Page 35 of The P Arrangement

Fuck giving Delaney space.

If she wanted me to leave her alone, she’d need to tell me. That woman had never held back when we were married. I couldn’t imagine she’d start now.

“Better?” I asked when she reached me, taking her hand in mine.

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready to enjoy our work-trip-slash-vacation away from Paxton.”

FOURTEEN

DELANEY

“Better?”Preston asked and grabbed my hand.

As I had waited for my coffee, I had come to a realization about Preston. He still remembered things I liked and disliked from when we were together, which meant he still cared about me. I wasn’t talking about love, but we didn’t have to love each other to care about each other. So, if hooking up with my ex-husband made me happy, I shouldn’t let my sister get in my head.

I could sleep with some random dude—already had done that and hadn’t liked it—or I could sleep with someone who knew me, someone who knew my body, and someone who gave more than two shits about me.

Preston had offered an arrangement that was purely about sex. He’d never said anything about dating or getting back together. And his not correcting the clerk at the check-in counter wasn’t something to be alarmed about because he was right. It was easier than trying to explain how we were divorced, but going on a trip together. Something I wouldn’t have thought twice about if Natalie hadn’t said anything.

So, I was going to chalk it up as an unnecessary concern and leave it at that.

With a smile, I nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready to enjoy our work-trip-slash-vacation away from Paxton.”

We continued to the gate, and it wasn’t until they started calling sections that I realized Preston had changed my seat to first class.

As I settled in next to the window, I told him, “When you told me you were changing your flight to mine, I thought you’d be flying coach with me.”

“I thought you knew. Didn’t you get an email?”

“Probably, but I’m so bad about checking my personal one.” My work email took up so much of my attention that I often forgot about my personal email. “I can’t believe you scored these seats at the last minute.”

Preston shuddered. He was tall, and the one time we’d had to fly coach years ago, he’d been miserable the whole time with nowhere to put his legs that was comfortable for him or those who sat next to him. “I have my ways,” he said.

I snorted. “Oh, really?”

While his family had money and influence, I doubted they had enough to bump someone off a flight.

He laughed. “Actually, it was easier to move you up here than it was for me to go back there.”

“Well, thanks for not leaving me back there.”

“Never, Delaney.”

He stood and went to the compartment where he had just stored his luggage and pulled out a hoodie, which was unusual because he ran hot.

“Are you cold?” I asked him as he sat back down.

He shook his head, but didn’t say anything because the flight attendants started doing their usual spiel.

I’d heard it a thousand times, so I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes, half-listening while I waited for them to finish.

Before I knew it, I was waking up with my head on Preston’s shoulder. I didn’t sit up right away though. I was still half-asleep and Preston smelled and felt good. His hand rested on my thigh, and at some point, I had wrapped my arms around his like it was my teddy bear. The best part was that he had draped his open zip-up sweatshirt over me like a blanket, so I was nice and warm.

He squeezed my thigh. “You doing okay over there?”

I tilted my head back so I could see his face. He was holding his phone in his other hand.

“I’m good. Are you reading?”