I blurted out the words I knew he wanted to hear. “Okay, here’s the truth. It was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever had, too. Every kiss I have for the rest of my life will probably be compared to the one we just shared, and come up wanting. You completely rocked my world, Damian.” I hesitated before I asked, “Happy now?”

  He grinned at me. “Completely ecstatic,” he drawled.

  “I have to pee really bad, so I have to get up now,” I informed him.

  “Right,” he said as he put a hand under my ass and pushed until I moved toward the armrest next to the aisle. “Up you go.”

  My toes touched the ground as I finally became perched on the armrest.

  His arm went supportively around my waist. “Go slow,” he instructed.

  I stood up and put a hand on the back of his recliner. “I’m good,” I told him.

  Once my head stopped spinning, I cautiously bent to pick up the change of clothes that had landed next to his seat when I’d fallen.

  Damian kept a hand near my waist, probably just in case I decided to swan dive into his lap again.

  I turned toward the rear of the plane. The restroom wasn’t far away, and I was feeling more confident that I could get there safely, when Damian spoke.

  “Need help?”

  “Nope. I’m good. No more falling into the laps of gorgeous men.” If I was still shaky, it wasn’t from the alcohol.

  It was that damn kiss.

  He frowned as he looked up at me. “No falling into any other men’s laps,” he grumbled, like the thought of me kissing another guy was completely unacceptable to him.

  He almost sounded…jealous, but I quickly removed that possibility from my mind. I’d never inspired any kind of protectiveness or possessiveness from any man.

  “Seriously. I’m okay,” I assured him as I moved toward the bathroom.

  It was a short walk, but I swore that I could feel Damian watching me until I slipped inside the restroom door and locked it behind me.

  CHAPTER 7

  Damian

  “I HOPE YOU HAVE a pleasant visit to the US,” Nicole muttered as she was drinking her coffee near the end of the flight.

  She’d put her seat down flat after she’d changed clothes earlier, and had fallen asleep almost immediately.

  I’d envied the fact that she could pass out so easily, even though I knew it probably had a lot to do with the amount of alcohol she’d consumed.

  Me? Dammit! I hadn’t slept for a single moment. My mind had been racing to figure out exactly how I could dig myself out of the dark hole I’d landed myself in.

  I had gotten my laptop out after Nicole had gone to sleep, but I’d done absolutely nothing productive, which was a rarity for me. If my computer was out and turned on, I was working, churning through things that needed my approval or input.

  I wasn’t used to not being productive, and I sure as hell wasn’t accustomed to a woman getting me so damn distracted that my priority wasn’t Lancaster International.

  But there it was…the first time I’d ever put my thoughts about a woman over my business interests.

  I’d pondered my dilemma for hours, and I still hadn’t come up with a solution.

  Problem was, I could hardly tell Nicole that I was Damian Lancaster now. She’d probably hate me for lying to her, and for initiating that whole tell-me-what-you-would-have-said-if-you-

  had-the-opportunity-to-do-the-presentation-again discussion.

  I’d been so eager to hear her talk that I hadn’t taken a moment to think about the fact that I might want to see her again. I hadn’t thought about the future, but I’d known that she would have never said a word to me if she’d known my true identity.

  Can I blame her for that, really? In the public eye, I’m a hedonistic bastard who apparently loves gigantic orgies.

  I couldn’t tell her the truth, even if I wanted to spill it. I couldn’t possibly out Dylan, and I’d have to if I ever wanted Nicole to speak to me again.

  A few days ago, I couldn’t have cared less about what the public thought of me.

  Now, I cared. I cared a lot. All because of the woman sitting beside me who had been treating me like a total stranger from the minute she’d woken up a quarter of an hour ago.

  I hope you have a pleasant visit to the US…?

  What was that statement all about?

  I was fairly certain it was a brush-off, but I couldn’t say for sure since nobody had ever brushed me off before.

  Maybe Nicole was embarrassed about our discussions and that damn kiss, now that she was sober.

