TheBillionairesPilot (10 page)

“Huh…that’s how it happened with your mom
and me.” His tone suddenly softened, and his eyes seemed to focus on something
in the distance. “She was the prettiest little thing I’d ever seen in that
flowery dress. I knew she had to be mine.”

He turned his attention back to Cassie,
and his gaze seemed to take her in from head to toe. “Getting engaged to a
moneyman seems to have improved your wardrobe choices. I haven’t seen you this
girly since your high school prom.”

Heat rushed to Cassie’s cheeks. She
didn’t know which was worse—her father calling Evan a “moneyman” or
bringing attention to her new more feminine look.

Evan draped his arm around her shoulders.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” he responded before Cassie could come up with
anything.

“Yeah,” Dad nodded, “she’s got her
mother’s looks.”

Warmth surrounded her heart at her dad’s
unexpected compliment.

“And she’s a talented pilot, as well,”
Evan added, giving her a light squeeze.

Before the flattery got too thick, she
redirected the conversation. “What did the doctor say, Dad?”

“I told you already, I’m fine. They
dicked around with my medications and sent me home. You really didn’t need to
waste your time and money coming here.”

“I had business nearby.” Evan stretched
the truth with that one, unless he considered Texas in the same neighborhood as
the Caribbean.

“Well, you’ve seen with your own eyes I’m
still on my feet, and it’s growing late. You should get on a plane back to New
York.” To Evan, he said, “I’m sure busy men like you have something important
scheduled for Monday morning.”

Cassie rose from the sofa. She recognized
a goodbye when she heard one from her father. “I’m glad you’re okay, Dad. I’ll
give you a call midweek…” She stopped herself from saying, “to check up on
you”. He’d hate that, especially in front of Evan, who he was so obviously
trying to impress with his machismo.

“No need to waste money on extra phone
calls. I can wait until our regular call at the end of the week.” Her dad
struggled slightly to get to his feet, as if his leg muscles were weak.

Cassie clasped her hands tightly in front
of her to prevent herself from reaching for him. Then she walked with Evan to
the front door. Glancing out of the picture window, she realized the hired limo
was still parked at the curb. What a waste of money to have him sitting out
there, waiting for them.

Cassie smiled inwardly. She sounded like
her father.

With her hand on the doorknob, her dad
stopped her with his words. “Now that you’re an engaged woman, I guess you
don’t hug your old man anymore.”

A lump lodged in her throat as she turned
to face him. “Never, Dad. I’ll never give up hugging you.” She stepped into his
hold, burying her nose in his shoulder as she inhaled his woodsy aftershave.
His big palms patted her back a few times as he placed a kiss on the top of her
head. Before she’d gotten her fill of him, he cleared his throat and pulled
away from her.

“Let me know when this wedding is taking
place…if you want me to escort you down the aisle.”

Afraid to speak and start the waterworks
that threatened, Cassie merely nodded her head.

“We’d be honored to have you give Cassie
away at our wedding,” Evan supplied the words for Cassie’s thoughts.

“Good. Okay. Then we’ll be in touch.” Her
dad ushered them through the door.

“Bye, Dad,” she managed to force out
before the door shut behind her and Evan as they stood on the front porch.

Without speaking, Evan led her down the
steps and across the yard with a hand at the small of her back to where the
limo driver stood with the door open for them. She slid across the black
leather seat and dug in her purse in vain for a tissue before any tears could
slip free. The car door shut after Evan slipped in next to her.

Offering her a white handkerchief, he
rubbed her back with his other hand.

“Thanks.” She took the cloth and
carefully dabbed under her eyes at the accumulating moisture, using her iron
will to keep the tide at bay.

The limo moved away from the curb, and
she cast a last look at her dad’s house, her fear for his health plaguing her
mind.

“He’s quite a force of nature,” Evan
commented.

“He’s not normally that bad.” She felt
compelled to explain. “He doesn’t tolerate any weakness, in others and
especially not in himself. He hates being sick. I’m sorry he was rude to you.”

