AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nola stared at him, wordless with disbelief, her nails cutting into her hands. ‘Don’t give me that “I don’t fly commercial” rubbish. You knew exactly what you were doing.’
He smiled down at her serenely. ‘Really? You think I’d deliber
ately and selfishly withhold a vital piece of information?’ He shook his head, his eyes glittering. ‘I’m shocked. I mean, who would do something like that?’
She was shaking with anger. ‘This is not the same at all.’
‘No, it’s not,’ he said softly. ‘I stopped you catching a flight, and you tried to stop me finding out I was a father.’
‘But I didn’t do it to hurt you,’ she said shakily. ‘Or to punish you.’
And she hadn’t—only how could she prove that to Ram? How could she explain to him that she had only been trying to prevent her child’s future from inheriting her past? How could she tell him that life had taught her that no father was better than a bad father.
She shivered. It was all such a mess. And she didn’t know what to do to fix it. All she knew was that she wanted to go home. To be anywhere but at this noisy, crowded airport, standing in front of a man who clearly hated her.
Her eyes were stinging and she turned away blindly.
‘Nola. Don’t go.’
Something in his voice stopped her, and slowly, reluctantly, she met his gaze.
He was staring at her impassively, his eyes cool and detached.
‘Look, I don’t think either of us was expecting to have this conversation, and even though I think we both know that we have a lot to talk about we need time and privacy to do it properly. I also know that I need to get home, and you need a plane. So why don’t you borrow mine?’
She looked at him dazedly. ‘Borrow your plane?’
He nodded. ‘I have a private jet. Just sitting there, all ready to go, thirty minutes from here. It’s got a proper bedroom and a bathroom. Two, in fact, so you can get a proper night’s sleep. I guess I am responsible in part for making you miss your flight, so it’s really the least I can do.’
He looked so handsome, so contrite, and clearly he wanted to make amends. Besides, all her other options involved an effort she just couldn’t summon up the energy to make right now.
Biting her lip, she nodded.
* * *
Exactly thirty-three minutes later, Ram’s limo turned into a private airfield.
As the car slid to a halt, Nola glanced over to where Ram sat gazing out of the window in silence. ‘Thank you for letting me use your plane,’ she said carefully.
Turning, he looked over at her, his eyes unreadable in the gloom of the car.
‘My pleasure. I called ahead and told the pilot where to take you, so you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.’
She nodded, her heart contracting guiltily as his words replayed inside her head. He was being so reasonable—kind, even—and like a storm that had blown itself out the tension between them had vanished.
Her pulse was racing. A few hours earlier she’d been desperate to leave the country, to get away from Ram. Only now that it was finally time to go something was holding her back, making her hesitate, just as she had three months ago when she’d crept out of his office in the early hours of the morning. It was the same feeling—a feeling that somehow she was making a mistake.
She held her breath. But staying was not an option. She needed to go home, even if that meant feeling guilty. Only she hadn’t expected to mind so much.
Her heart was bumping inside her chest like a bird trapped in a room and, clearing her throat, she said quickly, ‘I was wrong not to tell you about the baby. I should have done, and I’m sorry. I know we’ve got an awful lot to discuss. But you’re right—we do need time and privacy to talk about it properly, so thank you for being so understanding about me leaving.’
His eyes were light and relaxed, and she felt another pang beneath her heart.
‘I’m glad you agree, and I feel sure we’ll see each other very soon.’
The walk from the car to the plane seemed to last for ever, but finally she was smiling at the young, male flight attendant who had stepped forward to greet her.
‘Good evening, Ms Mason, welcome on board. My name is Tom, and I’ll be looking after you on this flight with my colleagues, James and Megan. If you need anything, please just ask.’
