Chapter One
Addison Cavanaugh raced down the gangway and slipped inside the airplane’s door. Ignoring the dirty look from the flight attendant for being late, she searched for her seat and prayed she’d have the row to herself.
No such luck. A tall, dark-haired man slumped against the window, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up around his head. An empty travel-sized bottle of alcohol was tucked into the pocket of the seat in front of him, so he was either asleep or passed out. Either way, he was taking up her much needed legroom as his long legs sprawled into her area.
She shoved her bag under the seat ahead of her and clicked on her seatbelt. Her phone buzzed at her hip, and she pulled it from her skirt pocket.
Her blood boiled as she read the text from Trent. Hey babe. Can’t wait to see U. Can U bring me a breakfast burrito from that place on 24th on your way in? U know what kind I like. Thanks. U R the best. And make sure they put mushrooms on it this time.
Taking a deep, calming breath, she ignored the message and switched the phone to airplane mode. Seriously? The nerve of that guy.
She wasn’t planning to see him at all. And she sure as hell wasn’t bringing him a flipping burrito. Let him get his own damn breakfast.
This message was exactly why she’d made The Rule.
When it came to dating, she had one rule—do not date hockey players. She’d broken the rule before, the most recent time for Trent Hadley, and dating him had only reinforced the reasons why she’d instigated The Rule in the first place.
As the daughter of an NHL coach, she’d been raised around the sport, and both of her brothers had played. Sure, there were some great guys that played—they weren’t all bad, of course. But the ones she attracted tended to be arrogant, full of themselves, cocky jerks.
Maybe she just picked the wrong ones, but Trent was the last straw in a very long line of bad straws. He’d crossed the line during their last date, letting his temper get the best of him, and she’d told him they were through.
That was a month ago. And the jerk acted like they were still together, even after she’d repeatedly told him they weren’t. And he seriously expected her to bring him a breakfast burrito. He was out of his mind. And clearly fit the description of cocky, arrogant, and full of himself.
“The pilot’s preparing for takeoff,” a flight attendant informed her. “Can I get you anything?”
She jerked a thumb at the man snoring softly next to her and smiled wryly at the attendant. “I’ll have whatever he had.”
“I’ll be back with something after we take off.” The flight attendant smiled and winked at her. “You want a pillow or a blanket for now, hon?”
“Sure.” It was after midnight, but she was still wired from her last meeting and racing to make the flight. She accepted a lightweight blanket and small pillow from the attendant and tucked them into the seat next to her. This wasn’t her first red-eye flight, and she was thankful for the roomier first-class seat.
She slipped off her high heels and stretched her sore feet, then settled in as the plane’s engines rumbled, and they taxied down the runway. The plane shuddered as it rose in altitude, and her seatmate’s hand brushed hers. His knuckles were turning white as he gripped the armrest between them.
Turning her head, she looked into the gorgeous crystal-blue eyes of the guy sitting next to her. The corners of his lips turned up in an embarrassed grin. “I’m not a huge fan of flying and am even less of an admirer of turbulence.”
She smiled encouragingly. “It should even out when we hit cruising altitude.” Although it had been snowing as she’d driven across Denver and toward DIA. She hoped they’d fly out of the bad weather, but the forecast had called for snow in St. Louis, too.
Her seatmate sat up, unzipping his sweatshirt and pulling off his hood. He stretched and ran a hand through his dark hair. A
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