“I wouldn’t call it rudeness so much as
directness.” Evan’s hand reached up to cup the back of her neck. “More
importantly, how are you?”

At his gentle touch and kind words, she
lost her control. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks faster than she could catch
them with the hankie. “I’m going to lose him.” She voiced her biggest fear,
followed by a sniffle.

Gathering her in his arms, Evan tucked
her head under his chin. “Hopefully, not for a long time.”

Wanting to believe his words, Cassie
relaxed in his embrace and gave herself over to her escalating feelings for
this man who was so much more genuine and sincere than the shallow playboy
she’d once thought he was. His kindness was nearly as potent as his sensuality,
as she fell completely under his influence.

After this was all over, she wondered if
she’d be able to glue herself back together when Evan shattered her heart.

Chapter Ten

In the
backseat of the limo, Evan held Cassie snuggled into his side and stroked her
arm as she came to terms with her father’s health condition. Her old man had
certainly made an impression with his Master Chief personality. He hadn’t been
quite what Evan was expecting, but he thought he pulled off his role as
Cassie’s fiancé passably well.

When Cassie seemed more relaxed, Evan
pulled out his cell phone with his free hand and thumbed Dan’s number.

“Yes, sir,” his assistant answered.

“We’re heading back to New York tonight.
Can you meet us at the airport in an hour and a half?”

“Of course, sir.”

“Thanks.” Evan ended the call.

“It only takes twenty minutes to get to
the airport.” Cassie looked up at him expectantly, her lashes wet from her
tears.

He rubbed a stray drop from her cheek.
“We’re having dinner first.”

She glanced down at her sundress. “I’m
not dressed for anything fancy.”

“Where’s your favorite pizzeria?”

She rewarded him with a bright smile that
cleared away some of her sorrow. “Eugene’s.”

“Eugene’s? That’s a pizza place?”

“The
best
pizza place in South
Texas.” She moved out of Evan’s embrace and left him wanting, but he wasn’t
willing to explore exactly what that meant.

“So, where’s Eugene’s?”

She gave him the address, so he could
instruct the driver while she dug through her purse for her makeup bag.

He admired the way she bounced back from
her emotional setback. Within a few minutes of applying her magic potions, she
was fresh-faced and ready to appear in public, not a trace of tears anywhere.

At the restaurant, Evan relaxed with
Cassie over a divine pepperoni pizza before he entered into the discussion of
their engagement announcement and schedule arrangements. They had to compare
calendars and figure out how they would proceed with their public showings.

Cassie took a sip from her soda then set
the tall red plastic cup on the table. “I want to keep my own apartment,” she
announced.

He considered it for a moment. “Yes, I
think that would be best. That will actually help maintain an air of
respectability, which is so important to Xavier.”

Swallowing his last bite of the cheesiest
pizza in the world, Evan thought more about the appearance of their
relationship. “Maybe you should stop working as my helicopter pilot.”

Cassie’s spine snapped straight, as her
eyes fixed on him. “Absolutely not. I’m not giving up my job.”

“It will look strange to Xavier to have
you working for me, especially in such a—”

“Don’t say it, Evan,” Cassie warned.

“You don’t know what I was going to say,”
he protested.

“Such a masculine, unfeminine job? That’s
it, isn’t it?”

“No. Actually, what I was going to say
was along a different line, but now I realize it wouldn’t sound any better. So,
I’m going to keep it to myself.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded gravely. “Yes.”

She cracked a smile. “Okay, I’m dying to
know. What were you going to say?”

He shook his head slowly and gave her a
mock sad look. “I’m sorry. I cannot tell you.”

“Evan, you’re such a tease.” She laughed,
and he couldn’t stop his own grin from spreading at her infectious good mood.
“I promise not to get mad. Now, will you tell me?”

