Chapter 6
Ella
I look at Nick with confusion when the black car speeds past the airport terminal and continues down a long drive.
“But aren’t we getting on a plane?” I ask. “I think we missed Terminal B.”
The handsome man chuckles low in his chest.
“We haven’t missed anything, sweetheart, because we’re not flying commercial. We’re taking my private jet.”
I stare at him in the darkness of the backseat.
“You have your own jet?” I manage in a choked voice.
He smirks a bit, so handsome that my heart flutters.
“Yeah, I decided to splurge and get a G6 last year. Like I said, I travel a lot, so it was an investment of sorts. Of course, having your own plane is ginormous waste of jet fuel in the environmental sense because of the excessive carbon emissions. But when you’re a busy man, flying private saves a lot of time, especially when you have your own G6, and aren’t doing one of those idiotic shares that Warren Buffett sells.
The Oracle of Omaha is frugal down to the very last bone in his body,” Nick adds in a sardonic tone. “Too frugal in my opinion.”
With those words, I turn back to look out the window because I shouldn’t be surprised that Nick has his own air transport.
He’s the CEO of a rocket company after all, so it probably wasn’t a difficult decision to buy a jet when you literally work in aviation.
But everything’s happened at light speed and I’m still trying to wrap my head around the changes because after I agreed to move to New York with the billionaire, Nick took control of my life.
That’s the only way to describe it. Within twenty minutes, we were back at the resort and he was telling my manager that I wouldn’t be coming back.
“I could have informed Leonora myself,” I murmur quietly after the older woman accepted my resignation. “She’s not my favorite person, but she’s been decent to me during my time at Suncrest.”
Nick lets out a snort.
“Who lets a pregnant woman stand for twelve hours a day? She should have done that ironing herself, rather than making you labor away like a servant. And trust me, the resort will be forwarding your last paycheck,” he says with a gleam in those blue eyes.
“Either that, or they’ll hear from my lawyers. ”
I was silent because this is what happens when a powerful alpha male takes over.
People who wouldn’t give me the time of day suddenly bow and scrape, eager to get into Nick Bannister’s good graces.
Leonora even tried to snag an internship for her college-age daughter at Rocket X, although Nick brushed it off easily.
I guess it happens to the CEO a lot, and he knows how to parry like a pro.
But the plane ride was something else, and I blush thinking back on it.
We boarded his G6, and it was gorgeous inside, like what you see in an influencer’s Instagram story.
There were eight cream-colored seats made of the softest, plushest leather, as well as flatscreens mounted on the walls, and fresh flowers in a vase that was welded to a beautiful wooden side console.
We passed a gleaming stainless steel kitchen galley as soon as we boarded, and within seconds, a young woman materialized, cheerful and peppy in a smart stewardess outfit.
“Mr. Bannister,” she welcomed with a friendly smile. “It’s good to see you again. Welcome aboard. Can I get you and your guest some champagne before we lift off?”
Nick gestured to a seat in front, and I sank into the soft leather with a sigh. Pregnancy has made me more tired than usual, and I appreciated getting off my feet. His blue eyes gleamed at me, but then he shook his head.
“No champagne for us today,” he said in a smooth tone. “Just some juice. Apple? Orange?”
“Apple please,” I murmured with a smile at the stewardess. “Thank you.”
“Coming right up!” she said before disappearing into the kitchen again.
Meanwhile, to my consternation, Nick levered his large form into the seat right next to me before strapping in.
I could almost feel the heat of his huge form, and butterflies fluttered in my tummy as I tried to keep calm.
Of course, he was completely unaffected by our proximity.
“Does your seatbelt fit?” he asked, casting my belly a sideways glance. “We can ask for an extension.”
I laughed.
“I’m not that huge yet. I think I’ll be okay,” I said with a smile. Nick merely stared at my tiny bump again, and was I seeing things or did his gaze look possessive? But then, the stewardess reappeared with our juices, and put them down on a clever pull-out console with a smile.
“Here you go, Sir,” she said while also depositing a small bowl of warm nuts.
“Have a wonderful flight. The captain tells me we’ll be wheels up in five minutes or so, but please let me know if you need anything in the meantime.
I see you’ve already got your seatbelts on,” she said with a wink. “Perfect.”
Then, the young woman disappeared again, giving us privacy and I turned to Nick with wide eyes.
“Wheels up in five minutes?” I asked. “Wow, that’s fast. I thought there’d be a lot of hoops to jump through before getting into the air, but I guess not.”
The CEO smirks again, showing off a dimple in his left cheek.
“Not when you fly private,” he says. “Shit happens fast when you own your own plane.”
Sure enough, the captain’s voice comes on announcing our departure, and the G6 begins to taxi on the tarmac. I try to appear normal but there are sparkles in my eyes as jellybeans jump in my tummy.
“Everything okay?” Nick asks, casting me a curious glance. I smile even as my cheeks go rosy.
“It’s just my first flight, that’s all,” I murmur, a little embarrassed that I’ve never been on a plane before. “I’m from a humble background, as you’ve probably already guessed, so I’ve never been in the air before.”
His blue eyes go soft as he takes in my pregnant form.
“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” he hums before taking my small hand in his big one. “Just sit back and enjoy, honey. You’ll love being airborne.”
Unfortunately, his prediction isn’t true because once we begin speeding down the runway, my pulse accelerates.
A cold sweat breaks out on my brow as the wheels begin to lift and soon, we’re inclined backwards as Minnesota spirals away below us.
My head grows dizzy and my vision goes faint.
I concentrate with every cell of my being on surviving even as cold air blasts through the A/C.
“Are you okay?” Nick asks with concern, squeezing my hand. “You need some water. Miriam!” he calls. “Water for Miss Moore!”
