Wrapped Around My Heart

by Kelly Collins

  I turned around and placed my hand on his chest. It was an action without thought, but we both looked at where my hand settled directly over his heart. It beat heavily against my palm.

  “Why don’t you go back to your seat in the club lounge, and I’ll figure something out.” I moved my hand to his tie and let my fingers feel the silk all the way from the knot to the pointed end. “I promise I’ll come up with a plan.” It was a lot to promise, but this was obviously important to him.

  His tight-lipped expression softened. “Come on, Jess. You’re amazing, but you can’t change the weather.”

  He was right. I couldn’t change the weather, but I could change how we approached it—literally. “Go grab another coffee. Maybe decaf this time. Give me fifteen minutes.”

  He nodded his head. “I’ll be sulking in the corner.”

  I picked up his briefcase and handed it to him. “Mark Cantwell doesn’t sulk. He conquers, and this isn’t an insurmountable problem. It might take a little finessing, but that’s what I do. Now go.”

  I turned him toward the club and gave him a little push. A bolder woman would have swatted him on his ass, but I wasn’t that brave. I may have been secretly in love with my boss, but I was also in love with my job. One was a fantasy; the other, a reality.

  As soon as he disappeared behind the frosted-glass doors, I went to work. “Can you reroute us around the storm?” I figured if the storm was moving east, I might be able to come at it from the east. If I were lucky enough, I could beat it to the mountains. Once we were there, it didn’t matter if it dumped a hundred inches of snow. What mattered was that Mark met this client and signed the deal.

  My parents and plans were another matter. Eventually, the storm would clear, and I’d get home, and if luck was on my side, I’d be able to accomplish it all.

  Ten minutes later, I rushed into the club to grab my boss. “Let’s go. I’ve got us rerouted through Dallas to Cheyenne. We’ll pick up a car and drive from there. It’s less than three hundred miles. We should get there late tonight.”

  Mark stared at me for a minute. “You got us a flight?”

  I folded his newspaper and slipped it into the side pocket of his briefcase. “It’s a circuitous route, but it gets us closer than we are now. If we’re lucky, we’ll beat the storm. If not … I don’t want to think about it.” I held the handle to my rolling bag and started toward the new gate with him following me. “We need to get to terminal one. We’re taking a Southwest flight to Dallas, and a United flight to Cheyenne. We’ll rent a car when we get there and drive to Aspen.”

  “That’s a lot of travel.”

  I was at a half-run, yet it only took his normal stride to keep up with me. “You wanted to get there the night before so you can prepare. I’m getting you there,” I said, almost too winded to speak.

  We had to cut across the parking garage to get from terminal seven to terminal one. We checked in and raced to the gate, arriving just in time. Shoved into the very back of the plane, we took our seats.

  “How the mighty have fallen.” Mark took his jacket off and crammed it into what little space there was in the overhead compartment.

  “It’s not first class, but it will get us closer to the goal.” I kicked my carry-on bag under the seat in front of me and buckled up. It was going to be a long two-and-a-half hours. “By the way, why is this particular deal so important?”

  Mark settled in and sighed. “My grandfather owned this company years ago. Instead of Braxton, Brix, and Billow, it was Cantwell, Brix, and Atrum.”

  “Hostile takeover?” It seemed to be how most of these big firms exchanged hands.

  “It was hostile all right.”

  The plane shook and rattled as it raced down the runway. My heart pounded against my chest cavity before it tumbled into the pit of my stomach.

  “What happened?” I gripped the armrest so hard my knuckles blanched. Flying was not my favorite thing. I was fine while I was in the air, but the takeoffs and landings always unsettled me.

  His eyes went to my white knuckles, and his hand covered mine in a sweet comforting gesture. “The company belonged to my grandfather. It was held in trust for me by my father once Grandfather died, but he was given too much control, and before I could take over, he sold it.”

  “Your father sold it out from under you?” I was appalled that a parent could be so devious. My parents would have donated their hearts if they thought Bethany or I needed them. They were self-sacrificing, not self-serving. “That’s awful.”

