Whispered Curses: A shy girl alpha male romance novel Page 11

  I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was also distracted from trying to pull my tiny rolling suitcase from the top shelf of the closet. Before I could blink, Eric was there lifting it down as if it weighed nothing.

  "Thank you so much," I started, I can't even–"

  Eric placed a finger on my lips. "Let's talk on the plane. For now, grab everything you need for the next several days. Bring your books and school work."

  I barely knew what was happening, but I was being hurried out the door. As I locked up, Eric took my suitcase and shoulder bag.

  “Will we stop by your place to get some things?" I asked.

  He shook his head, smiling slightly as I headed for the elevator. "I have a suitcase already on the plane, and a spare laptop. I'm good."

  "Oh. Wow."

  "Angie and I never know when we might have to make a break for it to show up early for a presentation," he explained. "So we each have a tiny closet on the plane, just in case."

  I didn't recall him calling for a cab, but there was one in front of the building. I’d never been to the little island airport before. Even though I was stressed out of my mind, the ninety-second ferry ride was almost fun.

  My head was spinning as Eric led me to a gleaming white plane, and up the steps.

  “Hello again, Mr. Stone. Welcome aboard." A nice motherly lady in a sharp gray suit dress guided us aboard.

  "Hi, Andrea. Sorry for the rush. This is Eden."

  The woman's eyes lit up. "What a wonderful name. Please, have a seat anywhere you like. Captain Nichols is your pilot today."

  My luggage was stowed and I was seated in a giant leather chair. Eric had given me the window seat, and sat close beside me.

  "Can I get you anything before takeoff?" Andrea asked politely.

  "No, thanks," Eric said quickly. "We’ll worry about that once we get going. We have a hospital to get to in a hurry."

  "Oh," Andrea said, immediately concerned as she realized this was not a flight merely for pleasure, or a business meeting. She dashed into the cockpit, coming out just a moment later. "I've informed the Captain that this is a rush, and he will do everything in his power to, as he put it, ‘run some red lights on the way’."

  I laughed too hard, but I really did need a break in the tension.

  It was sweet that after Andrea checked my seatbelt and disappeared to the front of the plane, Eric checked my belt himself. "Do you fly very often?" he asked.

  I shook my head. "Only four trips to Vancouver and back. Certainly never in a private jet," I said, looking around wide-eyed. "And certainly not at the drop of a hat like this." I picked up Eric's hand from the armrest between us. "Thank you," I said sincerely. "This means so much to me."

  “I don't have a lot of experience with normal families,” Eric said. "But I feel like you should do everything in your power to comfort an ailing parent, right?"

  "Yes, but this isn't in my power," I said, waving again to the gorgeously designed interior and plush seating.

  "It's in your power now," he said gently. "You're an important part of my life, Eden. Everything I have is yours."

  I had no idea what on earth to say to that.

  Then he shook his head with a loud sigh. "Dammit, I'm sorry. It's too much too fast. I know. This is why I suck at relationships. I don't know how to think before I speak.”

  I heard the engines kick in with a low rumble. Instantly I gripped his hand tight. "I think you're doing pretty darn well at this relationship so far," I said. My voice sounded strained.

  The deep, powerful chugging from beneath our feet changed. It sounded like a supercar being forced to drive one mile an hour. Like it was barely being held back.

  Eric released my hand to clasp onto the other one, so that he could wrap his arm around me tightly. "This is the best company, with the best pilots," he said softly. "As soon as we are up and away, we can have coffee and breakfast. Alright?"

  The plane turned, then began zipping down the runway much faster than I could have expected. Maybe it just felt different since I was used to huge airbus vehicles.

  "I might need that coffee spiked hard," I muttered, gritting my teeth.

  "No problem," he chuckled. "Your only mission for the next five hours is your schoolwork, and telling me how to behave around your family."

  I felt the wheels leave the ground with a lurch that dropped the pit of my stomach a couple of feet. My involuntary squeal made Eric laugh. "Breathe, baby. It's fine. I've got you."

  Before I could think, he was kissing me gently, his lips barely hovering against mine. Then he sat back, just holding me while I calmed down.

  He dropped my hand to pull out his phone, flipping through a few quick texts.

  "Wait, you can use your phone here?"

  He grinned. "Another little perk of flying private."

  His eyes were so deep and sharp as they darted around the screen. "Your mother is doing fine," he said. "She's been moved to a private room, with a private nurse. She's being prepped for surgery right now, and they estimate it will only take around three and a half hours."

  "Oh. Thank you."

  "That's great," he said brightly. "By the time she is coming around, you'll be there by her side."

  I grinned, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

  "You are extremely welcome,” he smiled. Then he straightened up, giving his shoulders a shake. "Time to get down to business."

