Chapter Three

Donovan checked in for his flight and, as expected, was pulled aside by security who rummaged through his bag and questioned several of the small drone mock-ups he carried. After briefly explaining what they were—well, sort of—and getting his hands swabbed, the agent let him through with narrowed eyes.

Habit and experience had him at the airport much earlier than necessary, but it gave him time to take in the gate activity for his flight. He knew it would be busy, and traveling internationally always created a different kind of chaos than domestic flights. He found a seat in the corner, furthest from the crowd who always congregated as close to the desk and boarding door as possible, and settled in with his laptop. Insanely thorough—to the point of being OCD—he reviewed the specs and his meeting points yet again as he waited for his flight to be called for boarding.

Even though the flight to S?o Paulo took all day, he barely noticed because he was utterly consumed in his work. Once on the ground and off the plane, he had enough time to use the bathroom, grab a coffee and find the gate for his connecting flight. And good thing, too. The airport was jam-packed with everyone flying to Rio for Carnival.

Almost thirty minutes later, Donovan sat down in a seat by the floor to ceiling glass window and looked out at the much smaller plane bound for Rio. Luckily, the trip was only a little over an hour and they'd be landing almost as soon as they took off. Short and sweet, he thought, and opened his laptop.

At some point, someone sat down across from him. And while he took note of the feminine presence, he didn't pay much attention to her otherwise. When he finally pried his eyes off his screen and looked up at the woman in front of him, he froze. With his overpriced airport coffee halfway to his lips, he felt like a meteor that just got sucked up into her gravitational pull. Now, he was plummeting toward the ground, burning up with unconcealed interest.

Damn. Forcing himself to move again, he swallowed down the caffeine and let his gaze leisurely wander over the woman reading a book. If he had a type, she would be it. He studied her amazing shade of hair—dark brown with ruby highlights—swept back in a ponytail, the cute dash of freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, and the tantalizingly slender column of her neck. Wearing a white button-down shirt, jeans and boots, she looked casual and sexy all at the same time.

Her legs were slim and crossed, and he wasn't sure how long he'd been staring at her when she suddenly glanced up. Green eyes flecked with gold met his and he couldn't look away. They were mesmerizing. Everything about her made him think of autumn, his favorite season. With hair that reminded him of a crisp fall night and eyes the color of the foliage, he was smitten, intrigued and curious all at the same time.

When he didn't look away, she quickly did. A soft pink tinge colored her cheeks and he got the impression she was shy. He liked a woman who was reserved and introverted. Kind of like him. Olivia had been his complete opposite—loud, outgoing and bold—and that hadn't ended well.

Donovan didn't know if there was a woman out there who would ever put up with his obsession with work, but he would be happy if he found someone who was his equal and wouldn't mind leisurely strolling through life together. He didn't want a grand adventure or to get sucked into crazy life or death situations like Jericho and the rest of his team had. He had no interest in running from bad guys and shooting guns. It's why being in the field wasn't a good fit for him. He much preferred staring at his computer screen, consuming too much coffee and using his brain power rather than his muscles.

And, right now, he was completely focused on getting financial backing for his drone prototype.

Well, and maybe a little on the woman sitting across from him.

◆◆◆

Kate chewed on her lower lip and pretended not to notice the incredibly attractive man staring at her. Swallowing hard, the words on the page in front of her blurred and she couldn't concentrate. Sneaking a peek from her paperback, she glanced up and saw intense, caramel-colored eyes watching her. Focused on her mouth, actually.

Oh, God. Did she have something on her face? She lifted a hand and discreetly wiped the corner of her mouth, but didn't feel any lingering crumbs from the vegan muffin she'd eaten earlier. So, what was it? A quick look down assured her that all of the buttons on her shirt were securely fastened and no gaping hole provided a peep show of her pastel pink satin and lace bra. Kate may be practical, but she stopped wearing white cotton bras and panties after her ex's reaction to them. They'd been getting hot and heavy for the first time and when he'd gotten his first glimpse of her plain, white sports bra, Brett had laughed.

"Why am I not surprised?" he'd asked.

Humiliated, Kate had pulled her shirt back together. He'd ruined the mood and sent her confidence plummeting. After that, she'd gone on a shopping spree at a lingerie store. Buying fancy underwear had quickly turned into an obsession and became all she wore. Beneath her plain shirt and jeans was a fancy La Perla petal pink bra and panty set.

Slightly relieved that she wasn't flashing anyone, Kate let out a low breath and took a sip of her tea, telling herself she was imagining the handsome stranger's attention. Wasn't she? A sideways glance told her the coast was clear and his nose was buried in his laptop again. Whew.

Pressing her lips together, Kate took a moment to study him more closely. Because, let's face it, it had been a long time since a man had caught her attention like this. Or, had so openly checked her out. It made her feel good and she sat up a little straighter.

Even though he was sitting, his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle gave away a bit about his height. Yeah, he was well over six feet tall and she couldn't help but notice his extra-large boots. Crossing her legs in the opposite direction, she watched him squint his brown eyes in concentration behind a pair of glasses, and a sleek strand of his black hair came loose from where it was gathered and fell forward, touching a sharp cheekbone. A very light stubble was growing in on his jawline and her lower belly contracted.

He had a striking look that appealed to her and he reminded her of someone, but she couldn't quite place her finger on who. But, he definitely looked like he should be in a movie. Maybe some action flick shooting guns and chasing bad guys. Which was funny because along with the strength he exuded, he also gave off an air of extreme intelligence. Maybe he was a CIA operative, down in South America on some clandestine mission.

Or, maybe she'd been reading too many romantic suspense novels.

