Chapter 14
Lily
Three weeks. That was how much time I had left with the Daltons. So, I spent my downtime planning on what I was going to do after this contract ended. I enjoyed all the years I’d worked for commercial airlines; at that stage of my life, the schedule had been perfect.
But that was no longer the case.
I needed to be in the air as much as possible, and the commercial airlines placed restrictions on how often you could work and fly.
At least if I continued in the private sector, working for businesses or families, my off time wouldn’t necessarily be at my home base. It could be on overnight trips, like the one I’d done in Tampa and the many others I’d completed prior.
But no matter what, regardless of who I worked for or where I flew to, I’d be chained to a hotel room. At least they would be different rooms, in different parts of the world, looking at different sights through the window.
I didn’t know why, but that sounded better than any alternative.
The best part about my present job was that the family was constantly flying. There were times when we landed in LA and immediately flew out less than an hour later.
That was the situation for today.
We had just returned from a trip to Boston, where Camden Dalton and Declan Shaw were representing Hooked, the famous hook-up app. It had been impossible not to overhear them discussing the case during both flights, but my NDA prevented me from ever breathing a word about it. We were only going to be parked in LA for about thirty minutes, just long enough for the pilots to swap out, fuel up, for me to clean down the interior of the plane, restock the food and drinks, and our new passengers would be on board.
Out of all places, we were headed to Edinburgh.
Not that the location surprised me since I’d already flown internationally multiple times with the family.
It was just a place that triggered many memories.
The thoughts in my head were so loud. The images so vivid—of when I’d knocked on his door, and when he’d placed me against the wall, and the number of times he’d made me come.
The magic in his fingers, his tongue, his dick.
My entire body was tingling by the time I finished wiping down the seats, my last task before I could focus on the paperwork that needed to be processed prior to taking off. I placed the microfiber towels into the laundry bin and lifted the pile of papers into my hand. I reviewed the details that were outlined and signed off, carrying the stack to the cockpit to give to the pilots for their signatures.
As I was passing the boarding door, an SUV was pulling up on the tarmac, which I knew had the passengers inside. The stairs had already been lowered; the red carpet was positioned at the bottom. For them, everything outside was ready to go.
I quickly set the papers in between the pilots so they could give the information a thorough read and said, “Looks like our passengers have arrived.”
One of the pilots turned around to look at me. “Would you mind welcoming them at the bottom of the stairs? We still have some preflight checks we need to finish.”
“I’m happy to,” I replied.
From the doorway, I gave the interior a quick scan, making sure everything was in place, that I hadn’t forgotten a bottle of cleaner on one of the seats or left a dirty glass on a table. Satisfied with what I saw, I ran my fingers through the sides of my hair and swiped around my lips and the corners of my eyes since I didn’t have time to check my appearance in the restroom, and I descended the stairs.
The SUV came to a stop only feet from the carpet. The driver got out first, moving to the backseat to open the door. The way the vehicle was positioned, I wasn’t able to see inside, especially with its dark-tinted windows. But I was curious as to who would be flying with us today.
I hadn’t worked for the Daltons nearly as long as Aubrey, but considering how much time I spent with them, I knew them well enough to have favorites and preferences due to who was nicer and less demanding. For a location as far as Edinburgh, I hoped the group who was coming was on the less-demanding end.
As I waited, my fingers intertwined, my back straightened, my feet rocked over the short heels.
Beneath the door, a shoe hit the ground. Shiny black. A second one followed before a head towered over the top of the door, eyes immediately connecting with mine.
Eyes that were light blue.
A head that was covered in black hair.
A face with tanned skin.
Lips that I knew fondly.
My stomach flipped.
My chest tightened like it was a rubber balloon on the verge of exceeding its air capacity.
Brady.
Out of all people …
Brady?
What was he doing here?
Why was he on this flight?
How was I going to survive this trip when I’d barely made it through Tampa?
Oh God.
While the driver brought his luggage toward the back of the plane, Brady walked toward the steps.
His eyes didn’t leave mine. They stayed fixed, sucking every bit of breath out of my body.
But his presence didn’t just mess with my breathing.
Or my stomach.
Or my chest.
It tugged at my emotions in a way where they were skyrocketing out of control.
He halted at the bottom of the stairs, silence building between us.
Something told me I needed to say something, that I needed to be the first to break the quietness because he was too stubborn to do it.
My lips slowly parted, and, “Hi,” came out in a voice so soft that I didn’t even feel it leave my mouth.
He was so close that the word could have hit his face. If he swung his arm in the right direction, it would have grazed mine.
But there was no movement from him, not even his eyes—they just stared at me.
He didn’t even blink.
And as time passed, his gaze grew, reaching beneath the surface of my eyes and skin and hitting the deepest, farthest part of me.
Once it penetrated, it stirred.
It stormed.
What felt like hours went by, and then, finally, he said, “Did you intentionally give me the wrong number, or is there a reason an asshole answered my call and hung up on me? Twice.”
Shit.
He was calling me out.
A situation I hadn’t anticipated happening because I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.
I’d hoped that once he called the number I’d randomly made up, he would realize I didn’t want to be found, and by the time he rode the Daltons’ plane again, I’d be long gone.
I should have known that Brady didn’t give up that easily.
It actually seemed as though he didn’t give up at all.
I mashed my lips together, searching for a reason.
An excuse.
Something that would alleviate this situation.
But what could I say?
Another lie?
The truth? A truth I couldn’t give him.
“I—”
“You don’t have to answer me now.” His stare intensified, which I hadn’t thought was even possible. “We have a very long journey ahead of us. Hours that we’ll be spending together. And since I’m your only passenger for this trip, you’ll have plenty of time to explain yourself.” He began to walk up the steps. “I’ll see you inside, Lily.”