  As if on cue, a tiny ping sounded, and Andrea came toward us. "Coffee to start?" she asked.

  "Yes," Eric said, "But throw a half shot of Kahlúa into Eden’s to steady her nerves."

  Andrea chuckled, nodding. "No problem."

  "Then if you could please grab my laptop from the back closet drawer, we’re going to have to get to work."

  "Certainly, sir."

  Eric turned to me and said, "I'd like you to stay buckled in at all times, okay?"

  I nodded, as he unfastened his belt and went to get my shoulder bag from the front closet. I’d never had anyone be so protective of me.

  We were soon set up on our tray tables, in our own weird mobile office, as Andrea brought the coffee.

  “Set your phone three hours ahead now,” he suggested. “It’s nearly nine here, so it’s six am Vancouver time. Better to do it now to reset your brain.”

  “Oh right, thanks.” I fussed with my phone, relieved that he’d think of that. I guess he was a lot more accustomed to traveling than I was. It was also sweet to feel so cared for, like he was looking out for me.

  "What assignments do you have due today?" Eric asked.

  I rolled my eyes. "I'm nearly done an essay, but I don't know if I have the attention span to proofread it on a plane."

  "Is it okay to have someone else proofread it? It's just for typos really, right?"

  "Yes."

  Eric grabbed his phone. "What's your email?"

  I told him, shocked at how fast his thumbs flew across the screen. Then he grabbed my laptop, typing a note. "That's Lesley’s email. She’s one of my interns. Send your essay to her. She can proof it, fix any typos, then forward it straight to your professor, or whatever you like."

  I started to protest, but he held up his hand. "Patricia and I have been desperate to try to find enough projects to keep two interns busy this month. There's just been a lull in the workload. So this is actually extremely convenient for me."

  I tried to raise an eyebrow suspiciously but just burst into giggles. "You are like a genie who grants wishes,” I laughed.

  "Sure, you can call me Gene if you want to. Just get writing." He snapped his fingers briskly. "Twenty minutes of hard work, then we get a fabulous breakfast as a reward."

  Opening up the documents I needed, I took a sip of coffee, then shook my head. "I can't believe I have an assistant on standby to help with my essay. I feel so completely spoiled."

  Eric nudged my shoulder with his. "Many hands make light work, and all that," he said. "Hell, how do you think I found out which bar
in the city serves a Blue Beach?"

  My head swiveled, staring at him. "You had your interns stalk me?"

  His eyes flew wide as if he realized he may have made a mistake. "No, not you. Not anything personal about you. Just, you know, which place happened to serve that drink," he said lamely.

  I froze. What the blazes does one say to that?

  His eyes tightened and he looked extremely worried. Still looking at me, he picked up his pen. "Psst," he hissed. "Do you think she'll believe that I really needed a project for the interns that day?"

  He cocked his head as if listening, then nodded. "I know. It sounds really awful. But I'm trying to make up for it now. Do you think that counts?" He paused, nodding. "Only time will tell. Yeah, you're probably right. Best to just get back to work and pretend that didn't happen."

  Eric nodded again, then slowly turned back to his own laptop, opening what seemed to be a highly secure email program.

  I laughed, shaking my head, as I tried to focus on my work.

  Yet it was hard to put that aside. True, I had freaked out and not answered his messages, and he had no other clues to find me. But should a man really track a woman down like that?

  It was in a public place, and they were lots of people around. Everyone has heard horror stories of creepers showing up at their apartment door, or their back window. Eric had come to me at my local pub, simply asking to chat for a moment.

  It was weird, and a bit extreme, but I thought it was relatively acceptable. As long as it never went farther than that.

  He was right though. He was certainly going above and beyond the call for me right now, so I tried to put it out of my mind.

  No matter how much help I had, I really did have to write the essay myself.

  ~ Chapter 20 ~ Eric ~

  * Breakfast *

  It was an incredible relief when Eden laughed about my method of tracking her down. Even if the merriment didn't quite reach her eyes.

  Yet I couldn't think about that at the moment. Angie was freaking out that I was missing the meeting for the first design drafts of a new tower we were building. Luckily I was a bit anal-retentive about getting things done in advance. I was able to direct her to where Patricia had the blueprints and presentation materials all ready to go.

  Angie sent me a text, and I could almost hear how confused she was.

  A: Patricia said that you took the jet to Vancouver? What's wrong? Did the Wrenwyck project go sideways?

  E: Everything’s fine. A friend’s mother is in the hospital, and she had no way to get there in time to meet her mother after surgery.

  A: E, are you being a good Samaritan? Or are you trying to impress that girl? Sometimes I can't tell with you .

  E: I'll have you know that the charming lady I am with is swiftly becoming the love of my life. She needs help right now, so I'm helping her.

