by Robyn Neeley
“Drew, I don’t want to die.” She clung to him, burying her head deeper into his chest.
He cringed at the mention of his brother. Should he confess to her that his name was Luke? Now didn’t seem like the best time. It would be easier to just continue pretending to be Drew.
He took a deep breath. “Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise you that. If I was worried, I wouldn’t — ” He paused for a few seconds. How was he going to calm her down and get her back into her seat?
She looked up at him. “Wouldn’t what?” Her fearful green eyes pleaded with him to make the rocking stop. His heart fell to his stomach and it wasn’t because of the turbulence. He didn’t know why, but he had an overwhelming need to protect her.
“Well, I wouldn’t do this.” He cupped her chin and brought her mouth to his. Her soft lips reacted to his. He deepened the kiss and their tongues moved in sync as the plane continued to sway. When he finally broke the kiss to check on her and catch his breath, he could see she was much more relaxed. “Better?”
She snuggled into his chest and wrapped her arms again around him. “Your heart’s beating fast.”
“Hmmm.” She was right. His heart was racing.
“Drew, I think I had too much to drink. Can you wake me when we land?”
Reclining his seat, he held her as she fell asleep. Who was this beautiful mystery woman in his arms? He smiled. Maybe pretending to be his twin brother would work out in his favor for once.
Chapter Two
“Kate! Kate, darling. Aloha!”
Kate smiled widely as her assistant, Miles Payne, approached her. He placed a beautiful pink and white lei around her neck. “Welcome to Honolulu. May this lei be the first of many while you’re here.”
She laughed at his blatant double entendre and air kissed him on both cheeks. Miles had arrived a few days earlier to prepare for their busy week and to indiscreetly scope out the venues and vendors they would soon be working with to pull off what could only be described as the biggest challenge of her career.
Judging by his new, fresh-faced tan and spring in his step, he’d had a little fun in the sun. Good for him. She would be working him hard these next three weeks. He deserved a little rest and relaxation.
“Aloha to you, too,” she said, setting her oversized, yellow purse and briefcase in the back seat of his rented bright blue convertible. “Oh, and by the way, you’re fired. My last assistant always made sure the weather was nice when I flew.”
“Okay, Meryl Streep. Next time, I promise to confer with the weather gods before booking your flight.” He grabbed her two suitcases, popped the trunk and placed them inside.
She laughed at his reference to her as the villainous boss in The Devil Wears Prada.
“I was watching The Weather Channel last night. Pretty wild flight I take it?”
“Something like that.” Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes darted through the glass to baggage claim. Still no sign of the handsome stranger named Drew.
Her head was still trying to wrap itself around the last forty-eight hours. It began with taking the red-eye from LA to NYC to ambush her mother, in which she tried unsuccessfully to talk her mom into joining her in Hawaii. That hadn’t gone well. Her mother refused to leave and no doubt, would continue to run around NYC like a lovesick teen.
Then there was last night’s flight. The actual events were a little hazy. She remembered having a couple of vodka drinks and champagne with the hot guy sitting next to her and that his name was Drew. She also recalled completely losing it at one point and kissing him.
Exactly how her lips landed on his, she couldn’t remember. One thing was for sure. No man had ever kissed her with such determined intensity. The way his mouth engulfed hers as the plane moved up and down … She put her hand out and leaned on the car to maintain her balance.
When the flight attendant woke her thirty minutes before they landed, the seat next to her was empty. Her kissing bandit had disappeared.
She stared inside the glass doors one last time. Had the kiss really happened? If so, where did he go? Maybe she had passed out after the two vodka drinks and had dreamed it. She sighed. Perhaps the kiss was something her mind concocted to cope with her paralyzing fear of flying? She needed to lay off the vodka. Apparently it made her delusional.
She turned around, removed her oversized black sunglasses from her head and put them on. Now that her feet were safely on the ground, it was time to get to work.
