Chapter 11

Brittney’s pov.

The moment the plane took off, I knew I was in trouble.

Not because I was scared of flying, though my heart had nearly leapt out of my chest when we left the ground but because of him.

Jordan sat across from me, completely at ease, scrolling through his phone like we weren’t thirty thousand feet in the air.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t focus on anything except how ridiculously unfair it was that he looked that good while doing absolutely nothing.

I exhaled and turned to look out the window, hoping the view would distract me. It didn’t. The sky stretched endlessly around us, clouds rolling beneath like waves, but even that wasn’t enough to stop me from stealing glances at him.

Big mistake.

His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows reavealing strong forearms, his watch catching the soft cabin light as he absentmindedly tapped his thumb against his knee. He looked composed except for the grip on his phone, just tight enough to make me wonder.

Was he feeling it too?

I shifted in my seat, forcing myself to focus on anything else. I had work to do. I was here for a job, not to get lost in whatever weird tension was brewing between us.

I cleared my throat. “So what’s the plan for when we land?”

Jordan didn’t look up. “Meeting with Laurent shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”

I nodded, keeping my voice steady. “And after?”

“After?” He finally looked up, meeting my gaze with an unreadable expression. “Are you asking if I have plans for you, Brittney?”

My stomach flipped at the way he said my name. I rolled my eyes to cover my reaction. “I meant work-related plans.”

His lips twitched, like he was holding back a smirk. “Right, work related.”

I exhaled sharply. “Jordan…”

A sudden jolt rocked the plane, cutting me off and I stiffened as the cabin trembled for a split second before setting.

“Turbulence,” Jordan said casually, as if my heart wasn’t currently in my throat. “Normal.”

Easy for him to say. He wasn’t gripping the armsrests like they were the only thing keeping him from falling out the sky.

I forced out a breath. “I know that.”

He studied me for a moment before leaning back in his seat. “You’ve never flown before, have you?”

I hesitated, then shook my head.

Something flickered in his expression. Surprise? Amusement? Whatever it was, it was gone in an instant.

He shifted forward slightly, resting his elbows in his knees. “Relax,” he said, voice quieter now. “If anything happens, I’ll make sure you survive.”

I blinked, “wow, so reassuring.”

His smirk deepened. “What? That’s more than most people would offer.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, but the distraction worked. My grip on the armsrests loosened, and the tension in my shoulders eased a little.

The plane steadied again, and I let out a slow breath. Jordan leaned back, satisfied and I hated how easily he could get under my skin.

The flight attendant returned with another round of drinks and I gratefully took my water, sipping slowly as I tried to regain some sense of normalcy.

“So,” Jordan said after a moment. “Aspen is your first flight. What else haven’t you done?”

I raised a brow. “Why?”

He shrugged. “Just curious.”

I set my glass down. “I don’t know. I’ve never been skiing. Never gone hiking. Never jumped out of a plane, obviously.”

He smirked. “Good. That last one would be concerning.”

I rolled my eyes. “What about you? What’s something you’ve never done?”

He went quiet. Not the kind of silence that meant he was thinking but the kind that meant whatever the answer was, he wasn’t going to share it.

Finally, he leaned back, his gaze drifting to the window. “Nothing important .”

I frowned, but then he turned back to me. “You should try skiing while were here.”

I snorted. “Not a chance, I’d probably break something.”

He tilted his head. “I’d catch you.”

I swallowed, suddenly very aware of the fact that we were alone in this cabin, that no one was here to interrupt what was happening.

His gaze turned to my lips, just for a second and my breath hitched. I needed to shut this down, now.

I cleared my throat. “I think I’ll stick to business, thanks.”

Jordan leaned back, smirking again. “Suit yourself.”

I exhaled, gripping my water glass tighter.

This was going to be a long trip.

~.~

The town of Aspen looked like something out of a snow globe. White rooftops, winding sheets and mountains rising in distance.

I tugged my cost tighter as we stepped off the jet and into the icy air. A black sleek car pulled up, and Jordan held the door open for me.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, sliding in. He followed and the door shut behind us.