mutual. The first part wasn’t a problem. The second was.

He smiled as he touched the smooth white-leather seats. “It’s amazing. I’ve never been on a flight this luxurious. Well, I’ve never been on a flight at all.”

“There are much more luxurious jets than this.” She frowned. “Okay, I hope I didn’t sound like I’m complaining. It’s just my uncle and auntie took me on trips together with their daughter several times a year when I was little. It was natural to me. I didn’t think other people lived differently.” Her eyes darkened. “My parents never seemed to mind my absence.”

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