The next three weeks would be career defining; finally giving her the leverage she needed to be promoted to full partner. After all, she deserved it. She slid into the car’s tan leather passenger seat and buckled up. “Nice wheels.”
“You like? Only the best for the boss lady.” Miles jumped into the driver side and pulled away from the curb.
“Yeah, right. Why do I have a sneaky suspicion that this car has cruised up and down Waikiki beach several times in the last forty-eight hours?”
Miles laughed and feigned surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“How far away is the Aolani?” Kate asked.
“About twenty minutes. Wait till you see it. It’s amazing.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“Aolani means heavenly cloud in Hawaiian.”
“Look at you. Learning the native language,” she teased.
“The beds are so fluffy. Great for — ”
Kate held up her hand, motioning him to stop. Miles had a tendency to cross the line. She normally wouldn’t approve, but he was so funny and the best assistant she’d ever had. They were becoming good friends.
“What?” he asked innocently. “I was going to say great for sleeping like a baby.”
“Sure you were.”
“You’ll have time to freshen up and check your e-mails, and then we’re having lunch with Drew and Lauren at noon in the hotel’s restaurant.”
“Of course. That’s it.” She waved her hand in the air. That’s why her mystery man’s name was so familiar. It was also the name as her new client. She was surprised she didn’t realize the coincidence earlier.
“Sorry?”
“Oh, nothing. This guy sitting next to me on the plane was named Drew.”
“Really?” Miles cocked one eyebrow and smirked. “And is this guy the reason for the teenage grin plastered all over your face?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She reached up and pulled her long brown hair to one side, coiling the ends with her finger.
He slapped her arm playfully. “You most certainly do. Dish.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” It was clear by the look he was giving her that Miles didn’t buy it for one second. “Okay, maybe we shared one tiny, little kiss — ”
“What?” He slammed on the brakes and turned to Kate, mouth wide open.
“Um, if we get into an accident, don’t think you’re getting Workers’ Comp — or time off. We’ve got a lot to do these next three weeks.”
“Let me get this straight. My conservative, ‘by the book’ boss had one too many cocktails and made out with a random guy on her flight?” He paused for what she knew was for flamboyant dramatic effect. “I’m so proud of you! Did you join the mile high club? Let me see your neck?” He teasingly pulled the lei away from Kate.
“Stop it.” She swatted his hand away. “You’re bad.” She giggled.
“I’m bad?” He touched his chest in mock horror. “Are you the pot or kettle today?”
“We didn’t make out.” She paused. “Okay, maybe we did. I shouldn’t be telling you this. Let’s forget it.”
She turned up the radio to end the conversation. It wasn’t like they hadn’t had long talks about her love life, or lack of, before. Miles was a wonderful addition to the team. In addition to being an amazing junior planner, he was extremely witty and good-looking with dark brown hair and matching chestnut eyes. He was also attracted to the same type of guys that caught her eye. In the short time that h
e’d worked for her, they’d spent hours sizing up several groomsmen at weddings. Miles was determined to help Kate find her own groom.
Miles reached for the radio and turned down the volume. “So where is this guy staying?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. We didn’t exchange numbers. It wasn’t a big deal.”
Apparently it wasn’t that special for her mystery man either who bolted before final descent. She was still holding on to the theory that he wasn’t real. Maybe she subconsciously made him up, and since Drew was the name of her latest client, her mind invented him? That had to be it. She should probably go into therapy when she got back to Los Angeles.
She reached behind and pulled out a tiny notebook from her briefcase. Time for a quickie low-tech meeting. “Okay, enough catching up. So let’s talk about the bride and groom. What are they like?”
“I haven’t met them yet.” Miles turned on to the highway headed for Waikiki beach.
“Weren’t they coming in this weekend?”
Miles shrugged. “Thought so but I stopped by the front desk before coming to get you and they hadn’t checked in. Their plans must have changed.”
“Strange that Lauren’s assistant didn’t tell us?”
