Page 3 of Heavenleigh

Blue-gray eyes were what caught my attention first, and everything around me disappeared.Then her lips came into focus.Naturally full and slightly sculpted, as if her creator had agonized over the exact shape.A small, perfect nose that was the tiniest bit upturned at the tip.Freckles, just a sprinkle of them across her nose, a few shades darker than her golden tan.Her body was hidden under a hoodie and black yoga pants, white running shoes on her feet.

I took it all in, cataloging her beauty in a heartbeat.

Feeling like lightning had struck me, I unconsciously turned my head, watching as the newcomer bounced down the aisle to the rear of the plane like an agile rabbit.Her backpack shifted her hoodie up, giving me a view of her luscious ass molded beneath her yoga pants.

Only when she disappeared into her seat did I finally blink.She had a middle seat close to the rear bathroom.We were on the same plane, going to the same destination, yet I felt unexpectedly bereft.A hollow ache hit my chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe for a moment.

Too far away.I needed to get closer.Hear her voice.Make her smile.Find out what she smelled like—what her skin felt like.

The flight attendant asked if I wanted something stronger than water before we began to taxi toward the runway.Sucking in a breath, I forced myself to turn forward, shaking off the weird sensation, and gave her my most charming smile.

“Is it too late to switch seats?”

Heavenleigh

The personin the window seat had on a magenta sleep mask, matching noise-canceling headphones, and one of those cute animal pillows.I instantly understood that this was a person terrified of flying, and given how their mouth was already slightly open and they were breathing softly, I figured they were either drunk or well medicated.I looked at their lap, taking a quick glance to confirm they already had their seat belt on before stuffing my bag under my seat and securing my own around my waist.

The woman with the aisle seat was already muttering under her breath about me squirming too much.Awesome.Bending back down, I grabbed my phone from the side pocket of my bag and my earbuds.After making sure the device was on airplane mode, I connected to the Wi-Fi and started planning the next few days.

Yara deserved to be spoiled, and I was going to make sure that happened.Full spa treatment.She’d mentioned her brother’s new girlfriend was coming, so I was careful to include the other woman.If Yara was inviting her to this impromptu destination wedding, she must be special to my bestie.Thankfully, the hotel Yara had chosen was perfect for everything.It even had a club on the fourteenth floor and a rooftop restaurant.

Mimosas at dawn.Massages on the beach midafternoon.Cocktails at sunset.Other than the occasional glass of champagne, I rarely drank, which Yara had always respected without me having to dive too deep into my reasons for avoiding alcohol.It was one of the things I adored about my college roommate and best friend.She didn’t push boundaries, which, in my personal experience, was a rare trait in people.

I was scrolling through the different packages the hotel’s spa offered when the woman beside me roughly nudged me off my armrest.Having yet to turn on a playlist, I heard her when she grumbled something about me hogging her personal space.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I fought a laugh.I was the middle child of five—that alone had prepared me for moments like this.Especially when I was stuck between Bliss and Damien in the middle row of the minivan my mom had preferred to drive until Damien hit his teens.By then, my older sisters were married, and Mom needed more cargo space for all the gear my baby brother required for his many, many extracurriculars.

If the aisle woman had been nice about it, I would have attempted to make myself smaller to minimize my personal space and give her more room.Instead, she was being a Grade A bitch, and I was feeling petty.

Shifting, I spread my legs, just a little, while staying within my limited assigned area.Her frustrated huff was music to my ears.Glancing at her in my peripheral, I noticed her face turn a fun shade of red as her mouth moved, talking to herself so low I couldn’t hear what she was saying.

Turning on my latest work playlist, I went back to checking out the spa packages.I found a build-your-own experience, and I got lost in that while the flight attendants did the safety protocol spiel.My arm got bumped three more times in less than a minute.Pressing my lips together hard, I bent again and pulled out my current book.

No matter what book I read, I put the same dust jacket on it to protect it.I’d made it myself a while back, a cute tarot card of a girl, her dark hair up in a bun, a book covering half her face.At the bottom of the card, it read “The Stabber,” with blood dripping from each letter.It was fairly effective in keeping people from talking to me when I was reading in public.

My neighbor took one look at the book, and some of the vibrant red of her face drained away.I settled more comfortably and got into my book.Arella had given me this one a while back when she was approached to play the lead FMC in a limited series.That was usually how she told us what her next project was going to be without breaking her contract with the studio.I’d been so busy, though, I’d only recently started reading it.

Now Arella was on location for the series, and I could unbiasedly admit the casting director had picked perfectly.I would be the first person to roast my sister if I thought she wasn’t suitable for a role.That was one of the perks of being a sister, in my opinion.

I was so lost in the chapter, the music in my ears masking any close chatter, that I didn’t notice when the change happened.Given that I was traveling alone, that was a stupid, rookie mistake to make.It wasn’t until my arm was bumped again that I lifted my eyes from the page.

All the air suddenly felt trapped in my lungs as I found myself staring into a pair of russet-brown eyes.Then I saw the deep-set laugh lines.If he had those, the likelihood of his being a grumpy bastard was lower.Strong nose, with a hint of a bump.I couldn’t tell from first glance if that was a natural feature or from being broken.A scruff-style beard, just long enough to look like it was on purpose.Sandy-blond, both on his face and his head.

Each feature came into focus quickly, and every time, I was drawn back to his eyes.Dark blond lashes on the thick side, but not overly long.Those damn lines that made me want to know what his laugh sounded like, to the point the not-knowing felt like a physical ache in the center of my chest.

Dropping the book on my lap, I pulled out the earbuds.“Um, hi?”

“Hi.”

Then reality returned as the plane began to build speed.I glanced around, wondering what weird twilight zone I’d fallen into where the annoying woman from earlier had disappeared and this hot man was suddenly in her place.

“What is happening right now?”I muttered to myself, and I was instantly rewarded with the laugh I’d been aching to hear.

“So, I need you to have an open mind,” he said, his eyes darkening.

All I could do was blink at him.He had no way of knowing it—yet—but I was the most open-minded person he was ever likely to meet.I picked up on people’s vibes easily.All my life, I’d had to be careful about who I made friends with.From kindergarten to senior year, not a single person I went to school with didn’t know my family, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.My classmates were all from rich families, some of them richer, bigger celebrities, more powerful connections.It should have bonded us, when really, all it did was distance us from one another.

I learned quickly who to avoid from nothing more than the way they turned their head and looked at a person when spoken to.Mom called it an empathic ability.I called it survival.Not so much a life-and-death-situation kind of survival.More like protecting my personal space, my mental health, and my heart.Friendly people were not always friend material.They could hide their agenda behind a sweet smile.But I’d always been able to quickly sift through the pretenders.