  I saw those three dots hovering for longer than I expected.

  A: Wow. You actually used the L-word. I'm rather impressed.

  In that case, tell me if there is anything I can do to help. I’ll take care of things here. Stay in touch.

  E: Thanks, sis. You are a superstar.

  A: Never forget that.

  I wanted to mention to Eden how alike she and Angie were, but she seemed completely focused on typing away at her project.

  It was interesting watching her work. She would type like crazy for about a minute, then freeze, staring into space. Although her head was tilted slightly toward the window, it was clear that she wasn't watching the scenery below. She was completely zoned out, in a trance while she thought very hard about whatever she was writing. It was amazing to see her in a completely different light.

  I realized that I would soon be seeing her with her family, which would be yet another side of her.

  Although I didn't believe in the supernatural, I couldn't help politely asking the universe to make sure her mother was all right.

  I had been far too pushy already, but I was desperately hoping to meet this mysterious grandmother. It seemed like everyone tiptoed around her unexplainable prophecies. I wanted to ask her flat out. Since I was outside of the circle, perhaps I could do this in a way that seemed charming instead of rude.

  Strangers could often ask stupid questions and be forgiven because they didn't know the rules yet. I would have to rely on that train of thought to get through it.

  It was incredibly important that her mother and grandmother like me. I needed them to see me as a good partner for Eden. It was inevitable that we would end up married, with kids, and living our own little happily ever after.

  The wonderful thing is, I’d never pictured anything specific in my perfect home life. So Eden could make all of the major decisions, like where we should live, and what sort of house we should buy. I wanted to give her absolutely everything.

  She didn't seem to care about money, which was certainly a breath of fresh air. She wasn't the type to be greedy, or wasteful. She wasn't the type to put on airs.

  After about half an hour, Andrea approached cautiously. "Breakfast?"

  Eden looked at me hopefully. "Yes?"

  "Absolutely," I said, quickly stowing both of our laptops.

  As always, Andrea outdid herself, serving fresh blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and fresh fruit smoothies.

  "This is one of the many reasons why Andrea is the absolute best," I loudly told Eden while Andrea was setting out extra napkins.

  "Thank you, Mr. Stone," she said with a grin.

  Then she turned to Eden. "Although I did spike your coffee, if you are a nervous flyer, I can also offer you mimosas, champagne, wine, or pretty much anything else." She flashed a wide smile. "Captain Nichols will notify us in advance if he foresees any turbulence, but the last I heard it should be smooth sailing."

  "I think I'm fine for now," Eden said. "Thank you so much."

  Andrea disappeared, and Eden turned to me. "Do you find it weird having people serve you?"

  I took a huge gulp of my smoothie while nodding. "Yes, sometimes. On a flight, it's expected. I know some people have assistants around them at all times, but personally, I find that a bit weird. I have a cleaning lady that comes on Tuesdays. That's enough for me," I shrugged.

  She seemed to be relieved. "Good."

  "I'm looking forward to meeting your family," I said as she started with her pancakes. "I'm curious to see what sort of people you came from."

  Eden looked delighted that I was truly interested. "My mother has worked as a researcher and script fact-checker most of her life. When she had to have her hip replaced, she semi-retired, just doing a bit of freelance work now. Plus it can be done through email, so she doesn't have to run around as much."

  "That's great," I said. "So she could stay with your uncle a bit and work remotely if she wants to heal up for a few more weeks before she flies home."

  Eden nodded, then her bottom lip began to tremble.

  "Oh my God, baby, I'm so sorry. She's going to be fine."

  She looked up at me, her eyes a bit glassy, and I took her hand. "Okay, I'll be honest," I said. "It's going to suck a bit. Surgery always does. But they have good painkillers, and she can take her time healing, right? Her only job is to lay around and let people care for her right now."

  She gave me a brave little smile. "Thank you for thinking of getting her a private nurse," she said softly. "That will probably be really helpful."

  “Patricia sent me a brochure on the company. Apparently, they care for the patients both mentally and physically. So if your mom wants to be left alone to read or rest, that's fine. But if she wants to chat or play cards, she'll always have company whenever she needs it."

  "You're amazing," she whispered softly.

  I shook my head. “Not really. But you can go ahead and think that if you like, and I highly encourage it." I winked. "The honest truth is, I got super lucky. Then I worked my ass off, and I became even luckier. Now I get to share some of that. That makes me ridiculously hap
py.”

  Eden’s smile warmed my heart. All I wanted was to care for her and make her happy.

  Now that I had a moment to think about it though, I hoped that I wasn’t being too pushy. The worst thing that could happen was to accidentally become a real stalker. The bad guy. An abstract demon who turned out to be bad for her instead of good.