“Is that so?” There’s an air of contention in his voice—he’s tapping into his lawyer persona. I’ve seen it in action, but what I’ve never seen is the glimmer of debauchery he isn’t bothering to hide, as though if I let him, he’d strip me bare right here and now.
I’m at a loss for words as his magnetism surrounds me. He leans closer, making it hard to breathe, the space between us shrinking until he's so close his nose practically touches mine.
There’s a split second where I think he’s going to kiss me—the same feeling I had when we were in his office the other day—but it’s gone a moment later when he uses the distraction to his advantage and pulls my phone out of my hand.
I don’t even fight him on it. Whenever he’s in my personal bubble, every ounce of feminism melts to the floor, leaving a starry-eyed teenage girl in its wake.
He turns the phone toward me so it will unlock with facial recognition, then after a few swipes of his fingers over the screen, I hear thewhooshof an email sending.
“What did you just do?”
He doesn't have to answer. I know he sent himself the flight itinerary.
Luciano smirks and places my phone back in my hand. “See you tomorrow, Raina.”
Then he leaves, and I’m wondering why the fuck he’s so hell-bent on helping me.
CHAPTER TEN
Nursing an ice water, I watch from the darkened corner of the airport’s VIP lounge as Raina carries her oversized Louis Vuitton travel bag over to an empty couch. It’s early morning—not even dawn—and this part of the airport is a ghost town. Raina hasn’t seen me yet, and I hope to keep it that way. Let her squirm a little. Make her think I’ve changed my mind.
In all actuality, I’m dead tired after spending the vast majority of the night digging up everything I could on Javier Moreno and his family. Mostly, I came up empty-handed, but at least I feel more equipped going into this long weekend.
Also weighing me down mentally is the Henry Winston engagement ring inside the zippered compartment of my carry-on.
A real ring for a fake engagement. The irony isn’t lost on me.
An announcement comes over the speaker relaying our flight is ready to board, and I glance at my watch, seeing that we’re right on time. Raina stands immediately and hauls her bag over her shoulder. Staring down at her phone, her fingers dance across the screen as she walks to the gate.
Seconds later, mine vibrates.
Royal Pain
The plane is boarding.
I don’t give her the satisfaction of a response and, in fact, I wait until the final boarding call before I meander to the gate, flashing the attendant the boarding pass on the screen of my phone.
“Enjoy your flight, sir,” she says coyly, her cheeks heating in a blush as though she’d just whispered dirty things in my ear instead of offering well wishes for a seven-hour flight.
Inwardly, I groan as I remind myself how long I’ll be stuck on this flight for.
At least the bastard had the good sense to spring for first class. I would have upgraded us had he not.
I take my time walking onto the plane, and when I finally settle in the seat next to Raina, I paste a smile on my face and get into character. “Darling.” Leaning over, I press a kiss to her cheek.
All my blood rushes south.
“I was hoping you changed your mind, or maybe had explosive diarrhea or something.” Raina groans as she places a neck pillow around her and pulls earbuds from her purse. “There’s still time for you to deboard.”
My voice is flat when I settle into my seat and answer, “And miss this exciting time with you?”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” She tosses a glare in my direction before rummaging in her black hole of a bag for something.
“Then think of me more as a bodyguard. Maybe with me following you around, you won’t end up drunk and married to anyone else.”
“You're an asshole.”
“I never claimed to not be.”
