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"I appreciate the optimistic sentiment, but you're giving me more credit than I deserve."
"I highly doubt it." I set down my glass and turned in my seat so I could face him more directly. "You know, when Lila and I first had the idea for ConnectHer, we actually pitched it to Don. We thought it could be an addition to Love Linked. Anyway, we were nervous out of our minds to put ourselves out there like that. We spent all week practicing our pitch. When we finally showed it to him, he all but laughed in our faces and told us it was a terrible idea."
Nathan shook his head. "Don is an ass.”
I snorted. "That's the understatement of the century. But my point is, we didn't let that stop us. Your success speaks for itself. Maybe when you were young and starting out they had reason to doubt you. But I promise—no one is doubting you anymore. You're the authority figure in that room, not them."
He scowled. "The paperwork says otherwise."
I waved my hand. "Fuck the paperwork. You built this company, not them. They'd be screwed without you."
"You seem to have a lot of faith in me," he said with a gruff voice.
I think I’ve had a little too much champagne. My mind raced for something else to say, but my words caught in my throat. His expression had changed. Maybe it was my overactive imagination, but his eyes had a hungry look about them—like he wanted to devour me right then and there. I couldn't help but picture Nathan in this very chair, leaning over to capture my mouth with his.
Turbulence rocked the plane, causing me to spin around in my seat. A wave of nausea rose through me as I gripped the armrest for stability.
"I think the champagne isn't sitting well with me,” I muttered.
"Or flying makes you more uneasy than you let on." Concern laced his voice.
The only thing making me uneasy was how little control I felt sitting this closely to Nathan.
After a moment he sighed. "It’s not a long flight. You should sit back and close your eyes. We both know this information back to front."
I nodded and sank back into my seat. Closing my eyes, I pretended to drift off. In reality, sleep was impossible when I could feel the warmth of Nathan’s body only inches away from mine.
Chapter Nineteen
NATHAN
"You were incredible in there,"I said. Charlie beamed up at me as we walked through the doors to the conference room. "The way you handled all of their trivial questions in a way that was informative, yet still charming? It was impressive."
"Stop." She pretended to wave away my praise. "You're going to make me blush."
"I'm serious," I continued, my brain still buzzing from how well that meeting went. "I couldn't have done this without you."
She side-eyed me and smirked. "I highly doubt that, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same."
I took a deep breath and tried to contain my exhilaration. Riding a high after a meeting with the board was a first for me. In the few meetings I had attended, Ben had to drag me in there practically kicking and screaming. In the last one, I sulked in a corner until it was my turn to present the new updates. Ben had informed me I was about as charming as a teenager forced to attend a family dinner.
This time was completely different. After every fact I laid out, a board member asked some asinine question, which Charlie handled effortlessly. She’d explain it succinctly and with a smilebefore indicating that I would continue. We got into such a flow that by the end I almost forgot how much I hated presenting.
“Well, thank god you were here,” I said, meaning every word. “I’ll definitely be dragging you along if I ever have to do that again.”
She laughed, and the soft sound made me want to take a step closer to her. I hadn’t missed our moment of tension on the plane ride here. The way she had leaned into me as I forced every muscle in my body to remain still and not meet her halfway. The desire to kiss her was ever-present. The more time we spent alone together, I feared it would become inevitable.
Still, as we exited the building and she turned to me, instead of suggesting we called it a night I did the complete opposite.
“Dinner?” I asked.
“Oh,” she said, turning to me. A blush crept across her cheeks, and I wondered if I had misread the moment. But she finally put me out of my misery and said, “Sure, why not?”
“Come on.” I cocked my head to the left. “I know a spot.”
“Nathan,it’s so good to see you.” The owner, Ralph, stepped over to the host stand when he spotted me. “I heard you moved to Denver.”
“For work,” I confirmed. “We’re in town for a quick meeting.”
