Dawn opened the door and came out at the side of the kitchen. “Hey, sprite. How was work?”
She paused just over the threshold with a startled expression. Then her face went blank, and she blinked before she groaned, “I hate you, Amber.”
Raising his eyebrow, he waited for her to extend on what she’d said, and when she didn’t say anything, he sighed and went to her bringing her into his embrace. “What’s up? Isn’t Amber your friend?”
Dawn was stiff in his arms, and he walked them to the sofa and sat, sitting her on his lap. “She was, is. She just made me realize I know nothing about you, and I’m about to fly to the other side of the world with you.”
Fuck, he’d been avoiding this. He wanted her to know him before she knew the other details like who his family was, what he really did for work, and what he was worth. “You know me.” He hadn’t lied to Dawn. She did know him. She knew the man he was, the man people didn’t get to see, the man who got to relax, the man who got to fall in love. She knew the man who got to be himself—not the controlled, sophisticated, calculating, multi-billionaire, who was from a famous, influential Dallas wealthy dynasty family.
“No, I don’t.” She got off his lap and stood glaring down at him. He knew she was going for an angry ‘don’t mess with me and tell me what I want to know’ look, but right now, she looked so hot. Dawn’s hands were on her waist, her lips were thinned, her chest was heavy, and her eyes were full of fire.
His cock, already stiff from her sitting on him, jumped and twitched. All he wanted to do was yank her back and kiss her, but he knew she needed him to tell her at least something. Groaning, he scrubbed his hand over his face. “What do you want to know?”
“I remember you said your parents wanted to see you. So where do they live? Do you have contact with them? How long have you been in Australia? Have you always been a bartender? Do you plan to go back to America and live?” She fired one after another.
“America. Yes. A year. No. And…” He winked. The last one was tricky to answer. He hoped he could avoid it.
She growled, and it was the cutest sound. “Where in America do your parents live? Will we be seeing them when we’re over there?”
“Dallas, and yes, you’ll meet them.”
“Argh, you’re deliberately being vague.”
Yes, he was. But what could he tell her without giving away who he really was away? Wanting her in his arms, he pulled her to him and sat her, so she straddled his lap and tilted her head up. “I wasn’t always a bartender. I was part of the family business. I’m an only child. I’ve told you that before. I always wanted a brother or sister, but my mother isn’t what you would call maternal. I came to Australia for a new start. To meet new people.”
“Oh.” He sighed in relief when she relaxed. “Do you miss everyone back there?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m excited about us leaving. I can’t wait to show you where I grew up, what I do, and to meet my friends.” She deflated, and he hoped she was happy with what he’d given her, and she hadn’t caught his slip that he was stilling working. “You know me, Dawn. You are probably the only person who knows the real me.”
She sighed, and in a barely-there whisper, he strained to hear her mutter, “You’re going to break me.”
Gordon couldn’t help flinching at her statement. He hoped he hadn’t. He loved her and didn’t ever want to hurt her. He sent a prayer out that when she found out who he was, she wouldn’t be hurt. That she would hear him out and would understand. He wanted her to stay with him. To love him like he loved her.
****
Dawn hadn’t been so nervous in her life. She’d never been on a plane before. Her parents may have dragged her and Destiny around Australia, but it was all done in a car or van. Gordon had offered her the window seat, but she was too scared to gaze out. They sat in the premium economy section up in the front of the plane. They were the best seats in the section they were in.
The plane had been in the air for over two hours, and she still had twelve more hours. Every time the plane jerked, or there was a movement that didn’t feel right, she squeezed Gordon’s hand in a death grip. The first couple of times she did it, he chuckled, but now he didn’t seem so cheery.
A ping sounded, and the seatbelt sign flashed. “The captain has turned on the seatbelt sign. If you please stay in your seats while he guides us through a slight bit of turbulence.”
Oh, God. She was going to die in the hunk of metal and bolts. They were going to be hit by lighting, and they’d crash in a blaze to the ground. She felt her body tremble as scenario after scenario flashed before her.
“Sprite, it’s okay. It’s only a little turbulence. I need the circulation back in my fingers.”
Dawn snapped her gaze from the flashing seatbelt sign to Gordon. “No. I need to hold onto something.”
He pried her fingers one by one from his almost purple hand, lifted the armrest in the middle, and his arm came around her. Inching as close as the seatbelt would let her, Dawn snuggled against him burying her head against his chest. “Dawn, I promise it’s going to be okay. I used to fly at least once a month.” His voice was calm and quiet as he rubbed her back in a soothing motion.
It took a moment for what he’d just said to register. “You never did tell me what your job was before you met me.”
His touch calmed her and made her feel safe. “I did a bit of everything. It’s a family business. Marketing, sales, finances, you name it. I needed a break. I needed time to figure out what I wanted.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I’m only a couple of days away from turning forty, and I realized that I don’t have a wife, children, or anyone to share my life with.”
Dawn’s already pounding heart sped up as she processed what he had said. Sitting up, she eased out of his hold. “That’s what you want? Is that why you’re with me? Because you couldn’t find that in America?” She worried if he really wanted to be with her, or if she was just easy and he was running out of time.
Gordon’s grimace wasn’t any comfort. “I came to Australia for a fresh start. Yes, I came to meet someone.” He reached for her, but right now, she needed to think, and when he touched her, she couldn’t think straight. He sighed and studied her for a moment. “I know it took me months to see what was right in front of me. Our ages, our likes and dislikes, and just simple taste in clothes had me hesitant. Dawn, you are unlike any woman I have ever dated.” He reached up and stroked my cheek. “You’re easy.”