Read Online Embracing Danger by Olivia Jaymes - Free Book Online Page A

barriers when he thought something might be dangerous or unhealthy, like the time she wanted to bungee off a bridge with a few of her friends. He’d been right of course, as they really didn’t know what they were doing and would have managed to get them all killed if he hadn’t talked some sense into them.
    “You’re going with me?”
    It shouldn’t make her happy but a thrill shot through her body. This friendship stuff was not too bad. She could get used to this.
    “I certainly cannot let you go alone. Ben is still missing and we don’t know why. Until then, I think it’s prudent for someone to keep an eye on you and that someone is me. Are you okay with that?”
    Her brain said no but her heart screamed yes a helluva lot louder. As painful as it was being with him, she learned it was even harder when she wasn’t.
    “I’m fine with it, but don’t you have a business to run?”
    “A good executive makes sure the people who work for him are smarter than he is. The company will be fine and they can reach me by phone if they need me. So I’ll pick you up at the house in an hour? Can you be ready?”
    She opened her mouth to ask all sorts of questions about the travel arrangements he’d made but changed her mind. The fact was she trusted him to take care of it. He might have been a womanizing playboy but he’d also been organized and on the ball. All she needed to do was sit back and enjoy the journey.
    “I can, friend. Thank you for everything.”
    He ran his finger around his collar as if he was embarrassed. “We’ll figure out this friendship thing. In the meantime, we have a plane to catch.”
    “I meant what I said. Thank you, Shane. You didn’t have to do this or any of it. You’re helping me because I begged you to when I’m sure you’d rather be doing eight hundred other things, but please believe me when I tell you that I am grateful. I know I couldn’t do this without you.”
    She hoped he could hear the sincerity in her voice. No matter what she’d said to him in the past, she was truly appreciative of what he was doing for her.
    “I think you could do anything you set your mind to.”
    She watched his retreating figure, listening to the echo of his boots on the tile floor. She’d always wanted to believe what he said but she knew better. There was one thing she could never do.
    Make Shane fall in love with her again.
    *     *     *
    After a smooth takeoff, Shane unbuckled his seatbelt and sat his briefcase on the table in front of him. They had an almost three hour flight ahead of them to Indianapolis so he might as well take the opportunity to get some paperwork done and out of the way.
    The smiling air hostess stood next to his seat and leaned down, showing off a bit of cleavage. She was a lovely woman with straight brown hair and blue eyes along with a nice figure, but what she didn’t understand was that no one could hold a candle to Arden Cavendish. When she was in the room, every other female ceased to exist.
    “Anything else I can get you, Shane? Coffee? Tea? Maybe another whiskey?”
    Shane lifted the half-full highball glass. “This should do it for now. Thank you, Sherry. Arden, is there anything you’d like besides your water?”
    Looking up from her magazine, she shook her head. “I’m fine, thank you.”
    “Then that’s it. We’ll call you if we need anything.”
    He didn’t think he imagined Sherry’s look of disappointment as she left the main cabin. He’d never given her much, if any, encouragement but the mirthful expression on Arden’s face said she thought the opposite.
    Shane rolled his eyes and took another sip of his whiskey. “What?”
    Peeping over the top of her magazine, Arden’s lips were pressed together in what appeared to be an effort to keep from laughing. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Do your paperwork or whatever it is that millionaire tycoons do on their corporate jet.”
    “Stop acting like you’ve never flown in a private plane.