With our gazes locked, I suddenly forget why I was so put off by his advances in the first place. Maybe my assumptions about him were wrong. He would make an excellent friend—if I weren’t so insanely attracted to him.
“You don’t seem so bad to me. You’re easy to talk to.”
He swallows hard. “That’s because you don’t know me. Believe me, beautiful, I’m bad fucking news. A nice girl like you should run away from me as quick as you can.”
My chest heaves while the intensity radiates off him and wraps itself around me. Something about him pulls me in, and I can’t explain why I suddenly feel like we are kindred spirits, both running from something. I know he’s not good for me—he even said so himself—but I can’t stop my stupid body from being attracted to him.
My eyes drift down to his lips, and the thought of what they would feel like on mine washes over me. I imagine they’re demanding yet gentle, all at the same time. Thinking like this is dangerous and will lead me down a road I’m not sure I’m ready for, but I can’t help doing it.
“You can’t keep looking at me like that. I want you. If you give in to me, there’s no going back, and you’re not ready for someone like me. I don’t have the best self-control, and I’m a very selfish man.” His voice is tight, like he’s struggling between what he should do and what he wants to do.
Just like I am.
He leans in closer and runs his nose down the length of my jaw, pausing for a brief second to kiss the soft skin beneath my ear. My breath catches and I clench my thighs together to calm the ache he’s just created between my legs. It gives me some relief, but my damn naïve curiosity won’t let his last words go.
“How am I looking at you?” I whisper.
He tugs my earlobe lightly with his teeth. “Like you’re begging for my touch.” He inhales deeply through his nose and then growls, “I haven’t even kissed you yet, and I’m already fucking hard. Spend the night with me. Let me show you just how good I can make you feel.”
I close my eyes. Even though his dark promises of passion are tempting, I can’t give in to him. I don’t willingly give my body over to complete strangers.
“No,” I say again, so faintly that I barely hear it myself.
His tongue teases the bare flesh on my neck. “I don’t typically beg, beautiful, but if begging gets me access between those creamy thighs, I will. Just give in to your desires.”
He’s right.
And, damn it, I hate that he’s right. I do want him, more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my entire life. He pulls back and stares into my eyes, searching my face for permission to pleasure me.
Electricity zings between us, and every nerve ending in my body comes alive. My willpower falters a bit. How many times can I turn down something I really want? If I’m being honest, right now, my body craves nothing more than to experience sex with this powerful man, even though my logical mind knows it’s wrong, and I’ve always been more of a “follow your head, not your heart” kind of girl. I stare into his eyes, willing the word “no” to tumble from my lips again, but no sound comes out.
The landing gear unlocking from the underside of the plane causes my pulse to race under my skin. I need to make a decision because I know the moment I step off this plane I’ll never see Xavier again.
The plane jolts, and the tires screech against the runway, but Xavier’s eyes never stray from mine as he awaits my answer. While we wait to exit the plane our eyes remain locked, and a thousand scenarios run through my head. I don’t even realize that we haven’t said a word to one another for several moments. No words are needed to know what we are both thinking. It’s impossible for me not to sit here and stare at him, and not imagine his mouth on mine.
The flight crew opens the door, and all the passengers around us stand and begin exiting the aircraft. I swallow hard as his eyes drop down to my lips and then back up to my eyes.
“What’ll it be, Anna Cortez? Are you in, or are you out?”
My heart bangs in my chest, but as much as I would like to experience what he’s offering, I have to stick to my guns.
“I’m out.”
I stand and turn to exit, but freeze when Xavier grabs my wrist, my skin igniting from his mere touch. My eyes snap down to my hand as he stuffs a paper into it. I flick my gaze back up to his and a grin plays along his lips. “Let me know when you change your mind.”
He releases me and immediately my skin craves his warmth again. I consider tossing his autograph back down at him, but for some reason a part of me wants to keep it so I can be sure this time spent with him wasn’t just a dream. It’ll be a nice memory to hang on to. That Phenomenal X is real and, at one time, was very attracted to me. I tighten my fingers around the paper and take a deep breath.
“Goodbye, Xavier.”
Before he has an opportunity to make any more sexy promises, I turn and flee the plane, stuffing the paper into my back pocket. My heart still beats a million miles a minute. I need to find a place I can calm down and regain my composure.
Once I’m safely in the terminal, I dash into the first ladies’ room I find. The urge to splash cold water on my face surges through me. I definitely need to cool off, but I don’t want to totally ruin my makeup, so I resist. I pull my long brown hair back and then pull it to one side as I rest my hands against the counter and stare at myself in the mirror.
I’m searching hard to find what someone like Xavier would find so appealing about me. My button nose and dark hair don’t exactly stand out against my tan skin. My green eyes are only thing I’ve always been complimented on. The light color against everything else dark really seems to pop.
I sigh and reach into my back pocket for my phone. I need to call Aunt Dee, and I need to get out of this place and as far away from Xavier as possible. A growl escapes my lips as I frantically begin patting the empty pockets of my jeans. “Shit,” I mutter to myself.
The last time I had my phone was on the plane when I shut it off after checking my father’s messages. I didn’t bother grabbing it from the seat-back pocket when I moved. My shoulders sag when I realize I didn’t grab my bag from under the seat either. I’m going to have to go back and hope I can sneak on the plane and get it.
I make my way down through the terminal back to the gate I just came from. It’s completely empty and I’m afraid to try and get back on the plane. The last thing I need is TSA all over me. I lay my head on the gate counter, trying to not lose my mind, but my stomach clenches and I’m about two seconds from having a nervous breakdown.
It’s gone. My phone is gone.
Deflated, I flop down on the nearest seat. Great. Just great. I move out to a new city and before I even set foot onto its soil, I lose my belongings. Numbers for everyone back home are programmed into that phone.
I shake my head in disgust. I’ll never hear the end of it when Father finds out about this. I rub my forehead and fight back the building tears.
“Excuse me, miss? Can I be of some assistance?” a somewhat familiar voice questions. I glance up as the same flight attendant who helped me when I had tomato juice incident approach me from the gate. She offers up the same sweet smile she gave me when she spoke with me before. “Are you all right?”
I sniff, fighting back the tears. “I’m missing my phone and my bag. The last place I had them was on the plane—before I changed seats.”
She nods in agreement. “Mr. Cold asked me to let you know that he has your belongings.”
My eyes widen. “He does?”
Relief washes through me, only to be flushed away when I realize I have no way of getting in touch with him again. “I have no way of reaching him.”