  “I’m hoping it will be,” I answered vaguely, stalling for time to think as I made myself a cup of tea.

  What exactly were my choices here?

  I could either spill my guts, or just walk away from Nicole like I’d never experienced this mind-blowing attraction I had to her.

  I’d forget about her, right?

  Oh, hell no. Who in the hell was I trying to convince? This wasn’t going to be an out-of-sight, out-of-mind situation. I’d remember her, the way I’d felt when her gorgeous body had been plastered to mine, the frank discussions we’d had, and that kiss. That damn kiss!

  “How long are you staying?” she asked in a polite voice that I instantly decided I hated.

  Jesus! What had happened to that sexy, breathless voice that had gotten my cock so hard that I’d been desperate to fuck her?

  Really? Like I’m still not trying to control my dick, sexy voice or not?

  “I have no idea,” I told her honestly. “However long it takes to get my business done here.”

  Dammit! Having this superficial discussion grinded on me after we’d been so damn close the night before, but what fucking choice did I have?

  Obviously, she wanted to put distance between us, maybe because she was embarrassed, but there was also the distinct possibility that she’d woken up, looked at me, and decided I just wasn’t her type.

  Her comments had been short and disinterested since she opened her eyes earlier.

  Was it possible that she’d only confided in me, kissed me like I was the only man in the world for her, because she’d had one too many cocktails?

  Let it go, Damian. It was one kiss. Okay, it was one extraordinary kiss, but it’s not like you formed some kind of relationship with this woman in a matter of hours.

  Besides, I couldn’t find a way out of my current situation, and I’d rather see a polite look on her gorgeous face than one that said that she completely hated my guts.

  In any event, now was not the time to become infatuated with a woman. I had Dylan and my corporation to worry about, and those two things consumed every waking moment of my day.

  Not that I’d ever experienced an infatuation with any female, but if it was going to happen at some point in my life, I’d like it to happen later, when all of this mess with Dylan was resolved.

  I was the sole partner in Lancaster who didn’t have his mind all screwed up right now, so it was important for me to stay rational.

  I was silent until the flight attendant came around to pick up all of the plates, utensils, and trash in preparation for landing.

  Ignoring the fact that saying goodbye to Nicole didn’t feel right, I buckled my seat belt and brought my seat into landing position.

  But as the jet descended, I couldn’t seem to keep my mouth shut. “Can I offer you a ride home?”

  Now why in the hell did I just say that?

  Hadn’t I already convinced myself to let this whole encounter go?

  Yeah, I had, but instinct had overridden my rationale for just a moment.

  “No, thank you,” she said in a courteous, aloof voice that irritated the hell out of me. “My friend is picking me up. I don’t live in Los Angeles.”

  “You don’t?” I asked with more curiosity in my tone than I would have liked. “Where do you live? Isn’t your office in Los Angeles?”

  “Newport Beach,” she replied. “But since there’s a nonstop through Transatlantic, it’s easier to do the drive to LA from Newport than deal with layovers to get out of a smaller airport.”

  I wasn’t familiar with much of California outside of Los Angeles. “Where exactly is Newport Beach?”

  “Orange County. A fifty-minute drive from LAX in good traffic. Of course, decent traffic on the 405 Freeway doesn’t happen all that often.”

  I turned my head to look at her. She sounded a little more relaxed, but she still wasn’t looking in my direction. Her entire focus seemed to be looking at whatever was outside her window.

  Honestly, I should be grateful that she’d refused a ride. I had a car and driver picking me up, which would have looked a little weird for a normal guy. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel overjoyed that she’d refused. In fact, it was more than a little depressing that she hadn’t hesitated to turn me down flat.

  “Still feeling unhappy about the way your meeting went?” I had to ask. The whole situation at Lancaster wasn’t her fault.

  She turned her head to look at me, and the sad smile on her lips hit me like a sharp kick in the balls. “I’ll live,” she answered flatly. “Eventually, I guess I’ll see it as a learning experience.”

