Page 78 of Pretend To Be Mine

So I closed my eyes again, pretending to fall back asleep.

I stayed there, savoring every second, knowing that moments like this were numbered.

25

ADRIAN

Seven hours on a plane, even a private one, should have felt tedious, restrictive. It should have felt endless. Instead, it passed in what felt like minutes.

Elizabeth had fallen asleep with her head in my lap sometime after dinner, and I’d spent the entire flight working on my laptop one-handed because moving the other hand—the one resting in her hair—felt impossible.

I told myself I was just being considerate. She needed rest and waking her would be rude. But the truth was simpler and more complicated: I didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to disturb this moment of peace. I liked that Elizabeth trusted me enough to be vulnerable in sleep.

My hand had stayed in her hair, fingers occasionally moving through the silky strands, and I’d felt something unfamiliar settle in my chest. Something warm and terrifying and absolutely not part of our business arrangement.

Contentment, maybe. Or something deeper.

The plane began its descent into London. If there was a way to tell the pilot to keep flying, I would have done it. But that wasn’t an option. I had to wake her.

“Elizabeth,” I said softly, my hand moving to her shoulder. “We’re landing.”

She stirred, blinking up at me with sleepy confusion that was unbearably cute. “Already?”

“Already.” I helped her sit up as the pilot requested us to buckle up. “You slept the whole way.”

“I’m sorry. You could have moved me.”

“I didn’t want to.” The words came out before I could stop them.

She offered a small smile and smoothed her hair down. “Did you work the whole time?”

I nodded.

She sighed. “Adrian, you should have tried to sleep. It’s what time? I’m so confused. Did you basically stay up all night?”

“No.”

“It’s too much math. What time is it?”

I looked at my watch that I had already set to London time. “Almost seven.”

“You did stay up all night!”

“Technically, it’s still night back home,” I countered.

She laughed and shook her head.

We deplaned into gray morning light. Typical London weather, overcast but not raining. Yet. Despite getting only a few hours of sleep during the flight, she looked refreshed and excited.

“I can’t believe I’m in London,” she said, eyes wide as she took in the private terminal. “I’ve never been out of the country before.”

Her enthusiasm was infectious. I’d been to London more times than I could count. It was just another city to me, another stop on the endless circuit of fashion weeks and industry events.

But watching Elizabeth experience it for the first time made it feel new again.

“We don’t have much time for sightseeing,” I warned as we walked toward the exit where our car waited. “The show’s tonight, and Sebastian will need help with final prep.”

“That’s okay. Just being here is an adventure.” She looped her arm through mine as we walked, the gesture so natural she probably didn’t even think about it.