Page 11 of The Billionaire's Obsession

A surprised laugh left me as I studied her. She was so beautiful, and right now, she was seeing right into my jaded heart.

I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Her stare held mine. “If we’re being overdramatic, and everything is fine, remember this feeling. It’s important.”

I swallowed. I had sat beside her and pulled her into my arms to comfort her, and yet she was the one who was making an impact on me. Maybe she was distracting herself? For whatever reason, for her sudden insight into my life, I knew her words would leave a mark.

“I don’t want to have regrets,” I whispered, a desire sparking too intense to ignore. I was pretty sure everything was going to be fine. We weren’t that high, and the pilot was one of the best. Yet, was there going to be a better chance to justify stealing what I wanted? What I’d wanted since the moment Riley walked into my life, sat opposite me and given me a fake name with a sweet smile.

I leaned in, feeling her surprised exhale against my skin, before my mouth closed on hers.

CHAPTER7

Riley

He was kissing me. We were hurtling through the sky, downwards, instead of upwards, and he was kissing me. Cole Preston was kissing me, probably to distract me, and damn, it was working.

His lip pressed mine apart and his tongue swept inside my mouth, sliding along mine, filling me with slow, wet heat. I shivered, the belt tight on my middle, the only thing holding me back from jumping on him. His hand was firm, cupping my cheek, giving me no way to turn my head, and I liked it. I liked the way he took charge and gave me no choice right now but to focus on him. No regrets. I might regret freaking out and losing my mind with fear if we were going to be absolutely fine, but I wouldn’t regret kissing him.

He shifted his lips against mine, pressing closer, until both our belts stopped us. The turbulence continued to shake the small plane, and I held onto Cole’s arms desperately, afraid and panicked, kissing him back with an intensity born of knowing that this right here could be my last moment. Did I want to spend it crying, staring ahead at oncoming doom? No, I wanted to lose myself in this man’s touch. Everything went into that kiss. All the hope and dreams for the life I didn’t get to live. All the desire I’d pent up and never released, too exhausted and jaded from my side hustle as a fake girlfriend to want to date for me.

I pulled Cole’s lip between mine, sucking on it gently, and he let out a groan, smoothing a broad thumb across the apple of my cheek.

“God Riley, you really are something else,” he muttered, pulling back enough to look at me like I was something he’d never encountered before. Someone rare and precious. Someone important. I drank that look down, starved for it, just before a voice came over the speaker system.

“Assume brace position. Brace! Brace!”

The pilot’s voice filled the cabin, and I got a glimpse of verdant green trees through the windows, no longer far below us, only meters away and rushing toward us quickly.

I met Cole’s eyes, and he saw all of me at that moment. My fears and regrets, my anguish over the life I never got to live, and then his hand was pushing my head down between my knees. My arms came up to cover myself, and I barely had time to grit my teeth before we hit the first tree.

* * *

Fear or a bangto the head must have knocked me out, because I didn’t remember the actual impact. I’ll never stop being grateful for that. Instead, with my mind filled with Cole’s kiss, I fell into darkness.

When I came to, it was to the feeling of firm hands on my face, straightening my head.

“Riley, can you hear me?” Cole’s voice warmed me, comforting me immediately. I opened my eyes and coughed. Dust motes swirled in the air and the light in the cabin was dim. Cole was right in front of me, his seatbelt off, crouching on the ground. I lifted my neck and looked into his eyes. He had a long scratch on one cheek, and looked more disheveled than I’d ever seen him, but otherwise looked ok.

“Did we die?”

“Not yet,” he said, flashing a quicksilver grin. “But the day is young.”

“Trust you to be joking around when this is all your fault,” I grumbled, stretching my body lightly, relieved to find I wasn’t badly hurt in any one place.

“Accidents happen, sweetheart. I’m just glad you’re alright. I’m going to check on the pilot and crew. They’re awfully quiet up there. Can you wait here for me?”

I nodded, reaching for the bottle of water that was rolling around my feet. Cole straightened. He’d taken off his leather jacket during the flight, and his polo shirt stretched dangerously around his biceps. What kind of billionaire had those kinds of biceps?

I took my seatbelt off and stood shakily. Peering outside the windows, I saw trees and gravel and not much else.

Holding onto the backs of seats, I made my way up the plane, toward the cockpit. Cooler air whistled against my face as I got closer. As I got nearer, I saw why. A tree had pushed its branches through the glass at the front of the plane. My gasp drew Cole’s attention, and he turned to me.

“Don’t look, sweetheart, if you’re not good with blood,” he said grimly.

“Blood?” I peered around him, and was shocked to see that the branch had come right into the cockpit and stuck itself in the pilot’s shoulder, pinning him to the seat. I covered my mouth, shock and worry filling me.

“It’s ok, Riley, he’s ok, he just needs help. Our location should be reported. Help will come,” Cole said.

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