  “The circumstances were out of your control, Nicole. Don’t blame yourself.” Dammit! For some reason, I still wanted to console her.

  She leaned back against the headrest, her eyes still on me. “Thanks for letting me talk about it earlier. I’m so sorry I…had a little too much to drink.”

  Ahhh…so she was embarrassed about that. “Don’t be sorry. It was a fascinating…discussion.”

  Her cheeks flushed a rosy red, so I knew damn well she hadn’t forgotten that kiss. That damn kiss!

  She shook her head. “I wasn’t myself. At all.”

  “Meaning that, as a rule, you don’t kiss a man you barely know during a long-haul flight?”

  “Never,” she said adamantly. “I’m so sorry, Damian. I don’t know what I was thinking…”

  “Don’t,” I said gruffly. “Don’t regret it.”

  She tilted her head as she gazed at me curiously. “I don’t. Not really. It’s just a little mortifying that I got tipsy enough to fall into your lap and let it happen. Just tell me that you’re not married or seriously involved with someone.”

  I felt a little insulted. “Do you really think I would have kissed you if I was?”

  She lifted a brow. “Do you really need to ask that question? Guys do it all the time.”

  I pointed a finger at my chest. “Not this guy.”

  Okay, so now I knew that I definitely couldn’t tell her that I was Damian Lancaster, apparent thrower of large orgies and a guy who needed more than one woman in his bed.

  At least, that’s what she’d think if she knew.

  She nodded slowly. “Then I guess I can say it was nice meeting you.”

  I grinned. “It was more than nice meeting you, Nicole Ashworth,” I responded.

  The wheels hit the runway, and I was suddenly slammed back into reality.

  Nicole would go her way, and I’d go mine.

  It was time for this pleasant little interlude to end.

  I was Damian Lancaster, and there wasn’t a single thing I could do about that fact.

  Like it or not, I was never going to see this mesmerizing woman again.

  This flight couldn’t end any other way.

  I stood to take my suit jacket from the flight attendant once the jet got to the gate.

  “Oh, my God. You are tall,” Nicole said in a slightly awed voice as she got up from her seat.

  I lifted her suitcase to bring it into the aisle for her. As she stood beside me, I realized just how much height those long, beautiful legs added to her stature.

  The woman was beautifully statuesque, but she was at least half a head shorter than me.

  I had no idea why she thought being tall and curvy was a negative thing.

  I shrugged. “Being tall has its advantages.”

  “Not when you’re taller than most of your dates,” she answered wryly.

  Dates?

  Dates?

  Why did it bother me to think about Nicole being with any other man? It wasn’t like we were an item.

  I had to remind myself that we hardly knew each other.

  I looked down and our gazes locked as we waited for the doors to open so we could disembark.

  For an instant, I could barely ignore the urge to swoop down and kiss those gorgeous lips of hers again.

  Opportunity was knocking, and I wanted to fling that door wide open, and say to hell with the consequences.

  Fierce need to claim this woman was eating my guts out.

  We were so close that I could literally feel the warmth of her breath on my face.

  I clenched my fists, trying to fight the powerful urge to touch her, to kiss her again, until a voice of caution rang pretty damn loudly inside my head.

  And then what, Damian? Provided she lets you paw her in public, what happens after that? You have to let go, man. Seeing her again, hiding your true identity, wouldn’t be fair to her. Just. Let. Go. It’s better that way.

  And just like that, the aircraft door opened, and that fleeting moment of opportunity was gone.

  I shrugged off my disappointment.

  I didn’t want to be the tosser who hurt her feelings.

  I’d rather just be…nothing. A brief encounter that she’d soon forget.

  Waving her in front of me, I watched as she gripped her suitcase and went toward the exit.

  The woman moved with purpose, her ample hips swaying, a fact that made her look elegant, even though she was still dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.

  I followed behind her as we both headed toward the baggage claim, wondering if I was going to regret not getting one last taste of Nicole before we parted.

  “Bloody hell. I regret it already,” I grumbled under my breath as Nicole’s long-legged strides carried her into the crowd and out of sight.