  “I agree.” The plane leveled out, and the turbulent start became a smooth flight. Mark removed his hand from mine. “Hostile takeovers—or, in this case, total annihilation—are not uncommon in my family.”

  I didn’t know anything about Mark’s family, but this seemed like a good time to get to know the man behind my paycheck and my wildest fantasies.

  “Tell me about your family.”

  He let out a laugh that was a cross between sinister and disbelieving. “I don’t have one.”

  “Oh … so you were found under a cabbage leaf, adopted by Darth Vader, and raised by fairies?”

  He smoothed out the wrinkles on his trousers with hands as big as an iron. “Where did you get fairies from?”

  “Something sweet had to be involved in your upbringing. Why not fairies? You have shown me a moment or two when I’m sure you weren’t raised by wolves.” I saw the attendant approach with her cart, and I released Mark’s tray and then mine to prepare for our free beverage.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” That girl was definitely heading home to Dallas. Her Texas twang didn’t allow her to be from any place else.

  Mark looked at me, then back at the attendant. “We’ll have two vodkas and orange juice.” He pulled his credit card out of his wallet and handed it to the woman, who was all too happy to stand there and smile at him.

  “We’re drinking this early?”

  He looked at his watch. “It’s just past noon, and if you’re going to ask me personal questions throughout the flight, I’m going to need a drink.”

  Most times I wanted to hug this man, but right now I wanted to slug him.

  A minute later, the flight attendant plopped two bags of pretzels and our drinks on the tray. “Let me know if you need anything else, sugar.” She gave him a mile-high-club smile and rolled her cart away.

  “Does that happen all the time to you?”

  He opened the tiny vodka bottles and poured it into the orange juice, then passed the first drink to me.

  “Does what happen?”

  “Women tripping over their knickers to be close to you.”

  “You’re imagining things.”

  “You are definitely getting an eye exam when we get home.” I leaned across his lap to make sure the attendant wasn’t standing in the hallway behind us. “She gave you that come-hither, I-want-to-bang-you-in-the-bathroom look.”

  When I pulled back, he leaned into the aisle to have a look. “I didn’t notice.”

  I took a sip of my drink. The taste of vodka sent a shiver down my spine. “How could you not notice? She practically stirred your orange juice with her nipple.” I slapped my hand over my mouth.

  Mark laughed a full belly laugh. “What happened to Jess Stone, my assistant?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s been a stressful morning, and I lose my filter when I lose my patience.”

  He took a long minute digesting my statement. His lips curled up at the corners until his perfectly straight smile threatened to melt my insides. “I like this Jess.”

  I took another swig of my drink. “You don’t like the normal Jess?” My heart squeezed enough to cause me chest pain. Here I’d been trying to keep it professional at the office, and it turned out that my boss didn’t even like me.

  “I like you, Jess. All the facets of you. I like you too much for my own good.” He drained his doctored orange juice and hit the call button for the attendant, who wasted no time rushing back to him.r />
  “Two more, please.”

  I sat in contemplative silence. Did my boss just tell me he liked me? As in like me liked me? What did too much for his own good mean?

  I turned in my seat to face him. “Now that you have one down, you should be numbed up enough to deal with my questions.”

  The attendant brought two more, only this time she opened the bottles and poured them into the drinks. “Where you headed?”

  I wanted to laugh because we were trapped on a plane to Dallas.

  “Aspen,” Mark said in a friendly enough tone.

  “Oh, the weather in Colorado is brutal right now. I’ve a got a friend grounded in Denver.” She leaned against his chair, pressing her thigh against Mark’s shoulder.

  “That’s too bad.” Mark turned his body away from her and handed me one of the two drinks.

  I looked up to watch the smile fall from the attendant’s face. Yep, she’d definitely hoped for something more out of Mark, based on how sullenly she walked away after his dismissal. “Do you think this is wise?” I brought the remainder of the first drink to my lips and emptied the cup.

