When Christakos Meets His Match(16)

                He cast his glance to the very sexy platinum watch on his wrist, and then back to her. ‘I’d say you’ve missed that connecting flight, and as I’m the owner of the airline company the least you can do is allow me to make it up to you. By taking you for dinner.’

                Sidonie snorted inelegantly and quashed the swooping sensation in her belly. ‘I don’t see you offering everyone on this plane dinner to recompense them for missing their connecting flights.’

                That formidable jaw clenched again. ‘That’s probably because I don’t want to take them for dinner. However, I would like to take you for dinner. Please.’

                Sidonie’s chin lifted, but she quivered inwardly at his please. ‘I’m a terrible dinner companion. I’m a fussy eater and I’m a vegetarian. Vegan, actually.’

                That wasn’t true, but some devil inside her was working now. Sparking.

                Alexio smiled. ‘I’m sure you are a scintillating dinner companion, and I know a fabulous vegetarian restaurant—all the eggplant you can eat.’

                That humour danced in his eyes again, transporting him from downright gorgeous to downright irresistible. Sidonie scowled. He didn’t believe her for a second. His eyes dropped down her body and then came back up again. A wickedly sexy slow smile tipped up his mouth, telling her better than any words that dinner and conversation were not the only things on his mind. As if she couldn’t feel it vibrating between them. This awareness she’d never felt before.

                Sidonie glared at him and tried to will down the heat in her body that mocked her with the realisation that dinner wasn’t exactly foremost in her mind either. Very belatedly she remembered she had taken off her sweatshirt and scrabbled around to find it and pull it back on.

                She heard a sound beside her and looked to see Alexio making a face.

                ‘That thing should be burnt.’

                Sidonie gasped, affronted. ‘It’s my favourite.’

                ‘It’s a crime to hide your body underneath that shapeless thing.’

                Suddenly there was a sharp thudding and crashing sensation and Sidonie’s heart stopped. She felt all her blood drain south.

                Instantly Alexio had her hands in his and he was saying soothingly, ‘We’ve just landed, that’s all.’

                Sidonie’s heart was still palpitating. Her ears popped. She could see the ground through the window across the aisle and felt the powerful throttle of the plane as it pulled back.

                She looked at Alexio, shocked. ‘I’ve never not noticed landing before.’ She’d been distracted. By him.

                Her hands were still in his and she looked down to see them, so much smaller and paler next to his. As she watched he entwined his fingers with hers and between her legs she throbbed. He exerted pressure on her hands and Sidonie looked up, her head feeling heavy, her blood hot.

                For a long, taut moment they just looked at one another. Sidonie’s breath grew choppy. Alexio pulled one hand free and brought it up to cup her jaw, his thumb moving back and forth as if learning the shape of her cheek.

                His eyes were on her mouth now. She wanted him to kiss her so badly. The air sizzled. And then his eyes met hers again and he emitted a guttural sound like a curse. His jaw clenched. He took his hand away. Sidonie had to bite the inside of her lip to stop herself from crying out.

                As if she’d been drugged just by that look Sidonie slowly came back to her senses, and mortification gripped her innards when she realised how she must have looked: like some love-starved groupie.