Giving her head a shake, Kate looked back down at the current one she was reading. But, after a few minutes, she couldn't get back into it. The eye candy seated across from her was far more interesting than the imaginary hero in her book.

God, it had been so long since she'd been with a man. Brett had single-handedly ruined that part of her by breaking her confidence and making her feel less than in every possible way. He had always talked down to her and never approved of anything—from the clothes she wore to the makeup she didn't. She didn't even want to think about their lack of chemistry in the bedroom.

Ugh. But, of course, now it all came crashing back. Talk about an epic disappointment. For whatever reason, they couldn't get on the same page when it came to sex. When she wanted slow, he wanted fast. The moment he turned romantic, she just wanted a quick screw. The most irritating part was he always got off first and if she didn't, well then, better luck next time. He'd never put any effort into finding out what she liked or how to please her. Brett had been a selfish lover, so it was no surprise when she stopped wanting to sleep with him. Which resulted in him calling her an ice queen and their inevitable breakup.

Maybe all men aren't like that, she thought, sneaking another peek at tall, dark and enigmatic. Would the stranger across from her take his time and get to know her body and what made it sing? Or, would he be another Brett who only cared about his own needs?

Caught up in her daydream, she almost missed the announcement from the podium. The boarding process was about to begin and she glanced down at the ticket stuck between the pages of her book. It was a smaller plane than she'd come in on and her pulse picked up at the idea of sitting beside the attractive man across from her.

As all sorts of meet-cute scenarios began to swirl in her head, Mr. CIA closed his laptop, tucked it in a bag that he looped over his body and stood up. Then she watched with a sinking heart as he grabbed his duffel bag and walked away without a backward glance.

And that's the end of that.

Story of my life.

◆◆◆

His duffel bag safely stowed above him, Donovan settled back in his third-row seat, wondering why he'd run away from the pretty brunette so fast.

Because, D, women are nothing but a distraction. And you can't afford that right now.

Even so, he watched closely as the other passengers boarded, wondering if she might be on his flight and headed to Rio, too. He didn't want to think too hard about why he wasn't already absorbed in his laptop but, instead, was hoping for another glimpse of a certain someone with ruby-chestnut hair and eyes the same shade as the first day of autumn. But even if she did appear, the chances of her sitting by him would be next to zero. The parade of people stepping onto the aircraft seemed endless and it would be another jam-packed flight.

Donovan told himself he was just people-watching, not overly concerned about anyone in particular. However, the moment his harvest queen rounded the corner, his gaze locked in on her like a missile on a bogey. She glanced over, and when their eyes met, Donovan felt a jolt of heat. He couldn't do anything but stare. After a moment too long, she averted her gaze and sat down in a vacant seat across the aisle from him.

Idiot, he scolded himself. He should've at least smiled or—

Or what, jackass? Wave to her and say hello?

No, that would've been weird and she probably would've pegged him as desperate. With a sigh, Donovan sank down further into his seat. He knew his ability to flirt was in a sad state of affairs. It had been so long since he'd actually approached a woman and lack of practice made him feel like a bumbling fool.

He needed to get laid, but it was pretty evident he should start dating online first. Ease into it and message a couple of potential candidates. Something less awkward and stressful than approaching an attractive woman in the wild.

It wasn't long before the flight took off and Donovan tried to lose himself in his work. But, for the first time, he couldn't. His gaze kept straying over to sneak side glances of the attractive woman. She had her book open again, but wasn't really turning the pages, which made him think she was distracted, too. By him? When she laid her left palm on the page, he noticed her ring finger was bare. Even though it shouldn't matter, he smiled at the fact that she wasn't married.

Shit. Maybe he should talk to her.

No. As soon as the plane landed, they'd both go their separate ways. In the meantime, just enjoy the view, he told himself. He didn't have the time or desire to get tangled up in a relationship and, hell, she might even live in Brazil. Although that could work, he reasoned. Long distance meant only seeing each other occasionally and he could probably work that into his lifestyle. Dating someone local might lead to a clinger like Olivia, and that's what scared him.

As he was debating what to do, he turned his attention back to his computer screen and attempted to close a window. But nothing happened. With a frown, he hit some commands on his keyboard, but he no longer had control.

And it took a moment for him to realize someone else did.

What the hell? Someone was hacking into his files. Somehow, they'd managed to break through his firewall and his stomach filled with dread as a remote intruder attempted to access his drone specs.

"No," he growled in a low voice, fingers flying over the keyboard. There's no way he would allow some fucker to steal his work. Using every trick he knew, Donovan plucked the flash drive out and fought off the asshole now searching through his most important documents.

But whoever was on the opposite side proved to be a talented foe. In minutes, they'd managed to hack into the drone spec file and began downloading it. Feeling sick, Donovan refused to let a year's worth of work get stolen right before his eyes. Initially stunned, fury took over and shot through him.

Donovan tried shutting everything down, unable to fathom how anyone could break through his firewall and top-notch security software. Determined to regain control, he continued to duel it out with his mysterious adversary until BAM! The screen went blank. Had they gotten all of it or only part of it? He had no idea.

"Fuck!"

Several passengers gasped and multiple heads snapped in his direction at his outburst, including his fall festival princess across the aisle. She stared at him with wide hazel eyes. Suppressing an annoyed groan, Donovan mumbled a quick apology under his breath.

This was awful. The absolute worst possible thing that could happen.

The moment the thought entered his mind, a rumble shook the cabin and the plane lurched. A strange grinding sound filled the air and his fingers wrapped around the arm rest. That sure as hell didn't sound good. He also didn't miss the concerned look a couple of the flight attendants shared before reassuring passengers that everything was fine.

But, everything wasn't fine. Not even close.