“My private jet!” He shouted it, still caught up in the energy just as she was.
“God, you’re so irritating!” She pulled at her hair and stomped across the room for a second, and then the fog broke and she could think again. Irritatingly perfect. “Are you serious?”
Imaad came toward her, holding out his hands palms up, like it was a sign of submission. “Deadly serious. We’ll get there faster if we take my plane. Now come on.”
Annabelle eyed his hands, desperate to fall into his embrace. Only a half hour ago she’d been mourning the loss of him. Now she had an entire flight to bask in his company. She grasped his hand hesitantly, like the second-place winner afraid to cede the trophy.
?
??Fine. I guess I like that idea better.”
Imaad grinned, and he pulled her into his arms. “You’re hard to please, you know that?”
16
Imaad watched Annabelle watching their takeoff through the small window. She fascinated him far more than anything outside could, and besides, he could look out the window anytime. Annabelle was a far rarer gift.
She sighed, settling into the plush leather seat facing his. She sat rigidly, clasping her purse in her lap.
“You can relax, you know.” He propped an ankle over his knee. “We could even lie on the floor if we wanted. You can’t do that in commercial airliners.”
“I know.” She smiled briefly. “This is all just so much to take in.” She nibbled on her lip, avoiding his gaze. She’d carried a strange tension around her since boarding the private jet, one that he wanted to squeeze out of her in a hug.
Silence filled the cabin as the plane ascended into the sky. The pressure shifted, and Imaad swallowed a few times to get his ears to adjust.
“I just hate relying on people,” Annabelle blurted, fidgeting with the strap of her purse. “My father…your father…even you.”
Imaad smoothed his palm over his knee as he let her words sink in. “I’m not trying to endear myself to you.” Well, maybe a little, but it was the last reason on the list. “I just care for you, and I support your decision. I don’t think you’re beholden to me. I would never offer something with strings attached.”
Annabelle finally met his gaze, and the tenderness there nearly toppled him.
“I lost my mother when I was young,” he added more quietly. “I know what this must mean to you.”
Annabelle pinched her eyes shut and then unbuckled her seatbelt. She came over to him and crawled into his lap, nestling herself into the hollow of his legs, her forehead pressed against his chest. The warmth of her instantly soothed him, like a balm he hadn’t realized he needed.
“Much better,” he murmured, stroking her back. “This is where you need to sit all the time.”
She sighed. “You’re such a good man, Imaad.”
He lifted his brows. “You think so?”
“I know so. I knew it the second I met you. Even though you tried to act like an asshole, I still felt your goodness behind it.”
He feigned disappointment. “So I didn’t fool you?”
“Maybe for a second,” she said, slipping her fingers between the buttons of his white shirt. “Your dad was pissed you came, huh?”
“Livid,” Imaad said, brushing his lips against her hair. “But I’ll deal with that when I get back.”
A sweet moment of silence passed, and then Annabelle said, “This flight is pretty long, right?”
“Long enough to get a good night’s sleep.” Their plush chairs reclined back into something resembling a narrow bed. It was more comfortable than some hotel beds he’d been in.
“What if we do some relaxing before sleep?” She lifted a brow. Grinning, Imaad guided her to stand up while he reclined the seat, folding down the overstuffed arm rests so that their bed was ready.
“I want you to be on top,” she whispered, nudging him with her toe. There was something innocent there, something so sweet it made his chest hurt. He stood and unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it aside, while she sidled out of her clothes. When she was naked, she lay back on the seat, her silky blonde hair splayed out around her head.
Imaad pushed his slacks and briefs down, his cock springing into the air. She smiled when she saw it, welcoming him into her arms when he eased down on top. They kissed, slow and tender, for a long while, neither of them able to break the sweet stream of kisses. She whimpered and spread her legs wider, urging him onward, and he wiggled his hips into place until his cock settled right in the warmest, slickest spot.