Free Sworn to Protect by Katie Reus

tomorrow and most of Tuesday, Athena was on her own.
    When the driver grabbed her bags, this time she didn’t protest, just walked with Ivan to the waiting plane. She was surprised she didn’t have any security with her since Harrison had made it sound like a team would be going, but maybe they were coming out Tuesday with Reagan.
    Too excited about the job to be worried, she nearly stumbled when she stepped inside the plane to find Quinn standing next to a table where Travis sat looking at his laptop.
    Concealing her surprise—and that burst of pleasure that detonated inside her at seeing him—she moved farther into the interior of the sleek plane. “Hey, I didn’t realize you two were coming with me.”
    Travis spared her a quick smile and a nod, but didn’t stop whatever it was he was doing. From his intense expression she guessed it was work related.
    “Last minute change of plans,” Quinn said smoothly, turning so he faced her fully.
    There was something in his gaze she couldn’t quite define, but it made her heart rate kick up just the same. After his revelation on Monday night about not having slept with or dated anyone since going out with her, she wasn’t sure how to act around him. It was unnerving, reminding her of being in high school and feeling so damn unsure of herself. He’d really messed with her heart by ending things because of something that seemed so trivial, but she couldn’t deny that the past week she’d started to fall for him again. Okay, maybe there was no ‘again’. Just sort of a continual thing. “Oh.”
    “Don’t sound too excited.” His voice was wry now, those midnight dark eyes of his assessing.
    Her lips curved into a smile. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
    He started to respond when his gaze flicked over her shoulder. She turned to find the pilot and flight attendant—who looked like brothers—moving into the cabin with instructions about how they needed to sit for weight distribution and get ready for the flight.
    Moments later Athena found herself seated next to Quinn—who smelled far too good—with Travis across the aisle from them. He’d closed his laptop and pulled out earbuds, and surprisingly, a sleep mask. Travis glanced at them and held up the mask. “Little man didn’t sleep well last night so I’m going to catch a few Z’s on the flight.”
    Athena could imagine—though didn’t want to think about having kids for a long time—and nodded back. As the pilot’s voice came over the speaker and the flight attendant moved past them to the back, she leaned back in her seat to the soft rumble of the engine starting. She’d been on so many flights over the past two years, including on private planes, and usually found take-offs almost cathartic.
    Not today. Not sitting next to Quinn who was semi-casual in black slacks and a gray sweater that she was pretty certain was cashmere pushed up to his muscular forearms. Seriously, why did forearms have to be so sexy?
    Why did he have to be so sexy? And why did she have the ridiculous urge to reach out and stroke his…sweater. She just wanted to see if it was as soft as it looked.
    Right. She snorted at the thought then cringed as she saw Quinn glance at her out of the corner of her eye. She hadn’t meant to do that out loud.
    Half-smiling, she looked at him. “So Harrison gave you this last minute, huh?”
    He paused for a moment, his dark eyes unreadable. “I requested the job.”
    Ah, okay then. She so absolutely did not know how to respond to that. She’d told him last week that there was no chance between them. But there had been that weird sexual tension between them in her kitchen the night he’d stayed over. She’d been so sure he would kiss her, but at the last minute he’d reversed course and left her pretty much panting for more. Because she certainly wouldn’t have rejected him.
    He wasn’t pressuring her or anything, but he was just being so…honest about stuff. Why had he requested this