Chapter One #2
Edith came out to welcome them. "So you're the gentleman who's stolen our girl's heart."
Hope's pulse quickened as Colin stepped forward, taking Edith's weathered hand in both of his.
"Mrs. Barton." His voice transformed, warming in a way Hope hadn't heard before. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Colin Soukoulis."
"Oh, none of that 'Mrs. Barton' business. It's Edith," the older woman said with a smile. "Come in, please. Frank's just getting cleaned up from the barn."
Hope followed them into the modest living room, watching Colin take in the worn furniture, the crocheted afghans, the family photos covering every surface. She tensed, waiting for a flicker of disdain, a tensing of his shoulders, any sign that he found her childhood home beneath him.
Her foster father joined them then, tall and lean, with leathery skin and kind blue eyes. "Frank Barton," the older man said quite simply as he extended a calloused hand.
Hope held her breath as Colin introduced himself and shook Frank's hand firmly. "It's an honor to meet the man who's responsible for teaching Hope to drive a tractor. From her stories alone, I can already tell she's a lot better than most of my ranch hands."
Frank looked as if he had received the greatest compliment. "My girl's always been one in a million."
Hope could only watch in amazement as Colin Soukoulis—billionaire CEO and revenge-seeking husband—went on to skillfully charm her foster parents over Edith's pot roast dinner.
He asked Frank about crop rotation, listened to Edith's stories of Hope's early adulthood, and somehow managed to downplay his own wealth without lying outright. He was... perfect.
Too perfect.
By the time they moved to the porch for coffee and Edith's apple pie, Hope was thoroughly confused. This wasn't the cool, distant man she remembered or had come to expect from their brief exchange of emails. This was someone else entirely.
"Hope tells us you run that vegetable meat company," Frank said, settling into his porch rocker. "That's mighty impressive."
"Plant-based protein," Colin corrected gently. "And I've been fortunate. The right idea at the right time."
"He's being modest," Hope found herself saying. "Greenbright revolutionized the industry. Colin built it from nothing."
Colin looked at her in surprise, but she pretended not to notice this.
"Frank, why don't you show Colin your workshop while Hope helps me with these dishes?" Edith suggested, gathering plates.
Hope shot Colin an apologetic glance, but he was already rising to follow Frank.
In the kitchen, Edith hummed as she rinsed dishes, passing them to Hope to load in the dishwasher.
"He's handsome as sin," Edith remarked casually.
Hope nearly dropped a plate. "Mom!"
Edith chuckled. "What? These old eyes still work just fine. Though I'll admit, he's not what I expected."
Hope tensed. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, when you said 'CEO,' I pictured someone.
.. colder. More corporate." Edith handed her another dish.
"But that man couldn't stop staring at you.
" Edith's gaze turned knowing. "And it's the same for you.
I saw how you've been stealing glances at him all night when you think nobody's looking.
" Edith dried her hands on a dish towel.
"Love happens when you least expect it, especially at our age.
Look at me and your father—married at forty-two, after we'd both given up. "
"I know," Hope whispered, the lie burning her throat.
Edith squeezed her shoulder. "He's a good man. I can tell. The way he listens—really listens. That's rare."
Hope nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.
When the men returned from the workshop, Frank was explaining the finer points of his latest woodworking project. Colin listened attentively, asking questions that made Frank stand taller, pride evident in his weathered face.
"We should get going if we're going to make our flight," Colin said eventually, checking his watch.
The goodbyes were lengthy and warm. Edith pressed containers of leftovers into Hope's hands. Frank clapped Colin on the shoulder.
"You take care of our girl," Frank said, his voice gruff with emotion.
"I will, sir," Colin replied, and the gravity in his tone sounded so real that Hope had to look away. "You have my word."
****
The road stretched before them, golden in the setting sun as Hope searched for words. "I appreciate how you were with them. It meant a lot."
"They love you very much."
"Yes." Hope's throat tightened. She adjusted her grip on the steering wheel. "About the pot roast—I should have warned you. Your company being plant-based and all..."
"I still eat ethically raised meat if the situation requires it." Colin straightened his sleeve, his voice cooling to that formal tone she was beginning to recognize as his armor. "It's factory farming I oppose."
The silence that followed felt weighted, full of unspoken things.
Colin shifted in his seat to face her. "What will you tell them when this ends?"
The blunt question hit like a physical blow. Hope stared straight ahead, unseeing. "That we wanted different things, I suppose."
"And what do you want?"
The question caught her unprepared. What did she want? Security, yes. A home of her own. But also...
Her fingers gripped the wheel tighter. "Someone to belong to," she admitted, the truth spilling out before she could stop it. "Someone who might want to belong to me, too."
Colin said nothing more as they reached the airport.
His private jet waited on the tarmac, gleaming in the late afternoon sun.
