Temporarily Yours (Shillings Agency #1)(4)
Author: Diane Alberts

Okay. Enough of that line of thought. She didn’t even know the guy. It was probably a good thing he wasn’t sitting next to her. If he was, she wouldn’t be able to pass out through the flight until safely back on the ground again.

Because if she slept, she might snore. Or worse…drool all over his shoulder.

That would be an unforgiveable offense.

The flight attendant walked up to her with the double vodka cranberry she’d requested the second she’d boarded the plane, and Kayla was grateful that being in first class meant the drinks were mixed for her. Her hands were shaking so badly there was no way she could have done it herself.

“Thank you.” With jerky movements, she lifted the glass to her lips and gulped down three big swallows. “I needed this.”

Come on liquid courage.

If the flight attendant was shocked by Kayla’s desperate display, she didn’t show it. “Can I get you anything else, or would you like some peace and quiet now?”

Kayla eyed the passengers in front of her. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too noisy. “Quiet is good. I plan on passing out shortly so I’m not alive as we crash down to our fiery deaths,” Kayla blurted, her heart racing and her mouth drying out while her hands inexplicably got all sweaty. Trembling, she set her cocktail into the drink holder next to her seat. “I’m scared of flying. Really scared.”

The flight attendant blinked at her. “Don’t worry. We have one of the best pilots flying us today. You don’t have a thing to worry about.”

“Does he drink? Or do drugs?”

She laughed. “No. They’re pretty strict about that stuff nowadays.”

“I hope you’re right.”

The flight attendant smiled one more time, then backed off. “I’m going to check on the others now.”

Kayla bit her lip and watched the attendant leave. The woman probably thought she was one brick short of a house. Well, she could think what she wanted as long as she kept the drinks coming. Kayla put the sleeping pills on the travel table, thankful she didn’t have to worry about driving once she landed. After her self-medication, she’d be in no shape to operate heavy machinery.

Or to talk about anything, really…which was why she would be taking a shuttle to the hotel. Once there, she would spend a peaceful night alone, catching as much sleep as she could before the insanity of the wedding preparations consumed her.

She muttered, “I’m going to toss back this drink. Then off to sleep I go.”

Soft laughter sounded beside her, and she stiffened. “You’re adorable when you talk to yourself. You know that? But you don’t have to anymore. You’ve got me.”

“Cooper?” She blinked up at him, trying to put two and two together. “You’re in first class, too? But you said you weren’t.”

“I thought wrong. My, uh, travel agent told me I had to fly coach, but when I saw first class wasn’t booked, I switched.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shuffled his feet. “Your purse is in my seat.”

“Oh.” Swallowing hard, she moved it over so he could sit next to her. Snatching up the sleeping pills, she tossed them in her purse before he noticed—no way would she be taking them now—and threw the dirty wipe in with them. “Sorry about that. I forgot I’d have company.”

“It sure looks like you planned for company,” he said, with a pointed look at the nearly-clear-it-was-so-strong drink next to her. God, his eyes were so freaking green she couldn’t help but wonder if they were contacts. No one had eyes that color naturally. “Drinking to get rid of the nerves?”

Hell yeah.

She lifted the glass and tried to sip demurely, but she was pretty sure it sounded like a loud slurp instead. “It won’t get rid of them, but it will make them a little more bearable. I apologize in advance for any drunken rambling I’m about to make. Though it probably won’t sound much different from my nervous babbling.”

God, she needed to stop sounding like a fool.

If they’d met under any other circumstances, she would have remained cool and collected the whole time. Flirted with all of the ease and confidence she could muster.

Instead, he got this.

Luckily, he didn’t seem to mind the half-wit state she was currently stuck in. Grinning, he shoved his bag in the overhead. As he reached up, his sweater lifted, showing off his taut abdomen peppered with the same color light brown hair that was on his head. Only this time, the hair led down below his beltline to his…

Never mind where it led, thank you very much. She curled her hands into fists at the ridiculous urge to touch the thin strip of skin.

“If you’re going to have a party, the least I can do is join you.” He looked over his shoulder at the attendant who hovered in the corner. “Excuse me? Could I please have what she’s having?”

“Of course,” she said, the appreciation for the fine male specimen in front of her clear in the attendant’s enraptured expression. This was not lost on Kayla. Miraculously enough, Cooper didn’t seem to notice, though. “I’ll be right back with that.”

“Thank you.”

As the attendant hurried off to make his drink, Cooper sat beside Kayla, dragged a hand through his hair and turned those bright green eyes her way. When he looked at her like that, all concerned and warm, her insides went all gooey and hot. She wondered if he knew the effect he had on her.

Not if she could help it. She lifted her chin and clenched her teeth together, flashing him a smile. She would not lose herself in him like some foolish besotted schoolgirl. “So…?”

“So…?” He smiled back, those lips she was so obsessed with parting to show his perfect white teeth. The man was flawless everywhere. So not fair. “Are you topping this drink off with some sleeping pills? I saw you had something out earlier.”

Crap. She hadn’t moved fast enough. “Uh, no. They were vitamins.”

He cocked a brow. “Vitamins? On a plane?”

“Yeah. Haven’t you heard of them before?” she teased, tugging on a piece of hair and looking at him through her lashes. “They’re good for you—unlike the vodka I’m about to down. I figured I’d balance out the bad effects of the alcohol on my liver with something good. Life is all about ratios, after all.”

The attendant brought him his drink but he didn’t tear his eyes from Kayla. Having his full attention made her tremble. She looked out the window, needing a respite from…well, him.