  CHAPTER 8

  Nicole

  Kylie: Waiting in a no-waiting zone. Hurry!

  I SMILED DOWN AT the text. It wasn’t unusual for Kylie to be parked illegally, but she’d gotten so many parking tickets in the last year that she was actually starting to be more cautious.

  I spied my bag the moment I got to the baggage claim, and hefted it off the belt.

  Two seconds later, I was sprinting, two suitcases in tow, to get to the pickup area. If Kylie was forced to circle the airport, it could take forever for her to get back to me again. It didn’t matter that I had an evening arrival. LAX traffic was pretty much a nightmare at any time of the day.

  I was breathless by the time I got outside and to the curb, but I kept moving toward the median since there was no curbside pickup.

  Even if I’d wanted to, there hadn’t been time for me to find Damian and say goodbye.

  Part of me was relieved that the farewell opportunity hadn’t been there. No doubt it would have been awkward, and since I was the queen of being ill at ease, that moment was better off avoided.

  “Nic! I’m here!” The forceful female voice called out just as I spotted my best friend.

  Kylie was waving a hand in the air at the back of her older Honda Accord, the trunk already opened for my luggage.

  “Welcome home,” she said jovially as I tossed my suitcases in the trunk.

  We hugged hurriedly before we jumped into the vehicle. “I’m glad to be home,” I said with a sigh.

  “Bad flight?” she asked with a frown.

  I shook my head as I put my seat belt on. “No. It was fine. I just…”

  “Come on, Nic. Tell me. I’ve known you since kindergarten. It’s not like I can’t tell when something’s wrong. I know the presentation didn’t go the way you wanted it to go, but you’d normally be over something like that pretty fast.”

  “Not necessarily. It was bad. And it was a very large deal to blow. It would expand the entire company if we went international. Especially with an initial client like Lancaster International.”

  Honestly, I hadn’t actually thought much about my botched presentation after I’d told Damian about it.

  He had completely distracted me.

  The loss of the deal hadn’t even crossed my mind when I’d woken up near the end of the flight, either. I’d been too mortified about what had happened before I’d fallen asleep.

  Kylie put the car into gear, but we didn’t move very far. The entire area was like a very large parking lot, so we were going to be inching along until we got outside the pickup area and onto the freeway.

  “Spill it,” she demanded. “I heard about the scandal that happened right before your presentation. But I know this isn’t about the meeting.”

  Sometimes I really hated the fact that Kylie could read me like a book. “It’s nothing really bad. I just met this guy on the plane. I’m not sure what happened, exactly. I just had this…weird instant attraction to him. That’s never happened to me before.”

  She snorted. “It’s happened to me plenty of times, and it never ends all that well. After you satisfy your insta-lust, you usually find out the guy can’t carry on an intelligent conversation. So what was he like?”

  “Very tall. Dark. Handsome. British.”

  Kylie squealed. “See, I told you. That sexy British accent will turn a woman on every single time. Did you join the mile-high club with Mr. Orgasm?”

  I turned my head to glare at her, but it was hard to see her face clearly in the dark. “You’re kidding, right?” Like I was really going to squeeze into one of those tiny restrooms on the plane with a guy as big as Damian to have a quickie. “He’s a big guy. Even if I would have been inclined to screw some man I barely knew in a tiny bathroom on an international flight, we never would have fit.”

  “Did you get his number? Did you give him yours?” Kylie’s voice was enthusiastic. “He might be the one to end your no-O problem.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Can you get off your orgasm obsession? I was attracted to him. That’s it. We were sitting together on an airplane. We talked a lot.”

  “And he was smoking hot,” Kylie added.

  “Okay. Yes. He was incredibly attractive. And while everyone was sleeping, I kissed him, but there was no sex involved.” Never mind that Damian’s kiss was hotter than any of the sex I’d ever had. I wasn’t sure I wanted to share that with Kylie. She’d never stop digging at me about not giving him my number.