  “We’ve got hours of travel. Wise? Probably not, but sometimes we just have to put ourselves out there and see what happens.”

  I lifted the second cup and waited for him to do the same. “To the unwise moments that make our lives more exciting.” We tapped plastic glasses and took a drink. “Now, where were we?”

  “You were in full-fledged interrogation mode.”

  The first drink was already hitting, and I felt lightheaded and giddy. “I was just beginning. I haven’t even reached for my spotlight or the pliers to tear out your fingernails.”

  “Harsh. And I was thinking you just wanted to know about my family.”

  I relaxed into the seat. “I want to know everything about you. I have since the day I met you.” I let my hair fall over my face to cover the heated blush I knew was blooming on my cheeks.

  He brushed my hair aside and tucked it behind my ear. “All you had to do was ask, Jess. I’d tell you anything.”

  Chapter 5

  Mark

  What the hell am I doing? Jess looked up at me with those big eyes that managed to see right through me.

  “You’d tell me anything?”

  I considered her question. Her skepticism was warranted; I hadn’t exactly been the most public person during our time working together. “I’ll make you a deal. What’s said at thirty thousand feet stays at thirty thousand feet. There’s also one caveat, and that’s you have to answer a question for every one you ask.”

  She twisted her long hair around her finger and left it hanging in a spiral over her shoulder. “Okay. Who goes first?”

  “You’re the curious one.” That wasn’t entirely true. I wanted to know everything about her, but I knew it wasn’t wise. The more time I spent with Jess, the more I wanted. My world was filled with hostility, and she was my one guilty pleasure, even if only from afar.

  “Tell me about your father.”

  I turned as much as a giant could turn in an economy seat. My torso twisted toward her; my legs lifted the tray, almost upending my open pretzels and drink. Jess moved my things to her tray. She closed mine, giving me more room. I didn’t deserve her, but I was glad I had her. On a crappy day like today, she was the best person to have by my side. She’s the best assistant I’ve had. Not to mention the cutest. “That’s more than a question. It’s more like a therapy session.”

  She twisted her body until her knee came to rest against my leg. “Okay, so was he always mean?”

  That was a hard question to answer because mean wasn’t the right word. “Not mean, just unapproachable. My father was an iceberg. His life was spent conquering the world.”

  Jess sighed and laid her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry to hear that. What’s your life goal?”

  That was easy. “I want to conquer my father.” I sipped my drink and laid my head back. The alcohol was starting to have the desired calming effect. “That was two questions.”

  “You’re right. It’s your turn.” She pulled her trouser-clad legs into the seat and curled into a compact little ball.

  “Are you close to your family?” Her hair fell in front of her face again, and I itched to push it aside. She had the greenest eyes. They were the color of dark moss, and their pairing with her chestnut hair and pale skin made her stunning. With a quick swipe and tuck, I uncovered eyes that bewitched me. One look from her and I was ready to give her anything.

  “Yes,” she said without thought, then started to bob her head from shoulder to shoulder. “Well, I’m close to my parents. As for my sister … how close would you want to come to a rabid dog?”

  I sipped my drink and chuckled. Jess rarely had a cross word to say about anyone. Hearing her describe her sister as a contagious mutt was funny. “Sounds dangerous.”

  “She has a fierce bark and bite. She’s two years older … and she hates me.”

  My back stiffened at her comment. It was impossible to hate this woman. “She’s just jealous.”

  Jess sat up straight. “Of what? She has everything. She married a doctor. Lives in a big beautiful house in Connecticut. She has a son, a housekeeper, a gardener, and a nanny. She drives a Range Rover and wears Chanel. Her teeth are capped, her hair is cut by Jennifer Aniston’s stylist, and she gets a colonic every quarter.” She collapsed against the seat like listing her sister’s accomplishments was exhausting.

  “And that’s a good thing?”

  “Everything but the colonic. That sounds awful.” She picked up her half-full cup and drained it.