He paused an extra few seconds to
increase her frustration. She really was fun to tease. Finally, he said, “It’s
not that big of a deal. I was just going to say that it might look strange to
have you working for me in such a subservient role.”

Her brows shot up to her hairline. “Sub-subservient?”
she sputtered. “I’m your pilot, not your submissive.”

The lighting in the restaurant must have
been playing tricks with his vision because he could have sworn her eyes heated
with her last word. His groin tightened at the images popping up in his
mind—her dressed in a red bra and panties, lying on satin sheets with her
hair tumbled around her and a black mask over her eyes, her wrists and ankles
bound with red silk ties, soft gasps coming from her mouth while he teased her
with a long-handled feather.

He studied the woman across the table
from him. Could Cassie really be interested? It didn’t seem to fit with her
self-defense responses when they were in San Miguel, but she hadn’t fought him
since that incident at Xavier’s house. Maybe she was softening under the force
of his charm.

Again, he was struck by how multifaceted
she was. He didn’t think he’d ever get a complete view of her, but he was
enjoying the exploring. If she were a sub, she would be the most interesting
one he’d ever had.

She stared at him, waiting for his reply.

Without saying a word, he took out his
wallet and dropped some bills on the table. Then he stood and approached
Cassie’s chair. Her eyes widened, and she licked her bottom lip. He offered his
hand, and she took it as she rose from her seat. Tugging her behind him, he
left the restaurant and got into the backseat of the limo with her.

Damn, he wished they were going to spend
the night in Texas. They wouldn’t have the privacy on the plane for what he
wanted to do with her.

The driver shut the back door, and Evan
decided to use what little time they had between here and the airport to test
his theory.

Cassie was uncharacteristically quiet as
she watched him.

“Sit on your hands,” he instructed her in
a quiet, but firm voice.

She shivered, but didn’t move her arms.
He watched and waited. Finally, she inched her hands under her thighs, and he
thought the zipper in his pants would split from the sudden force of his
erection. This hard-shelled woman, who’d literally fought off his earlier
advances, was responding to his directions. The fact that he’d earned her trust
was a powerful turn-on.

He steadied his breathing to regain
control. Then he skimmed a finger lightly down her neck, over her bare chest
and across the soft rise of her breast showing in the V-neck of her sundress.
Her chest rose and fell more noticeably as her breathing grew faster.

He skimmed his finger across the other
breast, up her chest and neck. Her pulse fluttered under her skin at the base
of her throat.

Yeah, she was getting a thrill from this,
and he was painfully hard himself. He was teasing both of them mercilessly, and
they weren’t going to have an opportunity to finish this anytime soon. They had
a flight back to New York waiting for them with his worthy assistant on board
as chaperone. But that was also good, he wanted her to want him, to beg him,
and the force of his attraction to her was likely to have him giving in too
soon. Something he never was tempted to do with other subs. Being forced to
wait was good for both of them.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“This is just the beginning, my darling.”

Her body shook with another set of
shivers as he backed off, returning to his seat, trying to ignore the
uncomfortable pressure in his pants. He stared out of the side window as if he
were ignoring her when in actuality he was all too aware of her spicy floral
scent and the heat of her skin next to him.

Without warning, her fingers grazed his
erection, and he nearly jumped out of his seat.

Laughing softly, she turned to face him
and pressed her palm against his hard length. “I’m looking forward to the
middle part, my darling,” she mimicked him with a sultry tone.

The limo pulled up to the private
entrance at the airport, and Cassie sat back in her seat as if nothing had
happened between them.

Oh, the little minx wanted to play. Evan
grinned. He didn’t usually enjoy sassy subs, but Cassie was definitely
different than his other play partners. She was feisty, and he suspected he
would have to work hard to earn her submission. His blood raced at the thought
of the challenge she represented, reminding him of the thrill of getting behind
the wheel on the racetrack.

This was turning out to be one hell of a
fake engagement.

