He groaned and threaded his fingers through her hair, crushing the curls and dragging her closer.“Don’t make light of fate, Casey Dee.Sometimes when you’re not looking, it’ll kick you right in the teeth.”
The first thought in Casey’s mind was that he wasn’t kidding.Even more, he seemed panicked about the upcoming flight.
“I’ll be fine,” she said.“This happens to me all the time.Year before last, Delaney and I logged over seven thousand miles in the air.Of course we were in Europe three times, but that was an unusual year.”
God, keep her safe, Ryder thought, then he lowered his mouth and drew her close.Casey closed her eyes, yielding.bending to his will and embrace, swept away by the unexpected demands of a kiss that left her breathless and more than a little bit stunned.
When he whispered against her cheek, she opened her eyes.His panic had become contagious.
“I want you back in one piece.”
She shivered.She’d never seen him like this.It was almost as if he were in some kind of pain.
“I’ll certainly do my best,” she said, trying to lighten the moment.She grabbed at the undone buttons on his shirt and started buttoning them up.“I’m sorry to repeat myself, but we’ve got to hurry.”
He tucked in his shirt and picked up her bags.His heart was pounding.
“Go get in the car,” he grumbled.“I’ll make sure you catch that damned plane.But when you get back, we need to talk.”
Casey looked startled.An ultimatum?
She got in the car, watching as he dumped her bags in the trunk and then slid behind the wheel.Something was wrong, terribly wrong.If only they had time to talk now.She looked at her watch.They would be lucky if they made the plane, never mind finishing a conversation.
He only glanced at her once.“Buckle up.”
She’d ridden with him too many times before to doubt the necessity of doing as he’d asked.She did as she was told.
* * *
Casey was the last passenger to get on.She stood in the boarding area with her ticket in hand, waiting for the attendant to give her a boarding pass.Ryder stood beside her, pale-faced and stoic, yet his eyes never left her face.She reached out and touched his hand, wishing their circumstances were different, wishing she could throw herself in his arms and tell him he meant more to her than she could say.
“I’ll call as soon as we land and let you know where I’ll be staying.”
Ryder nodded, trying to maintain his equilibrium, but he felt sick.The high-pitched whine of the jet’s engines vibrated the windows overlooking the runway.In seconds, Casey was going to be up in that sky, and he knew only too well it was a hell of a long way down.He wanted to grab her and shake her until she listened to sense.Ruban Enterprises didn’t need another Fortune 500 business.It was already a gargantuan conglomerate of its own accord.Why acquire more?
But he couldn’t find a way to say what was in his heart.He couldn’t say, I’m afraid I’ll lose you like I lost my father.He couldn’t say, I’m afraid I’ll lose you before we ever make love.He couldn’t say, I love you—because that wasn’t part of the deal.
And then waiting was no longer an option.
“Take care!”Casey shouted, and started running down the gate toward the plane.
Ryder took several steps forward when the attendant grabbed his arm.“Sorry, sir, this is as far as you can go.”
He groaned.God help him, but he’d missed his chance.Just when he’d found a way to say the words without coming apart, she was gone.
He went to the observation deck, watching as the big silver plane started backing out of its slot.His fingers knotted around the rail as it rolled onto the runway.And when liftoff came, sweat was running down the middle of his back and he was praying with every breath.When the plane was no longer in sight, Ryder leaned his forehead against the vast expanse of glass, unaware of the heat against his brow.He closed his eyes, trying to picture her face.
“I love you, Casey.”But when all was said and done, he was a case of too little, too late.
* * *
It was almost sundown when Ryder walked into the apartment.His heart sank as a red blinking light winked at him from across the room.He tossed the car keys on the kitchen counter and pressed the button, waiting for the sound of Casey’s voice.
“Hi, there.Sorry I missed you.I’m staying at the Ritz Carlton.Here is the number.”Ryder jotted it down as she spoke, then settled back to listen to the rest of the message.“The flight was fine, just a little bumpy.I’ll be in meetings all day tomorrow, but I’ll try to call you tomorrow night Take care.”She paused, and Ryder would have sworn he heard her take a deep breath.“Well…anyway…I’ll miss you.”
The machine beeped.The message was over.Casey was gone.He played it over once more just to listen to the sound of her voice, and wished to hell that Dora hadn’t broken a nail.She’d had a fit the size of Dallas and nothing had satisfied her but to make an emergency run to her manicurist to get it fixed.He’d missed Casey’s call because of a broken nail.
The house phone rang.“Now what?”he muttered, and shoved himself out of the chair.Tilly was on the line.
