Chapter 28 #3
“Your family is in pharmaceuticals, right?”
“Right.” Noah’s expression had become more reserved, and it made me wonder how he felt about it all.
“Cress mentioned that you’d be taking over one day.”
“That’s the plan.” His voice lacked any emotion, and he became fixated on the window. I could tell he didn’t like talking about his family business, and I wished I’d never brought it up.
“Sorry, I understand if you don’t want to talk about this with me.” I didn’t want to start our date in a negative way, and my curiosity wasn’t worth upsetting him.
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it with you,” he said, glancing back at me. “It’s that I don’t really like talking about it at all.”
“That’s okay. We can talk about something else.”
“It’s fine,” he continued. “It’s just that things with the business recently have been …
complicated. A lot has happened that’s putting added pressure on my grandfather, and he ends up passing it on to me.
I always knew there was the possibility I would step up to run the business when my grandfather retired, but recently, it’s like I don’t have a choice. ”
“Is there something else you’d rather do?”
His eyes swirled with a mixture of emotions. “I’m not sure. I just don’t like the idea of my future being decided by someone else.”
“Have you told anyone this?”
“I told my dad before he …” Noah paused. “Well, there’s only one person that matters these days and my grandfather wouldn’t understand. He’s all I’ve got now. I can’t disappoint him.”
“He’s family. I’m sure he would listen.”
“Not my grandfather.” Noah let out a dry laugh. “I’ve learned by now that you don’t tell William Hastings anything he doesn’t want to hear, especially if it affects the company. He doesn’t see a difference between himself and the business, and he expects a similar commitment from me.”
“That seems a little extreme.”
“That’s my grandfather.” Noah shrugged before he shook his head, and his expression lightened a little. “Sorry, that got deep real quick. I promise the rest of our date won’t be so intense.”
“I don’t mind intense.”
He smiled. “No, but I think I should at least wait until date number two or three before I unload all my baggage on you.”
“Oh, so there’s going to be another date, is there?”
“I hope so.”
My stomach fluttered in anticipation. I already liked the idea of another date with Noah.
And it wasn’t the fact he’d organized a private jet for us that had me wanting more alone time with him.
There was so much more to Noah than met the eye, and I felt like I could spend a lifetime unraveling the person he was when he wasn’t wearing his cloak of indifference.
The plane jolted as it started to move forward, and I reached out and grasped Noah’s hand tightly. A flash of embarrassment shuddered through me, but Noah gave my hand a squeeze in return. “You ready to fly?”
“Uh-huh.” I wished I sounded slightly more confident.
It was difficult to combat the nerves bubbling in my chest. My feet had always stayed firmly on the ground, so I had no idea what to expect.
Noah kept hold of my hand as the plane started to accelerate.
It was probably sweaty and gross because my nerves were getting the better of me, but I couldn’t bring myself to let go.
I felt like I was being pushed back in my seat as the plane gained momentum, and when it lifted off the tarmac, my stomach seemed to drop back down to the ground.
Vibrations shook the plane as we climbed higher, and the engines roared as they powered us upward.
The takeoff was much less smooth than I had imagined it would be, and I gripped Noah’s hand tighter and tighter.
“It’s okay,” he whispered in my ear. “I’ve got you.”
I was staring straight ahead of me, but I slowly turned to him. Noah was smiling sweetly, and when my gaze met his, I felt the nerves drift away. As if by magic, the noise churning around us seemed to quiet, and I felt a wave of calm come over me.
“Take a look.” Noah nodded to the window. “The view is worth the take off.”
I leaned over to look out the window and watched as trees and fields and towns drifted below us.
I became more excited and less uncertain the longer we were in the air, especially once big fluffy clouds began to move past the window.
I’d always figured it would freak me out to look down on the world so far beneath me, but the whole concept was a little surreal.
I especially loved when we broke out above the clouds and they formed a blanket below us.
It was like getting a little glimpse of heaven.
“It’s kind of magical up here,” I said.
“Yeah, it is.”
I turned and found Noah was watching me rather than the world below. It was all too easy to get lost in Noah’s eyes, but as I stared at him, I realized I was still holding his hand, and I quickly let go.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “I forgot I was still holding on for dear life.” I’d been squeezing his hand so tightly I really hoped I hadn’t hurt him.
“You’ve got a pretty firm grip,” he said, giving his hand a shake.
“You should have said something!”
“Well, I didn’t want you to let go.” He reached out and linked his fingers between mine once more. “I liked it.”
I liked it too. It was crazy how something as simple as the feel of his skin against mine set my heart fluttering or how the way he lightly brushed his thumb over the back of my hand sent tingles all through my body.
I’d thought the view outside was impressive, but in truth, we could have been anywhere right now, and it would have felt just as magical.
“So, are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“You won’t even give me a small clue?”
“Not even a hint. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“I told you I don’t like surprises …”
“Trust me, you’ll like this one.”
The smile he gave me was so open and genuine.
When Noah smiled like that, it was impossible not to like him—and impossible not to want to fall deeply and madly in love with him.
Noah’s smile was lethal, a heartbreak in the making.
I wasn’t supposed to be falling for him.
I was supposed to be protecting myself from getting hurt again.
Somehow, I was here with my heart in my hands, open and vulnerable, as I contemplated offering it once more.
All I could think as I stared up at Noah was that I couldn’t stop myself from wanting him, even if I tried. Falling for him felt inevitable. And if falling for him meant I was going to get my heart broken again, I was in serious trouble.