***
The sound of wheels hitting the ground jolted him awake. Stretching both arms over his head he tried to work the stiffness out of his shoulders and neck. How long have I been out? Christopher glanced across the plane expecting to see Sara sleeping as well. Throughout their time working on the script, she kept yawning. Instead he found her sitting, her body rigid, gripping the armrests of her seat.
"Hey are you okay?" he asked, getting out of his seat and moving toward her.
"I dread the landings," she admitted. "I'm not a big fan of flying in general, but I really hate the landings."
He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. Since he knew she traveled a lot he couldn't imagine her being afraid of flying.
"I know. More people die in car accidents than plane crashes, but I still don't like it.” She released the death grip she had on the seat. "And I've done it so much you'd think it wouldn't bother me anymore, but it does."
Obviously, she'd had this conversation before. "At least you don't let your fear stop you." So many people refused to try things because of their fears. The fact that she didn't let her fear interfere with her life, told him a great deal about her.
"Not when it comes to flying anyway."
Her comment made him wonder what other things she feared. It certainly sounded as if she had others, although he couldn't picture her fearing much. She, like everyone else in her family, came across confident and sure of their place in the world. Not the type of person who shied away from things because they were scared.
Maybe she's afraid of snakes. His mom and sisters were petrified of snakes. They wouldn't even look at the snakes behind glass. "Sorry, I fell asleep. I didn't intend to."
Sara unfastened her seat belt. "It's okay. I read a book. I started it a month ago and still haven't finished it. Just don't have enough time."
What type of books did she enjoy? Did she lose herself in mysteries like his sister Caroline? Or did she prefer romances like his mom and sister Rachel? He didn't see her enjoying a horror. Then again over the past month he was learning that his previous view of her was far from accurate.
"A few extra hours in a day would come in handy some time." During the week he routinely worked eighteen-hour days but on the weekends, he left work behind whenever he could. Since he owned the company, he could do that. Sara didn't have that luxury, her schedule revolved around the senator's.
Gradually, the plane rolled to a complete stop and the flight attendant opened the door. Outside the window Christopher saw the limo he'd arranged to pick them up. Despite the fact that they'd been on the plane for hours, he didn't feel any immediate desire to rush off. During the flight their conversations covered several topics and he found he liked talking to her. He didn't do that with many women. Sure he talked to other women, but not usually about anything of consequence unless they were family members. Since becoming friends with Jake and then later making his first million, women tended to throw themselves at him but none really provided an intelligent conversation.
In the beginning they hoped to get to Jake through an association with him. Later they started to come because of his new wealth. Sara didn't need either and unlike many of the women who chased him she had a brain. He could carry on an intelligent conversation with her and use words with more than one syllable.
"Our meeting with Bruce Gordon is scheduled for ten o'clock tomorrow. You look tired. You should take the rest of the day off and relax," Christopher said, standing up. Without a second thought he reached for her leather briefcase on the floor by her feet. He couldn't stop himself from letting the back of his hand skim across her bare calf as he picked it up. Her bare legs had been taunting him ever since she'd stepped on board. His body started to respond at the touch. How could such a simple touch affect him so much? He barely touched her, yet his heart lurched with excitement and his pulse pounded.
"Are you ready to go?" He looked at her as he straightened up, prepared to tell her he'd carry her briefcase for her, yet the look on her face stopped him. A pale pink covered her cheeks. Her slate gray eyes were filled with desire and focused on his mouth.
Gratitude surged through him. It felt good to know the attraction he felt wasn't one-sided. Without stopping to think he bent toward her, intent on kissing her lush pink mouth. Halfway to his destination he stopped himself. Once already he crossed the line with Sara. Doing so again wasn't a wise idea. So instead of kissing her, he held out his hand to help her up.
During the ride from the airport to Sara's hotel both remained silent. While he didn't know what thoughts kept Sara quiet, he knew what bothered him. How was he going to maintain a professional relationship with her as they worked? Just being around her in Washington and then again today on the plane, his thoughts had continuously returned to their night together. Each time they'd gotten together since then he'd wanted to repeat that night. He'd managed to hold himself back so far. Could he continue to do that as they worked closely together though? Not that he had much of a choice in the matter. Sara sat across from him facing the window. He'd seen the desire in her eyes when he touched her, was it possible she wanted to pick things up from Hawaii as much as he did?
The limo turned onto Santa Monica Boulevard and came to a stop in front of the Sherbrooke Plaza Hotel. Sara turned away from the window and looked at him. "After I email the script changes to Senator Healy the first thing I am going to do is sit in the hot tub."
The mental image her words created almost caused him to groan out loud. With the state his mind was already in, he didn't need an image of her soaking in a hot tub floating around. "I'll leave you to it.” Rather than a hot tub, he needed a vat of ice. As soon as he got to his apartment he planned to take an ice cold shower. "I thought we could have dinner together tonight. If you're too tired we can skip it."
"After some time in the hot tub and some tea, I'll be fine. Dinner sounds lovely." She gifted him with one of her real smiles and he forgot how to breathe for half a second.
"Then I'll be by around six." Without waiting for a reply he slipped out of the car and extended a hand to help her out once again, thankful for all the proper etiquette instructions Jake had given him years earlier. One slender leg peeked out of the door, immediately catching his attention. When Sara's other foot touched the pavement his eyes made a trail from the coral nails poking out of her open-toed heels to the bare thighs her skirt revealed.
It's going to be a long night.
"You're not staying here?" Sara asked as she adjusted her skirt so that the hemline once again brushed her knees.
"I have a place in Los Angeles." He expected her to question him further but instead she took a step away.
"I'll see you tonight."
He stood next to the open car door and watched her walk away. Her strides were fluid and graceful as her long slender legs carried her toward the door. A quick glance around told him he wasn't the only male present who watched her either. When she disappeared into the hotel, Christopher climbed back into the limo. Yep, the next few days were going to be hell.
Chapter 5