“A lot to do with last night, I suspect,” Chloe admitted aloud. “And if I’m to look anything near respectable when I meet your family, I’ll definitely need that nap.”
“I’ll leave you to it,” Miles said, dropping a kiss on her lips as he unclipped his seat belt when the pilot notified them that it was now safe to move around the aircraft. “I’m going forward to have a word with Sam, the pilot.”
“Friend of yours?”
“We went to high school together.”
“Well, don’t distract him from flying the plane, okay?”
Miles laughed. “Duly noted.”
* * *
When he came back to sit by Chloe, she was fast asleep. He’d noticed the shadows under her eyes this morning, but the sparkle in her eyes had offset that. He couldn’t believe how much he enjoyed being with this woman, or how quickly they’d fallen into sync with one another. It had surprised him on so many levels. His business was security. He was a naturally cautious person. And yet, with Chloe, he hadn’t felt his usual need to hold back or to run a standard background check like he usually did whenever he considered letting someone into his life.
He settled back in the seat and fastened his seat belt before leaning his chair back and closing his eyes. Being here, next to Chloe, felt right in a world that he knew—for his family, at least—was fast descending into chaos. He’d need his wits about him, going home. But he also knew he needed the quiet strength of the woman beside him to get through it.
When the plane landed in Royal, Texas and taxied to the administration building of the Wingate family’s private airport, Miles could see his twin brothers standing on the tarmac, waiting for him. He felt that familiar tug of belonging to something far greater than just himself. The Wingates were a force to be reckoned with, not just in Texas but worldwide, too. But, to Miles, they were his family, and family trumped all things no matter how much he’d tried to distance himself from it.
To be a Wingate meant meeting very high expectations, and he knew his brothers were heartsick about the incident at the plane factory. He only hoped that he could do something effective when it came to studying the necessary data to find out where the security breach had come from.
Miles leaned over and woke Chloe with a kiss on her cheek.
“We’re here.”
“Oh, already? I feel like I only just closed my eyes. Heavens, I must look a sight. Do I need to freshen up before we get off the plane?”
He let his eyes drift over her face and he shook his head. “No, you look beautiful.”
A hint of color tinged her cheeks. “Thank you. You’re good for a girl’s ego.”
“I don’t believe in lying and deception. I wouldn’t tell you that you were beautiful if I didn’t believe it.”
Her gaze skittered away from his, as if his words had made her uncomfortable, and she caught her lower lip between her teeth. The action sent a bolt of lust straight to his groin as he remembered biting that same lip only hours ago and remembered, even more vividly, exactly how she’d tasted.
Chloe reached for her tote and gave him an apologetic grin.
“I’m going to need a minute to two, at least.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll head on out to my brothers.” He gestured out the window. “They’re obviously eager to see me.”
“Oh, of course. And I really will only be a couple of minutes, I promise.”
He kissed her again and watched as she got out of her seat and went to the compact bathroom near the rear of the plane. Then, he squared his shoulders and headed out the door.
Sutton, the younger of the twins by only a few minutes, came forward and clasped his hand before dragging him into a tightly held man-hug.
“Miles, good to see you. Thanks for coming. We’ve missed you.” Then he released his younger brother and stepped back.
“Yeah, I missed you guys, too.”
“But not enough to come home more frequently,” Sebastian said, coming forward and hugging Miles, also.
“What can I say? All work and no play makes me a very dull boy,” Miles countered.
He’d had to face his own demons about his lack of contact with the family since their father’s death, but he wasn’t about to hash all that out right now.
Sutton issued a low whistle. “Miles, it looks as though you’ve made some time for play if the lovely lady coming off the plane is any indication. You didn’t mention you were bringing company.”