He gestured with the bottle.
She held out her glass. “I know it seems like the double standard.”
“It is a double standard. But me and the rest of the male population have come to terms with it.”
“Now I feel guilty.”
“Don’t. Believe me when I tell you, guilt is the last thing I’m going for here.”
She seemed to relax and leaned back against the edge of the tub. “What exactly are you going for?”
“I have to say, I enjoyed the part where you said I was too good at sex.” He paused. “And I liked the expression on your face when you said it. And I liked that I was holding you in my arms at the time. And that you were naked.”
Arousal reawakened as he spoke.
He couldn’t seem to get enough of looking at her, talking to her, touching her. But it was close to midnight, and he knew this interlude had to end—likely very soon.
“Come here,” he told her softly.
Her blue eyes went wide in obvious surprise.
He set his glass aside. “Come sit with me.”
It took her a minute to react. But then she braced herself on the edge of the tub and slipped across, candles flickering in the mist as she settled between his legs. The glass of champagne was still in her hand.
He wrapped his arms around her stomach, holding her naked softness to his body and kissed the crook of her neck. Her supple warmth, smooth skin and the subtle scent of her shampoo brought back memories of their lovemaking. He wanted her all over again.
“Tell me about Alaska,” she said, relaxing against him.
“It’s cold.”
“How incredibly informative.”
“Lots of snow, mountains, wildlife. The people are amazing. There’s no road access to Juneau, so there’s a very close-knit sense of community.”
“You have no roads?”
“We have roads in the city, of course. But the only way to get there from the mainland is by ferry, boat or airplane. Good for business at Aviation 58.”
“Is there much there? Can you shop?”
“We have stores, groceries, clothes, hardware, even car dealerships, certainly everything you need for day-to-day life. There are over thirty thousand people living in Juneau.”
“That’s less than a football game.”
“That’s why we have such a great sense of community.”
“What do you do up there?”
“Mostly, I run a business and fly airplanes.”
“And for fun?”
“Ski, snowmobile, mountain climb, swim, soccer. There’s plenty of outdoor recreation, but we also have plays, music, restaurants, movie theatres, even fashion shows.”
“Just like a regular city.”
“Exactly like a regular city. But with more snow and more bears.”
“I’d be terrified of bears.”
“They’re not exactly walking down the main drag in Juneau.” He paused. “Well, not often.”
“Are you serious? Or are you messing with me again?”
“It’s rare. But it can happen. You should come and check it out.”
As soon as the words were out, he felt the shift in atmosphere. He could have kicked himself. He and Amber were, right this moment, a tiny oasis in the midst of their bizarre situation.
“I’m sorry,” he offered.
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I didn’t mean to hint we were going somewhere as a couple. That’s just insincere and misleading, even manipulative.”
Her tone went cool. “Don’t worry, Cole. I won’t be dropping in on you in Alaska.”
“That’s not what I meant, either. I’d love to have you come to Alaska.”
Her body was growing stiffer by the second. “Isn’t this where we came into this conversation?”
“I’m so sorry.”
He smoothed back her hair. He couldn’t help himself, he kissed her dewy neck. When she didn’t rebuff him, he kissed her jawline. Then he tipped back her head and kissed her mouth.
The second he tasted her, arousal hijacked his senses. He kissed her deeply, turning her in his arms until she was facing him, straddling his lap, her wet breasts sliding along his chest. He sat up straight. He cupped her bottom, pulling her tight to the V of his legs.
He was right where he wanted to be. But the water was cooling off, and they were going to have to leave soon.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered.
“You’re not.”
“I want the world to go away. I want to stay right here and forget everything else. I don’t want to let you go.”
She nodded.
“Amber. You’re incredible.” He cradled her face, kissing her all over again.
Then he drew back, and they gazed at each other for a long, long time.
“Can I stay tonight?” he dared ask.
“I want you to stay.”
His heart swelled with satisfaction, and he folded her into his arms.
* * *
Christmas morning, it wasn’t clear to Amber which delighted Zachary more, ripping into presents or walking across the room on his own. He had no interest at all in any of the toys, but wandered from chair to table to ottoman with ribbons and bows in hands.
Otis stayed off to one side, looking stoic and long-suffering when Zachary grabbed at his fur or ears or tried to decorate him.
A few hours ago, Cole had had the presence of mind to put his clothes through the laundry. So while he was dressed the same as last night, the clothes, at least, were fresh.
Amber had given her hair a blow dry this morning, put on a little more makeup than usual and dressed in a pair of skinny black slacks and a shimmering red blouse. She’d chosen a funky pair of Christmas-ball earrings and felt überfestive. She had to admit, it was nice to have Cole around to entertain Zachary while she had spent the extra time getting ready.
Destiny arrived with Luca midmorning, and neither seemed surprised to find Cole on the floor with Zachary.
A couple of wrapped gifts in his hands, Luca headed for the tree. Destiny grasped Amber’s arm to hold her back.
“Tell me what happened,” she whispered in Amber’s ear.
Amber pretended she didn’t understand the question. “When?”
