The loud exclamation makes my eyes pop open. I unbuckle my seatbelt and move into the aisle within the next few seconds. Jenny’s face is contorted in anger as Olive apologizes repeatedly. She’s patting the table with a towel while Jenny does the same on her lap.
“You need to learn how to show up to work and to not be so fucking clumsy.”
“I’m so sorry, Miss Bell.” The emotion in Olive’s voice breaks my heart. I shouldn’t get involved, but I can’t stop myself from walking over.
Jenny continues to berate Olive, and I place my hand on Olive’s lower back as I approach. Her muscles tense under my palm.
“It was an accident, Miss Bell.” I smile as Olive shifts closer to me, my thumb rubbing circles on her back.
“I’m soaked now! I don’t care that it was an accident, Nate.” Jenny glares at me and throws the towel on the table before stomping off to the small bedroom at the back of the plane.
My hand slides around Olive’s waist as she turns toward me. Reluctantly, I drop my touch, not wanting to draw too much attention to us.
“You okay?” I ask quietly.
Olive nods. Her face tells me otherwise, but I don’t push her. I squeeze her hand before returning to my seat.
“What the hell is going on back there?” Ian asks sleepily.
“Sorry to disturb you, Sleeping Beauty.” Clearing mythroat in frustration, I check the time to see how long we have until we land in Boston. Forty-five minutes to go.
As soon as Ian is back to sleep and Olive is in the galley at the front of the plane, I retrieve my bag. From it, I remove a few items, one of which is my business card. Storing my bag again, I find the source of my growing obsession.
Olive smiles slowly as I approach her, but her tone is weary. I can tell she wants to be off this flight. “Nate, do you need something?”
I love the way my name sounds on her lips, and my gaze locks on her mouth for a breath. I mentally shake myself, trying to stay focused on what I came up here for. “I have something for you.”
Confusion takes over her face. “You do?”
I nod as I hand her my business card. “This has my cell phone number on it. Please use it.”
She takes it from my hand hesitantly. Staring at the small card for a few beats, she gives me a shy smile as she slides it into her pocket, and I hold out the bag.
“And I have this for you.”
Electric desire shoots up my arm as her fingers brush mine when she takes the bag. “What is this?”
As she looks up at me, I smile. “You missed the candy in Cincinnati.”
She rolls her lips over her teeth as she looks down at the treats. When I found out she left, I researched Cincinnati’s most popular local candy shop. During some downtime, I went and bought her one of each of their most popular candies.
Her silence makes me doubt myself until her gaze finds mine again. Her eyes are glassy, and her voice has a tremor as she whispers, “Thank you.”
I look around to ensure no one is paying attention to us,even though we’re partially hidden in the galley. Taking a small step closer, I gently push her hair behind her ear and search her face. “You’re welcome.”
As I brush a tear from her cheek with my thumb, movement from down the aisle catches my eye. I step back, and with one last glance at her beautiful face, I pivot and walk away. A calmness I haven’t felt in days settles around me as I take my seat this time.
Crossingthe tarmac to the waiting SUVs, I’m pleased that Olive and Cade can come with us to the hotel instead of staying behind and getting brought to the hotel at a later time. Even if I can’t talk to or touch her how I want to, I’m glad I can have her close until she’s safely at the hotel. I glance over my shoulder to where she walks next to Cade, a few feet behind the larger group. When I catch her eye, she gives me a small smile. I throw her a wink and have to clear my throat of the laugh that threatens to escape at the deep blush that covers her cheeks and the wide grin that overtakes Cade’s face, having seen what I did.
I face forward and continue to the vehicles until a commotion behind us has me whipping back around. Terror rips my chest in two when I watch a man sprinting across the tarmac straight toward us, directly at the two people at the back of the group. Airport security is running behind him, but they’re so far away there’s no way they can help.
Looking over my shoulder at Ian, he shouts that he has Jenny. With that settled, I make my move as the man flies past Olive and Cade. I get one glimpse of Olive’s alarmed features, and my own fear for her safety turns to fury thatshe is even in a place that could put her in danger, even if she’s not the intended target.
The man is about four inches shorter than me, and I have about thirty pounds of muscle on him, which makes tagging him around the throat and tossing him down to the ground an easy feat. A startled yelp sounds from somewhere near me as I flip the man onto his stomach and place a knee on his back to hold him in place.
He starts to fight against my hold, which annoys me more than anything. “Will you just be still, you fucking idiot?” I grunt.
“No! I just want a hug!” he shrieks, his face buried in the asphalt.
