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Aaron, the blonde-haired, fresh-faced cutie, pushes past Harrison and smiles brightly at me. “Zoey, finally, I get to meet the most gorgeous Bancroft,” he winks, charm oozing from him as he takes my hand and kisses it like we’re in an episode of Downton Abbey. “Pleasure is all mine.” Heat rushes to my cheeks.God, why do my brothers have so many hot friends? And why are they all in front of me right now, witnessing me blush?
“Don’t kiss my sister, dude. I don’t know where your lips have been.” Max swats at Aaron as he releases my hand.
“Thinking about my lips, Max? ‘Cause you know I’m all about the free love.” He says, walking away before he plonks himself into a seat behind me, and I can’t help but smile. I like him already. Nate walks past too, with an awkward wave that I return as he scurries to the seats near Aaron and Max.
Harrison turns to Owen, who stands, and they hug and chat. With his back to me, it gives me more opportunity to ogle him. He must be around six-foot-three, measuring him against Owen. He’s not dressed like my brothers, his causal jeans and t-shirt leaving little to the imagination. Those broad shoulders, I noticed first, fill the sleeves of his shirt, showing off some seriously sexy forearm porn. Longer hair on guys usually puts me off, but this man owns it, and it’s not too long, just enough to make him a little dishevelled. His matching dark beard makes him look like some sort of rugged mountain man who uses an axe to cut wood on the daily...oof, that image.
He’s fun to look at but he's my brothers’ friend, so looking is all I’ll be allowed to do. No fun in the mountains with this man. Or the desert, since that’s where we’re going.
Just as I’m mid-way through my assessment of him, he turns, his eyes landing directly on me. I still can’t believe I didn’t realise he was Harrison Clarke. I’m such a basket case,
My cheeks burn hot once more as I stand up, extending my hand finally to shake his whilst he removes his sunglasses from the top of his head, and it all happens in slow motion. I don’t miss the curve of his lips when he sees me swallow hard.
Lord, save me.
He extends his hand to me, slutty forearms and all. “Look at you,” he purrs in this perfectly deep and raspy voice that could easily lull me into an orgasm. “All grown up.”
He holds my hand longer than necessary, his thumb ghosting lightly over the back of my knuckles. Images of him griping my throat with that hand invade my brain like a tsunami, and I find myself clearing my incredibly needy oesophagus.
“So have you,” I croak.
Max suddenly barrels into the side of Harrison, almost knocking us both over before getting him into a headlock. “Come on, H. Need to get some booze in you.” And then Harrison is dragged behind me towards Aaron and Nate, who already have a drink in hand. Which, I decide, is probably for the best.
I sit back in my seat opposite Owen, rubbing my hand that still tingles from his touch and taking a deep breath. Owen taps my foot with his, jolting me back to the real world. “You okay over there with your heart eyes?”
I scoff. “I do not have heart eyes.”I definitely have heart eyes.
“Huh,” he huffs, going back to pretending to read his book. “Could’ve sworn I read those signals differently. You were practically drooling on the leather.”
I laugh a little too unconvincingly, twisting in my seat, feeling uncomfortable with his assessment. Owen or Max thinking I have a crush on their friend would end with someone getting a bloody nose, I’m sure. “And that, big brother, is why you are perpetually single. You’d never know when a girl is hitting on you, unless she asked you out with ‘E=mc squared’.”
Owen stiffens slightly, something passing over his face, but it’s gone just as fast as he tips his head to me and smirks, rubbing his chin. “Like you know what that means, wait… Are you a secret brain, Zo?”
“I’ll never tell.”
Owen looks over to Harrison and the others. “I’m glad he came, actually. Wasn’t sure he would have.”
“Why? Worried he finally came to his senses about being friends with you two losers?”
He narrows his eyes mockingly. “No, smartass. His ex has been causing a few problems lately, so we weren’t sure he’d want to up and leave while she’s up to her shit.”
I glance toward the man currently pinning Max to the short alley of the plane as he tries to tap out from under him. Harrison’s laugh carries as he shoves Max’s shoulder and runs his thick fingers through his hair. But when I really look at him, dark circles line his tired eyes. Maybe I’m not the only one who needed this trip.
“Excusing me, gentlemen, the pilot is ready for take-off.”
Chapter 3
Harrison
Ifinallysitacrossfrom Max and place my headphones in to listen to the latest episode of my favourite podcast.
My head falls back onto the soft leather pillow behind me, and I close my eyes. Fuck, I’m tired. I’ve been working for the last month straight; this new bug in our app system just won’t fucking die, and it’s kept me awake for days on end. That and the utter shit show that is my private life has made sleep feel impossible. Vanessa, my vindictive ex, calling me at all hours of the day, turning up to my flat, my fucking office, acting all sweet and innocent one minute, then like the spawn of Satan the next. I can’t even begin to calculate how much damage she’s cost. My poor Aston Martin has had more keys scored across the beautiful black paint than I’ve had cooked dinners.
But no more. Enough is enough. And that is exactly why I’m here on this trip. No work. No drama. No Vanessa. When Owen called me inviting me to celebrate his and his brother’s birthday, I jumped at the chance.
Aaron catches my eye and taps his ears to tell me to take the AirPods out.
“So, what’s the latest with she who will not be named?” Aaron asks from the other side of the aisle.