“She sent me a text confirming that they would meet us for lunch.”
“Okay, that’s fine. A little odd, but everything about this wedding is a little weird.”
“You got that right. Have you ever planned a wedding in three weeks?”
“No, this is the first.” She flipped through her notebook. “So here’s what I’m thinking. Today we focus on getting to know the happy couple. Let’s keep conversation light so we can concentrate on their actions. If they want to dive into gritty logistical details, we will. And if they don’t, we won’t. I’ll take the verbals and you take the nonverbals.”
“Ohhh! I love it when I get the nonverbals.”
“Heel boy. I want everything noted. How they’re dressed, the way her hair is parted, what cologne he’s wearing. Oh, and be sure to study her makeup. Is she a matte or glossy type of girl?”
She continued. “Pay attention to how they interact with one another. Are they a physical, public display kind of couple or are they a bit reserved? Observing even the smallest detail will save us a few less headaches.”
Miles looked over at Kate. “You, Kate Ashby, are a master wedding planner.”
Kate smiled. “I know.”
Veering off the exit, Miles drove the short distance to the hotel while Kate took in the scenery from her passenger seat. It was simply beautiful. Dozens of hotels lined Waikiki Beach. Kate ran her fingers through her long hair. How lucky they were to be planning a romantic wedding with this paradise as the backdrop. She hoped her hotel room had an ocean view.
Miles turned into a white high-rise hotel situated on the beach. He pulled the car up to the valet and Kate jumped out, slinging her purse and briefcase over her shoulders.
“Miles, let’s send an amenity up to Drew and Lauren’s room from us. Something sweet and celebratory like chocolate covered strawberries and a nice bottle of champagne.”
“You got it. Oh, and speaking of champagne, bring down your dress, and I’ll see if the hotel can treat both of those stains.”
“Both stains?”
“I’m sure there are champagne stains mixed in with that tomato juice.”
“Why do you think I had champagne?”
He smirked and pointed to her purse. “Um … the evidence is sticking out of your bag.”
Kate looked down and her mouth dropped. A clear plastic flute peeked out from inside. Did this mean last night’s incredibly hot kiss really happened?
• • •
“I said I was sorry, bro.” Drew snapped at Luke as they walked back to the gate.
“You walked off the plane without your carryon?” Luke didn’t even bother masking the agitation in his voice. Leave it to his brother to ruin his one chance with a beautiful woman. Strike that. The most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“Look. I didn’t mean it. I was confused because I changed seats with you. I forgot I had carried it on.”
“Whatever.” He shot his brother a sarcastic look. “Does Lauren know she’s marrying an absent-minded idiot?”
“Hey, hey. No need for name-calling. Why are you so cranky?”
“I’m not cranky.” Luke’s patience was running thin.
“Did you wake up on the wrong side of aisle this morning?” Drew grinned. “I know. Crazy cat lady didn’t let you sleep, did she?”
“She wasn’t crazy, and yes … okay, no, she didn’t. Go get your stupid bag,” he ordered.
“Fine, you don’t have to be so bossy.” A few seconds later, Drew was escorted back down the ramp.
Luke walked over to the window and stared out at the airbus.
He sighed. The place where he had met the woman of his dreams, and ten hours and fifty-three minutes later let her get away. What the hell happened on that flight? One minute he was Luke Cannon first in line to a multibillion-dollar business about to announce a huge merger, the next he was a smitten schoolboy consumed by a pretty face.
After he had kissed Kate — and wow, what a kiss that was — he had sat quietly for hours staring down as her body curved in his arms. The company merger was the last thing on his mind. All he wanted to do was watch her sleep.
This was all Drew’s fault. If only Luke hadn’t left his seat. He might at least have Kate’s phone number. He turned around and leaned on the glass, remembering this morning’s events.
