Tally’s nerves were frayed as she waited for Cash to arrive. Against her better judgement, she had a slug of tequila. The alcohol warmed her stomach but unfortunately didn’t make a dent in her anxiety levels.

Her brain wouldn’t let up. Were the grey fitted skirt and pale-green silk blouse suitable for where he had planned? Was her hair all right? Did she have toilet paper trailing from her shoe? She glanced down. Nope. All clear. Thank God Em was still at work. She’d have added to Tally’s nervousness with her poorly timed quips.

She checked the clock for the tenth time. The bloody thing didn’t seem to have moved since the last time she looked. She began to have second thoughts. She wasn’t the sophisticated type Cash was normally seen out with, so how far would he get into the date before getting bored, making his excuses, and bringing her home? What if he didn’t turn up at all, or he did turn up and she couldn’t resist him? What type of a girl did that make her?

Jesus, I’m all over the place.

The sound of a car door slamming made her heart jump into her throat, and she peered out of the window in time to see Cash walk up her front path. She swallowed hard, her breathing shallow and strained. Panic wasn’t far away, and she paused to take a couple of deep breaths before opening the door.

“You came,” she blurted out.

Cash grinned, flashing her a perfect set of straight white teeth. “Not yet, sweetness. But a man can hope.”

Her face burned. “I-I didn’t mean…”

Cash’s arms snaked around her waist, and he planted a hard kiss on her mouth, cutting off her stuttering reply.

“You look gorgeous.” His eyes raked her face. “Nice earrings, by the way. Shall we go?”

Heat rushed to her face as she remembered his quip about the earrings on Christmas Day, and she ducked her head. She picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and closed the front door behind her. Cash held the car door open and climbed in beside her.

“Did you remember your photo ID?”

“Yes,” she said, reaching into her bag. She pulled out her passport and waved it at him. “Are you going to tell me what it’s for?”

“Nope.” Cash leaned across her, his body skimming hers as he clipped her seatbelt into place. “Now you’re mine,” he whispered in her ear.

Her pulse jumped as Cash turned away to fasten his own seatbelt, and her nerves increased now they were trapped together in such close confines. As the car filtered into the traffic, Tally began to fiddle with the strap on her handbag until Cash’s hand covered hers, forcing her to stop. His thumb skimmed across her knuckles while he simultaneously squeezed her fingers.

“Nervous?”

She glanced sideways at him. “A little.”

He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her palm. She licked her dry lips and swallowed.

“I want to do that,” he said.

Tally frowned a little. “Do what?”

“Taste your lips.”

Her stomach flipped with longing as he unfastened his seatbelt and shuffled across the back seat. He cupped her chin and tilted her head towards him. Leaning forwards, he traced the outline of her mouth with his tongue, the sensual touch causing dampness to pool between her legs. With his thumb, he coaxed her bottom lip, and as it opened, he kissed her, his tongue surging inside to tease hers.

Tally moaned softly as Cash deepened the kiss. His hand cupped the back of her neck, anchoring her in position as he took what he wanted and gave her what she needed. Lost in a sea of emotions, she forgot where she was, and as her hands knitted into his hair, she became an equal partner rather than an inactive participant.

Cash groaned loudly, the sound rumbling in his chest, and Tally felt her seatbelt spring back into its holster as he tugged her to sit across his lap side-saddle.

“You’ve cast a spell on me, sweetness.” He moved in to kiss her again.

Several minutes later, the car stopped, and the interior lights came on.

Cash’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Looks like we’ve arrived at stage two,” he said, lifting her off his lap and back into her own seat.

Tally peered out of the window. Several small planes were dotted around. Some seemed abandoned while others had several workmen milling about.

“Where are we?”

“City Airport.” He opened his door and climbed out. Tally watched him walk around the back of the car, too dumbfounded to move. What on earth were they doing at City? Cash opened her door and held out his hand. “Come on. We take off in five minutes.”

“Take off where?” Her voice squeaked, and she cleared her throat. “Where are we going?” she asked in a much more acceptable tone.

Cash tapped the side of his nose with his finger. “That would be telling.”

