Protecting the Babysitter: A Billionaire Alpha Male Romance

by Bloom, Nikki

  Good going, Winter. That was your one chance to snatch up a handsome doctor and you blew it.

  My shoulders sagged, knowing that I would probably never see him again.

  Oh well.

  “Flight B6 has been delayed!”

  Fearing that something had happened to my new flight, I checked the status of it and found that it was still expected to arrive on time. Pleased, I headed over to the proper gate and sat down next to one of the large windows. The Florida sunlight felt nice and warm against my skin. I would miss it as soon as I arrived back in Maine’s frigid climate.

  At least I get to fly back in style.

  And with that thought, I ripped open my Milky Way and enjoyed the sweetness.

  2

  Winter

  A few hours later.

  I blinked into consciousness to find the gate was now filled with passengers. They were all sitting on the edge of their seats like they were ready to stampede into the plane.

  What time was it?

  I looked at my phone.

  3:45.

  My eyes widened. The plane was due to leave in five minutes.

  “Now boarding flight J3,” announced the woman at the counter.

  Wait… J3? That didn’t sound right at all.

  Quickly, I dug up my ticket and tried to find the flight number. Why did they have to put so much useless information on such a tiny piece of paper? And why were the flights and gates all numbered the same way? Were they actively trying to confuse passengers?

  Flight M22. So…if all these people are waiting for flight J3, where the hell is my plane?

  I jumped to my feet and grabbed all my stuff. Thankfully, the zipper to my backpack was done up because it now hung upside down from the crook of my arm. “Excuse me!”

  The woman behind the counter looked up and offered a professional smile. “Yes?”

  “Do you know where I would find flight M22?”

  “M22?” she repeated like I was speaking some foreign language.

  “Last call for all those boarding flight M22. Again, this is the last call for all those boarding flight M22 out of gate K8.”

  “Where’s gate K8?” I asked.

  “On the other side of the airport,” the woman frowned. “I don’t know if you’ll make it–”

  I didn’t wait for her to finish. I took off at a mad sprint down the hallway. Countless people gasped as I nearly bumped into them but at this point, I didn’t care. Even if security started chasing me with their Segways, I wasn’t about to stop. I wasn’t about to miss my chance to ride first class.

  By the time I reached the gate, they were about ready to close the aerobridge. “Wait!” I called out as I waved my ticket in the air. The stewardesses exchanged an annoyed look, and for a second I thought they’d turn me right around, but to my relief I was allowed inside the claustrophobic tunnel.

  I really hate these things, I thought as every step felt like I was walking on a row of swings. Couldn’t they make this thing just a little more stable?

  Thankfully, I reached the plane sooner than expected. Another stewardess was there to greet me. As soon as she saw my first-class ticket, her whole demeanor changed. She treated me with the utmost politeness as she directed me to my seat.

  Oh, it was truly a thing of luxury. I ran my hands over the suede and it felt so soft. You might think you know soft, but you’ve never felt anything quite like this. Trust me.

  “Here, let me.” The stewardess tucked my luggage into the overhead compartment. “You can keep your purse and backpack on hand if you’d like. There’s more than enough room under the seat in front of you.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  I plopped down and I practically melted into the seat. It was warm but the air was nice and cool, making it just right to cuddle up underneath a blanket. The stewardess seemed to read my mind because she already had one in hand. “If there is anything we can do for you, do not hesitate to ask.”

  “Will do.”

  Some of my fellow flyers had fancy champagne glasses in their hands. I was tempted to order one when the guy from the convenient store started walking my way.

  My heart seemed to skip a beat as he stopped right in front of me. “It would seem we meet again.” He flashed a charming smile. “What are the odds of that?”

  “Slim to none,” I whispered underneath my breath.

  “Excuse me,” he said as he shimmied his way to his seat by the window. Just those few moments of proximity had my body burning up. I tried to keep from blushing, but I could tell by the heat radiating from my face that I probably looked like a ripened tomato. “Seriously, what are the odds?” he asked once more as soon as he was settled into his seat. “Is it Freaky Friday or something?”

  “It doesn’t sound like you’re very happy to see me.”

  “Oh no, not at all. I would rather sit beside you than some of the uptights that usually ride first class.” He tipped his head towards some older gentlemen wearing business suits. “I’ve had one guy on a conference call during the entirety of a six-hour flight. And, of course, that’s when I forgot my headphones. I came this close to losing my mind.”

  “Jeez, I can only imagine,” I said. “I promise I won’t nag your ear off.”

  “Well, at least you have a nice voice.”

  The blush returned. “Oh, do I?”

  “I think so,” he smiled. “Do you sing at all?”

  “Sing?” I scoffed. “Only in the shower.”

  “That’s something.” A grin flashed across his face. “I’d definitely pay to hear that.”

  “Careful,” I warned. “You might be cute, but any more perverted comments and I might be forced to slow you.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that.” He held up both hands in a gesture of innocence.

  Who was I kidding? Of course he didn’t. A guy like this wouldn’t waste his time with a girl like me. Still, there’s no harm in dreaming…

  I was about to say something when the captain’s voice came on. “Hello!” He was overly chipper.

