Ximena had never be particularly fond of flying. Flying all alone to France was hard enough as it was, seeing that she didn't have her medication. Now she was on her back home and the consternation was beginning to settle in. She was going to have to confront everyone back in Miami, including he father. The thought of it made her cringe badly.

The ride to the airport was not too long. The car swerved smoothly into the section of the private plane hangars and stopped a couple of feet away from a large jet. They all exited the car and the driver handed her suitcase. Her scared eyes flew to the large flying vehicle, a queasy feeling settling in her tummy.

Adriano led the way to it and wasted no time in climbing up the stairs. He subconsciously looked back to see Ximena standing at the foot of the stairs, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Are you coming or not?" he asked her, eyebrow raised.

She didn't reply and just willed herself to ascend, suitcase in tow. Once inside, a flight attendant greeted her and took her luggage. Before she left, she guided her to a seat which was on the adjacent aisle to the one Adriano was seated in. He had discarded his suit jacket and had rolled up his shirt to the elbows, which accenuated his biceps. Now that she got a closer look at him, he was quite muscular but not in a beefy way. His shoulders were broad and it complimented his frame. He was a very attractive man.

Not wanting to seem like she was staring at him, she took her seat far from the window and removed her coat, placing it beside her. She didn't need a constant reminder of the fact that she was almost thirty thousand feet in the air. A couple of minutes later the pilot announced that they were taking off.

Take off wasn't that bad but it did make her a bundle of nerves. Ximena shut her eyes and exhaled as silently as she could. The speed of the plane steadily increased and then it was airborne shortly after.

The flight attendant returned some time later. "Would you like anything to eat, Mr Dos Santos?" she asked, but it somehow managed to sound suggestive. Ximena shot her quick look at saw the tall blonde woman leaned over towards him in a compromising position. What was it with women throwing themselves at hot guys?

Adriano didn't even bother to look at her as he was going over some papers. "Some whisky would be nice. No ice," he replied in his suave voice.

Seemingly annoyed by his lack of caring, the attendant turned to Ximena and flashed her a tight lipped smile. She was definitely mortified. "And you ma'am?"

Ximena wasn't hungry so she just opted for some water. The attendant left for about five minutes and returned with their beverages. They didn't see much of her for while.

About three hours later, neither of them had exchanged any words. Adriano had now magically pulled out a laptop from thin air and was so engrossed in whatever he was doing. Ximena just sat in her seat, drifting in and out of consciousness.

That is, until the plane shook violently.

It made her eyes shoot wide open and her hands gripped the arm rests. Another tremor rippled through the jet, followed by a series of them. Ximena screamed sharply. "What is going on?" she squeaked, her voice trembling.

Adriano had stopped what he was doing. Just then, the pilot announced they were experiencing some serious turbulance. He looked at Ximena and saw her shaking in her seat. He stood up and walked over to where she was but it was quite hard since the plane was unsteady. He crouched down in front of her. At this point tears streamed down her face and she was hyperventilating.

"Hey," he began and placed a hand on top of hers. "It's gonna be okay. It's just turbulence."

"A-are we gonna d-die?" she asked in between breaths and eyes closed. Gosh, she really hated flying. The ache in her chest was suffocating her and her head began to reel. This was not good at all.

"Look at me," he commanded but she did not comply. He huffed in frustration. "Ximena, open your eyes and look at me," he repeated but more softly.

She did as he said and came face to face with him. His green eyes bore into hers. At their proximity, she could see the specs of blue in them and that long thick lashes coated them. His eyebrow were not really thick and they looked well maintained. His jaw was sharp, cheek bones well angled and lips pillowy.

'We're not going to die. This is perfectly normal," he affirmed and reached his thumb to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. His touch was gentle. "Do you think you can calm down?"

Though her breathing pattern was still very jaggered she nodded, not being able to take her eyes off him. How did he have that effect on her? Without a word, he took the seat close to her and lifted the arms rest so that he could pull her over to him. Before she knew what was happening, she was nestled on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

A wave of quakes rippled through the plane and she screamed once again, bringing her arms around him as well. She laid her head on his chest. He smelled so good, like mint and wood. The position they were in was intimate but she didn't care. Whatever he was doing was working. Her breathing was beginning to still. She felt him rubbing her back, trying to calm her down.

They sat like that for quite a while, even after the pilot had announced the turbulence had passed. I didn't seem like either one of them was going to move from the position. Eventually Ximena fell asleep to the sound of Adriano's heartbeat and not long after, he followed her off to dream world.

***

"Mr Dos Santos, we've landed," a faded voice said in the background.

Ximena's eyes fluttered open slowly and came face to face with a masculine chest. For a second she panicked but then looked up and saw green eyes looking at her. They were still in the same position from last night. Heat immediately rose up her cheeks and she moved over, straightening herself and going back into her seat.

The flight attendant gave Ximena a dirty look before directing her gaze over to Adriano and repeated her words. He simply stood up and made his way over to his seat and gathered his belongings before exiting the plane, without a word. Ximena also got up and shrugged on her trench. She grabbed her suitcase from the rude attendant who didn't try to mask her jealousy. Before leaving the jet, Ximena shot her a smirk.

It was still pretty dark though the sun would rise soon, seeing there was only a six hour difference between the time zones in Paris and Miami. Once on the runway, Ximena spotted Adriano by a bronze Bugatti, looking down at his phone. She opened the back seat door to put her suitcase, which effectively caught his attention. She then got into the passenger seat, taking in the car's exterior.

A second later, he got in as well. "I didn't think you were a fan of Bugattis."

The engine roared to life and he swiftly brought it into motion. "Well, I am." he replied flatly. He was acting very stiff.

"Lamborghini is better."

He rolled his eyes. "Obviously it's not. This is one of the fastest cars, ever. Lamborghini is inferior."

She ignored him. "So, where are you taking me?"

"Home."

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