CHAPTER THREE

      TWENTY-TWO MINUTES LATE, Holly rushed through the airport early the next morning. Her suitcase clunk-clunked as it rolled over the tiled floor.

      She hadn’t meant to stay up late the night before, talking on the phone, but it’d been a long time since she’d heard her mother so exuberant. Apparently the Sunshine State agreed with her, especially the strolls along the beach while Holly’s aunt was off at her waitressing job.

      When her mother mentioned returning to New York, Holly readily assured her there was no rush. At the same time, she’d made a mental note to send her aunt some more money to cover her mother’s living expenses. Holly proceeded to fill her mother in on the business trip, citing her absence as another reason for her mother to remain in Florida. Her mother actually sounded relieved, confirming Holly’s belief that she needed to do everything to ensure her mother didn’t have to worry about money. And that hinged on impressing Finn.

      But this morning, if anything could have gone wrong, it had. As late as she was, Finn would think she was incompetent or worse that she’d changed her mind and backed out without a word. And because she’d been so rattled yesterday, she’d forgotten to get his cell number.

      When she finally reached the prearranged meeting spot, Finn stood there, frowning. She was breathless and feeling totally out of sorts.

      His piercing gaze met hers. “I didn’t think you were going to show up.”

      She attempted to catch her breath. “There was an accident.”

      Immediately his anger morphed into concern. “Are you okay?”

      “It wasn’t me. It was the vehicle two cars up from my cab.” In that moment the horrific events played in her mind. “One second we’re moving along the highway and the next a little sports car attempts to cut off a souped-up pickup truck with large knobby tires. The car swerved wildly across the lanes as tires screeched and the driver tried to regain control, but the car lifted and flipped a couple of times.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I never witnessed something so horrific. I...I don’t think the driver made it.”

      Finn reached out to her and pulled her close. Her cheek rested against his shoulder. “Thank God you’re safe.”

      Her emotions bubbled to the surface. The worry. The fear. The shock. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed as Finn continued to hold her. Horrific scenes of the accident played in her mind, one after the other. She knew she shouldn’t seek comfort in his arms. Although it was innocent enough, it wasn’t part of their agreement. And yet, she didn’t move.

      It was only when she started to gather herself that she noticed the spicy scent of his cologne. It would be so easy to forget about their agreement and turn in his arms, claiming his very kissable lips. Every cell in her body longed to do just that. Just once more.

      But she couldn’t. Once would not be enough. Frustration balled up inside her. Besides, he was just being nice—a gentleman. She refused to throw herself at him and ruin everything. After all, she was out to prove to him that she was an invaluable asset in the office.

      With great regret, she extricated herself from his arms, already missing the warmth of his touch. “I must be such a mess.” She swiped her hands over her cheeks. “Sorry about that. I...I’m usually—”

      “No apologies necessary.” He waved away her words. “I’m just relieved you’re safe.”

      The sincerity in his words had her glancing up at him. In that moment he’d reverted back to Finn Lockwood, the friendly man who’d taken her to his penthouse to thank her for her help with the contract. The man who’d spent the evening wining and dining her with some pasta he’d whipped up himself. The same man who’d entertained her with tales of hilarious fiascos at the office. The man who’d swept her off her feet.

      “What are you thinking?”

      His voice drew her from her thoughts. Not about to tell him the truth, she said, “That we should get moving. I’ve already put you behind schedule.”

      “You’re right.” He gestured for her to walk ahead of him.

      Her insides shivered with nervous tension. She couldn’t tell if it was from being held in Finn’s arms or the thought of soaring through the air in his jet. Maybe she should mention her fear of flying to Finn. Then again, they’d already shared more than enough for now. She would just lose herself in her work. If all went well, he’d never even know of her phobia of heights.

      * * *

      What had he been thinking?

      Finn sat across the aisle from Holly on his private jet. They were in midflight and Holly had been surprisingly quiet. It suited him just fine. He was preparing for his upcoming meeting, or he had been until thoughts of Holly infiltrated his mind. Truth be told, he hadn’t been able to let go of the memories of their night together. She was amazing and so easy to be with. Most people wouldn’t find that to be a problem, but he did.

      He refused to let someone get close to him—he would do nothing but lead them to unhappiness. Because that was what happened to the people he cared about—he let them down. And Holly was too nice to get caught up with the likes of him.

      The onboard phone buzzed. Finn took the call from the pilot. After a brief conversation, he turned to Holly, who had her window shade drawn. He presumed it was to cut down on the glare on her digital tablet. He, on the other hand, enjoyed being able to look out at the world around them. However, the overcast day hampered much of his view. “That was the captain. He said we should buckle our seat belts as we’re about to hit some rough weather.”

      Without argument or for that matter a word, Holly did as he asked. She then returned her attention to the tablet as though she hadn’t heard him. What in the world had her so absorbed?

      He gave a shake of his head and turned back to his laptop. He’d been working on an agenda for his upcoming meeting, but he’d totally lost track of his line of thought. He started reading the last couple of bullet points when his attention meandered back to Holly.

      Giving up on his attempt to work, Finn closed his laptop. He glanced over at her, which was a mistake. He was immediately drawn in by her natural beauty. He loved that she didn’t wear heavy makeup, only a little bit to accent her own unique qualities.

      There was just something so different about Holly, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on exactly what made her so much more appealing than the other women who had passed through his life. Maybe it was that she was content with her life—not looking to him for a leg up in her career. Or maybe it was that she treated him like everybody else instead of trying to cater to him. Whatever it was, he was intrigued by her.

      Realizing he was staring, he cleared his throat. “What are you reading?”

      She glanced up as though completely lost in thought. “What did you say?”

      He smiled, liking the sheepish look on her face and the touch of pink in her cheeks. “I was wondering what had you so deep in thought.”

      She glanced down at her tablet and then back at him. “Um, nothing.”

      “Must be something to have you so preoccupied.”

      “Just some work.”

      “Work? I don’t recall giving you anything to do on the way to the island.”

      She worried her bottom lip. “I was doing a little research.”

      “Do tell. I’m thoroughly intrigued.”

      She set aside her tablet. “I downloaded some background on the businessmen that you’ll be meeting with.”

      “Really? I thought you’d prefer to read a book.”

      “I like to be prepared. Clara gave