  My flight buddy groaned. “I can already tell he’s going to be the kind of pilot to crack jokes. I hope he’s not the corny type.”

  “My name is Captain Phillips and I’ll be taking you to Portland International. That’s Portland, Maine. Those of you looking to get to Oregon, you better hitch up your wagons and head down the trail because you’re on the wrong plane.”

  This time we both groaned.

  “What did I tell you?”

  “Do we have to suffer through this the entire flight?”

  “I’m afraid so,” he said. “I have some spare headphones if you need them.”

  “You carry around spares?”

  “After what happened with conference call guy, yeah, I do.”

  “I might take you up on the offer.”

  We were forced to quiet down as the flight crew went through the safety drill. It was the same old spiel, but by law they were forced to show us how to inflate our lifejackets and whatnot.

  When that was over, the plane became eerily quiet. I looked around and saw everyone tightening up their seatbelts. For some reason, I had failed to buckle myself in. I went to do so but the buckles wouldn’t connect and lock together. “Um, excuse me.” I tried to get the attention of one of the stewardesses, but she was busy helping someone else with their spoiled child.

  “Here, let me,” the unnamed surgeon reached over and took hold of the seatbelt. Since he had taken off his jacket, I was free to see his sculpted arms and the way his muscles moved underneath the skin. What a sight.

  Click.

  “Thanks,” I breathed.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “By the way, I never got your name.”

  “How rude of me,” he said. “Name’s Reed. And yours?”

  “Winter.”

  “Winter,” he repeated. The way he said my name had shivers running up and down my spine. “That’s a nice name for a girl from Maine. Fitting.
”

  “You think so? Our winters are so mild it's like they don’t even exist,” I said sarcastically.

  He laughed. “Oh yeah, it’s really easy to ignore ten feet of snow piled in your driveway.”

  “That’s what I’m saying.”

  Wow, this guy was super easy to talk to. He just had a certain charisma that made him feel like a regular guy instead of this unapproachable hunk.

  Suddenly, I felt the plane move. I gripped the arms of my seat. “I hate this part…” I whispered aloud.

  To my surprise, Reed took hold of my hand and squeezed it against his. “Me too.”

  The plane picked up speed, forcing my heart to the back of my chest. Then came that weightless feeling of the plane taking off. It shook rather violently, catching a gust of air on its way up. If not for Reed’s hand, I probably would have crapped my pants.

  Finally, it leveled out and I was able to breathe again.

  “That wasn’t so bad.”

  “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

  “Or to make myself feel better,” he said.

  The seatbelt light clicked off and everyone started to move. Reed was one of them. He grabbed the plastic bag that I had seen on his luggage earlier. Just as I had predicted, it was a brand-new laptop.

  “One of the hazards of going to Florida for a medical conference is that you risk dropping your electronics into the water.”

  “What? You lost your laptop in the ocean or something?”

  “Actually…” he struggled with the packaging as he spoke.

  “How does that even happen?”

  “Well, I was on a boat–”

  “What kind of medical conference was this and how do I get an invite?”

  He chuckled. “Well, you’d have to switch over to human medicine. I’m not sure if vets get the same perks.”

  “Such a rip-off.” I pouted.

  “Trust me, they aren’t that great.”

  “You’re riding first class,” I pointed out.

  “So are you,” he countered.

  “Only because they overbooked my original flight and this was my consolation prize.”

  “Nice.” He booted up the computer. It was the newest model for the MacBook. If I had to guess, that thing was worth more than my monthly salary. “Anyway, where are you from?”

  “Kittery.”

  “No kidding?”

  “Why would I lie about that?”

  “Well, it just so happens that I’m headed that way as well. I’ve worked in Boston for a while, but I was getting sick and tired of the city. I took a pay cut, but at least I get to come back to my home state. It’ll be nice to enjoy that suburban peace and quiet.”

  “Do you have a place to stay?”

  “Yeah, down by the Rafters.”

  “The Rafters?” I repeated. That’s where all the millionaires live, I thought to myself. I mean, I know that doctors make good money, but even a heart surgeon doesn’t crack a million.

  “Yeah. An old friend of mine handles the real estate in that part of town. He was able to get me a pretty good deal.”

  I can only imagine what that deal was. I’ll knock a couple of million off the ticket price.

  “Well, I hope you like it. Kittery’s kind of a sleepy little town.”

  “And that’s exactly what I’m looking for.”

  “Any particular reason why you hate the city?”

  “I don’t hate it,” he clarified. He seemed to be the kind of guy who was good at multitasking because somehow, he was having a full-blown conversation with me whilst setting up his computer with what seemed to be a million email accounts. “But there’s this sort of atmosphere where everyone’s out to get something. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”

  “Well, if you ever need some fresh air there’s some pretty good hiking trails…” I was about to offer to take him but then I stopped myself. Sure, this guy was strikingly handsome and I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt, but I wasn’t going to let myself get wrapped up in yet another failed relationship. The last one had nearly ruined my chances of getting into veterinarian school. No. My dream comes before any dreamboat – that’s the promise. I had to get through school first and then I might consider getting a boyfriend. Until then, I was riding solo.

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