Page 10 of The Billionaire's Obsession

She huffed. “I’m twenty-five. If my life was going to veer in that direction, I’m sure there’d be some sort of a clue by now.”

“Twenty-five is young. You can’t know what’s going to happen in your life at twenty-five.”

“Spoken like an old guy. How old are you anyway?” she challenged, amusement gleaming in her eyes.

“I’m thirty-seven. Is that too old for you?” I heard myself ask her. I hadn’t thought exactly what I was asking. I certainly hadn’t meant it as a proposition, and yet, it sounded just like that. Did she think I was too old for her? I suddenly needed to know the answer to that more than anything.

She laughed, not hearing the subtle overlay of curiosity. “It’s too old for not having traveled a hell of a lot, and not remembering your last vacation.”

She had avoided the question neatly.

“Yeah, well, work-life balance and I don’t really fit.”

“You need to work on that,” Riley sighed, looking out the window, her eyes lingering on the view below. “Life is short,” she said simply. Her words filled my head. The light from the window was falling on her hair, making it shine like rubies, and her smile seemed to short wire my brain. A strange feeling filled my chest at that moment, the knowledge that the perfect, light filled moment, alone with this startling, unpredictable woman, high above the world, would become a preserved moment that I’d never forget. I was completely sure of it.

It was the very last thing I thought before the alarm started blaring.

CHAPTER6

Cole

“What’s that noise?” Riley asked, immediately looking terrified.

Worry coiled in me as I twisted to look toward the cockpit. “I’m sure it’s nothing,” I said.

“I don’t think nothing sounds like that,” Riley insisted, just as a staff member bustled out toward us.

“Simon, what’s going on?”

“Sir, it’s the plane,” Simon said quickly, his eyes darting between us. He was sweating. The sight of his wet forehead only made me more worried. “It’s having some trouble, and I think we might need to make an emergency landing.”

“An emergency landing?” Riley looked like she was going to cry. I reached out, without thinking, and gripped her hand.

“What’s wrong with the plane?”

“We seem to be leaking gas. We are losing power quickly. Something must have been missed in the pre-flight check,” Simon said, his eyes apologetic. He looked toward the cockpit. “I should help. Please make sure you’d strapped in take up the brace position if needed. I’m so sorry, sir,” he said in the rush.

I shook my head, my mouth dry. “It’s ok, just go, do what you need to do.”

I watched Simon hurry away before turning back to Riley. Long tear tracks were making their way down her cheeks, and she looked absolutely terrified. I stood up, making her yelp with fright.

“Strap in!”

“I am, don’t worry,” I said, crossing to sit beside her, instead of across from her. I sat down and snapped my belt on, and then put my arm around Riley and pulled her into my chest. It had to be testament to how scared she was that she didn’t notice at all that a stranger was holding her. Instead, she gripped my arm and hid her face against my chest. I could feel her chest moving too quickly under my hand. She was hyperventilating.

“You need to calm down, Riley. Emergency landings happen all the time. It will be routine and easy, you’ll see,” I told her, trying to sound more confident that I felt.

“You’re just saying that,” she mumbled against my chest.

“You don’t know that for sure,” I countered, trying to distract her.

“I know that if we die, it’s all your fault,” she muttered.

I rubbed a circle on her back. “Ok, you’re right. I’ll accept that. If you die, it’s my fault.”

“Good. You should feel guilty,” she muttered and raised her face to look at me. Just then the plane dipped and slid sideways as the descent started. It was, frankly, quite terrifying.

“I bet you regret working so much and never traveling now, right?” Riley said.

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