Billionaire Bachelors 8 : Unexpected Treasure(27)

As long as he thought he was still on the hunt, he'd continue helping her. Once he knew how infatuated she was becoming, how easily she was taking the bait, he'd head for the hills in horror.

Propping her hand on her hip, she took a casual stand. Resist! Resist! she told herself.

"I love to shop. And that happens to be our lesson plan today," he said as he grabbed her arm and then entwined their fingers. Dang it!

"Sorry, Crew, but today's mission is solo. I'll catch up with you later tonight. You can teach me how to make eyes at cute guys." She laughed as she tried to pull her hand from his.

"Tough. I want to be with you this afternoon. Besides, I know what men like to see on a woman, and isn't that why you 'hired' me - to teach you how to be a sex goddess?"

He had her there.

She hadn't even realized it, but while he'd been cajoling her, he'd also been moving her outside, and soon he was holding open the passenger door of his car.

"Where do you plan on taking me?" she asked, submitting to the inevitable. Her day to herself was over.

"Shopping, of course," he replied. "I said that before."

"That's hardly an answer, but fine. If you insist on taking me, then you're buying." She figured that would make him reconsider.




 

 

Wrong.

He grinned as he helped her get in. "It will be my pleasure," he said with a bow before jogging to the other side of the car and getting in.

When they arrived at the airstrip a few minutes later, she turned with suspicion. He said nothing as he jumped from the car, then came around to her side. It wasn't until they were heading toward the helicopter that she realized he planned to take her up in the air in that death trap.

"No way!" she yelled and began to back away.

"Oh, you really need to live a little," he said, chuckling as he lifted her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way, unceremoniously plopping her into the seat.

Before Haley could protest any further, he had her strapped in, and soon the miserable, claustrophobic contraption was lifting off into the air. She just closed her eyes and prayed they wouldn't end up as food for the Pacific Ocean fishes.

Chapter Twelve

Haley's arrival at Santa Catalina Island had been by ferry - a nice, safe way to travel across an ocean, she insisted to herself. And she had endured the thirty-seven-hour train trip from Seattle to Long Beach, not tempted by any airlines that promised to get her from Point A to Point B in less than three hours. She had vowed never, ever to fly in a helicopter, never wanting to have that feeling of not being in control. On the ground, if you fell, you didn't have far to go, but way up in the sky …  Splat!

She wasn't as terrified of huge airliners as she was by tiny helicopters, which had a far higher fail rate than jets, but still, she would only fly if it were a life and death matter. Going shopping on the mainland was certainly not an emergency. It could, however, end up being a death matter if the pilot screwed up in even the smallest way.

A shudder raced through her as she listened to the rotors spin. Luckily, the ride didn't take long. She didn't care what Crew would attempt to say - she wouldn't even listen. There was no way she was going back to that island unless it was by boat.

She glared at him as he assisted her from the chopper. But because her top priority was to leave those lethal wing blades far behind her, she decided to wait before letting him have it. She wanted no chance that he might force her back into that mean machine if she made him so angry, he decided to call the whole day off.

"If you ever, ever, ever even attempt to put me back in that thing, I will lose all vestiges of civilization and subject you to a quick but agonizing death," she told him, wishing her voice had more thunder and less quiver.

When Crew stopped and looked at her, really looked, she watched his face fall, and all her outrage melted away. Dang the man for actually caring.

"I'm so sorry, Haley. I thought you just had a normal fear of flying, like most people. We'll return by ferry." His sincere apology soothed her, and what was better, she wouldn't have to go back up into the sky! 

Haley tried telling herself that her fears were irrational, but she just couldn't let go. Even knowing that the chance of her plummeting to her death in a spiraling, smoking helicopter was almost nonexistent, it would still be her luck to be that one-in-a-whatever number.

"OK. Where are we?" She finally realized that they must have returned to the mainland, but she had no idea what city they were in.

"We're in Long Beach. There are some great boutiques on the island, but I want to take you to some better stores to find a few knockout outfits, and most especially a killer dress," he said.