Page 30 of Suddenly Desired (APEX Billionaires’ Club #2)

BLAKE

Blake’s head was spinning, and it had nothing to do with the plane accelerating down the runway.

He gripped the armrest with his right hand and held tightly to Ellie’s with his left.

She was sitting next to him in one of the ten plush leather seats on the company jet, her head resting on his shoulder as she stared out of the window.

The runway lights streaked by, but he barely noticed them.

He only had eyes for her — he literally couldn’t look away.

Ellie’s beauty was effortless, unfiltered and magnetic. She had a kind of presence that drew you in, like a quiet flame that radiated warmth and lit up everything around her. Including him.

The plane bumped, Blake’s stomach lurching as they soared into the evening.

Ellie clutched at his hand, a small gasp escaping her.

He pried his fingers free and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead, pulling her close.

He’d never been a great flier, but once again there was something about Ellie that was giving him a courage he’d never had before.

When he was with her, he felt as if he could do anything.

He hadn’t lied to her. He really did feel like a new man, and it was her doing.

The world below began to blur as they ascended into the darkening sky.

Ellie’s gaze stayed fixed on the window, watching the rolling hills and weaving highways grow smaller, the lights twinkling like scattered stars.

But Blake? Blake watched her. The curve of her jaw, the delicate line of her neck, the way the evening glow caught in the unruly strands of her hair — it was all more captivating than any view outside.

Her dress certainly wasn’t helping. The flowing sunflower-print fabric skimmed her figure in all the right ways, baring her shoulders and leaving her skin tantalisingly exposed.

His eyes lingered on the smooth dip of her collarbone, the curve of her bare arm, the way the light caught on her skin.

She exuded natural elegance, a quiet sensuality that was impossible to ignore.

Each small movement she made — a shift in her seat, the brush of her head against his shoulder — set his senses on fire.

Heat coiled low in his stomach, his pulse pounding in rhythm with every tiny adjustment she made, his body responding in ways he wasn’t sure he could control much longer.

She had no idea of the effect she had on him, and that made it even harder to breathe.

Part of him still couldn’t believe he’d dropped everything and run for the station, but when he saw Ellie miss her train, he knew it had been the right thing to do.

Even if she’d not wanted anything to do with him after how he’d left her — twice now — he could still help her get to where she needed to be.

He might have lost everything he’d worked so hard to build, but in doing so he’d managed to find the one thing his life had been missing. He held Ellie more tightly, and she pressed herself into him. He swore he could almost hear her purring.

And then she turned her face up to his, her lips slightly parted as if about to speak.

Her amber eyes locked on to his, wide with unspoken emotion, and the connection between them sparked.

His gaze dropped to her mouth, and for a moment, all he could think about was how soft it had felt under his in the lift and outside on the tarmac, how perfectly they’d fit together.

“Blake.” Her voice was barely audible over the hum of the engines, but it hit him like a thunderclap.

“Ellie,” he replied, his tone rougher than he intended.

His fingers, almost of their own accord, brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek, lingering at the corner of her jaw.

Her skin was warm and impossibly soft under his touch, and the slight hitch in her breath sent a fresh wave of heat pooling low in his stomach.

The tension between them thickened, charged with something primal and magnetic.

Blake’s heart was pounding, his thoughts clouded by the sheer pull of her.

He wanted nothing more than to close the small space between them, to taste her again, to feel her melt into him like she had before.

Every nerve in his body screamed for it.

“Do you . . . ” he began, his voice barely a whisper as his thumb traced slow, light circles at the edge of her jawline. He inclined his forehead, almost brushing hers, her breath mingling with his.

Just then, the captain’s voice broke through the speakers, announcing their ascent and the evening’s short flight details, shattering the spell.

Ellie blinked, her lips twitching into a small, almost bashful smile as she turned back towards the window. “I thought you were going to disappear,” she said, her words misting the glass. “After what you said to me earlier.”

“I thought I might,” he admitted. His gaze flickered to the window as the plane trembled slightly, cutting through a thin layer of clouds.