  I wanted to laugh; instead, I leaned my head into the aisle to get the flight attendant’s attention and signaled for two more drinks.

  “Those are just things. I bet she doesn’t have your smile or your beautiful green eyes or your sense of humor. I bet her lips aren’t full and kissable. I bet her body isn’t curved like an hourglass. She certainly doesn’t smell like sunshine or sound like a song when she speaks.” I leaned forward until my lips were an inch from hers. “You are those things, Jess. Only you.”

  Her clouded eyes were filled with drink and desire. A desire I knew too well when I was alone with this woman. “Why do you have to be my boss? Why can’t you just be a man?”

  Why indeed? What was I thinking bringing her on this trip? I need her with me. That was what I was thinking. This merger was a big deal to me, and I didn’t have anyone to share it with. Not true, exactly—I didn’t have anyone I wanted to share it with but Jess.

  I leaned back just as the flight attendant delivered our drinks. This time she didn’t stay to chat. “Drink up, beautiful. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

  I turned back to face the seat in front of me. Any closer to Jess and I’d be kissing her senseless. I had to ask myself if that was wise.

  She finished off her drink and closed her eyes. Fifteen minutes into her sleep she snuggled over and laid her head on my shoulder. I knew I should push her back, but it felt too perfect. And when she set her hand on my chest, I was in heaven.

  I pressed my chair back and closed my eyes. My hand covered hers, and for the first and only time ever, Jess Stone and I slept together.

  When the captain’s voice came on over the loudspeaker, we both jolted awake. I looked at her, and she returned my gaze, but we both remained silent. We brought our seats to the upright position and prepared for the landing. She white-knuckled the handle again, but I didn’t dare offer her comfort this time. I only had a modicum of professionalism left inside me, and one more touch of Jess would erase it all.

  We bolted from the plane and raced to the next gate where our flight was loading. This time our seats were separated. I was both relieved and disappointed. She was sitting three seats behind me and across the aisle. I busied myself getting ready for tomorrow’s meeting. I tried not to look at her, but each time I chanced a glance back, our eyes connected.

  Just over two hours later, we landed in C
heyenne, Wyoming.

  The sky was dark and cloudy with flurries of snow blowing around the planes. A light dusting of white covered the ground.

  “We need to hurry,” she said. Her boots clicked across the cement floor of the concourse. She raced toward the rental cars. “Hello,” she said in a voice that didn’t give away our three-drink binge hours ago. “I have a reservation under Cantwell.”

  The desk clerk looked up the name. “There’s a slight problem.”

  Jess shifted her eyes from the clerk, to me, then back to the clerk. “What problem?”

  “The car you reserved hasn’t been turned back in.”

  Jess pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed.

  I lifted my brow and stared at the clerk. “And?”

  The woman’s fingers skated across the keys. “And I have a replacement, but it’s a front-wheel drive and not a four-wheel drive.”

  “We’ll take it.” My voice was gruff enough to get her fingers moving across the keyboard at a lightning pace.

  “Wait,” Jess said. “A front-wheel drive is not going to be enough for this weather.” She pointed outside to where the snow had turned from flurries to big floating flakes. “We need a four-wheel drive.”

  The clerk smiled a piss-off smile. “You may need a four-wheel drive, but we don’t have one. There’s the Honda Accord or the Ford Mustang.”

  I looked at the line behind us and said, “We’ll take the Accord.”

  “Full-coverage insurance?”

  “No,” I said.

  “Yes,” Jess said. “In this weather, we may need it. And I’ll drive.” She dug in her purse for what I imagined was her driver’s license.

  I slid my credit card across the counter with my driver’s license. Not wanting to argue any further, I agreed to the insurance, but not her offer to drive. Fifteen minutes later, we were on our way.

  “Do you always purchase extra insurance?” The wipers of the silver Accord swished back and forth with little effect. I hiked up the fan of the defroster and waited for the ice coating the windshield to melt.