The CEO smirks again, showing off a dimple in his left cheek.
“Not when you fly private,” he says.“Shit happens fast when you own your own plane.”
Sure enough, the captain’s voice comes on announcing our departure, and the G6 begins to taxi on the tarmac.I try to appear normal but there are sparkles in my eyes as jellybeans jump in my tummy.
“Everything okay?”Nick asks, casting me a curious glance.I smile even as my cheeks go rosy.
“It’s just my first flight, that’s all,” I murmur, a little embarrassed that I’ve never been on a plane before.“I’m from a humble background, as you’ve probably already guessed, so I’ve never been in the air before.”
His blue eyes go soft as he takes in my pregnant form.
“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” he hums before taking my small hand in his big one.“Just sit back and enjoy, honey.You’ll love being airborne.”
Unfortunately, his prediction isn’t true because once we begin speeding down the runway, my pulse accelerates.A cold sweat breaks out on my brow as the wheels begin to lift and soon, we’re inclined backwards as Minnesota spirals away below us.My head grows dizzy and my vision goes faint.I concentrate with every cell of my being on surviving even as cold air blasts through the A/C.
“Are you okay?”Nick asks with concern, squeezing my hand.“You need some water.Miriam!”he calls.“Water for Miss Moore!”
“Sir, we’re still lifting off, and I can’t—” her tinny voice says from a jump-seat in the galley, but Nick frowns.
“Get Miss Moore water,” he rasps.“Now!”
Sure enough, the stewardess unbuckles her seatbelt and stumbles to the galley before approaching us with a bottle of mineral water.
“Thank you,” Nick says without even looking at her.Then he turns to me.“Take a sip, sweetheart.You’ll feel better.”
“No, I’m okay,” I say with a faint whisper even though my cheeks are pale and my fingers clutching his own in a death grip.“I’ll just drink my apple juice.”
“No, you need water,” he says.“This shit is ice cold and it’ll help.Take a sip,” he coaxes.I do as he says, and sure enough, the cool liquid feels good sliding down my throat.I close my eyes and inhale deeply, trying to get my mind off the fact that we’re high in the air with absolutely nothing supporting us.We’re not going to crash, I chant internally.We’re not going to go up in a flaming fireball.
Nick can sense the ruinous thoughts in my head and flips up the arm rest dividing us before pulling my curvy form close to his big one.Unconsciously, I melt against his broad form, reassured by the solidity of his body.
“Just try to relax,” he rumbles.“I’m here for you, Ella.There’s no need to panic.I’ve got you.”
His deep voice is a balm to my soul and I try to do as he says.Unfortunately, I’m such a coward that I basically spend the entire flight with my eyes squeezed shut, pressed up against Nick’s bulk.But the CEO doesn’t mind, and merely holds me close, murmuring slightly to the stewardess whenever she comes around.Otherwise, I’m glued to him and I don’t care because this is what I need to survive.It’s embarrassing, but it’s also the only way I have to keep the fear at bay.
Finally, we land at JFK and Nick lets out a chuckle once the plane is on the tarmac once more.Slowly, I open my eyes, glancing out the window to make sure that we’re safe.
“You okay?”he asks, that smirk back in place on his handsome mien.I unstick myself from his side, suddenly very, very embarrassed.My cheeks flame.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter.“I shouldn’t have.I don’t know what got into me.”
“It’s fine,” he says, still smirking a little before squeezing my hand.“In fact, I kind of liked it.”
Electricity flares between us as I glance at him, the air suddenly sparkling with live fire.
“Oh,” I murmur in the lamest reply ever.“Ha ha ha.”
But Nick isn’t done with me yet.“You said you’re from a humble background, and that you’ve never been on a plane as a result.Have you done a lot of land-based traveling then?”
This is where the pedal hits the metal.I could try and gloss over the truth to make things sound better than they are, but I decide to be upfront because sooner or later, Nick’s going to know about my past.
“No, I haven’t traveled much at all,” I say as our plane rolls to a halt.“Basically, my mom was a single mom, but she died when I was a teen, so I went into the State’s care.But Minnesota was good to me,” I say in a neutral tone.“They put a roof over my head, gave me food to eat, and made sure I got an education.The thing is that once you turn eighteen, you age out of the system, and as a result, I got a job as a maid.I worked hard, and was promoted.Then, I moved into private service, which is how I ended up at Lakeview Manor.As you know already, I wasn’t the lady of the house.I was just the housekeeper.”
Nick looks thoughtful, making no motion to unbuckle his seatbelt although the plane’s clearly stopped.
“Yes, your letter explained some of that,” he said.“Your employer gave you some of her designer clothes in lieu of salary, and you were trying them on the day I came by to look at the house.”
My cheeks flame hotly.
