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“Reilly’s not picking up his phone.”

“I sent him to the cockpit,” Aidan admitted.

“Nah, it’s been off longer than your flight. You must’ve been desperate to get Emma alone if you sent him to fly your plane.”

“Did you need me to pass along a message, perhaps?” Aidan asked, annoyed.

“Yes. Let him know that I know what’s up, and that I’ll take care of things on this end, but he has to get himself back to Brianagh soon.”

Aidan didn’t envy Colin and Reilly’s duties as O’Rourke Protectors, though he did envy their unique travel plans.

Colin mostly traveled with Reilly, though Aidan suspected him of doing a fair bit on his own.

Reilly was the leader, though—he could bend time to whenever the need arose, though he claimed he could only do so with the permission of the Fates.

Despite years of asking, Reilly had thus far refused to take Aidan with them on any journey, claiming that he hadn’t been given explicit permission to do so.

It was their biggest sore spot to date.

Aidan had been desperate to return to his brother and sister-in-law.

From a very young age, Aidan’s sole purpose in life was to guard his brother’s back.

And just when Nick needed him the most, Aidan ended up in a ditch somewhere, close to death…

only to be rescued by Reilly O’Malley and Colin O’Rourke.

For that, he would do anything for either of them. But when it came to Reilly, he didn’t have to like it.

Aidan checked his watch. “I’ll let him know.” He glanced at Emma, who was staring defiantly out the window, her arms crossed. “Any news on our friend?”

“Posted bail from the hospital about an hour ago. He hasn’t shown up here, so I’m not sure if he’s off the scent or not. It would make life a lot easier if you could just kill the man and be done with it,” Colin added with a sigh.

“Modern times are…” Aidan searched for the word.

“Wimpy?”

Aidan snickered. “I was thinking ‘refined.’ But yours applies too.” He hung up, then leaned into Emma’s seat, trapping her with his arms. “This is not over, Emmaline. I’ll be damned if I’m just your client. ”

“Technically, you’re my boss,” she muttered. “But you’re most definitely not my laird.”

He gave her a scathing look, then went to talk with Reilly. He rapped on the cockpit door.

“MacWilliam, I swear, if you don’t get him out of my copilot’s seat, I will quit before you can fire me,” Les threatened.

“O’Malley, I need you in the main cabin. Message from Colin.”

Reilly’s face changed instantly. His body seemed to grow larger, and he nodded once to the copilot, who stood in the small space between the wall and copilot’s seat.

“First time flying with us?” Aidan asked. The man nodded, trying to appear relaxed. Aidan slapped him on the shoulder. “Rule number one: you don’t see or hear anything. Right, Les?”

“Get out, MacWilliam. First Officer Davidson, lock that door behind them.”

Aidan followed Reilly to the main cabin. The cockpit door clicked closed behind them.

He relayed the message and Reilly sighed heavily. “I have to go back.”

Aidan nodded solemnly. “The renovations at my keep are loud and bothersome. I’ll keep an eye on your cottage whilst you’re away, then.”

Reilly scrutinized him for a full minute. “You’re not going to ask me to come along?”

Every time Aidan thought Reilly might be headed back in time, he asked to go. Every time, Reilly turned him down, and every time, Aidan grew a bit more resentful.

But not this time.

Aidan shook his head. “Nay. I’m needed here.”

It was really dark.

That was Emma’s first thought as she opened her eyes and the jet taxied into the hangar. She glanced at the large clock hanging on the silver hangar wall, illuminated with fluorescent lights outside her tiny window.

Eight thirty.

The jet slowed to a stop, and Les cut the engine. Amanda opened the door as two men wheeled a staircase across the floor to meet it, and a moment later, Reilly went out to greet them.

Emma sighed softly and closed her eyes again. After years of wishing, hoping, and dreaming, she was finally in Ireland.

“Wake up, Emma. We’re here,” Aidan called.

She scowled. The man couldn’t give her a moment’s peace. He’d scoffed when she flipped on the latest Thor film and made derogatory comments about the superhero. She’d merely turned the volume up and tuned him out.

“Coffee for the road, miss?” Amanda asked, holding a steaming to-go cup.

Emma accepted it gratefully, then closed her eyes again, exhausted.

The aroma of the brew reminded her of her last almost-cup of coffee, when she stood in Colin’s kitchen and tried to work his machine. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Emma, I’m going to bring your bags to the car.” Aidan towered above her, resting his forearm on the back of her seat. “We’ll clear customs before leaving the hangar, then get going. Maybe grab some food. Are you hungry?”

“Is it always like this?” she asked. He frowned, so she clarified, “No time for second thoughts. Go, go, go.”

