Temporarily Yours (Shillings Agency 1)

She snort-laughed. “Or recovering from the massive hangover from the in-flight beverage service.”

Kayla watched Cooper hand the gate attendant their tickets, then they walked down the jetway hand in hand. He held on to her so tightly that she wondered if he thought she’d try to run.

She was almost tempted to.

He stopped at the back row of first class and motioned her to her window seat. “Here we are.”

“Okay. I can do this.” She slid into the window seat. “I might be taking a sleeping pill for this one.”

“You mean a ‘vitamin’?”

She laughed. “Yeah.”

“You can drool on me. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

She pulled the tray down and wiped it off with one of her ever-present anti-bacterial wipes, then handed Cooper one for his. He shook his head but did as she asked, then they both waited. She waited for this plane ride to be over and he waited for…what?

He looked nervous.

As they sat there, he tapped his foot on the floor and drummed his fingers on his knee at the same time. He was fidgeting. He never fidgeted. “You okay over there?”

“Huh?” He turned to her and blinked. “Oh. Yeah. Fabulous.”

She pursed her lips. “Don’t tell me you’re nervous about this flight.”

“Of course not,” he scoffed. He craned his neck and looked over his shoulder. “I’m just waiting for our drinks. I ordered them before we even got on the plane.”

She glanced out the window. “They’ll be here. I think we’re taking off soon.”

“You need a drink before we do.” He stood up. “I’ll go and grab—”

“She’s coming.” Kayla grabbed his hand and yanked him back down into his seat. “And you’re not leaving me. If you aren’t here when we move, I’ll lose it.”

He patted her leg, but still seemed distracted. He was watching the flight attendant as if he knew her or something. “I’m not leaving,” he assured.

The flight attendant came over and smiled at them. “Here is the champagne you requested, sir.”

“Thank you.” Cooper took the glasses, then handed one over to Kayla. “And if you have a blanket, that would be great.”

“I can do even better than that. I could bring two.”

“One will do.” Cooper grinned. “We share.”

The attendant nodded, while Kayla blushed. She knew exactly why he wanted that blanket—and she couldn’t freaking wait. “It’s a little more crowded in First Class than last time.”

“Then you’ll have to be even quieter.” He turned to her and held his glass out. Was it just her imagination, or did his hand tremble? “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Kayla leaned in and kissed him, not bothering to take a drink. All she needed was right here with her. “Thank you for my present.”

“Thank you for loving me.” He lifted his cup. “Now drink.”

She lifted it to her lips and took a sip. It was delicious.

He took a shaky breath. “I’ve never been happier than I have been with you, you know. I thought over all the ways I could do this, and a million scenarios came to mind. But the best one was staring me in the face.” Cooper reached into his pocket. She arched a brow and watched. What was he up to? “Tell me, what are the statistics for people who get engaged? How many of them get married?”

Her glass hit the tray with a clunk. “W-What?”

“You heard me,” he said softly. “What are the numbers?”