Destiny rolled her eyes. “Last night.”
“What happened with you last night? I thought you’d come back.”
“We had a great time, that’s what happened with me.”
“Great?” Amber asked. “Or great?”
Cole offered Luca a cup of coffee, and the two, along with Zachary and Otis, headed for the kitchen.
“Both,” Destiny answered as the men disappeared. “We toured the lights, had a few drinks and went back to his hotel.”
Amber filled in the blank. “And that’s all she wrote?”
“I’m hoping we’ll write some more.”
Amber grinned and gave Destiny a one-armed hug as they moved into the living room.
“And you?” Destiny asked, brows going up as they each took a seat.
“Cole stayed the night.”
“So it’s better? You’ve made up?”
“Made up is not the right phrase. We didn’t, don’t have a relationship.”
“What is it you have?”
Amber thought back to Cole’s words last night in the tub. “I don’t know. A mutual problem?”
“That doesn’t sound very romantic.”
Maybe not, but Amber was determined to see it for what it was and enjoy it for what it was. Last night with Cole had been amazing, and this morning had been fun. There was no point in speculating beyond that.
“You want coffee?” she asked Destiny.
“Please.”
As Amber rose, she heard a phone ring from inside the kitchen and recognized it as Cole’s. Destiny followed behind her into the kitchen and took a seat at the island counter, where Zachary was in his high chair playing with a little pile of breakfast cereal rounds.
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“When?” Cole asked into the phone. His tone was serious, and he gave a sideways glance to Amber.
She instantly knew something was wrong.
She glanced reflexively at Zachary, grateful he was right here beside her where she could see he was fine.
“How many?” Cole asked.
Amber found herself moving toward him.
He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you sure?” He paused. “Hundred percent?” He breathed a sigh. “Yeah. I will. You’ve got it. Call me if you hear anything else.”
“What is it?” Amber asked, holding her breath.
“There was another hydraulic problem with a Boonsome 300.”
Her tone went hushed. “The same thing?”
Cole nodded. “Astra Airlines. The flight was coming into O’Hare.”
“Has it landed?” She swallowed. She couldn’t bring herself to use the word crashed.
“Belly landing onto foam. Everyone got out, but there was a fire. The plane’s destroyed. The federal government has grounded the Boonsomes, and they need complete access to the Coast Eagle plane at LAX.”
“Absolutely,” said Amber. “Whatever they need.”
She stopped speaking and sucked in gulps of air, her mind galloping to what-if scenarios. What if she hadn’t grounded the Coast Eagle fleet? Her decision had been based on her gut feeling, not on any technical expertise. She was an accountant, not an aviation specialist. What if she’d made the wrong choice, and a Coast Eagle flight had crashed and killed the passengers?
She felt the room spin around her, and a wave of nausea cramped her stomach.
Cole’s hand tightened on her shoulder. “Amber?”
She pushed him off and bolted for the living room.
She made it as far as the hallway, and gripped the corner of the wall to steady herself.
Cole was instantly behind her, his hands on her shoulders.
“They’re all okay.” His tone was soothing. “Bumps and bruises, maybe a couple of cracked ribs. The captain did a spectacular job on the landing.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “What if I hadn’t?” she managed.
“Hadn’t what?” He came around to look at her.
“What if I hadn’t grounded the Coast Eagle fleet?”
“But you did. You made exactly the right decision.”
“Because I listened to you.”
“You listened to everyone in the room, and then you made the call.”
“I’m scared, Cole,” she admitted, starting to shake. “I’m not qualified to do this. I shouldn’t be cochair of Coast Eagle. Nobody should be listening to me.”
He drew her into his arms and smoothed a hand over her hair. “If they’d listened to Roth, a Coast Eagle plane might very well have crashed.”
Amber digested that thought. She knew there had to be a counterargument to it, but she couldn’t come up with it right now.
“They’ll find the problem,” said Cole, the certainty in his deep voice making her feel unaccountably better. “They’ll fix it, and nobody else is going to get hurt.”
“I want to go back to my regular job.”
He looked down at her and gave her a smile. “You’d abandon me?”
“You made the right decision, right off, because of your knowledge and experience.”
“Amber, the single most important attribute of being a good decision maker is listening—listening to the right people and weighing all the evidence. Nobody is an expert in everything. That’s Roth’s downfall. He won’t listen to anyone but himself.”
She had to concede that was true.
“It’s Christmas,” said Cole, rubbing her upper arms. “Everyone is safe, and the right people are out there doing their jobs. Let’s take one more day to forget about the chaos all around us. Can we have one more day for us?”
She forced herself to break away from him. He was right. This was Zachary’s first Christmas, and there was nothing that needed her immediate attention.
“Yes,” she told him.
“Good. We should get outside for a while. Do you think Zachary would like a walk in the park?”
Amber knew Zachary would love a walk in the park. And so would she. Cole’s instincts seemed bang on when it came to the two of them.
