Something Real (Whiskey Men, #2)(17)

I reach over and put my hand on his arm. “That’s what she said, but I don’t know. We’re going to talk about it when she gets home. Maybe I can go for a few weeks and help her get settled and then come home. I know she’s an adult, but I will always think of her as that little girl that would cling to me. She’s my little sister but—”

He wraps his hand around mine. “But she’s like your daughter. I get it. I understand. Whatever you need to do, we’ll make it work.”

I look at him with eyes wide. “You need an assistant… I can’t expect you to just hold my job for me. Not when everything is so in the air.”

He laces our fingers together. “We’ll make it work. I completely understand your need to be there for Carrie. I would do the same for Ollie. But I want you to know, I’m not just going to let you go, Lilian. I need you.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him what he means. Does he need me as his assistant or something more? Quickly I push that thought away. One kiss and I can’t seem to get him out of my head. “Well, nothing is set in stone, and I’m going to talk to her and Philip when we get back.”

The pilot comes to stand in front of us. “Ford, we’re ready for takeoff.”

He nods. “Sounds good, Ben. Thanks.”

He looks at me curiously before turning away and walking toward the front of the plane.

“What does Philip do?”

“He does sales. He went to school for marketing, and he’s like a top salesman at the big dealership in Jasper. He’s really good, too, from what I hear. I met his boss at the wedding, and he raved on and on about him.”

Ford nods, and he’s about to pull his hand away when the plane starts to move. I squeeze it and then force myself to let go and squeeze the armrest instead. Ford looks at my white knuckles. “Shit, Lilian. You’ve never flown before?”

I shake my head stiffly. “Nope. I’m fine. We’re fine. No big deal.”

I can feel his eyes on me, and I concentrate on taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly.

He pries my fingers off the leather and then wraps his hand around mine again. He leans toward me so I can feel the heat of his body against my side. He talks to me softly. “The key is to get your mind off of things. Do you want to talk or do you want to listen?”

There’s a slight jerk as the plane starts to pick up speed. The roar inside the cab is loud, and I clench my eyes shut. “Listen. I want to listen.”

I lay my head back and listen to Ford talk. He jumps from one topic to another, and eventually, once we’re up in the air, I can feel myself calm. He holds my hand the whole time, never letting me go. We joke about the first time we met and when I came in for the interview. I still can’t believe he hired me without any experience, but he says he has a good sense about people. We talk about Ollie. We talk about his brothers. We talk so much that I’m surprised when I hear the pilot announce that we are about to land.

“You okay?” he asks me.

I blush, embarrassed. “Yeah, I’m good.”

I pull my hand away, but he puts his finger on my chin and pulls my face toward him. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Be embarrassed. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

It amazes me that he knows exactly what I’m thinking without me having to say a word. “I bet you’re thinking that I’m more trouble than I’m worth at this point.”

He shakes his head. “You’re no trouble at all, Lilian. Actually, I liked being able to be here for you.”

Speechless, I watch as he unbuckles his seatbelt and stands up. “You coming, honey, or you want to hang here a little longer?”

I look out the window. “We landed?”

He chuckles. “Yep, we landed. Now let’s get you off this plane so you can see Vegas.”

We walk off the plane straight to a waiting car. As we ride down the road, Ford points out the window, giving me the breakdown on everything there is to see and do. There’s so much to look at, but I find myself watching Ford instead of the passing sights.





Ford





I fucked up. That’s what’s going through my head as I swipe the key at the hotel room. I should have gotten separate rooms instead of a suite. I mean, sure, the suite is huge. It’s two bedrooms that are separated by a kitchen and living room in between the bedrooms, but I don’t think that’s going to be enough. Just riding in the plane with her next to me was too much, and I couldn’t keep my hands to myself. How did I think I would be able to resist the temptation of being in the same hotel room all weekend?

Already I've touched her way more than I should have. I had to keep reminding myself that I’m her boss, but that didn’t stop me from holding her hand. Yeah, I told myself that I only did it so I could comfort her, but it’s a lie. The fact is that if she’s close to me, I want to touch her.

I open the door and hold it so she can pass through. She walks in, and I roll our bags behind us. “I hope this is okay, Lilian. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can have the suite and I can go downstairs to get another room.”

She’s walking around, and her mouth falls open. “What are you talking about, Ford? Geez, this is almost bigger than my whole house. There’s plenty of room here.”