A uniformed attendant took Hope's modest suitcase while Colin guided her up the steps with a light touch at the small of her back—the first deliberate contact between them since their handshake hours before.
That simple touch sent awareness skittering across her skin, surprising in its intensity.
The interior of the jet was a revelation—all buttery leather and polished wood, with only four oversized seats instead of rows. Hope sank into one, trying not to look as overwhelmed as she felt.
Colin took the seat opposite her, loosening the top button of his shirt. Hope found her gaze drawn to the movement, to the exposed hollow of his throat where pulse beat strong against tanned skin.
"The flight's about two hours," he said, and Hope yanked her attention back to his eyes, embarrassed to be caught staring. "We'll be in Denver before dinner."
Hope nodded, suddenly very aware of how alone they were. The attendant brought them drinks—water for Hope, scotch neat for Colin—and then disappeared into the cockpit.
The engines hummed to life beneath them. Hope gripped the armrests as they taxied, her stomach fluttering with nerves that had nothing to do with flying.
"First time on a private jet?"
Hope loosened her death-grip on the armrests even as a rueful smile touched her lips. "I wonder what gave it away."
Colin smiled, and her heart skipped a beat like she was in the throes of her first schoolgirl crush. "I like that you don't hide it. It's...refreshing."
Refreshing.
She was forty years old, and he thought her...refreshing.
The jet accelerated down the runway, pressing Hope back into her seat. She closed her eyes as they lifted into the air, her stomach dropping with the ascent.
When she opened them again, Colin was watching her. Something smoldered in his gaze, and her breath caught in her throat.
The plane suddenly shuddered with minor turbulence. Hope started in her seat, and Colin reached for her hand. Their fingers brushed. A jolt of awareness shot up her arm. Neither moved away.
As the turbulence subsided, Colin's hand shifted, covering hers. His palm was warm, slightly rough. Hope's breath caught in her throat.
"You read the fine print in our contract?"
Hope swallowed. "You're talking about..."
Seeing that she had a hard time putting it to words, Colin stated bluntly, "Before the flight lands, couples are expected to become comfortable with physical contact. It's in the contract."
A flush covered her cheeks, and she could feel her face burning hotter when she noticed Colin staring at her mouth.
Am I ready for this?
The soft click of Colin's seatbelt releasing seemed thunderous in the cabin.
He moved beside her, the leather creaking beneath his weight.
This close, she caught new details—fine lines at the corners of his eyes, the subtle notes of his cologne mingling with scotch on his breath, a tiny scar near his jaw.
"May I?"
Hope could only nod, no longer trusting herself to be coherent.
Colin's hand came up to cup her cheek, turning her face toward his. "Close your eyes," he commanded softly.
She obeyed, feeling vulnerable and exposed in the intimate cabin. The anticipation was almost painful.
His lips touched hers, gently. Hope remained perfectly still, afraid to breathe. To move. Or do anything that might break the moment.
Then Colin's hand slid from her cheek to the nape of her neck, his fingers tangling in the hair at the base of her tight bun. The kiss deepened, his mouth moving more insistently against hers.
A small sound escaped Hope's throat, part surprise, part surrender, and Colin pulled back slightly, his breath warm against her lips.
"Open your mouth, kyria."
The roughness of his voice was unexpected but thrilling, the sound compelling her to obey. And as soon as her lips parted, the kiss deepened with a stroke of his tongue. And the taste of him was wonderfully...virile.
Colin's hand tightened in her hair, loosening the pins that held her severe bun in place.
The kiss turned hungry, demanding. Heat bloomed in Hope's chest, spreading downward, pooling low in her belly.
She'd never been kissed like this. Never.
This kiss made her feel like she was a woman, and that she was wanted.
And as to whether that was true or not—her body didn't seem to care.
When Colin finally pulled away, they were both breathing hard. Hope's hair had come partly undone, a few strands falling around her face. Colin watched her with dark, unreadable eyes.
"We'll be landing soon."
The tautness of his voice was unmistakable, and so was the rigid set of his body. It seemed as if he had forced himself to stop. But why that was, she wasn't yet ready to think of.
She touched her lips, which felt swollen and overly sensitive. Her body was still trembling, and her entire world became even rockier when Colin suddenly reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The casual intimacy of the gesture felt more shocking than the kiss somehow, and it completely stole her breath.
"You should wear your hair down more often," he said quietly. "It suits you."
Before Hope could respond, he returned to his original seat, leaving her flushed and confused.
The pilot announced their descent into Denver. Hope gazed out the window as the plane dropped through clouds, city lights appearing below.
When she glanced back at Colin, he was watching her with an intensity that made her shiver.
"Welcome to Colorado, Hope." His gaze was shuttered, his tone unreadable. "Let's hope this works for the both of us."