* * * *

Cassie
squirmed uncomfortably in the leather airplane seat, heading back to New York
City. She was exhausted by the whirlwind weekend, but she was too throttled up
to fall asleep, even with a soft blanket, a pillow, and a nearly horizontal
reclining seat. The damn man sitting next to her had successfully aroused her
into a bundle of excited nerves with his little game in the back of the limo.

Oh, how she wished they had some privacy
to get to the middle part of what he’d started. Hell, they needed to go all the
way to the end because stopping in the middle was bound to be as frustrating as
this build up with no release.

Maybe she should excuse herself to the
bathroom and take care of her needs herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced
at Evan and hoped he was equally uncomfortable, but she didn’t think he was.

As soon as they’d reached cruising
altitude, Mr. Jacobs had handed Evan a ream of papers to read to prepare for
his morning meetings. Based on the lack of a tent pole in his pants, the
business reports were enough to distract Evan from his earlier excitement.

It almost made Cassie wish she had a
stack of boring reports to read, anything to get her mind off of the man at her
side and the sexy game she was anxious to continue playing with him.

He’d amazed her when he’d picked up on
her inclination towards power play. Most men assumed she liked to stay in
control in the bedroom because of her strong personality outside of it. But
that was actually why she liked the man to take charge in bed. She didn’t want
to be in control of every aspect of her life. She wanted to relax and let
someone else take the lead. It gave her the freedom to enjoy the moment without
having to orchestrate it, but it was risky to put herself in such a vulnerable
position, as she’d learned from her time with Trent. She’d thought he was her
perfect partner, but he’d used her needs against her, making her fall for him
then kicking her to the curb when he grew bored.

She worried she was making the same
mistake with Evan, but so far, Evan hadn’t shown any signs of being callous
like Trent. In fact, Evan had been extremely caring and sensitive to her in the
limo when she’d broken down with her worries for her father. Then, again, maybe
he was better at luring women into his bed by hiding his true self. Mentally and
emotionally, she wasn’t ready to take this gamble, but physically, her body was
begging.

She squeezed her legs together under the
blanket, trying to alleviate the need to be touched, but it wasn’t working. The
more she tried to ignore it, the more she thought about it, and she was getting
some pretty steamy visuals of her and Evan imprinted on her brain.

Just as she made the decision to get up
and take advantage of the privacy of the bathroom, Evan huffed softly and
slipped his hand under the edge of her blanket. His warm fingers skimmed up her
leg, dragging the hem of her sundress to the top of her thighs.

Her breath caught in her chest as hot
desire flooded her veins. “Evan?” She stared at him. Was he really going to
initiate something here with Mr. Jacobs a few feet away at the back of the
plane?

“I can’t concentrate on these reports
with all your wriggling,” Evan spoke in a low tone as his finger stroked softly
over the gusset of her panties.

Cassie bit back a moan and willed herself
to stay still. This was so much better than taking care of things herself; she
grinned.

“Tell me what you need, Cassie,” Evan
ordered.

She stilled, knowing what he was asking
of her. He was establishing his dominance, and she had to decide if she wanted
to go down this path with him. The risks seemed greater than the temporary
benefits, and she closed her legs on his hand. “I don’t need anything,” she
said, as she tried to shove his hand away.

His fingers tightened around her leg.
“Look at me, Cassie,” he said, using a deeper voice than she’d ever heard from
him.

And shit! It sent warm heat rushing to
her core.

He used his left hand to lift her chin.
“Look at me,” he repeated more firmly.

She reluctantly raised her eyes to meet
his dark gaze.

“You do need. I can feel it coming off of
you in waves. Don’t hide from me. I want to give you what you need. Now ask
me.”

She blinked to clear the mist that had
suddenly swelled in her eyes. He was pressing all her right buttons, but she
didn’t know if she could give herself over to another Dom.

“Trust me, Cassie,” he said in a quieter
voice, and she thought she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes, something
that almost looked like fear of exposure. He was putting himself out on limb
here, too, asking her to submit to him.