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A small part of me envied my brother, though, being able to be intimate and cozy with one special woman. Especially now, around the holidays, which can get pretty lonely. But it was only one week a year.

Rex found a keeper, and good for him. I’d stay in my single lane and be happy for them from afar. I didn’t need any of that marriage crap rubbing off on me.

Before long, I made record time landing at the State Hill Heliport, and borrowed the manager’s car. Within minutes, I arrived at the gas station and spotted a rusty blue van off to the side with a magnetic sign on the side reading The Cupcake Cottage. I parked behind it and must have looked funny, running up in a tuxedo, trying to avoid slushy snow puddles mucking up my shiny leather shoes.

“Vivian?” I called out.

A woman exited the driver’s side. When I got within a few feet of her, her face took on a look of horror.

“Vivian?” I asked again, and it took her a few seconds to answer as she continued to stare at me.

“Y-yes. That’s me.” She appeared to shake off whatever initially inflicted her.

“I’m your knight in shining armor,” I said. She suddenly puttered as if choking on something. “Are you okay? I was sent here to rescue you and the cake. Where is it?”

What was with this beautiful woman, frozen to the spot and not moving? If I wasn’t in such a rush, I’d check her out in further detail, but a glance at the time on my phone sent a shot of adrenaline coursing through my veins. We needed to leave now if I was going to avoid the wrath of Miriam.

“You’reRichard? Rex’s brother?” She asked.

“Last I checked, yes. Is the cake back here?” I took the liberty of pulling the side van door open, sliding it back, revealing dozens of cake boxes of all different sizes, a plastic bin of other paraphernalia, and her suitcase. “Look, we gotta go. Let’s get this stuff to my helicopter quickly.”

I worried, but with some strategic packing, it all fit in the back seat of the chopper. Thunder clapped in the distance to the north. If we got going now, we’d out-fly the storm.

I held my hand out to her. “You’ll have to take the co-pilot seat up front next to me.”

She bypassed my hand and climbed in, giving me a full view of her nice ass in her jeans. I rolled my eyes. Exactly what I didn’t need right now was to ogle the small town baker.

When she fumbled with the seat belt, I helped her out. “Here, let me do it.”

Her breath caught while I fastened the belt around her shoulders, brushing her chest. But I was all business, all about safety. Once every buckle clicked into place, my eyes lifted to hers—Holy hell!

Sky-blue eyes under chestnut hair with a heart-shaped face caught me off-guard, and I blinked twice. A strong sense of déjà vu overwhelmed me, but it was ridiculous. I’d only stepped foot in Holly Creek once over the summer when Chelsea and Rex hosted a gathering for the bridesmaids and groomsmen there. And she wasn’t present for it.

I placed the headphones over her ears and settled into the pilot’s seat. With the nose pointed toward New York City, I took off and noticed her white knuckles on the seat.

“It’ll be about an hour’s flight time.” I spoke into the microphone which connected to the speakers in the headphones and chuckled. “I take it you’ve never flown in a helicopter before?”

“Never. I don’t want to die.” A quick glance showed her eyes squeezed shut.

“Hey, Vivian? Relax, okay? I’ve been flying for years and never had a problem. Don’t worry. You and the cakes are safe with me.”

“Knock on wood,” she said, her tone soft. My brow furrowed at this. For some reason, those words spoken from her lips sounded way too familiar. Anyway, I needed to keep her talking and get her to relax or it’d be a long ride for her.

“Have you ever lived in New York City?”

“No. Born and raised in Holly Creek.”

“You’ve never lived anywhere else?”

Her head snapped at me. “Paris…for a few years. I studied and worked under a famous pastry chef.”

Her voice held a sultry, husky quality, so familiar to me. As if I’d spent an evening with her in the past, telling me everything she loved about my cock and my fingers and how good I was making her feel. Something I’d never likely forget.

But that was silly. Surely I’d remember her if I slept with her somewhere before. Wouldn’t I?

“Ah, Paris. One of my favorite places on the planet.” I smiled, glad for one thing in common between us to talk about on the way back to the Plaza.

Ready to readRichard and Vivian’s story? Read more in It Happened in Paris: A Secret Baby for the Alpha CEO.