“I didn’t want you caught in the fallout.

The idea of you suffering because of me, of you being dragged down just because you were near me — it felt unbearable. ”

She turned and settled her hand gently on his chest, the warmth of her touch cutting through the haze of doubt and exhaustion. Without thinking, his hand covered hers, his heartbeat hammering beneath her palm like a racing engine.

“What changed your mind?” she asked.

“ You did,” he replied. “You made me realise something I couldn’t see before. Even though this wasn’t how I wanted it to happen, maybe it was time. Time to pass the reins to someone else and step back.”

Her brow furrowed, but she waited, letting him find the words.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he continued, leaning back but not letting go of her hand.

“I didn’t want to lose Heartbook, not like this.

It’s everything to me. I created it. I nurtured it.

It was my life’s work. But somewhere along the way, I started feeling .

. . trapped by it. Like it was no longer my company, but I was its. ”

“You mean you’d been thinking about stepping back?” she asked, surprised.

“Not entirely. I was still holding on, convincing myself I was the only one who could steer it. But maybe, deep down, I knew I was ready to let someone else take over the day-to-day. To be there as an advisor, to guide it from the sidelines. Just not like this.”

Her expression softened, and he saw something in her eyes that made the tightness in his chest ease — understanding, maybe even a flicker of admiration.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” he said, his voice quieter now.

“Being forced out — it feels wrong, like they’ve taken a part of me.

But maybe losing it like this has shown me that I was holding on too tightly.

I was afraid to let go. Afraid that if I wasn’t Heartbook, I didn’t know who I was. ”

Ellie squeezed his hand gently, her presence as steady as an anchor in a storm. “Heartbook will always be yours,” she said. “No one can take that away.”

“I know.” His voice sounded rough with emotion. “But it doesn’t make it easier. Seeing it go, knowing I can’t even stay to watch over it — it feels like I’ve lost a part of myself.”

“But maybe now you can find the other parts of yourself,” she said. “The parts you’ve been ignoring because you were so busy holding everything together.”

Blake stared at her, her words settling into him like stones in still water, rippling out to places he hadn’t considered in years.

When she finally pulled her hand away, the loss was almost unbearable.

He reached towards her without thinking, his body reacting to the absence of her touch.

He craved her like she was air and he was a man underwater.

His skin was still humming where her hand had rested moments ago.

Blake caught himself, forcing a measured breath as he steadied his thoughts.

Was he reading too much into her smiles, her laughter, the way she leaned towards him?

All the signs seemed to scream that she felt it too, this intense connection, but he couldn’t risk rushing things and misjudging her feelings.

He unclipped his seatbelt and stood, stretching his arms overhead. It wasn’t just the tension of the flight — it was the tension of being this close to her, knowing she could undo him with a single word or glance.

He stepped away, giving her space. He didn’t want her to think he was crowding her or pushing too hard. Besides, he needed a moment to cool the fire raging through him.

Ellie tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she watched him move. When he turned back, she was pouting playfully, her lips plump and teasing. A soft giggle escaped her, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her cheeks flushing in a way that only made her more captivating.

“Sorry, I’m not laughing at you,” she said. “This is all just . . .”

“Insane,” he replied. “I know. But it feels good, doesn’t it?”

Ellie nodded. “A hundred percent right.”

“I just hope your mother likes me,” he said.

“She will,” said Ellie. “She met my last boyfriend. To be honest, if I went home and told her I was dating a turkey she’d think it was an improvement.”

“Er . . . thanks?”

She laughed. “That was supposed to be a compliment. It came out wrong. But don’t worry, you’re whisking me to her in a private jet — she’ll be impressed.

Oh, wait, I should tell her that I’m arriving at a different time and a different place in a different mode of transport. And with a guest. She’ll be thrilled.”

“I hope she doesn’t mind,” he said. “There’s a car waiting for us at the airfield ready to take us to your mum’s farm. We shouldn’t be too much longer.”

“Really?” she said. “That’s great. I guess money really can buy anything.”