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‘When I use this for business,’ Javier murmured, ‘I have crew on board to make sure food and drink is served, but I thought, as it was just the two of us, I’d do away with the pomp and ceremony. After you.’

‘You’re not going to be flying this thing yourself, are you?’ she suddenly asked, one foot on the bottom rung of the short staircase.

‘I’m a man of many talents…’ he replied, ‘…but flying a plane isn’t one of them. The pilot and co-pilot are already inside, waiting for us. They know where we’re going.’

Hope walked into the cabin of the jet, which smelled of leather. The upholstery was cream, the wood a gleaming walnut and the lighting was softly mellow and recessed.

He said he’d done away with the staff, but there was still an attractive attendant on board waiting with champagne or if not champagne, then whatever drink was preferred, be it hot or cold.

She vaguely asked for some coffee and made an effort to stop staring.

* * *

Javier strolled to one of the deep leather chairs and sat, briefly checking his phone, waiting for her to join him. He patted the luxurious seat next to him.

‘I thought you might enjoy the window seat.’

‘I hope you know…’ she said, feeling duty bound to disapprove for some reason, ‘…that I don’t see the point of private jets.’

‘You would if time happened to be of the essence. Very useful then.’

Coffee was brought and placed in front of her.

They sat next to one another in a pair of chairs with a table separating them from two empty seats opposite.

Behind them was a dining area and a small sitting area. It was more a small, airborne apartment than a plane.

‘We haven’t had time to talk about what happens if and when you finally meet your brother,’ she said quietly. ‘Everything’s happened very quickly, but…’

Javier shifted so that he was looking at her.

Her cheeks were pink, her mouth slightly parted and the tumble of auburn hair was rebelling against the clips struggling to keep it under control.

For some weird reason, he’d got a kick out of watching the way she’d gaped when she’d seen his jet.

The women he dated tended to be socialites. They came from wealthy backgrounds and even if his vast wealth surpassed theirs, they were all, to a fault, far too well-bred to be openly impressed by anything he had to put on the table.

They might fall over themselves to gain entry into his exclusive world, because it was usually out of reach for most of them, but they always knew how to school their reactions and how to show casual indifference to the places he took them or the people he introduced them to.

Hope didn’t belong in that category.

It tickled him pink that not only was she openly impressed by the jet but she absolutely hated that she was.

And, in turn, that reaction had made him want to find out more about her, which had absolutely not been on the cards because it was barely relevant to the reason they were here together.

‘So let me hear your thoughts.’

It took effort for him to pick up the conversation because his mind was stubbornly continuing to play with the temptation to deviate from the script.

* * *

Hope looked at him thoughtfully.

‘Shall I help you out here?’ Javier said.

‘Help me out how? You don’t know what I’m going to say.’

‘I know my brother has painted a pretty unflattering picture of me.’