Page 29 of Suddenly Desired (APEX Billionaires’ Club #2)

ELLIE

Ellie scrambled through the heaving train station, struggling with the weight of the bag on her shoulder.

There were people everywhere and muffled Tannoys going off every few seconds, and it gave her the same sense of claustrophobia as the crowd had back at the Heartbook HQ.

She couldn’t wait for the moment she disembarked the train in Exeter and drove out of the station in her mum’s car, heading for the hills where their family farm was based.

At this rate, though, she wasn’t going to make it. Her mum had booked her on to the seven o’clock service, and thanks to the heavy traffic around Heartbook and an accident on the motorway, she was cutting it way too fine.

“Come on,” she muttered to herself. “Where are you?”

She pressed her phone to the ticket barrier, the e-ticket opening the gate.

Her bag slid off her shoulder as she walked through, snagging on the gate and pulling her back.

She heaved it back up, apologising to the woman behind her, and looked around for the right platform.

It had to be around here somewhere. Spotting a map on the wall, she walked towards it only to jump back as an electric transport buggy zoomed past, its horn blaring.

She checked that the coast was clear, then ran to the map, seeing that she was in completely the wrong place.

“This isn’t happening,” she said, panic starting to set in.

If she missed this train then she couldn’t exactly afford to buy another ticket herself, and she didn’t have the heart to ask her mum.

She’d end up slinking home and spending the weekend in her flat, probably sobbing into a tub of ice cream.

She understood why Blake had done what he did, but it still broke her heart.

No, it hadn’t just broken it. It had shattered it — partly because she knew how hard it had been for him to stand there and admit to something he hadn’t done, and partly because she had seen in his eyes the simple fact that he would withdraw himself from everything now, including her.

Even though he hadn’t said goodbye, that’s exactly what it meant.

“Move it,” said an elderly woman who was walking surprisingly fast. Ellie apologised again, breaking into a jog as she headed back the way she’d come. It had just gone five to seven and they’d already made an announcement that the train would be leaving imminently.

Ellie flew through the station, towards the correct platform as quickly as she could. She skidded to a halt in front of the train, reading Exeter St Davids on the departures board. She’d made it. Just.

Hoicking her bag up, she made to run to the nearest door and jump on. Even if it was first class, she could walk down the train to find her seat.

As she reached the nearest entry point a shrill whistle sounded down the platform and the train hissed and juddered to life.

“No!” she shouted. “Let me on.”

There was nobody in sight other than the guard standing there, Shelby written on her name badge. She shook her head sadly. “I’m really sorry, hon. It’s too late.”

“Please,” said Ellie, panting for breath. “I got lost. The train’s still there, can’t you let me on?”

Shelby glanced at it as it slowly moved on the tracks, then she shook her head.

“Would it help if I told you I’d just lost the love of my life?” Ellie said, thrusting her ticket at Shelby.

“I really can’t.” Shelby glanced at the ticket before handing it back. “I could lose my job. You could lose a leg. Or worse.”

It was official. This was the worst day of her entire existence. Ellie scrunched up her ticket and sat on the nearest seat, putting her head in her hands.

“Hey, honey?” said Shelby.

Ellie looked up.

“I’m gonna make a call, see if I can get you on the next train, okay? Just sit tight.”

She walked away, and Ellie was suddenly alone in a pool of quiet.

She fished in her bag, pulling out her phone.

Mum wouldn’t be angry, she’d just be disappointed.

And so was Ellie. Disappointed in her life, disappointed in herself.

The Ellie Mae Curse seemed to have doubled in power, and she wondered how much worse it would get.

The Tannoy squealed again, a muffled voice spilling out of it. Ellie half listened, watching the trains come and go on the vast platforms. She couldn’t believe how close to escape she’d come, only to be denied it at the last hurdle.

Something in the announcement caught her ear, and she cocked her head, listening.

“ That’s Ellie Woodward to the main desk. Thank you .”

Were they talking about her? She stood up, wishing she’d been paying more attention. Where was the main desk? She scanned the station and spotted it right in the middle.

She raced over and hovered impatiently in the queue until she was called forward. It was the same girl she’d spoken to before, Shelby, and she smiled at Ellie.

“Hi,” Ellie said, sliding her bag up on to her shoulder again. “I’m Ellie Woodward. I think you just called for me.”

“I did,” said Shelby.

With any luck they’d let her on to the next train. She could text Mum and ask her to pick her up an hour later.

The girl typed something into her computer, frowning. “I’m really sorry, but the next train to Devon doesn’t leave for another three hours.”

Ellie’s heart crashed into her shoes. Why had she called her over just to give her bad news?

“But that’s not why I need you. You’ve been requested. Hang on.”

Requested?

“Yeah, it’s definitely you. Come on, I’ll take you.”

“Take me where?” Ellie asked, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “I don’t understand.”

“You will.” Shelby slipped out from behind the desk, climbed on to an electric trolley and patted the seat next to her.

Ellie got on, clutching her bag to her chest. They drove away, weaving through the crowds and heading out of the main station.

Ellie’s mind was a whirlwind of confusion.

