Today had been…well, it had been both terrifying and exhilarating. After the way things happened with their flight, he’d been certain there was no way to turn the day around. And he certainly never imagined he’d find himself naked and thoroughly worn out in bed with Peyton. If they ignored what brought them to this room, then the day could best be described as perfect. Everything, from the moment they’d stepped into this room had been faultless.
It was a shame he was going to have to ruin it in just a few hours.
Yeah, he’d sort of put some things in motion earlier in the day–as in right after lunch–that he opted to keep to himself.
Namely, booking a flight for them to Denver.
Honestly, Ryder had no idea how Peyton was going to take the news, but he had a feeling she wasn’t going to be thrilled. Maybe after a good night’s sleep she’d feel better about the prospect of getting on a plane.
At least…he hoped she would.
And he hadn’t gotten them seats on a major airline either because there were no direct flights and it almost wasn’t worth the effort since they could drive it in almost the same amount of time.
No, he’d gone and…chartered them a plane. A larger one than his, but still not anything particularly large. The one he secured could hold fifteen passengers and was considered large by the charter companies. But he had no idea how one skittish young woman would see it.
Glancing at the clock, he saw it was a little after four. Their flight was at ten. The last he and Peyton talked about their route to Denver, he had told her they’d go back to the airport around eight because it was where the car rental agency was.
He just hadn’t mentioned that they wouldn’t be utilizing it.
Letting out a long breath, he wondered if he was making a mistake.
Another mistake.
If she really wanted to drive, then…
His thoughts were interrupted when one of Peyton’s hands started to smooth over his chest. Then his abdomen. And then lower.
Oh, God…
The feel of her soft lips following that same trail made him moan. With his hands going to her hair, he whispered her name like a plea. They needed to sleep. She needed to sleep, but…God help him, he didn’t want to stop her.
Not now.
Not ever.
A little over four hours later, they were standing in the airport hangar.
“I don’t understand,” she said, giving Ryder a strong sense of déjà vu.
Stepping in front of her, he took one of her hands in his. “Okay, hear me out.”
“Do you expect me to get on a plane?” she asked, interrupting him with barely-contained fury.
“I just think an eleven-hour drive is a bit excessive and will cause us to miss the entire first day of the show,” he reasoned, amazed at how calm he sounded. “You know things don’t kick off until noon and if we take a plane, we can be in Denver by eleven and at the hotel by noon. If you think about it, it just makes sense.”
Then he held his breath because he could tell she was gearing up to give him a piece of her mind.
“Are you out of your mind?” she hissed, aware of all the people walking around the hangar. “Do you remember what nearly happened to us yesterday? Are you that insensitive that you would force me back on a plane after being traumatized like that?” Pulling her hand from his, she paced a few feet away. “Unbelievable. You are unbelievable!” Pausing, she faced him. “You told me we were driving!”
“Technically, all I did was mention where the car rental agency was,” he said quietly, realizing how bad this made him look.
“Ryder, you cannot keep doing these things! You make these plans and then spring them on me and they never work out!”
“One time!” he reminded her. “It was one thing I sprung on you that didn’t turn out so great and it wasn’t my fault! I don’t control the air, Peyton!” He knew losing his temper wasn’t helping his cause, but…
“Look, if we’re going to work together, you can’t keep pulling this shit, Ryder,” she snapped as she went toe to toe with him. “I refuse to work for someone who treats me like I’m not entitled to an opinion!”
“That’s not what I said, and it’s not what I implied!” Ryder forced himself to take a step back and calm down because things were spiraling out of control. When he looked at her, he almost laughed at her defiant pose–arms crossed, hip cocked, foot tapping, and an angry glare. She’d checked all the boxes of how to look pissed off, but he wasn’t going to let it get to him.
“Peyton,” he began.
“Not flying,” she countered quickly.
Of all the ridiculous…
“You know what?” he yelled. “Fine! We’ll do it your way. We’ll drive the eleven hours to Denver and miss the first day of the show and probably lose our rooms. Again!” Then he leaned in close and figured two could play at this game. “You know, for someone who claims to want to be taken seriously and have her own business, you seem more than willing to pass up an opportunity to hit those workshops and demonstrations you’ve been rambling on and on about for weeks!” With a final look of disgust, he added, “I expect a higher level of professionalism from my colleagues. I guess that was my mistake in thinking you could handle it.”
Her shoulders sagged and he felt like the world’s biggest ass, but she seriously aggravated the crap out of him.
“And if you’re going to toss out your expectations of people you work for and how they’re failing you, then you need to be prepared for them to tell you all the ways you’re lacking.” There wasn’t anything else he wanted to say because he was already choking on his heated words. Now he had to deal with getting them over to the car rental agency, canceling their charter flight, and getting his assistant on the phone to try to see what could be done about the hotel because he just didn’t have it in him to do it himself.
After everything he and Peyton shared last night–and again this morning–it hurt him more than he thought it would that she would immediately slip back into work mode. Didn’t she get it? What happened between them had nothing to do with work and business. It wasn’t just about last night. He thought it was obvious it wasn’t a one-night stand.
Clearly, it wasn’t.
And it stung that not only did she think like that, but that it didn’t seem to bother her that it’s all it was.
Raking a hand through his hair, he looked over at her. “Wait here while I go make arrangements to get us over to rent a car.” He made it all of five feet before Peyton called out to him. Hanging his head, he let out a long breath before facing her. “Yes?”
Walking over, she shook her head. “Do you even understand why I’m upset?”
He nodded.
“I don’t appreciate you making light of my fear, Ryder. If you don’t respect me enough…”
Reaching out, he grasped her shoulders and gave her a small shake. “I do respect you! I think it’s the other way around here and you don’t respect me!”
“How…?”
Dropping his hands in exasperation, he struggled to find the right words. “I don’t give a damn about this trade show! Do you know why I’m going?”