Page 44 of Commander

Chapter Twelve

I shook awake,searching for something to grab onto. Gripping the textured fabric of the sofa armrest, I focused on the area around me.

I was alone in this part of the cabin. The staff was nowhere in sight and all I could hear was the rumble of voices behind the partition separating my section of the plane from the front half.

How long had I slept?

I checked my watch and realized it was close to midnight. We’d been flying for two and a half hours.

I guessed the exhaustion of the last few days had finally caught up to me.

The last thing I’d remembered was Ashur sitting next to me for takeoff. He hadn’t released my hand from the moment Veer and Tyler deplaned. It was as if he feared I’d leave.

I wasn’t the one he should worry about leaving. He was the one who would have to decide if he could live with what I’d spent most of my adult life doing. I only hoped he would understand that my work, even if some of it was illegal, had saved the lives of countless men, women, and children.

My gut told me he’d find out my involvement in Solon sooner rather than later.

God, please Ameera’s rescue go as planned.

So far everything was set for a week after we returned from Texas, but things could change in the blink of an eye.

It took all my will to resist the urge to pull out the secured phone I’d hidden in my clutch, log in to the Solon network, and double check everything was going according to the logistics I’d laid out.

For now, the team was in a holding pattern, keeping an eye out for any changes but waiting for the auction. In a few hours the funds would transfer to the Swiss account I’d given Ameera’s captors, and Tyler would receive the access codes to enter next week’s auction.

My heart sank thinking of how Ashur’s money would give me the ability to free Ameera. He’d offered me his fortune when I’d agreed to marry him, but I’d never thought I’d actually have to use it. Now, I was no better than any other woman who married a man for his riches.

I uncurled myself and sat up, pushing the blanket covering me down to my lap.

Releasing a deep sigh, I stood and went toward the lavatory to freshen up. I quietly stepped around the partition, trying not to disturb the heavy discussion Ashur was engaged in with some of the Secret Service agents.

His short hair was a bit messy, telling me he’d run his fingers through it over and over again. His telltale sign that he was thinking through a difficult topic.

He was still sexy as hell even with the hard set of his jaw and lips.

I could almost feel his mouth on me. The kiss he’d given me at our reception had me craving more of his intoxicating taste.

Would I always feel this way?

Who was I kidding—it hadn’t waned in fifteen years. I doubted the attraction would ever stop.

A bit of turbulence shook the plane, making me realize I was dawdling. I took the hallway and walked into the bathroom.

The walls were a toasted beige with a scent of fresh paint, and every fixture, from the faucets to the lights, was a styled oil-rubbed bronze. The space was big, almost five times the size of the lavatories on commercial jetliners.

The bathroom was designed to feel and look like a proper bathroom, including a shower. A luxury for the first family to enjoy when traveling.

Setting my toiletry bag on the counter, I washed my face, dried it, and then reapplied my makeup.

Just as I was finishing up, Ashur walked in and leaned against the door frame.

“Want to christen Air Force One?”

I scrunched my face in an “ew.” “Nope. Besides, I’m pretty sure all kinds of lewd things have been done on here in the past. I don’t want to add to it.”

He walked toward me and set an arm on either side of me, while staring at my lips. “Are you sure? The way I see it, my wife needs something and I want to give it to her.”

“Your wife is fine, thank you.”

---