Page 104 of An Inconvenient Marriage
“Good. Now do it a few more times.”
Once Zach was satisfied with the breathing exercises, he took his seat and put on his own seat belt. The moment it clicked into place, he immediately reached over and threaded his fingers through mine.
His touch was warm and comforting, and I desperately wanted to keep focusing on it. But the roar from outside just grew louder and louder. My insides shook, and I clamped down on the armrest with my free hand.
“Oh gosh.”
“Hey,” Zach said. “Look at me.”
My gaze slowly shifted to his.
He leaned toward me as much as he could, and his dark stare kept mine captive. “Eyes on me, okay?”
I nodded just as the force of takeoff shoved me further into my seat. My first instinct was to screw my lids together. Zach knew this. He squeezed my hand and told me again to keep looking at him.
“How did you and Everlee meet?” he suddenly asked.
My brows drew together. “What?”
He stroked my skin with the tips of his fingers. “Tell me about the day you met your friend.”
He was trying to distract me, and dammit, if I wasn’t so freaking nervous, I would have lunged forward and kissed him. Or maybe punched him for being so sweet. But since I couldn’t do that, I took another deep breath.
“I was nine and in the middle of yet another finishing class. I had a terrible craving for something sweet. But since I was on a meal plan and couldn’t just eat when I wanted to, I had to find other ways to get my fix.
“I knew my father had a business meeting, so I asked Mrs. Dupree if I could go to the bathroom. I snuck down to the kitchen instead. Everlee’s mom had just finished the cake for that evening’s dinner party, and I couldn’t resist. I grabbed a spoon and took a huge chunk out of the cake.”
A smile crept onto my lips. “I was on my third bite when Everlee appeared next to me, spoon in hand, too. We giggled and ate almost half of the cake before her mom found us and chased us out of the kitchen. We’ve kind of been inseparable since.”
It was quiet for a second, then Zach burst out laughing. It was so sudden and so beautiful, I had no other choice than to join in. When our laughter died down a few moments later, I realized I’d talked through the entire takeoff and we were now steady in the air.
“Thank you.”
Zach’s expression turned serious within the space of a breath. His mouth parted like he was about to say something, but he quickly clamped it shut and subtly shook his head. Silence stretched for a few more moments before he finally spoke.
“Try to get some sleep, it’ll make the flight go by faster.” His hold on my hand tightened. “I promise, I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
26
Natalie
Afteraseven-hourflightthat seemed a lot shorter thanks to my nap, we were finally back in New York. I wasn’t ready. My stomach was in knots, and my nerves hung on by the thinnest of threads.
In Spain, Zach had done a great job at keeping my mind—and other body parts—preoccupied. There hadn’t been time to stress and worry about anything. But now that we were back in the real world, that was all I could do.
Not even the possessive way Zach was holding my hand as we walked toward the tall, imposing building could distract me.
I believed him when he promised to keep me safe. But the thing was, he didn’t know my father. Heck, I barely knew him. There was no telling what he’d do to get what he wanted.
“Stop it.” Strong fingers gripped my chin and drew my gaze to his. “I already told you he’s not coming anywhere near you.”
“Am I that transparent?”
He dragged his thumb over my bottom lip. “To me, yes.” His hand slipped around to my nape before disappearing into my hair. “You’re in my world now, nothing and no one can touch you here.”
Pulling my face to his, he pressed his lips against my forehead. “I promise this will be quick, then we can go home and rest.”
Zach took my hand and led me through the enormous glass doors of Clear Fountains Casino. For as much as my mind wanted to drift to whatever hell awaited me, it wanted to take the place in even more.
