The Seller

The knot in her chest was difficult to ignore. She prodded him in the chest and tried to make light of it. "You're not just trying to prove a point?"

He didn't answer her with words. Instead he drew her into his arms and kissed her softly — ever so softly — on the lips.

"I want you with me," he whispered, and it was humbly offered. "Simple as that."

How could she deny him?

Chapter Eight

During the car journey to the airfield, Lucas made numerous business calls. It gave Naomi time to get used to the idea of being whisked out of the country at a moment's notice. She'd scarcely had time to throw a few things in a bag. Thankfully Megan had dashed into town to help out. She'd also laughed at Naomi's state of confusion, which helped to Naomi chill out a bit.

Lucas's plane landed as they approached the small terminus at the outskirts of the airport that served private planes. She'd only ever been on regular scheduled flights and she marveled at how quickly they were processed and transferred. Within minutes, they were walking across the tarmac to mount the steps into the aircraft. It was a sunny day with a clear blue sky, and they were about to take to the air. Life with Lucas Eaglestone was anything but predictable.

Naomi's breath hitched as she ducked her head and entered the plane. The interior was more like a luxury lounge than an aircraft, with around a dozen seats, each with plenty of space around them. As soon as they boarded, the door was shut and they were on their way. The only sim

ilarity to a normal flight was the piped music.

Lucas seemed to be aware of her feelings and attempted to make her feel at ease. He buckled her in and sat across the narrow aisle. The seats were possibly the most comfortable chairs she'd ever sat in. Crafted in sumptuous leather they cradled the body, encouraging relaxation.

Between them, where there might have been a narrow armrest on a flight, was a table unit. Lucas reached across it and held her hand as the plane taxied. The small plane felt somehow more buoyant on take off, and as soon as the fasten seatbelt sign went off Lucas spun his chair to face hers and lifted a flap on either side of the table between them, locking them in place to form a mutual workspace.

"Pass me your laptop. Let's look at these figures together."

The table between them had folded out into a sizeable unit, and within moments Lucas had the laptop up and running and was poring over her spreadsheets.

Naomi urged herself to look at the screen too, but all she could do was look at him. How bizarre it was to be sitting here on a private jet – his private jet – talking about her little shop and her business dreams. It only served to show her how different they were. She wondered how on earth it had happened, and whether she would falter and freak out because she was suddenly so far removed from her own world.

"You can't afford an agent," he commented eventually, when he looked at her totals. There was a twinkle in his eyes.

She sighed and tried to focus on the business of it, remembering the stuff she'd prepared to say in London. She knew he would tease her unmercilessly about it, that was a given. She'd had her answers ready on their first meet, so she pulled them out now. "I know where I'm at, but I also know where I'm supposed to be."

"Good answer. You said your main sales currently go to tourists?"

"Yes, and there's so much competition in the area. I had to keep my prices down to attract the trade."

He gestured at the screen. "You won't survive long this way."

"I know."

"Are the manufacturing costs as low as they can go?"

"At the moment, yes, because I'm not dealing in vast quantities. If I knew the market was there and I could increase the number of items in production, the price would drop considerably."

"We definitely need to think about a wider market place for you."

"We?" She gave him a chastising stare.

He shrugged. "Consider this a free consultation."

"Two department stores in Edinburgh have taken on some of my range and they're doing well.

He turned the laptop so they could look at it together. "Find me that spreadsheet." While she scanned through the pages, Lucas got up and walked to a cabinet at the back of the plane's interior. When she glanced after him she saw it housed drinks and glassware.

"We have a good sparkling white wine here. Can I tempt you?"

Naomi nodded. It was early in the day but with any luck the alcohol would mellow her anxiety. She was just getting used to being around him when this curveball had been thrown. Somehow she'd agreed to come with him. She wasn't at home in his world, jetting about Europe conducting business meetings in the sky.

He handed her a glass. She sipped her wine, enjoying the crisp, icy fizz on her tongue, and watched him taking his seat. Even though he had a wine glass in one hand he was still scrolling through her spreadsheets with the other.