had been mesmerized with a single kiss, and then told him how incredible that encounter had been.
He searched my face as he answered, “No. I just want to know that I wasn’t the only one who just experienced the hottest kiss I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
And…I melted. I just gave up, gave in. His eyes were so sincere that I instinctively knew that it wasn’t his arrogance talking right now.
In fact, I almost sensed that he was…insecure? Was it possible for a male like Damian to be vulnerable to any kind of self-doubt?
I blurted out the words I knew he wanted to hear. “Okay, here’s the truth. It was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever had, too. Every kiss I have for the rest of my life will probably be compared to the one we just shared, and come up wanting. You completely rocked my world, Damian.” I hesitated before I asked, “Happy now?”
He grinned at me. “Completely ecstatic,” he drawled.
“I have to pee really bad, so I have to get up now,” I informed him.
“Right,” he said as he put a hand under my ass and pushed until I moved toward the armrest next to the aisle. “Up you go.”
My toes touched the ground as I finally became perched on the armrest.
His arm went supportively around my waist. “Go slow,” he instructed.
I stood up and put a hand on the back of his recliner. “I’m good,” I told him.
Once my head stopped spinning, I cautiously bent to pick up the change of clothes that had landed next to his seat when I’d fallen.
Damian kept a hand near my waist, probably just in case I decided to swan dive into his lap again.
I turned toward the rear of the plane. The restroom wasn’t far away, and I was feeling more confident that I could get there safely, when Damian spoke.
“Need help?”
“Nope. I’m good. No more falling into the laps of gorgeous men.” If I was still shaky, it wasn’t from the alcohol.
It was that damn kiss.
He frowned as he looked up at me. “No falling into any other men’s laps,” he grumbled, like the thought of me kissing another guy was completely unacceptable to him.
He almost sounded…jealous, but I quickly removed that possibility from my mind. I’d never inspired any kind of protectiveness or possessiveness from any man.
“Seriously. I’m okay,” I assured him as I moved toward the bathroom.
It was a short walk, but I swore that I could feel Damian watching me until I slipped inside the restroom door and locked it behind me.
CHAPTER 7
Damian
“I HOPE YOU HAVE a pleasant visit to the US,” Nicole muttered as she was drinking her coffee near the end of the flight.
She’d put her seat down flat after she’d changed clothes earlier, and had fallen asleep almost immediately.
I’d envied the fact that she could pass out so easily, even though I knew it probably had a lot to do with the amount of alcohol she’d consumed.
Me? Dammit! I hadn’t slept for a single moment. My mind had been racing to figure out exactly how I could dig myself out of the dark hole I’d landed myself in.
I had gotten my laptop out after Nicole had gone to sleep, but I’d done absolutely nothing productive, which was a rarity for me. If my computer was out and turned on, I was working, churning through things that needed my approval or input.
I wasn’t used to not being productive, and I sure as hell wasn’t accustomed to a woman getting me so damn distracted that my priority wasn’t Lancaster International.
But there it was…the first time I’d ever put my thoughts about a woman over my business interests.
I’d pondered my dilemma for hours, and I still hadn’t come up with a solution.
Problem was, I could hardly tell Nicole that I was Damian Lancaster now. She’d probably hate me for lying to her, and for initiating that whole tell-me-what-you-would-have-said-if-you-
had-the-opportunity-to-do-the-presentation-again discussion.
I’d been so eager to hear her talk that I hadn’t taken a moment to think about the fact that I might want to see her again. I hadn’t thought about the future, but I’d known that she would have never said a word to me if she’d known my true identity.
Can I blame her for that, really? In the public eye, I’m a hedonistic bastard who apparently loves gigantic orgies.
I couldn’t tell her the truth, even if I wanted to spill it. I couldn’t possibly out Dylan, and I’d have to if I ever wanted Nicole