She couldn’t understand what was happening to her.

“You say the love of your life broke up with you today?” Shelby asked.

“Yeah.” Ellie held on tight as they went around a corner. “Well, kind of. Um, not really. I mean, no. We weren’t even together. I just knew there was something special about him. I felt it. It’s never happened before. I’ve never met anyone I clicked with so easily.”

“He sounds amazing,” said Shelby.

“Yeah,” said Ellie. “But no. It wasn’t to be. Too much going on in his life. He pretty much said he would never be able to see me again. There aren’t any happy endings for me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Shelby said with a grin. She steered them around the back of the train station and on to a large patch of tarmac, where a few small planes sat in a row.

Where were they? Were they going to throw her in a cargo plane and parachute her out over Devon?

“Come on.” Shelby climbed off the trolley and led the way through the gate.

Ellie followed her down a set of stairs then out into the warm, still evening.

There were three planes in sight, and all of them looked like the kind of private jets you saw in the movies.

The one right in front of her had its engines running.

The pulse of it trembled through the tarmac and into her feet.

The door was open, a small staircase leading into it.

Somewhere deep inside her sparked the smallest flame of hope.

“Whose plane is that?” she asked, and Shelby smiled again.

“You don’t need me to tell you that.”

As if on cue, Blake appeared in the plane’s doorway.

He was backlit by the warm glow of the cabin, his tall frame cutting a striking silhouette against the sleek lines of the plane.

He looked different, somehow. He looked younger.

He looked stronger, but softer too, as if part of his stony facade had melted away.

Blake’s eyes found hers, and his entire expression transformed. His smile wasn’t just a curve of his lips, it was a revelation, a pure, unapologetic display of joy. And those eyes — warm and alive — held her captive, drawing her in with a magnetic pull she couldn’t resist.

Ellie’s heart thudded painfully in her chest, the kind of ache that came from too much emotion all at once.

“From what he was telling us, he feels exactly the same for you as you do for him,” Shelby said. “So go get him. Go get that happy ending.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. Her legs moved before her brain had a chance to second-guess, her steps quickening until she was sprinting towards the plane.

Blake didn’t hesitate either. He clattered down the steps, taking them two at a time, and by the time his feet hit the tarmac, they were both running.

Ellie threw herself into him with all the momentum of her sprint, her arms locking around his neck.

Blake caught her effortlessly, his arms strong and unyielding as they encircled her waist, pulling her tight against him.

The heat of his body was a tonic against the stress of the day, and Ellie clung to him like she never wanted to let go.

“Ellie,” he breathed.

She barely had time to register his words before he dipped his head, his mouth finding hers.

The kiss was urgent, blazing, and everything she hadn’t realised she’d been waiting for.

There was no hesitation, just the intoxicating pressure of his lips and the perfect angle of his head that deepened the kiss.

Her fingers slid into his hair, tugging gently, and she felt the low growl rumble through his chest as he pulled her closer still.

The hum of the engines faded, the world around them dissolving into nothing.

It was just him, just her, and the undeniable heat between them.

When they finally broke apart, both of them breathing hard, Blake pressed his forehead to hers, his hand cradling the back of her head like she was something precious.

“You came,” he said, his voice low and hoarse.

“I couldn’t not,” she replied, her words spilling out in a rush. “Blake, I— Well, actually I literally couldn’t not. Shelby here bundled me on to the buggy.”

Blake burst out laughing and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight. Ellie melted into the embrace, her hands sliding up his back and feeling the taut strength beneath his shirt.

But then she pulled back. Not far, just enough to look up at him.

She needed to see his face, to confirm that this wasn’t some cruel dream.

Her fingertips brushed his jaw, tracing the sharp lines and the warmth of his skin.

His eyes, impossibly blue, locked on hers, and in them, she saw everything she had hoped for: relief, desire, affection, and something deeper she dared not name.

“It’s really you,” she whispered.

“Yup,” he replied softly, his own hand lifting to cup her cheek. “In the flesh.”

She smiled as she shook her head. “You look . . . different.”

“I feel different.” His thumb grazed her skin in a way that sent shivers cascading down her spine. “I feel free. Like I can breathe again. And it’s because of you.”

Her heart flipped at his words, her pulse skittering out of control. “What about your company? What about everything you worked so hard for?”

Blake’s eyes darkened, his gaze dropping to her lips for a heartbeat before meeting her eyes again. “None of it matters. Not at this moment in time.” His hand slid into her hair, fingers tangling at the base of her neck. “You’re all I want to think about.”

He leaned in, and her breath hitched as she waited for the inevitable kiss. But he hesitated, his lips a whisper away from hers, his expression turning playful. “But, um . . . maybe we should get on the plane. Looks like we’ve drawn a crowd.”

Ellie looked over at the buggy where she’d been dropped off.

Shelby was there, three more women in uniforms standing by her side.

Even from here she could hear them cheering, and Shelby grinned at her, raising her thumb in celebration.

Ellie grinned back — a smile so wide it hurt her cheeks — and both she and Blake were laughing as they climbed the stairs and entered the jet.