Chapter 258
Madison
As the Bentley pulled away from The Savoy, I stole one last glance at the iconic London hotel. My first trip to London had been anything but ordinary, from sightseeing at London’s landmarks to uncovering the person behind the drug incident.
“Going to miss London?” Alexander asked, noticing my backward glance.
“The parts where I wasn’t involved in your personal spy drama? Yes, absolutely p>
He chuckled, his hand finding mine on the leather seat between us. “Next time, we’ll skip the espionage p>
“Next time?” I raised an eyebrow. “Already planning another trip, Mr. Knight p>
“Perhaps.” His thumb traced circles on my palm. “Paris in the spring is quite spectacular p>
The casual way he mentioned future plans made my stomach flutter. I turned to look out the window, hiding whatever expression might have crossed my face.
The car slowed as we approached the private airfield. A sleek white jet waited on the tarmac, gleaming under the morning sun like an elegant bird poised for flight.
“Your chariot awaits,” Alexander said as the driver opened my door.
I stepped out of the Bentley, squinting against the morning sun. “Chariot? I’d say it’s more of a spaceship,” I quipped, eyeing the gleaming white jet.
Alexander’s hand found the small of my back as we walked toward the aircraft. “Would you prefer I call it the Love Rocket p>
I nearly choked. “Please don’t. Ever p>
“Mile High Club Express p>
“Getting worse p>
“Knight Rider p>
I shot him a look. “That’s a car, not a plane p>
“Details, details.” His fingers traced small circles against my spine as we climbed the stairs to board.
Once inside, Alexander immediately headed for his usual seat, already pulling out his laptop. I settled across from him, kicking off my heels and tucking my feet under me.
“Coffee?” the flight attendant asked, appearing silently at my side.
“Yes, please. Black with p>
“One sugar,” Alexander finished without looking up from his screen. “And bring the pastry selection p>
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1 raised an eyebrow at him. “How do you know how I take my coffee p>
He glanced up, expression unreadable. “I pay attention p>
Something warm unfurled in my chest at his words. I quickly looked away, pretending to be fascinated by the view outside the window.
The flight back to New York was peaceful. Alexander worked, occasionally making calls that sounded important but too technical for me to follow. I caught up on emails, reviewed some Manhattan Project documents, and tried not to stare at Alexander’s forearms when he rolled up his sleeves.
“You’re distracted,” he observed during a lull, catching me watching him.
“Just thinking about everything that needs to be done when we get back,” I lied smoothly.
His lips quirked. “Liar p>
“Excuse me p>
“ You were staring at me.” He set his laptop aside, leaning forward. “What’s on your mind, Madison p>
I considered making another excuse but decided honesty might throw him off balance. “I was admiring your forearms, if you must know. It’s a weakness of mine p>
His eyebrows shot up, genuine surprise crossing his features before he recovered. “My forearms p>
“Yes. They’re nice.” I shrugged, enjoying his momentary confusion. “Most women have a thing for forearms. Didn’t you know that p>
“I can’t say I did.” He glanced down at his arms as if seeing them for the first time. “Any other body parts you’d care to compliment while we’re at it p>
“Don’t push your luck, Mr. Knight p>
His smile was slow and dangerous. “But pushing is what I do best, Ms. Harper p>
The way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. I cleared my throat, changing the subject. “What’s the plan when we get back? Straight to the office p>
Alexander allowed the diversion. “I have meetings. You should take the rest of the day off and recover from the trip p>
“I don’t need p>
“It wasn’t a suggestion.” His tone softened. “You’ve earned it. Take the day off, get some rest p>
I nodded, surprised by his consideration. “Thank you p>
The rest of the flight passed in comfortable silence. When we landed, a black car was waiting to take us back to the city. Alexander scrolled through emails on his phone while I watched the familiar New York skyline approach.
“Home sweet home,” I murmured as we entered Manhattan.
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Alexander glanced up. “Did you miss it p>
“A little. London was beautiful, but there’s something about New York p>
“It grows on you,” he agreed, returning to his phone.
The car pulled up outside my apartment building. Alexander finally set his phone down as the driver opened my
door.
“Thank you for coming with me,” he said, his voice surprisingly sincere.
“Did I have a choice?” I teased.
“Always.” His expression turned serious. “You always have a choice p>
I fumbled for something witty to say but came up empty.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he continued, breaking the moment. “Get some rest p>
“Yes, sir,” I mock–saluted, earning a small smile.
“Brat,” he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.
I grinned, stepping out of the car. “Goodbye, Mr. Knight p>
As the car pulled away, I could have sworn I saw him watching me through the window, his expression unreadable.
The next morning, I arrived at the office earlier than usual, feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep in my bed. The previous evening, I had visited my mother at the hospital; she was doing well, and we talked about my time in London. Afterward, I spent some time catching up with Hazel on the phone, carefully editing out the more sensitive details of my London adventure. It felt good to reconnect with the familiar parts of my life.
The morning flew by in a flurry of emails, calls, and catching up on everything I’d missed during our London trip. At eleven, I headed down to my project manager office for the Manhattan project team meeting.
The meeting was productive, if a bit tedious. The team had made good progress in my absence, with the initial structural reports looking promising. We’d need additional surveys, but nothing that would derail our timeline.
“Great work, everyone,” I concluded. “Let’s reconvene on Thursday to review the updated cost projections p>
Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.