A ghost of a smile played at his lips. “Nay, Emma. It’s rarely like this. I hope it will slow down considerably once we get to our final destination.”

“Where is that, exactly?” she asked. For the last couple of hours, Aidan and Reilly had huddled together, talking in low voices and mapping out all sorts of plans.

After straining to hear them, then realizing they were speaking in rapid-fire Gaelic again, she gave up and put her headphones on, deciding Thor was much better company than either of them.

Of course, once Aidan realized she was watching a very beautiful man, he’d become downright belligerent, almost to the point of preventing her from enjoying the movie.

Lucky for her, she was an expert at tuning out white noise. She’d fallen asleep to the surly look on Aidan’s face.

“Tonight, we’ll stay at Reilly’s cottage outside the city.”

“They’re ready,” Reilly interrupted them, sticking his head inside the door. He caught sight of Cian, who was still green from the trip. “Cian, you head out first. Careful.”

Cian managed a nod, then slowly exited the plane.

Emma watched him go. “I feel awful for him. Is he like that every time you fly?”

“Aye,” Aidan said. “You’d think he’d get used to it, but he still claims it’s unnatural to ride about in the air. He’d much rather a beast under him than nothing at all.”

“You mean, like a horse?”

“Aye. Have you ever ridden before?”

Emma grimaced. “Yes.”

Amused, he asked, “Did you enjoy it?”

“Absolutely not. It was a nasty thing, kept trying to bite me. I don’t like horses.”

“How big was it?” he asked.

“Well, I was thirteen at the time, and it came up to my shoulder. So, pretty huge,” she replied seriously.

He laughed. “Oh, Emma. That was a pony. Not a horse.”

She glared at him. “It was big, and it wasn’t worth the five bucks. I didn’t trust it.”

“Perhaps I can take you for a ride. Show you how trustworthy a true steed can be,” Aidan replied.

His eyes told her he was talking about a lot more than horses. Yes, she had gone to his room with the hopes of seeing where her feelings led her. But once she came to her senses, her old fears reared their ugly heads.

Aidan was a wealthy, handsome, powerful man. He was sure to have women fall all over him—even if they didn’t know the contents of his bank account, his looks alone made him a marked man. And she had firsthand knowledge that he looked even better with his clothes off.

She wasn’t immune. Aidan was the most attractive man she’d ever met, and her hormones were all over that like white on rice.

But she knew where this kind of thing led.

She’d seen it countless times—man and woman meet.

Man gets woman into bed. Woman finds out man is married.

Someone finds out and threatens to tell, and Emma Perkins is there, ready with the pen, to spin it around.

She’d had enough spinning in both her professional and personal life to last ten lifetimes. She knew, deep in her bones, if she let Aidan in, she’d never be able to let him go.

She wouldn’t be able to handle it when he left, which he certainly would do.

Her only relationship was proof enough of her shortcomings.

She thought things with Ben were perfect, and though the pictures of him with another woman blindsided her, so had the realization that she was more invested in the relationship than he ever was.

How would she know when Aidan would tire of her?

He was worldly, from a different class than she.

He’d get bored with her plain-Janeness, her desire to stay in and read a book rather than go out on the town.

She was a homebody, and he was a jet-setter.

He was Adonis, and she did not want to end up like Aphrodite in that sad tale.

No, it was better if she admired from afar.

She had the perfect excuse. Her temporary insanity this morning aside, she really did work for Aidan. She was contracted not only by him but now, also by Celtic Connections—of which he was a stakeholder. Therefore, he was totally, completely off-limits to her .

She would not be like Heidi and sleep with her boss.

A voice at the back of her mind whispered that it wasn’t the same, but she crushed it.

“I think I’m safest if I stick with what I know,” she finally said.

“What would that be?” he asked, leaning forward slightly.

She refused to shrink back. “My own two feet.”

“MacWilliam, let’s go. They’re waiting,” Reilly said, popping his head back into the cabin.

Aidan gave Emma a searching look, then apparently let it go. She breathed a silent sigh of relief, and walked out of the jet when he waved her in front of him.

“Thank you for flying with us, Ms. Perkins,” Amanda said.

Aidan kissed the back of Amanda’s hand, although Emma noticed it was much different from the kisses he gave her on her own hand.

She tried not to examine that too closely.

“Amanda, give your husband my regards.”

“Of course,” she replied brightly. “Take care, Mr. MacWilliam.”

They walked down the stairs, two customs officials waiting to greet them and check passports. Emma pinched herself when a tiny shiver of excitement ran through her.

She really was in Ireland. She couldn’t wait to explore.