Luke gently unlatched Kate’s arms from around him. She barely stirred as he slowly moved her from his grip to her seat. How should he wake her? Another long, slow kiss? Maybe first, he could grab a breath mint from the flight attendant.
He felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Dude, come sit back here with me.”
“Shhh.” He pointed to Kate. “Go away.”
“Man, I need to talk to you. It’s important. Come on.”
“What could be so important that it can’t wait until we land?”
“It’s about the wedding. I’m not sure I can go through with it.”
“What do you mean you’re not sure?” Luke reluctantly unbuckled his seatbelt. “Fine. I’ll be there in a minute.” Of course his brother would pick this moment to have an anxiety attack about his upcoming nuptials.
He stole one last glance at Kate. Her long wavy brown hair flowed over her tomato stained dress. He reached for her small hand, giving it a short squeeze. “I’ll be back before final descent.”
That had been the last time he saw her. Drew had asked the old guy next to him to move to an empty seat across the aisle so Luke could sit. Drew then proceed to talk his ear off about how he wasn’t sure he was ready to sleep with only one woman for the rest of his life. The irony: Drew had been with his fiancée for the last nine years. He was having trouble with commitment now? Before Luke knew it, they were asked to buckle up and prepare for landing.
Once the cabin door opened, he had bolted out of his seat. Unfortunately, so did the other one hundred and ninety-nine restless passengers. There was no way, he’d get up to the front of the plane in time to say goodbye to Kate.
“You ready?” Drew approached with his carryon by his side.
“Fine.”
“What’s wrong now?”
“Nothing,” Luke said flatly. He glanced back at the plane one last time. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Three
Kate slid her flat room key in and entered her hotel suite. Home sweet home.
And what a beautiful living room it was decorated with all white contemporary furniture with two beautiful sunset photos hanging from opposite walls. Fresh cut orange and yellow flowers floated in a pretty glass vase on the coffee table. She rolled her suitcases to the side and set her purse down on the couch. She could certainly get used to this for a few weeks.
All that was missing were her two cats. Her ne
xt-door neighbor was watching them while she was gone. They’d arranged for her to Skype to see them once a week.
She crossed the room and flung open the pristine white French doors to the bedroom. Wow. Miles was certainly right. Her king-size Aolani bed looked incredibly inviting with a white duvet covered in fluffy white pillows. She turned around and fell backwards into the pillow clouds.
Turning her head, she buried her face in the pink and white lei still around her neck. The fragrant flowers tickled her nose. She inhaled deeply as her thoughts drifted back to last night.
She closed her eyes and imagined Drew with her. Fantasy Drew was just as sexy as the real one. He was also unbuttoning his crisp white shirt and walking toward her, a devilish grin plastered across his perfectly chiseled face.
Kate imagined herself scooting over to the edge of the bed. Sitting on her knees, she helped him peel off his shirt, splaying her hands all over his bare muscular chest. He responded by gently nuzzling her neck with soft kisses. She dropped her hands down and began to unfasten his belt buckle, letting her fingers explore —
Her phone buzzed, jolting Kate out of her yummy daydream. She groaned and rolled off the bed, knowing that familiar ringtone all too well. “Hi, Mom.”
“Kate! You’ve landed. I was so worried.”
“Worried about what?” She walked over to the plush white couch and plopped down.
“Why didn’t you call me when you landed? You always call.”
“Sorry. It was a long flight. I’m fine. I just checked into my hotel.”
“I hope the flight was uneventful. I know how much you hate to fly.”
“Uneventful,” Kate repeated and glanced at her bag. She could see the plastic champagne flute peeking out. “It was bumpy, but I slept.” She pulled out the flute and set it on the coffee table, changing the subject. “Have you called to tell me you’ve reconsidered?”
Her mother responded with a loud exaggerated laugh. “Oh, dear. Not a chance.”
Kate pulled the phone away and scowled. “Mom, I love you, and it is your life, but don’t you think you are rushing into things? You won’t even tell me who this guy is.”
