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I leaned back in my seat, biting my tongue on a nasty retort. I reminded myself the charity could use this guy’s endorsement. That didn’t mean I was okay with what was happening to me. Not by a long shot.

His inscrutable gaze was so sharp it cut me. He seemed to realize that I was uncomfortable.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes, some water would be nice.”

He turned about and opened a panel, revealing a mini fridge full of bottled water. He took one of them out and handed it over to me. It was such an expensive brand I didn’t even recognize its label. I wondered how much it cost. The language on the back was not English, so I wasn’t sure about the particulars.

I did know that the water hit a lot differently than normal. I didn’t get that bloated feeling after drinking it.

“It’s good water, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s fine, thank you.”

“It’s magnetized and PH balanced.”

“I assume that makes it good.”

My tone was a bit snippy. He looked at me for a long moment and then reached over to the control panel.

“Perhaps this will make you a bit more relaxed.”

He pushed a button, and suddenly the cabin started moving. Not literally, I realized. The floor remained fixed in place. The ceiling and walls, however, retreated to reveal a clear fuselage. I could see the spectacular sunset with its red golds, purples, and trailing pink staining the horizon with a panoramic view. The entire sky lit up with color, the white clouds bearing a glowing red gold aura.

My jaw gaped open. I’d never seen anything like it. It was almost like flying through the air without any mechanical means at all.I assumed it was as close to pure flight as a human was likely to get.

I felt like I had to say something. I tried to regain some of my dignity with a joke.

“Does Wonder Woman know you stole her invisible jet?” I asked.

He chuckled obligingly, but it was obvious to anyone that I was dumbstruck.

“These jets are still in the prototype phase. I, however, was able to get a fast track onto the first beta test.”

“Beta test, huh? So, we’re going to fall apart in mid-flight?”

He shook his head.

“Not hardly. I would never take this ship into the air if it weren’t perfectly safe.”

I gaped at how gorgeous it was to see a sunset at that height. I was used to sunset being more or less one-dimensional. Like, I looked up into the sky in a certain direction and there it was.

But at forty thousand feet, the sunset took on new dimensions. It painted the clouds below, above, all around us. The sky seemed a brilliant hue of blue-gold, and it calmed my soul just to see it. I had to admit, I didn’t feel like complaining about the impromptu plane ride any longer.

I supposed it might have seemed pretty normal to a billionaire playboy like Evan to just take an interviewee for a ride in his jet. Sort of like taking a ride in a car to him.

“You still seem rather tense, Amanda.”

“I guess I am. It’s not every day that you share space with the legendary Evan Jones.”

“Legendary is what they call you when you’re dead. I’m very much alive.”

Yeah, he was. And gorgeous to boot. I allowed myself to fall into the brilliant pools of his eyes and never felt like climbing backout.

“Does your neck hurt?”

I hadn’t realized I was rubbing it.