Hudson (Anderson Billionaires #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,9

out a burst of laughter. The woman serving them seemed utterly mesmerized. Daisy couldn’t blame her. The man’s scowl was gorgeous, his smile was downright edible.

“Maybe I do always get my way,” he told her with a wink.

“No one always gets their way,” she said. And if he had any nefarious plans with her, he’d walk away the loser. She’d never become a rich man’s plaything. She’d been offered the opportunity several times as she’d gone to various places around the world. She’d never been tempted. She might not go so far as to say she wasn’t tempted now, but she would say she was incredibly strong-willed. That was a start.

The look he shot her said challenge received and accepted. It sent another shudder down her spine. She decided she wouldn’t win a sparring match with him, so she turned and looked out her window, intending to ignore him the entire flight. She was going to drink and eat, possibly watch a movie, and then sleep for the rest of the flight. She didn’t have to say another word to the man. He’d upped and walked away from her without a goodbye. She could offer him the same.

Soon they’d be in the air, and in the blink of an eye she’d be home. He’d be a fun memory to pull out on a cold winter night — nothing more.

For now, she’d close her eyes and think about him — doing a few delicious things to her body. It was a stupid fantasy road to go down, but he couldn’t read her mind, so she was safe.

Maybe that was the fantasy.

Safe was nothing but an illusion.

Chapter Four

Hudson watched as the beautiful woman leaned back with her eyes closed. They were reaching full altitude, and the attendants were preparing to take food orders. He was surprisingly hungry. He rarely ate on these flights, preferring a nice juicy cheeseburger to fancy dining. But he’d tried to fit so much into a forty-eight-hour vacation, he hadn’t stopped to eat much. Everything on the menu sounded good.

He should tell Daisy to look at her menu, have her order ready. He’d heard her stomach rumbling earlier, and he had a feeling she was pretty hungry. If she fell asleep he could order for her, then wake her when the food arrived.

He wanted to talk to her, but he wasn’t sure where to start. That was sort of odd for him. Okay, it was really odd. He was good at finding words and striking up conversations, better than most.

But his intrigue with this woman was making him tongue-tied. She was beautiful, incredibly beautiful. It was obvious she downplayed her looks, wearing very little makeup with her hair free and unstyled. But she was one of those lucky few who most likely looked better without paint on her face.

Though her shiny blonde hair was a bit messed, he clenched his fingers together to keep from reaching out to see if it was as soft as it looked. She smelled like peaches and cream, and he found himself more than willing to take a bite.

“Hello, Mr. Anderson, are you ready to order?” the flight attendant asked. He’d been so intently studying Daisy, he hadn’t noticed the woman walk up beside him.

“Yes, I’ll take the pork chops, salad, and banana cream pie,” he told her. “And if there’s a little extra, I’ll take it off of your hands. I didn’t realize I was hungry until I sat down.” He gave her his most winning smile and noticed the blush stealing over her cheeks. If he could only get that same reaction from the woman sitting next to him.

But would he be as interested if she was infatuated? Maybe he had more problems than he cared to admit. Why was the chase so much more fun than the capture? He looked at life as one big adventure. It was always about winning. You couldn’t win what was freely given. There was no victory in that.

“And for you, Ms. Green?” the attendant asked. He turned and found Daisy’s eyes open but groggy.

“I haven’t looked,” she said apologetically.

“It’s right there beside you,” the woman said, not sounding impatient at all. Daisy grabbed the menu and glanced at it briefly.

“Oh, this all looks good,” she said, her eyes brightening as she woke up. She’d only been asleep for about thirty minutes, but apparently that had been a heck of a power nap. “I’ll have the chicken pasta, salad, broccoli soup, and peanut butter cookies,”