Twelve
By the time the judge called a recess, Cole could feel his blood pressure pounding inside his ears. Over Destiny’s continued objections, Roth’s lawyer had painted Cole as a conniving, opportunistic fortune hunter who had deliberately kept himself hidden from the Henderson family until there was some profit for him. The man had scoffed at the idea that Cole hadn’t known about the will. And he’d railed about the unfairness of placing Zachary in the care of a man that neither of his parents had ever met.
It had taken all of Cole’s self-control to stay quiet and seated. Now he shot up from his seat and rushed from the courtroom, keeping his gaze straight ahead as he passed through the gallery. He needed to bring his anger under control before he spoke with anyone.
He took long strides through the foyer, out onto the sidewalk, turning down the block where he could disappear into the crowd. He drew long breaths of the crisp air, trying desperately to clear his rioting emotions.
“Mr. Henderson?” a voice called from behind.
Cole didn’t turn. The last thing in the world he needed right now was another nosey reporter. He wove through the busy sidewalks, lengthening his stride to put some distance between them.
“Mr. Henderson?” the voice repeated.
Cole took two more paces then decided to put an end to the intrusion. He pivoted, spread his feet and clenched his fists by his sides. “Do you mind—”
“Sorry to bother you. I’m Kevin Kent, president of Cambridge Airlines.” The fiftysomething man huffed as he caught up.
The introduction surprised Cole.
“We’re based out of London, England,” said the man, holding out a business card.
Cole didn’t take it. He didn’t want to talk to anyone, not a reporter, not an airline executive, not Destiny, not anyone.
“Is there something I can do for you?” he snarled.
The traffic rolled past them, echoing against the pavement, while groups of pedestrians parted to go around.
“I’ve been watching the proceedings in the courtroom.”
Cole didn’t respond to the statement. The courtroom had been packed for a day and half, with a lineup outside. It seemed most of the city was watching the proceedings.
“I know you’re taking a beating, but my money’s on you.”
If Kevin Kent wanted a thank-you for the vote of confidence, he was going to be disappointed.
“I’ve spent some time looking into your Alaska holdings,” he continued. “Do you have a second to talk?”
“Here? Now? You want to talk about Alaska?” Who cared about Alaska? Zachary’s future was on the line.
The man glanced at the multistory buildings around them. “There’s a coffee shop on the corner.”
“I’m not on a coffee break.”
“Right. Okay. I’ll get to it. I know you have a thriving airline in Alaska. That you built it from the ground up, and you have a partner and friend in that business with you.”
Cole was getting impatient. So Kevin Kent could do an internet search. Big deal.
“When this court case ends, if you win, you’re going to have a big decision to make.”
Cole crossed his arms over his chest. No kidding. What else had the man deduced?
“I’m banking on you winning,” said Kevin. “And I’m banking on your loyalty to Aviation 58.”
“Are you working up to a point, Mr. Kent?”
“Call me Kevin. Yes. My point is you may be in the market to sell.”
Cole drew back. “Sell Aviation 58?” There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d sell his airline.
“No,” said Kevin. “Coast Eagle Airlines.”
Cole felt the gro
und shift beneath him; he dropped his arms to steady himself. The bustle of the downtown street went momentarily still and silent. “Sell Coast Eagle?”
“To Cambridge Airlines.”
Cole wasn’t sure he’d heard right. He was trying to save Coast Eagle for Zachary’s future.
“I’m not in the market to sell,” he assured Kevin. “I won’t be in the market to sell.”
“Perhaps not.” Kevin seemed to be watching Cole closely. “Though I’m not sure you’ve had an opportunity to think through the complexities of running two separate airlines.”
“I’m not going to—” Cole caught himself.
He hadn’t thought of it in those terms. But if he won the custody battle, who would run Coast Eagle? He wasn’t staying in Atlanta. He’d never planned to stay in Atlanta.
Max had made it clear he was temporary as president, and he wasn’t the right fit anyway. Roth was absolutely not going to be in charge. Sidney was smart, but new to the VP post. Cole’s take was that he needed several years of mentoring before taking on more responsibility.
“We have the corporate depth,” said Kevin. “And we have the expertise. You’d have the choice to remain as a minor shareholder, of course. I won’t lie to you, I think that would be a good investment. But we’d prefer to buy you out. Have you looked into Coast Eagle’s net worth?”
Cole had not. Things had been moving ahead so quickly that he hadn’t focused any attention at all on what happened after the court case. And at the moment, he was a lot more worried about the possibility of losing than of winning.
“You need to think about it,” Kevin told him softly. “I’m not being opportunistic, and I’d fully expect due diligence on your side. But my take is that you need to win this. And my take is that you’re going to fight with everything you’ve got. And when you win, I want to talk. Because I think you’re going to have to make a choice—Coast Eagle or Aviation 58.”
He offered his card again. “Call me anytime.”
This time, Cole took the card. Kevin Kent gave him a nod and walked away.
Afterward, Cole stood still for a full five minutes.
How could he possibly sell Coast Eagle? Then again, how on earth was he going to run it?
“Mr. Henderson?”
The Missing Heir Page 16