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“Hello? Can I help you?” The woman asked in a sultry, albeit antagonistic tone.
“I’m—I’m—” Payton’s throat felt drier than the dry Texas air, and she couldn’t find words.
“Did I hear the phone?” It was a man’s voice, somewhere off screen.
Brad’s voice.
“I think someone’s trying to reach you?” The woman on the screen was saying and, as she sat up, it was hard to miss the massive breasts that spilled forward.
Who answers someone’s phone stark naked?
She really didn’t want to see anymore. But at the same time, she needed to see his face. To confirm that this wasn’t some mix-up. Confirm that Brad was the man in the room alone with this naked bimbo.
A hand on her arm tried to pull her attention up but she kept her eyes trained on the screen. Brad’s tousled blond hair and naked upper torso came into focus just as the screen went dark.
He’d disconnected.
“Is something wrong? I’m pretty sure they’re boarding your class.”
What?
She finally looked up from the phone to find Cruz Sorensen staring down at her from his ridiculously towering height, a hint of impatience in his tone. As usual.
Was something wrong? She snorted. Only if you think having your fiancé screw around on you weeks before your nuptials was a problem.
She looked up into those sharp brown eyes, the brows furrowed in what some people who didn’t know him better might call concern.
She bit her bottom lip. No. She would not cry. Not now. She couldn’t. She was a Vaughn, and crying in public places—short of a funeral—just did not happen.
Not to mention that she’d never let this overbearing Neanderthal see her that vulnerable.
She took a step forward, ready to push past the arm that was holding too tight to hers and deliver a sly, breezy comment. Maybe tell him where he could take his fake concern.
Only her foot was falling forward into an abyss and she couldn’t stop from falling into it.
The damn idiot was going to faint. Did people still do that?
Cruz reached out, half catching Payton as she spilled toward the floor. At least she hadn’t totally lost consciousness, only stumbled forward with her eyes half-closed trying to right herself.
He eased her into one of the recently vacated seats and knelt in front of her. Either she was prone to theatrics or she had received a bit of a shock from that phone call.
He’d been watching her for some time, not because she was easily the prettiest woman in the terminal—which she very well knew—but because he’d promised his brother and future sister-in-law that he’d keep an eye on her. See that she reached the hotel safe and sound. Kate had worried that since Payton’s fiancé had bailed, Payton’s usual friendly and exuberant behavior—not quite saying naive—would send some wrong signals and get her in trouble as she traveled in a foreign country alone. Having met the woman on a couple of occasions, he couldn’t say he blamed Kate for her concern.
Delaying his own trip down to Mexico by a day so he could catch the same flight as Payton had actually worked in his favor. With the final terms being settled with Eastman Motors, he’d been loath to leave with the deal not signed. But after yesterday’s discussions, only a signature was keeping the deal from being final. He’d managed to snag one of the last seats on the flight, too, thanks to the frenzy of college kids heading out for spring break.
“Payton? How we doing?” he asked and studied her pale face. Her green eyes, which usually danced with laughter, looked back at him listlessly. “Payton?”
This time the sharpness of his tone seemed to reach her, and her eyes focused on him. Then her face almost turned green as she leaned forward. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
But nothing spewed out at him, which gave him some relief, although her breathing was co
ming fast and shallow.
“Keep your head down, and take long, steady breaths. I’m going to get a wet towel.”
He managed to get to the restroom and back with a paper towel in under three minutes. She was still where he’d left her. He folded the towel and placed it on the back of her neck.
They sat like that for a few more minutes, and he listened as her breathing slowed to a normal pace and her face turned a more natural shade. She sat up abruptly and looked around her. “Where are my bags? My ticket?”
