“Megan, why don’t you drink more water before you take a nap.” He looked back at the attendant, who stood in the aisle watching. “Can you bring her blanket?”
She stomped away, returning with the blanket a few moments later. By then he’d coaxed Megan to drink more water. He leaned her seat back and spread the blanket over her as she literally passed out. He watched the rise and fall of her chest. As long as she was breathing okay, he figured she’d be fine. He considered telling Tiffany what was going on, but he didn’t expect much sympathy. Megan was right. The flight attendant was jealous.
He was about to engage in the biggest fight of his life, so how did taking care of this woman become his top priority? The only thing he knew was that it felt right.
Chapter Three
Josh spent the rest of the flight worried about the woman next to him, so much so he had trouble focusing on his own troubles. How was he going to get proof that Bart Vandemeer’s firm stole the plans? It wasn’t like they were just going to hand over the information willingly. He hoped that fate intervened and did him a solid.
Soon the plane was making its descent and Megan snored softly next to him, still out of it as the plane landed with a hard thud on the tarmac. He pulled out his phone and turned it on, finding two missed calls and a text from his brother before returning it into his pocket. His brother was the last thing he needed to deal with right now. After all, this whole mess was indisputably Noah’s fault.
He turned to the sleeping woman next to him. “Megan.”
She didn’t stir.
“Megan,” he said louder, giving her arm a little shake.
She roused, but her eyes were still squeezed shut. “Leave me alone.”
“Megan.” He jostled her harder this time. “We landed. You need to wake up.”
“I’m tired,” she murmured, burrowing under the blanket.
“You can sleep after you get off the plane.” But he knew she couldn’t. Her mother was picking her up, which meant she wouldn’t get to sleep for quite some time. She’d be busy explaining why her fiancé wasn’t with her.
How was she going to face her mother in this condition?
When the plane pulled up to the gate, she still hadn’t roused. The first class passengers began to bolt from their seats, fumbling with the overhead bins. Josh waved Tiffany over, who shoved passengers out of the way in her hurry to reach him.
He motioned to Megan. “She’s going to need help getting off the plane.”
The flight attendant shot Megan a snotty look, then rolled her eyes. “Sure. We’ll call security and have this taken care of.”
“Security? Can’t someone just help her off the plane? Her mother’s out there waiting for her.”
The attendant gave him a stern look, but he saw the flash of vindictiveness in her eyes. “We take public intoxication very seriously, Mr. McMillan.”
“She’s not drunk. She had a drug interaction with the alcohol she drank.”
The attendant’s eyebrows arched. “So she takes drugs too? Then she’s a sloppy drunk.”
“I told you she’s not—”
“Not to worry.” She patted Josh’s arm. “You are so sweet to feel responsible, but you can go about your business. We’ll take care of it.”
Josh worried how she’d take care of it. He hardly knew the woman next to him, but for some reason he did feel responsible for her. “That’s not necessary. I’ll help her off.”
The attendant shook her head, her mouth twisting into a mock sympathetic pout. “Sorry. You’re not traveling together and we can’t let an unconscious woman leave with a stranger. Imagine the liability to the airline.”
“If she wakes up and tells you she wants to leave with me, will you let her off?”
She studied Megan, who was audibly snoring again, for a moment before giving Josh a smug grin. “Of course.” Then she returned to the front of the plane.
The cabin door opened and the passengers started to rush off. The sensible part of Josh told him to get up and walk away, but he just couldn’t do it.
“Megan.” He shook her arm more vigorously. The passengers exiting from the back were watching the scene with morbid curiosity.
“What?” she finally groaned, turning toward him.
“The almost-future Mrs. McMillan is going to call security unless you get up and walk off this plane.”
Her eyelids fluttered open. “Sorority Bitch?”
He grinned. “That’s the one.”
She tried to sit up and swayed in her seat. “Why’s the plane swaying?”
“It’s not. You’re still out of it.”
She leaned back in the seat. “I’m gonna take a little nap…” Her voice trailed off.
“Megan.”
Her jolted upright, her eyes wide. “What?”
“Sorority Bitch will let me help you off the plane, but you have to tell her that you want to leave with me.”
She grinned and waggled her finger in his face, singsonging, “She’s not gonna like it…”
“I can deal with it. Will you tell her?”
Her grin widened, but her gaze was still unfocused. “Oh…yeah…”
Josh started to get out of his seat. “Do you have anything in the overhead bin?”