Page 73 of Earned Husband

I sighed, but my father was already waving everyone aboard, and if I waited before I got on that plane, chances were they’d seat us at complete opposite ends of the damn jet. As it was, it was going to be a full flight and it might not be a long one, but I was spending it with my fiancé.

Or almost-fiancé.

Whatever he was right now, I was sitting with Colin. We would have very little chance to actually talk, considering how many people would be with us, but at least no one stopped me when I slipped into the seat across from him.

Jasmine claimed the one beside me, but she didn’t say anything, just settling in and resting her head back against the seat with her eyes sliding shut. The engines roared to life. Oddly enough, everyone was so busy getting Zain and Amari settled or arguing among themselves that no one paid much attention to us.

Which meant that for those few minutes as we took off and Cairo shrank underneath us, I got to just stare into Colin’s eyes without anyone trying to put themselves between us. Just being able to look at him like this was such a huge relief that I found myself smiling as we ascended. The corners of his lips twitched up too, but neither of us spoke.

Once we were finally in the air, I pulled out my tablet, grateful to have something that would keep my hands busy. Because without it, I would’ve reached for him. No doubt about it. I wanted to feel close to him so badly that even holding his hand would’ve been a blessing, but no matter how distracted everyone else was, they’d notice if I touched him, and they would have opinions.

Colin glanced over as I powered up the tablet. “What are you working on?”

“The winter collection.”

His eyebrows swept up. “Already?”

I smiled. “I started the sourcing process while you were still in Chicago, so we’re well on our way with the scents, but the bottle designs are eluding me.”

“Can I see what you’ve got so far? I’m not bottle maker, but I’m curious to see your work.”

I pulled up the project and turned the screen toward him. “These are all the ones I’ve kept, but I’ve designed at least a dozen others.”

Colin took the tablet for a moment, studying the screen with genuine concentration instead of the polite interest most others—including my own siblings—gave my work. “I like this one.”

He handed the tablet back, tapping his finger against one side of the screen. “The square blue design could work.”

“It’s more clear than blue.” I squinted at it. “Actually, it’s not very blue at all.”

“It will be once it’s filled.”

I squinted at the screen, then realized he was right. “Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t see that.”

“You’ve had a lot on your mind.”

“So have you.”

“Sure, but I have fresh eyes when it comes to this. That makes it easier to see things.”

“True.” I showed him the options for packaging next, and although our conversation was far from romantic, Colin asked thoughtful questions and I actually found myself having fun just talking about simple things, like why heavier glass made people perceive a fragrance as more luxurious or how I was considering changing the cap design because those lines sold better in the winter.

He nodded when I showed him the curve I was thinking about changing. “I see what you mean, but I think it should stay.”

“Why?”

“It balances the rest of the bottle.”

My eyes widened. “You noticed that? It’s why I did it that way in the first place.”

He grinned. “Great minds.”

“You’re annoyingly good at this.”

“I work with manufacturing,” he said innocently, but that grin was still firmly plastered on his lips. “This might be perfume, but it’s still product design.”

Jasmine made a gagging noise. “Would you two please stop flirting over bottle shapes?”

We both looked at her, but Colin frowned. “We’re discussing work.”