The Awakening Aidan - By Abby Niles Page 0,31

here?”

He held out his hand. She eyed it but didn’t take it.

“I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Jasper Biggerstaff.”

Air gushed out of her mouth. “You set me up!”

Aidan sat down in the seat across the aisle from hers. “Now, Jaylin, to set you up would entail having you take the fall for something. This was merely using the power of surprise to my advantage to get you to myself.”

“I—I can’t believe you did this!”

“I don’t take no for an answer, Jaylin. By now, you should know that.”

Who was this man?

Gone was the laid-back, infuriatingly smiley Aidan. A new determined glint shone in his green eyes, and his jaw was set with a harsh, no-argument-would-be-tolerated stiffness. Right now, he looked the epitome of a man who didn’t take no for an answer. He also looked rich. Very rich.

She glanced around the plane, seeing it as Aidan’s instead of Mrs. Biggerstaff’s, who she’d known had money. The luxurious inside was even more shocking now, and it did scream male. A powerful, wealthy male.

“Who are you? Some freaking James Bond?”

A wicked twist she’d never seen before quirked the corners of his lips, making him appear all the more dangerous. “I’m not the good guy, Jaylin. I’m the villain.”

Aidan? Bad? Not the Aidan she knew.

The engine revved. She shot to her feet. “I’m getting off this plane.”

She moved no more than two steps before he grabbed her forearm and pulled her back against him. The back of her shoulders pressed against his chest, and immediately her body responded, nipples puckering, heartbeat racing, those reactions skyrocketing when his lips brushed her ear as he whispered, “You’re not going anywhere, Jaylin.” He released her. “Unless you plan on donning a parachute and leaping to freedom, I’d suggest you put on your seat belt and enjoy the ride.”

She jerked at the command in his voice. If he expected her to just do his bidding, he had another think coming. She crossed her arms and leveled him with a “get real” look. His easy amused smile didn’t spread to the rest of his face; if anything, his expression hardened even more before he shrugged and sat down, buckling his seat belt. “If you want to end up on the floor, fine by me, but you’re not getting off the plane. The pilot has already been compensated not to stop.”

The plane moved and she stumbled forward. She grabbed on to the nearest headrest to maintain her balance. Without looking at him, she plopped back on the seat and buckled. “Fine. I’ll just catch a flight back once we land.”

“Every out has been closed. You might as well accept that now. You’ll leave when I say you can.”

She gasped. “How dare you bully me like this!”

He made no apology for his behavior. He didn’t even seem remorseful, just exuded an arrogant determination that grated on her nerves. She didn’t like this Aidan. Not one bit.

Crossing her arms, she shifted on the seat so her back was toward him and stared at the passing runway. How hadn’t she seen this coming?

Pretty damn simple. Aidan having an endless supply of money never even crossed her mind. The Aidan she knew drove a truck, owned a modest log cabin, and wore “Kiss Me I’m Irish” shirts. This Aidan?

She shot a glance at him over her shoulder. Everything about him was unapproachable. The unyielding way he sat in the chair, the precise way he pulled a phone from his pocket, even the stiff way he then sat back against the cushion and placed his ankle on his knee. It was as if he was on his way to an important business deal, instead of heading for a tropical beach resort.

Maybe that was how he was treating this.

“What do you possibly think to gain from taking me hostage?” she asked, unable to keep the question to herself.

“Think of it as you will, but you’re not a hostage, you’re a conquest.”

She twisted in her seat. “Are you kidding me? I’m not something you can acquire, Aidan.”

“People and business are all the same. Sometimes you have to force them to see what is best for them, even if they kick and scream the entire time. You, Dr. Avgar, will be my biggest acquisition to date.” He never glanced up from his phone. As though it was a done deal.

What the hell ever.

“Let me help deflate that big head of yours. You got lucky with getting me on this plane.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it. I observed