The playful glint in his eye was hard to resist. She bet Cash knew exactly how to show a girl a good time, although the way he’d acquired that skill wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on. Better to focus on the fact that in this moment, she was the girl he wanted to spend time with. She was under no illusions—this wouldn’t last. And when it ended, it was going to hurt. But for now, she was going to push aside any negative thoughts and simply live in the moment.

With her hand firmly in his, Cash led Tally up the steps of a small plane. The inside couldn’t have been more different to a commercial jet. Towards the front were two sets of seats in pale-cream leather, each facing the other with a square, light-oak table in between. At the back of the jet was a sofa full of squishy cushions, and a small galley behind that. She’d never seen anything like it.

“Is this yours?” she asked.

“One of them, yes.”

“One of them? Wow, it’s fabulous.”

Cash shrugged. “It’s okay for short trips. I use it mainly for travelling around northern Europe, but for longer trips I have a larger jet. With a bedroom.” He winked suggestively making heat rush to her cheeks.

He showed her to one of the seats at the front and had a brief chat with a man she assumed was the captain before sitting down opposite her.

“You’re not going to tell me where we’re going, are you?”

“Not a chance,” he said.

“You know I’m due at work in the morning, right? No whisking me off to the Caribbean.”

With a smirk, Cash settled back in his seat. As the plane began to taxi, he gazed out of the window, but when the engines throttled and the plane began to accelerate down the runway, his face paled, and he gripped the arms of the chair tightly.

“Don’t you like flying?”

“Hate it,” he said through gritted teeth, his knuckles turning white. “Particularly this bit.”

“Why are we here, then? Wouldn’t it have been easier to head for the nearest steakhouse?”

Cash flashed a look that didn’t invite further conversation, and as the plane lifted into the sky, he sucked in a breath, the air whistling through his teeth.

“Fuck,” he bit out.

Tally shuffled as far forwards as her seatbelt allowed and grabbed his hand, which stayed rock still beneath hers. He squeezed his eyes shut, and as his breathing escalated, his chest rose and fell with increasing speed. After a few minutes, the captain switched off the seatbelt signs. Tally unfastened hers and swept her tongue over her dry lips. Ignoring the nervous fluttering in her stomach, she walked around the table that separated them. She hitched up her skirt and straddled his legs, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“You did great.”

“Oh, baby,” he murmured, burying his face in her neck and massaging her inner thighs with his thumbs. “If the plane crashed now, I’d die happy.”

“It’s not going to crash.” She squeezed him tightly then began to stand.

“Don’t,” he said, gripping her hips to hold her in place. “Stay, Natalia. Please.”

She grinned. “No one calls me Natalia. Only you.”

He gave her a crooked smile. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Anyway, I told you at the fundraiser I wasn’t most people.”

“You’ve got that right,” she mumbled as he began to nibble on her earlobe. The sensation travelled right to her groin, and she clenched her inner muscles, hoping to control the heat pooling in her abdomen. A low grumble sounded deep in Cash’s throat as he trailed kisses across her neck. She closed her eyes and held back a groan of pleasure.

When he pulled away, his breathing was ragged. “It pains me to do this, sweetness, but as I don’t have a spare pair of trousers…” He left the reason hanging in the air as he lifted her off his lap. Wrapping a hand around her neck, he kissed her hard. “Best get back in your seat before you force me to change my plans.”

With her pulse racing, Tally sat down while Cash wandered to the back of the plane, the bulge in his trousers unmistakeable as he passed by. She hid a smile behind her hand at his obvious attraction to her. When he returned with a bottle of champagne and two glasses and expertly popped the cork without spilling a drop, she couldn’t stop the rush of happiness.

“To us.” He clinked his glass against hers and took a sip. She followed suit. Crisp and delicious, the champagne went some way to helping with her nerves.

It wasn’t long before the ping of the seatbelt sign broke the spell. As she buckled up, Cash’s easy manner disappeared, and the white knuckles made a return.

“If you hadn’t stopped me before, you wouldn’t have even noticed the descent,” she said, holding her hand out for him to grip. Surprised but pleased with her boldness, she grinned. Something about Cash made her want to be reckless.

A brief smile flashed across his face as he clutched her hand. “Now that has taken my mind off things.”

Ten minutes later, they landed with a bump, and Cash cursed under his breath. As the aircraft came to a stop, the tension he’d suffered evaporated, and a slow grin spread across his face. “Ready?”