She stiffens at the touch, then again as I lift her from the seat to transfer her into my lap. She’s so tiny, it takes far less effort than I expect.
Loose ringlets from her dark hair tickle my chin as I position her within my arms. She smells like night blossoms unfurling under moonlight. Secretive, seductive. The press of her weight on my thighs stirs a desire that’s been lacking since the moment of my arrest.
I close my eyes, content to rest and enjoy the sensations while her gaze fixes on the dark view. Her heart pounds hard enough for me to feel it shuddering through her body, but as I hold her, it slows to a normal rhythm.
“Oh, that’s Kaiapoi,” she says, leaning until her nose almost touches the thick Perspex.
She reels off the towns and cities as they pass underneath us, the small clutches of lights the only hint of their existence. As we get closer to our destination, she pats my chest in excitement. I open my eyes again, content to watch her face, enjoying it more than any view.
If she gets this much out of a night flight, a day one’s going to blow her mind.
When the pilot pops through to the cabin to say we’re coming in to land, I help her back into her seat and watch as she fastens her belt.
“What else do you own?” she asks, sounding curious for the first time. “A ship? A submarine?”
“I have a launch.” My teeth grind together at the thought of it. “But I don’t like the ocean much.”
“Then why do you have a boat?”
I shrug. “Sometimes I need to impress people who do like it.”
“Is that a big part of your job?”
“No, but the people I need to impress, I need to impress a lot.”
She laughs and a strange pull hits low in my belly at the shape of her throat as she tilts her head back.
If I were keeping her, I’d need to buy something to put over that gorgeous milky skin. A necklace, a collar, a warning label, to show everybody who might want to touch her she’s mine.
Crimson shrieks as the landing gear touches down, then giggles as her cheeks fill again with colour. I’ve never seen anyone so expressive. It’s like her entire body is a palette to let me know what she’s thinking, what she’s feeling.
I can imagine showing her around my city. Taking her to out of the way places or enormous tourist traps and living the experience again for the first time, through her eyes.
Then I disconnect. Partition my thoughts off from my emotions.
This isn’t a date. She isn’t my girlfriend. And this certainly isn’t a prelude to our marriage.
Crimson is here for one purpose. To fulfil my revenge.
By midnight, she’ll be back on this plane, flying home, job sorted.
CHAPTERFIVE
CRIMSON
As we step down from the plane, Micah takes my hand to make sure I make it safely down to level ground. He’s considerate, strong, handsome, rich. The list can only expand from there. He should be everything a girl wants in her husband.
Marigold sold out in less than a second based on nothing more than his curls and the mischievous depths of his eyes.
I should be happy. Instead, my eyes are scanning near and far, searching for a means of escape.
But… escape to where? My best friend is down in Christchurch and her family would never let me stay without my father’s explicit permission. They rely on syndicate business to keep their restaurant in operation. Storing me in their guest bedroom against his wishes would be unthinkable.
My second-best friend in the world is Gabriel. Given his first response tonight was to run away, striding from the room, I can’t imagine going from that to depending on him.
Besides, Micah is his family. That would be the worst hiding place in the world.
I have nowhere to go. Everyone in my world would just push us back together. This is how it’s meant to be. This is how it’s done.
