Chapter One

It was late.

That was the one thing on Erin Sullivan’s mind as she gazed absent-mindedly out the window of the plane. She had been among the first Elite Access members to board the nonstop flight from San Diego to Newark, and after tossing her carry-on in the overhead compartment, placing her book and boarding pass in the seat pocket in front of her, and settling down in her first class seat, she was aching to get home already.

She had been in San Diego for the better part of two weeks, attending her management consulting firm’s annual corporate retreat, and squeezing in some visitation time with family afterward. Her flight was originally scheduled for noon that day, which would have gotten her home in New Jersey at a decent hour of the evening…but as luck would have it, departures had been severely delayed all day, and hers was one of them. Now, the plane was sitting outside the gate at eight o’clock San Diego time, meaning she wouldn’t be home until nearly dawn.

She watched the luggage carts and the crew on the ground as they tossed bags onto the conveyor belt that lifted them into the aircraft’s cargo hold. Inside the plane, disgruntled passengers filed past her down the aisle, wearing expressions that mirrored how Erin felt inside.

She turned her attention to the cityscape as it twinkled in the summer evening twilight and sighed. She had grown up in Southern California, and spent most of her childhood here in San Diego. She had graduated from UCLA, majoring in business and obtaining her master’s degree in Business Administration and Management, then grabbed hold of the first regional job that came her way. Several years later, she had been offered a promotion, and though it was in New Jersey, she took it and ran. Adjusting to the east coast was easy for her, and despite being across the country from family and friends she thrived. Work was her niche.

She wasn’t entirely alone in New Jersey, though – she had met Max the year before, and they’d be celebrating six months together this coming weekend, when she was home. She couldn’t believe it had been six months already…it felt like they had just met. In her mind, they weren’t very serious and she certainly wasn’t ready to settle down with anyone yet, but he was on a different playing field. He talked as if they were going to be together forever, and though it sometimes made her skin crawl, Erin usually smiled and played along.

The first class cabin was packed tonight for some reason; Erin could only see two empty seats from her vantage point – one several rows up across the aisle, and the one next to her. She vaguely hoped the seat would stay empty, but she knew with her luck it would soon be occupied by some big business executive, the kind who typed on his Blackberry or laptop the entire flight, or fell asleep with his mouth open and snored in her ear. At the very least, she figured it would be some businessperson as tired and impatient to get home as she was. That was a pretty safe bet in first class.

The line in the aisle began to thin out as passengers found their seats and stowed their carry-ons, and soon everyone was seated. The seat several rows up had been claimed, but the one next to her remained empty, and Erin started to believe that maybe she was in luck after all.

She watched the flight attendants as they talked to the pilots and checked with the ticket agents to ensure everyone was on board, and she hoped they weren’t going to have to wait for anyone tonight. She hated when people were late and held up the entire plane, especially when it was already delayed and everyone else wanted to get going.

She was a naturally punctual person – always on time and frequently early for everything, never late. Her life was scheduled and regimented down to the very last detail, with very little flexibility. Sometimes it took its toll, but for the most part she thrived on living in a world of predictability and order.

As the attendants finally moved toward the walkway entrance to begin closing everything up, Erin saw someone hurry through the door at the last minute. He seemed out of breath and muttered something to the attendant, which Erin assumed was an apology. In spite of herself, she rolled her eyes. There’s a reason the board time is printed on your ticket, she thought.

The attendant smiled and said something back that Erin couldn’t hear, then closed the door behind him and announced to the cockpit that they were ready to go.

The passenger made his way down the aisle, and Erin couldn’t help but watch him as he did. He was dressed casually in jeans and a white button-down short-sleeved shirt, which she noticed showed off rigidly toned muscles in his arms and torso. He had shaggy blonde hair that peeked out from beneath a baseball cap, and strangely enough, dark sunglasses framed his face. He carried a small bag that looked like a briefcase in one hand, and Erin realized he was most likely her mystery neighbor.

Sure enough, the man stopped at the seat next to her and smiled briefly at her before he reached up into the overhead compartment to stow his case.

Erin smiled back quickly, then faced forward so she wouldn’t seem like she was staring. The man took his seat and she caught a whiff of his cologne – a fresh, musky scent that struck her as instantly sexy. She wondered why he kept his sunglasses on, but figured he was just one of those San Diegans who kept them on in nearly every form of weather since sunshine was the norm. She had grown up here, after all – there were actually people like that.

Finally, the plane began to back away from the gate and toward the runaway. The pilot’s voice came on over the intercom, “Ladies and gentleman, welcome aboard Continental Airlines Flight 6502, nonstop service to Newark, New Jersey. Approximate travel time tonight is five hours and three minutes, with an arrival time of 4:30am on the east coast. We apologize for the delay tonight, but the good news is that we are first in line for takeoff, and should be taking off momentarily.”

