Girl on a Plane: A sexy, sassy, holiday read

Sinead pulled her phone from her clutch purse and checked her messages. “Yep, everyone’s grounded for the night. Grand, I can relax. I’m so glad I booked a hotel room earlier. I had a feeling I might get stuck here.” Her lips pursed, the expression was so smug, she was obviously winding him up.

“I tried every hotel I could think of and everything’s booked. Too bad I don’t have hot-chick superpowers to steal a suite from an innocent man.” He graced her with his cheesiest grin, reserved for occasions when he had to pull out all the stops.

Sinead rolled her eyes at him. Strangely, he found it cute.

“Superpowers aside, I know how to book a hotel room. I’ve been stranded before. I soon learned to beat the stampede of passengers looking for a bed for the night. First in, best dressed, Gabriel.”

Her husky voice as she half-whispered his name and all her talk about being first into bed, or whatever she said, had his pulse racing again. Add the flutter of her eyelashes against her cheeks and the fact she mentioned her hotel room, and he was losing his mind. Maybe she was interested.

“Well, I still haven’t snagged a room. But I could get lucky. If there’s any cancellations, I mean. Let me buy you dinner to apologise for busting into your suite. You said you’re hungry, right?”

She titled her head, then shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

Gabriel reached for her hand as she slid off her stool. Their fingertips connected and the charge between them was instant. Hot, electric. Well, this was new. He glanced down and searched her face. She blinked slowly, then stared, her eyes wide.

Oh yeah. She felt it too, the wild pull of attraction.

He took her elbow and led her through to the restaurant. He didn’t want to let go.

He was so transparent. Sinead blinked in disbelief as Gabriel led her into the restaurant, squiring her on his arm like the lord of the manor. This turnaround in pretending to be nice and throwing a few compliments her way was so obviously a ploy to get into her bed. Actually he probably planned to steal her bed out from under her, beds being few and far between during a typhoon. He’d lost out. She won.

But she’d play along, if only to tease him. Her instinct said Gabriel usually had women falling into his bed as soon as he looked at them. Not her. As much as she might like to.

The slight contact when he took her hand, and now the feel of his large hand on her bare arm, had heat suffusing her skin. The sensation was delicious and it had long-neglected parts of her body humming with pleasure. But she didn’t trust it. She’d eat a good meal, ogle a handsome man and then get a good night’s sleep in her big hotel bed. All alone.

The only problem was, she was tired of sleeping alone. It would be wonderful to snuggle all night next to a warm, strong man with his arm wrapped around her, holding her close. After she’d shagged him senseless.

Whoa, Nellie!

She tried to rein in her errant sexy thoughts. She’d need to be on guard with Gabriel. Her footsteps stuttered as he pulled out a chair for her at a secluded corner table. She took her seat, keeping her head down so her hair curtained her face, hiding the rosy glow no doubt lighting up her cheeks.

Gabriel’s fingertips grazed her bare shoulder as he pushed in her chair. Shivery anticipation zipped across her skin, a sensation hard to ignore. She liked it. Her body liked it, but her head told her to be careful.

A Singaporean waiter stood nearby, dressed in trendy black from head-to-toe. It was a modern Asian-fusion restaurant and amazing aromas of chilli and fragrant jasmine rice wafted from nearby tables. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her to eat something soon. The manly vision in front of her was distracting. Earlier she didn’t think she’d ever see him again, but she didn’t mind running into him. At all.

Sinead stealthily admired Gabriel as he took his seat. He looked a little rumpled. His hair was ruffled and stubble dusted his jaw, blondish brown against tan skin. He’d lost his jacket and tie. White shirt open two or three buttons, revealing smooth skin and the outline of broad shoulders beneath, narrowing to a slim waist and hips. A swimmer’s build – he was in great shape. She’d like to unwrap the rest of him. It was okay to fantasise.

Her eyes snapped back up to meet his gaze and a gasp hitched in her throat. He’d caught her checking him out. A self-satisfied smirk crossed his face.

“What do you feel like eating?” he asked.

You. The answer popped into her head uninvited. Luckily she didn’t voice it.

