Indie straightened from where she’d been digging in her suitcase. She held up her hand. “One maiden in distress, coming up.”
“Indie, I’m serious.” Tessa swatted at her. “You joke around about everything.”
“All right, all right, I’ll try to be more helpless if you want. I pledge to do everything in my power to charm this man, even if it means acting like a wimp.”
“Good. Remember, this is not for you. It’s for the clinic you plan to build in Haiti, and the home in-”
“Got it, Tessa. I said I’m going to give it my best shot and I will. Now come and help me pack before I have to throw you out of my house.”
Next day at the airport it was an emotional Tessa who hugged and kissed Indie goodbye.
“What are you crying about?” Indie asked as she hugged her close. “It’s not like I don’t go off on these far away trips every few months. This one is no different.”
“I know,” Tessa said, “but you’ve never gone so far away before. It’s like the other side of the world.”
“I’ll be back in no time. You’ll see.”
They gave each other one last hug then Indie pulled away and headed off toward her gate. At the security check point she turned to give Tessa one last wave and then she went toward the security guard beckoning to her to proceed.
She always hated this part, when Tessa dropped her off. Like her, Tessa was an only child and they’d come to value their friendship so much that they were more like sisters than friends. Which was the amazing thing because they were so different in both looks and personality. But from the day they’d met four years ago something had clicked and they’d been a big part of each other’s lives since then.
Indie collected her shoes from the bin, put them on then gathered up her carry-on items and headed for her gate. She had a whole hour to spare before boarding time and she planned to use it to catch up on her reading. It seemed that these days the only time she could find the time to engage in that favorite hobby was when she was sitting in an airport. She headed for the lounge where she’d wait for the boarding of Stone’s private jet.
She was absorbed in a nail-biting scene in her suspense novel when she felt a weight on her shoulder. She jumped then looked up and there was Stone, smiling down at her.
He lifted his hand from her shoulder. “Sorry to startle you.” He dropped his garment bag on an empty seat then relaxed onto the chair across from her.
“Wake me when the pilot calls us,” he said with a groan. “I’ve had a long day.” It certainly looked like he had. Within seconds he was breathing deeply, obviously dead to the world.
Indie raised her eyebrows. And she’d thought she’d been busy these last two days, getting ready for the trip. But if Stone’s plunge into slumber was anything to go by, he’d had a heck of a rough time since she’d last seen him.
Slowly, she rested her novel down and leaned forward to peer at the sleeping man. She might as well do it now, get to know every inch of his face. She guessed that normally it would take at least three dates to be able to memorize a face down to the last detail. She didn’t have the luxury of leisurely ‘getting-to-know-you’ dates so she would take advantage of the opportunity she’d been given and absorb every detail while she could.
She slid off her seat and slipped into the one beside him. Then, trying not to seem too obvious in case anyone walked in, as casually as she could she rested her chin in the hand she’d propped up on her knee and leaned over for a better look.
Stone Hudson wasn’t a man you’d call eye candy. For one thing, his jaw was too firm for that description. And his forehead was too broad and strong. And his lips? Too tight. But there was a manliness about him that could not be denied. When you looked at him you knew that this was a man who was no walk-over. He was the kind of man who would defend his woman, protect her, be a source of strength for her. Indie gave a little smile. She liked that.
She was still smiling when Stone’s eyes opened and he looked straight at her.
Indie jerked away and pressed back into the seat. Then she stole a sideways glance and saw that Stone was laughing at her.
He began to straighten up. “Was I snoring?” he asked with a rueful smile. “Don’t tell me I was so loud you couldn’t get any reading done.”
“Not at all.” Indie shook her head. “You were quiet as a mouse. I just thought I saw a…mosquito or something. I didn’t want you to get stung.”
He gave her a slow smile. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
“No problem at all,” she replied then she escaped back to her seat across the aisle, picked up her novel and sought refuge behind it. That was a close one. She’d better watch herself from here on. Few people took kindly to being stared at. She should know. She hated it herself.
Indie kept a low profile until they boarded the plane and even then she tried to keep a safe distance between her and Stone, making sure there was a seat that separated the two of them and reaching for a magazine she could hide behind. But then she remembered the real reason she was there – to attract this man, get him to want her so much that he would ask her to marry him. So far she’d been doing the exact opposite. She definitely had to work on her alluring side.
She dropped the magazine onto the middle seat and looked over to where Stone was peering at the screen of his laptop. She’d pretty much ignored the man since takeoff but now she would repair that. They had almost a day's worth of travel ahead of them so what better time to get to know him? Proximity, Tessa had said. She’d certainly have lots of that, stuck in a plane with Stone for the next several hours.
She cleared her throat and he looked up immediately. “Sorry,” she said, giving him an apologetic smile, “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” Of course she'd meant to disturb him. She knew that and he knew that but it was the polite thing to say.
“Not at all,” he said and pushed the laptop onto the nearby counter. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a bit…bored.”