Erin breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God.

The man in the seat next to her laughed lightly. “It’s about time, huh?”

Erin smiled again. “Yeah,” she said. “Considering the fact that I should have been crawling into my own bed by now.”

The man laughed again. As Erin turned back to the window, she caught sight of his reflection as he bent his head and discreetly removed his shades, and it suddenly dawned on her that perhaps he wasn’t just an obsessed San Diegan. She couldn’t get a good enough look at him without turning to face him directly, and she didn’t have the nerve for that anyway, so she contented herself for the time being with focusing outside.

The plane approached the runway slowly and began to pivot around to face the stretch. The cabin lights dimmed and Erin settled back in her seat, suddenly hungry and hoping they’d serve something somewhat edible for the in-flight meal.

Several minutes later, they were rumbling down the runway and taking off into the dark sky, gaining altitude as Erin watched the San Diego skyline drop away. The mystery man next to her stretched out his legs and reached for the magazine in the seat pocket in front of him. Reaching up to the overhead light, he glanced at Erin. “Do you mind?”

Erin shook her head. “No, go ahead. I probably won’t be able to sleep anyway.”

He switched the light on and Erin got a better look at his features – or rather, his eyes. They were the deepest, most beautiful shade of crystal blue she’d ever seen, set on a face of rugged handsomeness. As her eyes traveled down the rest of his body, she suddenly recognized him as quickly as if she’d been struck in the face.

It made sense, since they were headed to New Jersey. But she just never expected to see him on a regular flight like this, even if it was in first class. Usually stars of his magnitude traveled entirely incognito or on their own private charter jets.

She wanted to say something to him, but figured she’d better not. He was probably tired, like everyone else, at this hour, and he just wanted to get through this flight and get home smoothly.

She could totally understand that – but how the hell was she going to get through the next several hours sitting right next to him?

Max would be so jealous right now, she realized. He was always jealous whenever she was around another guy, particularly if he was good-looking. He preferred to keep her at his side whenever they went out, and if another guy so much as spoke to her, Max would cut in and make an excuse for them to leave. It annoyed Erin greatly, but whenever she brought it up to him, Max would put on a big show of hurt and say that “he was just looking out for her…after all, men are pigs.”

She didn’t need to be told that twice. Before Max, she had had bad relationship after worse fling, and none of them had lasted more than a few months. In fact, Max had lasted the longest out of every man she’d ever dated, and even now she wasn’t in a fairy-tale romance. Max was cute, and was certainly good in bed, but she couldn’t help the desire for that perfect someone – the man who’d be her partner and equal, but still sweep her off her feet with his impeccable charm and earth-shattering good looks.

Like the hunk of lust sitting right next to her, she mused. Lord knew he had captured the hearts and hormones of millions of women around the world, and Erin had no trouble seeing why. He was built to perfection – and she couldn’t help but admire the impeccable way his jeans fit his form.

He must have noticed her staring, because he turned his head and caught her eye before she had a chance to look away. She instantly blushed. “Sorry,” she muttered, looking back at the window. Shit.

He chuckled softly. “I don’t usually travel on commercial flights like this,” he said quietly, as if he’d read her mind. “But I made an exception, since I wanted to get home sooner.”

Erin turned and looked at him to see a smile creeping along the edges of that sexy mouth. Still blushing, it took her a minute to form a sentence. Then she giggled. “So did I.”

The man smiled, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling, but before he could say anything else the flight attendant arrived, taking drink orders. The man politely gestured to Erin to go first, and she ordered a Merlot. “Good choice,” he complimented her as he ordered the same.

“Yeah well, it’s the end of a very long day and we have a long flight ahead. I say bottom’s up in this case.”

He laughed. “I’ll drink to that.”

They clinked glasses and each took a long drink. The liquid was soothing as it slid down her throat, and Erin welcomed the effect it would have on settling her nerves.

“I take it you’re not local, then?” the man continued.

Erin shook her head. “Nope – although I did grow up in San Diego. New Jersey is home base now.”

He nodded. “How do you like it? I mean, compared to southern California?”

“It’s different, that’s for sure,” Erin shrugged, still surprised at who she was talking to. “But I like it. And I like having actual seasons for once.”

He gave a small laugh. “Yes, New Jersey is beautiful in the Autumn.”

They fell silent again, each nursing their wineglasses, before the man spoke again.

“You know, I don’t usually share a glass of wine with strangers,” he said softly.

Erin looked up at him, confused, and unsure what to say. But before she could open her mouth, he held out his hand, his eyes twinkling. “I’m Jon.”

She met his eyes and paused before she took his hand, suppressing a laugh. “Nice to meet you. I’m Erin.”

“Well, Erin,” Jon smiled. “I guess we aren’t strangers anymore.”

Sunday, October 5, 2008