“Let’s see.” Sinead picked up a menu and held it up to hide her blush. How embarrassing. “The Curry Laksa and Hainanese chicken both sound good.” She lowered the menu and ran her finger down the dessert list. “I like nearly anything, but especially foods beginning with the letter ‘c’. Coffee, chocolate, champagne, they’re my favourites. What do you like?”

“Oh, I could be tempted by many things, Sinead. But tonight, I’ll let you choose.”

Her mouth popped open and heat charged through her system. She’d run with it. She was attracted to him. Whatever this thing was between them, why not let herself have some fun for a change?

“Then let’s get both dishes and we’ll share. And I think a drink is overdue.” She waved at the waiter. Sinead was about to order white wine but the waiter suggested cocktails.

“For the lady, we recommend our specialty, the Singapore Sling. Very nice.” The waiter hovered with a pen poised over his notepad.

“Sure, sounds good. Gabriel, how about you?”

Gabriel cocked his head to one side and seemed to consider the idea carefully. Finally he nodded.

“All right, I’m game. Sling me.”

The waiter left them alone. Sinead pressed her lips together as nervousness hit. She folded and re-folded her hands in her lap and tried to think of something to say. It’d been a while since she last went on a dinner date. Not that this was a date. Or was it? Either way, small talk wasn’t her favourite way to pass the time.

She glanced across the table at him. “So, Gabriel. I gather you’re some kind of businessman. What do you do exactly?”

“I run an online travel company called Global Village. You might have heard of it?” He raised an eyebrow as if waiting for a big reaction.

She’d heard of it, it was a major company. But she wasn’t overly impressed by his success or the fact he had money. He was a first-class passenger and she met men like him every day at work. Except most were not quite so good-looking.

She gazed into his bluer-than-the-ocean eyes and stopped a sigh escaping her lips by a millisecond. Apparently those eyes had the ability to render her speechless. And reduce her insides to a gooey puddle of warm, liquid caramel. With an effort, she concentrated on the conversation.

“Aye, I’ve heard of it. It’s a good website. You run the company? Must keep you busy.”

“Yeah, to put it mildly. I started the company and built it to this stage. Now I’m setting up the Europe branch in London. It’s … flat out. It doesn’t leave much time for anything else.”

“I feel the same sometimes. I obviously don’t run a company but I’m always on the go. Always arriving somewhere to be leaving again. It can be lonely.”

Now why had she said such a thing? She didn’t want to sound like a sad old spinster.

Luckily, the waiter returned with their tall, cherry-coloured cocktails and placed them on the table so they were perfectly aligned on red cardboard coasters. She raised her glass to propose a toast. What to say? To hell with it. She’d take a risk.

“To Singapore, to typhoons and to meeting a handsome stranger.”

A mischievous glint lit up his eyes as he raised his glass. “To Singapore, to typhoons and being stranded with a beautiful woman. Cheers.”

They clinked glasses and she had the uncanny sense of having struck a bargain of some kind. Probably a deal with the devil. She swallowed a giggle and then she took a long sip of her cocktail. After a few moments, it began to work its magic. Her limbs loosened up and her head buzzed with pleasure. She needed to eat something, and soon.

Gabriel snagged her with his gaze. “I’ve been wanting to ask, is there a Mr Mermaid Airlines? Someone you met on your travels or back home?”

He drummed his fingers on the tabletop. He was nervous, even if he was trying not to show it. Could he actually be interested in her, not just playing a game?

Her body couldn’t help but react. Her breath hitched again and she struggled to focus on keeping her hands steady.

“No, nobody special. I’m based in London at the moment, but I don’t really know a lot of people there. I had a couple of fellas chasing me when I used to live in Melbourne and back in Dublin. But it’s been a while between drinks, you could say.” She took another long sip of her cocktail to illustrate the point. She was definitely thirsty.

“I’m surprised no man’s put a ring on your finger. You’re quite the catch.”

“Really? It’s sweet of you to say.” Her cheeks flamed and she probably had a silly grin pasted on her face. Which no doubt wobbled when Gabriel’s knee nudged hers beneath the table. Her blood pumped extra fast through her veins, heating every inch of her skin.

“What about you? Is there a girlfriend or Mrs Online Travel Guru?” She managed to keep her voice steady, but hung on for his answer.