“I guess it’s just with me, then.”
She thought about that and wondered if he wasn’t on to something. She was known for being blunt but that wasn’t the same as being honest. “Maybe,” she admitted. “I’ve been saying what my family has wanted to hear about a lot of things, I think. Or if not, just kind of...following along.”
“You made a statement this week, that’s for sure. But truly, Charlotte. It might be best if I go.”
She met his gaze. “Are you worried about me getting ideas? That if you stay the two days, that if we spend those days together, I’ll somehow magically think we are meant to be together forever and fall head over heels in love with you?”
To her surprise, he blushed.
“I won’t,” she said firmly. “Like we said earlier. We have different lives. And what you shared with me last night... I’m honored that you did that. But it also shows me that you’re not in a place where a relationship is on the table. My eyes are open, Jacob. That being said...” She put her cup down on a small table and leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. “It’s been a long time since I’ve liked someone, trusted someone. Heck, it’s been a very long time since I had sex. Forgive me for wanting another forty-eight hours before having to give that up.”
He relaxed his shoulders and let out a breath. “I don’t want to go, either. Even if I should. But you have to know that this is all I have to give, Charlie.”
“I know. I won’t ask for more. I promise.”
“Two days.”
“Not even. I do still have some obligations. But definitely two more nights. And then Saturday we’ll fly out together. And we’ll say goodbye, with a smile.”
She wasn’t quite sure if she could pull off a genuine smile at saying goodbye. In just a week he’d made such an impression on her heart. But she’d fake it if she had to, and keep the memory close as “that one time I had a fling with my bodyguard.” It was best for everyone.
CHAPTER TEN
SATURDAY AFTERNOON THEY boarded a flight from New York to Paris. Ensconced in ultracomfortable first-class seats, Jacob indulged in a whiskey while Charlotte got a glass of white wine from the flight attendant. They toasted each other by clinking glasses, then Jacob took a sip of his drink. Sipping was important. Otherwise he’d find himself ordering another, and another. He wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to Charlotte at the airport in Paris, where he’d catch a quick connection to London.
She’d kept her bargain to the letter. No request for promises or declarations of affection. It had been two days of enjoying each other. Sex, certainly, that blew his mind and made him incapable of moving his limbs for a good thirty minutes. But more than that. He still accompanied her to her work functions, and watched as she worked a crowded room, or spoke to a single person and made them feel as if they had her complete attention. He listened to her on a call with her family, going through business details about the fashion industry that blew his mind. She was so freaking smart.
And then there’d been the talks. Talks about their childhoods, which were so very different. And not just because of money, but because he’d been an only child while she’d had siblings. He’d told her about losing his mother to cancer when he wasn’t even a teenager, and she told him about her father’s death almost two years ago, and how decimated the family had been to lose Cedric.
Somewhere in those two days, he’d fallen for her. Hard.
Exhaustion swept over him, and he closed his eyes. Maybe he should fight to stay awake, spend every last second he could with her, but something had switched in his brain the moment they’d stepped on the plane. A signal that what had been their magical time was over now. The flight was just a kind of limbo between one world and the next.
Back to Wolfe Security. Back to London, and his flat. And, if he had anything to do with it, finally rebooking his vacation. Though now the thought of having that sort of time on his hands didn’t hold the same allure. It would just give him time to think about Charlotte. Work was a much better idea. Lots and lots of work.
Charlotte woke him later, when dinner service began. He wondered if she was annoyed he’d slept, but she remained as easy and friendly as she had that morning when they’d left the apartment for the last time. “It was good,” she’d said, jostling his arm a bit, sighing with satisfaction. “Thank you, Jacob. I’ll treasure this time always.”
No demands. No tears. Exactly what they’d agreed. He’d hated it.
The chicken tasted like cardboard and even the addition of another whiskey didn’t help. He asked for a soft drink afterward, and when he looked over at Charlotte, he saw she’d pulled out her laptop and slid on those ridiculous, sexy little glasses and was working.
For some reason, the sight angered him. His insides were churning from the thought of walking away from her; how could she be so damned calm? Then he noticed that while she was staring at her screen, her fingers weren’t moving. She wasn’t scrolling, either, to read on farther. She was just...staring.
He was going to miss her. And maybe, just maybe, she was going to miss him, too. It was a bittersweet thought.
But what could he do about it? Nothing. Nor should he. Instead he decided to watch a movie or something to keep his mind occupied. Otherwise he was going to say something he shouldn’t, or touch her or something, and that wouldn’t help.
After an hour of staring at his screen and not registering a damned thing, the final approach announcement was made and the crew and passengers started to prepare for landing.
Charlotte closed her laptop and moved to put it in her bag. The scent of her perfume reached him, reminding him of the nights she’d spent wrapped around him, and he didn’t want to let her go.
He imagined saying such a thing to her and mentally kicked himself. A woman like Charlotte wouldn’t want a man like him, not as a...a partner. She was on her way to even more riches and celebrity and he was a behind-the-scenes guy, still eating beans on toast sometimes. Sure, his business was super successful and in demand. But the way he lived—the way he wanted to live—was so different from her lifestyle.
A quick check out the window showed him they were close to touchdown, and he looked at Charlotte. She was watching him, and a smile touched her lips. “Ready?” she asked.
“First thing I’m going to do is head for a pint at my local,” he answered, keeping his voice deliberately light. “Nothing feels more like home. You?”
She shrugged. “To my flat, I guess. I’ll see the family tomorrow and be back in the office on Monday. No rest for the wicked.”