Page 10 of Until He Confesses

His hair was slightly tousled, given the late afternoon breeze, but there was no one quite as unmistakably and devastatingly handsome as Lucas.

He stopped before me, then stared directly into my utterly shocked eyes. If there was any surprise in him that I was standing right before him he didn’t show it.

In fact, he gave me as much attention as one would a stranger in a crowded train, and then headed in to take his seat.

Julianne nudged me then, her eyes widened. “You didn’t greet him,” she said. “That’s the boss.”

I awakened from my trance. “What?”

“That’s Lucas Marsh. The boss!”

I awakened from my trance. “What?”

There was no longer any second to spare for idle chit-chat, so she pulled me along slightly as we headed in toward the back to get ready for takeoff.

2

LUCAS

Icould feel her gaze from all the way down the cabin.

There was no need to look up. I was too occupied anyway. Not till we had completed our arrangements in preparation for the meetings we were heading for in the city, did I finally look up enough to notice anything else that was happening.

I immediately recognized her name when Dahlia had given me a briefing of the flying crew on our ride to the airport since I would be flying with unfamiliar staff for the first time in a while.

The moment the name had come out of her mouth I immediately paused.

This, unfortunately, had been the case over several years as every time I heard the name Callie or even Jacks, I would pause and wonder. However, this was my first time hearing it together and so I’d had to ask her for more information which was quite a surprise to Dahlia.

Therefore, I had been more or less prepared to see her after almost nine years, but yet I didn’t think that anything truly could have prepared me for the blow I felt to my gut at once again seeing the woman that had broken my heart and left it in pieces.

All I could do was look away, refusing the luxury of digging deeper to figure out how I felt. I could sense the impact well enough, but it wasn’t something I wanted to bring to the forefront of my awareness.

But now that we were done with preparations, and each had their own time to relax and decompress, I knew it was only a matter of time before we came in contact. Slipping out of my shoes, I changed into the inflight slippers available and relaxed against the sofa I was currently sitting on.

I looked toward the captain’s cabin and couldn’t help but miss the fact that this wasn’t my personal plane. This was a smaller aircraft that couldn’t accommodate the luxuries of a bedroom and a proper shower that I could use to refresh myself before we arrived at the next destination. I was forced to make do in the small cabin with every bone in my body creaking and groaning from the endless hours I had been awake.

Even when her colleague came up to me, all I could do was turn an exhausted gaze over to her as she placed a platter of smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches before me.

“Sir,” she smiled, and I couldn’t help but turn to look toward the rear of the aisle. All I could see was her dark red uniform as she busied herself in the kitchen with the chef, and for a moment I was tempted to request that she be the one to serve me because I was sure that she was going to do all that she could to avoid this.

I was in no mood to harass anyone, so I accepted my refreshments and continued checking the emails I had missed from the day. Until a familiar tingling of awareness began to spread across the back of my neck. I kept my gaze lowered as the waft of her perfume flowed over to me, soft and reminiscent of flowers and the clean soothing scent of rain.

I couldn’t keep my head down, so I watched as she spoke to Dahlia, her face all smiles, and then went on to my assistant, Michael. I kept my gaze on her, unable to look away and when she eventually turned toward me, I was ready, or at least I managed to convince myself that I was.

I met her gaze head-on, and she did the same to me.

It was almost amusing just how unintimidated she seemed, but I guess it was needed given the level of service she was required to provide.

Or perhaps it was because she was no longer the reserved and sometimes shy teenager, I’d met her as. Or perhaps it was because she truly didn’t care.

“Sir,” she smiled and passed over a menu that I accepted. “We have native oysters and Almas white caviar, as well as the Wagyu beef and fermented celeriac, and the black cod with miso and wild broccoli options today. Do you have a preference?”

My gaze lingered on her, and of its own accord lowered down to her lips which brought back embarrassing memories of being caught staring in a similar manner years earlier.

That night had been embarrassing with Brett teasing me about it for months afterward before I eventually kissed those lips and claimed them as mine.

I could recall how they had tasted, how soft and heated and sweet, and how it always seemed back then to disorient me in ways I hadn’t experienced with any other woman.