gate are we at?”
“Dunno yet, haven’t checked the ticket. Come on, O’Donnell, I know you better than that. You two have had an argument, haven’t you?”
“God, no.” And that was the truth. She hadn’t argued back. “Come on–we might as well get checked in.”
“Celt.” He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Talk to me.”
She shook his hand off. “Why do you think you need to know everything that’s going on in my head? We had sex, Kit. Not a mind-meld.”
Hurt flickered in his eyes and his hand dropped away. Guilt flooded through her. She’d upset him, nice, dependable Kit, who was so sincere and protective of her. Emotion rushed through her, and she slid her arms around him, relieved when he dropped his case and wrapped his tightly around her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s all right.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re right. You don’t have to tell me everything that’s going on in your life.”
“I do usually, Kit. Honest. I like being able to talk to you. We talk about things I can’t talk to anyone else about.” Tears pricked her eyes, and she bit her lip again to stop them falling.
“Hey, come on.” He rubbed her back. “We’re going on holiday! It’s going to be warm and fun, we’re going sightseeing, we’re going to eat Chinese food and act like tourists, and screw everything else.” He kissed her hair again. “We’re best friends, right? BFF?”
She laughed, in spite of herself. “Yeah.”
“Well, then. Nothing else matters, honey.”
She gave herself a few more seconds to hug him, comforted by the strength of his arms and the thud of his heart beneath her ear. “Kit?”
“Mm?”
“Did you sniff my hair when you kissed me?”
He chuckled. “Might have. I can’t help it–it smells nice.”
She pulled back, and smiled wryly. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being you. Come on then. Let’s get checked in.”
* * * *
Kit knew something had transpired between Enya and his father, but she clearly didn’t want to talk about it, so he didn’t push it. He did puzzle on it, though. What could John Fawkes possibly have said to upset her so much? As far as he knew, Enya and his father had always got on well, like an uncle/niece relationship. They had obviously argued and that bothered him, especially because Enya wouldn’t talk about it, but he resolved that he’d ask her later, hopefully after she’d thawed toward him.
It was clear to him that she was still holding back from him, although the hug she’d given him in the airport cheered him up slightly. But gradually, over the course of their twenty-one hour journey, things returned to normal between them. On the long flight from Sydney to Beijing, they watched films together, talked about what Charlie had arranged for them to see, and ate their meals as they chatted about their businesses and what plans they had for them for the future. Enya curled up and rested her head on his shoulder while she helped him out with his crossword, and when she finally fell asleep, a deep sense of relief and satisfaction swept over him. He leaned over and kissed her hair before he too dozed off.
* * * *
By the time they landed in Beijing–twenty-one hours later and five hours behind Auckland time–Enya was weary and slightly disoriented. The flight assistant announced it was eleven thirty at night, but her body clock kept telling her it was four thirty in the morning, and she had trouble keeping her eyes open, even though she’d dozed frequently on the journey. It was incredibly warm and humid in the airport, even at that late hour, and she quickly removed the sweater she’d worn on the plane, conscious of her rumpled T-shirt beneath it.
Kit, in comparison, looked as fresh as a daisy as he stripped off his sweater to reveal his smart blue shirt, as if he’d woken up after a ten hour sleep, showered and changed.
“I hate it when you do that,” she mumbled as they waited for their
“Dunno yet, haven’t checked the ticket. Come on, O’Donnell, I know you better than that. You two have had an argument, haven’t you?”
“God, no.” And that was the truth. She hadn’t argued back. “Come on–we might as well get checked in.”
“Celt.” He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Talk to me.”
She shook his hand off. “Why do you think you need to know everything that’s going on in my head? We had sex, Kit. Not a mind-meld.”
Hurt flickered in his eyes and his hand dropped away. Guilt flooded through her. She’d upset him, nice, dependable Kit, who was so sincere and protective of her. Emotion rushed through her, and she slid her arms around him, relieved when he dropped his case and wrapped his tightly around her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s all right.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re right. You don’t have to tell me everything that’s going on in your life.”
“I do usually, Kit. Honest. I like being able to talk to you. We talk about things I can’t talk to anyone else about.” Tears pricked her eyes, and she bit her lip again to stop them falling.
“Hey, come on.” He rubbed her back. “We’re going on holiday! It’s going to be warm and fun, we’re going sightseeing, we’re going to eat Chinese food and act like tourists, and screw everything else.” He kissed her hair again. “We’re best friends, right? BFF?”
She laughed, in spite of herself. “Yeah.”
“Well, then. Nothing else matters, honey.”
She gave herself a few more seconds to hug him, comforted by the strength of his arms and the thud of his heart beneath her ear. “Kit?”
“Mm?”
“Did you sniff my hair when you kissed me?”
He chuckled. “Might have. I can’t help it–it smells nice.”
She pulled back, and smiled wryly. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being you. Come on then. Let’s get checked in.”
* * * *
Kit knew something had transpired between Enya and his father, but she clearly didn’t want to talk about it, so he didn’t push it. He did puzzle on it, though. What could John Fawkes possibly have said to upset her so much? As far as he knew, Enya and his father had always got on well, like an uncle/niece relationship. They had obviously argued and that bothered him, especially because Enya wouldn’t talk about it, but he resolved that he’d ask her later, hopefully after she’d thawed toward him.
It was clear to him that she was still holding back from him, although the hug she’d given him in the airport cheered him up slightly. But gradually, over the course of their twenty-one hour journey, things returned to normal between them. On the long flight from Sydney to Beijing, they watched films together, talked about what Charlie had arranged for them to see, and ate their meals as they chatted about their businesses and what plans they had for them for the future. Enya curled up and rested her head on his shoulder while she helped him out with his crossword, and when she finally fell asleep, a deep sense of relief and satisfaction swept over him. He leaned over and kissed her hair before he too dozed off.
* * * *
By the time they landed in Beijing–twenty-one hours later and five hours behind Auckland time–Enya was weary and slightly disoriented. The flight assistant announced it was eleven thirty at night, but her body clock kept telling her it was four thirty in the morning, and she had trouble keeping her eyes open, even though she’d dozed frequently on the journey. It was incredibly warm and humid in the airport, even at that late hour, and she quickly removed the sweater she’d worn on the plane, conscious of her rumpled T-shirt beneath it.
Kit, in comparison, looked as fresh as a daisy as he stripped off his sweater to reveal his smart blue shirt, as if he’d woken up after a ten hour sleep, showered and changed.
“I hate it when you do that,” she mumbled as they waited for their
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