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“Thisisme behaving. Did you think my child was an immaculate conception or something?”

We both laughed.

“Oh, stop. I’m strictly business tonight, I swear.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

I said that, but the truth was I couldn’t forget the impression that Evan had made on me when we met. His touch, the butterflies I felt in my stomach... It was all as real as could be.

Of course, I felt that way for him. He was basically Superman, right? And I wasn’t even Lois Lane. I was more like a mail clerk at the Daily Planet. I was good at my job, sure, but so were a lot of other people.

I’d seen some of Evan’s hookups. Quite frankly, they were nothing short of phenomenally beautiful. What would a man who could have all of that want with plain old me?

I looked out the window and frowned. I’d left the city behind entirely. I was starting to wonder if something weird was going on. Like maybe somebody was playing a prank. The limo was going to drop me off at a dairy farm or something like that. Ha-ha, everyone has a good laugh at Amanda’s expense.

The rolling hills gave way to flatter terrain. The limo slowed down and turned off onto a blacktop two-lane road, then passed through a security gate and kept going. What, did Evan have a secret compound out in the woods or something?

Then the limo came around a bend in the road, and the tree line retreated. I spotted a squarish aircraft control tower, and a full-sized tarmac and runway. A private airfield? I noticed that every aircraft had Evan’s company logo on it.

My first thought was he must have been a very busy guy. He obviously had to jump on a plane and go somewhere important, so he trucked me out to meet him for what would probably be like a ten-minute meeting.

Imagine my surprise when the limo pulled inside of one of the hangars. The private jet in the hangar had a sleek, tapered look, almost like a spaceship instead of an airplane. Its chrome hull reflected the limo driver as he hastened to open my door.

The door opened and he offered me a hand. I took it, and he lifted me to my feet. Then he gestured toward the aircraft, which had its stairs deployed.

I assumed I was supposed to climb the steps and board the plane. It had me rather confused. Evan must have been really, really busy.

I stepped into the plane and felt like I was in the lap of luxury. Instead of a utilitarian cabin, the interior looked like a finely designed hotel room, and a damn ritzy one at that. If I thoughtthe limo was fancy, the private jet took the cake.

“Ah, you’ve made it. That makes me very happy.”

I turned around to see Evan. He’d poured his powerful body into an expertly tailored suit. His charcoal blazer and trousers showed off the lines of his torso, and his white silk shirt was unbuttoned just enough to see the top of the curve of his pecs.

Those gorgeous eyes of his hypnotized me, taking my breath away. He shook my hand, and the touch was electric. All of the old feelings came back.

“Mr. Jones. Nice to meet you again.”

I had a slight tremble in my voice.

“Oh please, call me Evan. I hope that we’re going to be working very closely with each other.”

He gestured to comfortable-looking seats. I settled in, assuming he would take the one opposite the other side of a mahogany table built into the cabin wall. Instead, he sat down right beside me.

“Why are we meeting on a plane?” I asked. As if on cue, the private jet lurched as it surged forward. I looked out the window to see the trees moving by in an increasingly rapid blur.

“Is this plane taking off?” I sputtered.

“Yes, it is.”

I glared at him. “This amounts to kidnapping.”

He just eyed me coldly.

“Don’t be so dramatic. I didn’t have the time to meet you, and this was the most convenient for me.”

“What about me?”

“Don’t worry. Once I get where I’m going, the plane will take you right back here. You’ll be home safe and sound in time for dinner, I assure you.”