“Sir, we’re still lifting off, and I can’t—” her tinny voice says from a jump-seat in the galley, but Nick frowns.
“Get Miss Moore water,” he rasps. “Now!”
Sure enough, the stewardess unbuckles her seatbelt and stumbles to the galley before approaching us with a bottle of mineral water.
“Thank you,” Nick says without even looking at her. Then he turns to me. “Take a sip, sweetheart. You’ll feel better.”
“No, I’m okay,” I say with a faint whisper even though my cheeks are pale and my fingers clutching his own in a death grip. “I’ll just drink my apple juice.”
“No, you need water,” he says. “This shit is ice cold and it’ll help.
Take a sip,” he coaxes. I do as he says, and sure enough, the cool liquid feels good sliding down my throat.
I close my eyes and inhale deeply, trying to get my mind off the fact that we’re high in the air with absolutely nothing supporting us.
We’re not going to crash, I chant internally.
We’re not going to go up in a flaming fireball.
Nick can sense the ruinous thoughts in my head and flips up the arm rest dividing us before pulling my curvy form close to his big one. Unconsciously, I melt against his broad form, reassured by the solidity of his body.
“Just try to relax,” he rumbles. “I’m here for you, Ella. There’s no need to panic. I’ve got you.”
His deep voice is a balm to my soul and I try to do as he says.
Unfortunately, I’m such a coward that I basically spend the entire flight with my eyes squeezed shut, pressed up against Nick’s bulk.
But the CEO doesn’t mind, and merely holds me close, murmuring slightly to the stewardess whenever she comes around.
Otherwise, I’m glued to him and I don’t care because this is what I need to survive.
It’s embarrassing, but it’s also the only way I have to keep the fear at bay.
Finally, we land at JFK and Nick lets out a chuckle once the plane is on the tarmac once more. Slowly, I open my eyes, glancing out the window to make sure that we’re safe.
“You okay?” he asks, that smirk back in place on his handsome mien. I unstick myself from his side, suddenly very, very embarrassed. My cheeks flame.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter. “I shouldn’t have. I don’t know what got into me.”
“It’s fine,” he says, still smirking a little before squeezing my hand. “In fact, I kind of liked it.”
Electricity flares between us as I glance at him, the air suddenly sparkling with live fire.
“Oh,” I murmur in the lamest reply ever. “Ha ha ha.”
But Nick isn’t done with me yet. “You said you’re from a humble background, and that you’ve never been on a plane as a result. Have you done a lot of land-based traveling then?”
This is where the pedal hits the metal. I could try and gloss over the truth to make things sound better than they are, but I decide to be upfront because sooner or later, Nick’s going to know about my past.
“No, I haven’t traveled much at all,” I say as our plane rolls to a halt.
“Basically, my mom was a single mom, but she died when I was a teen, so I went into the State’s care.
But Minnesota was good to me,” I say in a neutral tone.
“They put a roof over my head, gave me food to eat, and made sure I got an education. The thing is that once you turn eighteen, you age out of the system, and as a result, I got a job as a maid. I worked hard, and was promoted. Then, I moved into private service, which is how I ended up at Lakeview Manor. As you know already, I wasn’t the lady of the house. I was just the housekeeper.”
Nick looks thoughtful, making no motion to unbuckle his seatbelt although the plane’s clearly stopped.
“Yes, your letter explained some of that,” he said. “Your employer gave you some of her designer clothes in lieu of salary, and you were trying them on the day I came by to look at the house.”
My cheeks flame hotly.
“Yes,” I manage in a stilted voice. “I’m sorry to have led you on. I should have said something.”
Nick’s blue eyes are thoughtful.
“No, it’s fine because we conceived our child during our … ah, interlude. I can’t say I regret it.”
I shoot him a shy look.
“You don’t?”
“No, absolutely not,” he says in a gruff tone. “I admit, I’d never wanted to be a father before, but now that it’s happening…” His voice trails off.
Now it’s my turn to be curious.
“But why didn’t you want to be a father? You certainly have more than enough resources.”
The CEO’s eyes shutter and I can see that I’ve touched on sensitive territory.
“There are a lot of reasons,” he says in a smooth tone. “I travel all the time, I work all the time, and maybe I’ve never met the right woman,” he adds lightly. “But I have you now, Ella, and I’m excited about the life that we’re going to bring into the world. Together, of course.”
I nod, still curious. But I bite my tongue because this isn’t the time to press.
Nick clearly has some unresolved issues in his past, and I suppose they’ll come out in time.
Or maybe they won’t, and I’ll never know.
The exchange reminds me that I’m not his girlfriend or wife, nor even his lover.
His private history, not to mention his thoughts and emotions, are his alone, and they don’t belong to me.
We’re just two people who happened to make a baby together, and I have to keep that concept front and center.
No matter what happens, I can’t get emotionally involved with this man. I can’t afford to.
“Of course,” I say in a quiet voice. “I’m sure you’re a very busy person.”
Nick nods, his expression giving nothing away.
“Shall we?” he asks, standing in the small interior of the plane.
He’s so tall that his dark head almost brushes the ceiling, and so broad that he seems to take up the entire aisle.
I’m suddenly reminded of how vulnerable I am, and nod while undoing my seatbelt and standing up, a bit ungainly on my feet.
The CEO immediately takes my elbow and the heat from his fingers sears through the soft wool of my sweater, making my heart race.
It seems he feels it too because his blue eyes flare, the air suddenly sizzling between us. But Nick does nothing but incline his head again.
“Let’s get you off the plane,” he growls in a low voice. “Welcome to New York, sweetheart.”
My heart flutters as I follow him down the metal staircase and onto the tarmac because there are a lot of unspoken words between us … and somehow, I know that the flames will burn even brighter before they go dim once again.