s returned, he was wearing a different pair of trousers-black, casual s

her. He put on a pair of noise-canceling headp

e set of his jaw told her to save her b

FK, and the plane bucked like a wounded animal. Every drop sent Belle's

e lack of sleep, the three years of running on adrena

i

, prepare f

harply to the righ

the sign was on, but if she didn't get to the bathr

ed to s

s a m

eet. The cabin spun in a sickening kaleidoscope of grey and b

out blindly

warm fabric. An

nd smelling of sandalwood and crisp linen. The scent was a ghost in the room, painfully familiar, stirring a memory she kept locked away. But it cou

er face was pressed into the crook of a man's neck.

ne watching, it looked like the crazy girl in 1B h

tephens

, ready to shove her off. This woman was a menace. First the milk, now thi

oked

neck, was burning up. He could smell her-beneath t

sn't f

was clutching his lapel like a l

d, hands fluttering. "I can call security

udder against him. A small, p

his voice cutting through the a

ist. He held her there, anchoring her against the sway of the landing plane. Her waist was

ion. He didn't do fragile

didn't

hud. The plane hit the tarmac, bouncing once

remained slumped aga

ied to the gate, Denis tap

ke

m, blinking in confusion. Her eyes were glassy. She looked at him

hitting the armres

asked, his tone dry. "Assault

her hand. She looked terrible. "Don't f

in her pocket. Sh

ne. Her voice was a wreck. "Help m

gather her things, but her hands we

s a sound of pur

ttendant. "Get a wheelch

d up at him

smoothed the lapel she had crushed. He lo

t on anyone else

t bridge, he didn't leave immediately. He stood by the window for a fleeting second, w

nis check his wa