Bea never had trouble sleeping during a flight until Dante delivered the most blistering kiss she'd experienced in over twenty years.

Her face heated at the memory. Whether she admitted it or not, she'd taken advantage of his drunken state by rousing her maid and groundskeeper to witness Dante signing the agreement.

In forty-five minutes, they'd be in Vegas. She glanced across the aisle where he snored peacefully. Maybe she'd gone insane. That's what people would say. Never mind most of her male counterparts married women half their ages, women were expected to be more sensible.

She closed her eyes and recalled how Dante's lips pressed against hers. Warm. Sensuous. Urgent.

She swallowed hard and heaved a deep breath. When he'd pulled her into his arms, she'd gone hot and cold at the same time. Whiskey lingered on his breath and damn if she'd not been intoxicated by it. Blood had pounded in her ears. She'd shuddered with desire.

No. She was done being sensible. With the time she had left, she'd do as she pleased and to hell with anyone who disapproved. After being married to a powerful but unaffectionate man, she deserved passion.

What was she thinking? Once he woke in the sober light of day and realized his mistake, he'd probably renege. At least she'd save face. Not even the witnesses knew the terms of the contract. If he changed his mind, she'd take him back to Parkers Prairie.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

The sound of his voice yanked her back to reality. She fingered the diamond pendant resting against her windpipe and faced him. No need wasting time. She no longer had that privilege. "Now that you're sober, you'll ask to be let out of the deal."

He pursed his lips. Grinned. "And if I do?"

She sighed. Maybe in business she was able to be a hardass, but she wasn't going to force anyone to stay with her. That'd only make her last days miserable for the both of them. "I'll rip it to pieces—but you'll still be bound to the NDA."

"Yeah. Couldn't let the town gossips find out the Widow Bennett went off the rails."

She opened her briefcase and removed the contract. Fingers poised at the top, she held it up. "Very well."

He leaped from his seat and in one stride, caught her wrists. "Didn't say I wanted out. Just wondered what you'd do if I did." He released her hands.

She put the papers back in place.

He motioned to the window seat. "Scoot over."

She slid to the spot and rested the attaché in her lap.

He claimed her seat, then stretched his legs into the aisle. "I can't cancel now. Jack and I already had my bachelor party."

"Jack?"

"Daniel's."

She cocked her head. "Right." Yeah, thanks to Jack, she'd made a fool of herself, grabbing Dante and holding on like he was the only thing keeping her upright.

"Define my role in these business meetings. Am I supposed to sit quietly like a lap dog?"

With him this close, her body came alive. She shifted to put space between them. "Not at all. Before each appointment you'll get a dossier, and if you have questions, I'll answer them. I have no reason to keep secrets from you. It defeats the purpose of leaving you my wealth if you don't have the tools you need to keep others from trying to swindle it out of you. "

"You'll answer anything?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Just how rich are you?"

She laughed. "It's a little late for negotiation. Or should I say early? We aren't even married yet. Or, perhaps that's been your plan from the beginning. Agree to my terms until the last minute, then up the ante."

"I'm happy with the deal. This private plane tells me you have a lot more money than I'd believed.  Just need to consider how intimidated I should be."

She locked eyes with him. Big mistake. A current of excitement ran through her.  "I don't want you to feel threatened by my wealth."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It was rude."

"It's okay. I understand. I was curious when I married Henry."

"How'd you meet him? Didn't buy you at auction, did he?"

The more she learned about Dante, the more she liked him. Especially his sense of humor. "I'll give you the short version. I married my high school sweetheart the day after I graduated. Two years later, I lost the love of my life and our unborn child in a car accident." After all this time, she still fought back tears at the memory.

He clasped her hand. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you. Henry Bennett was on the board of the bank where I worked.  He'd lost his wife to cancer. It didn't take long for me to realize that my mother and I couldn't make it on my meager salary and my med school debt. So, when he showed an interest in me, I encouraged him. It was a marriage much like ours will be. I needed money, and he had plenty. We were both comfortable with the knowledge that ours was a marriage of convenience."

He rubbed his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. "But, you didn't love him?"

She should pull her hand away. But she liked how it fit into his. "I could have. But he never got over his wife. That always stood between us. But he valued my opinion when it came to business so we built our relationship on that." She couldn't stand it anymore. The way his touch made her feel—vulnerable. She eased her hand free.

"How many years?"

"Twenty."

"I can't imagine living with someone that long and never loving them."

"You'd be surprised how quickly time passes. Months turn into years and before you know it, decades are gone. He was good to me—and my mother. Had it not been for him, I wouldn't be as successful at business when I retired from the hospital after his death. I'll always be grateful for the education."

She removed another file. "I'm in the process of opening a chain of boutique hotels. Four finished. Six more in the works. Unlike the Bennett chain, they're a new venture for me. Henry encouraged me to take risks."

"Wait a minute. You own the Bennett Hotels?"

"They're franchised. With hotels, that's where the money is." She rummaged through the briefcase again. "But most of my money comes from HBI Capital. We're a private equity and alternate asset investment firm with $9 billion of equity capital under management."

Dante choked, then sputtered, "Did you say—billion?"

"Yes. We're based in Dallas, but have offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Atlanta, as well as London, Hamburg, Madrid, and Paris. We specialize in providing debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies."

He took the binder and flipped to the first page. "You've invested in all of these?"

"Everything from lumber mills, generic pharmaceuticals, gift catalog sales to mobile home manufacturers. More than two hundred companies."

The pilot's voice announced they'd be landing soon.

Dante passed the binder back to her, then stretched out his legs again. "You haven't mentioned the location of the wedding. We're not tying the knot in one of those cheesy drive-thru chapels, are we?"

"No. The Vegas Bennett has a lovely prayer room that doubles as a Chapel for clients. I've reserved it. After we check in, I'd like to get you a suit. I prefer you wear one for the ceremony if that's okay with you."

"It's our wedding day. I'll do whatever you want."

She hoped he meant it because she'd made a list.

For the umpteenth time, Maia darted to the window, hoping to see Dante pull into her drive. The dinner date had probably lasted longer than planned, and he'd been too tired to come afterward. Even if that was a reasonable explanation, something still niggled at the back of her mind. Why hadn't he texted? A simple 'can't see you until tomorrow' would have been enough.

She palmed her phone and hovered her thumbs above the keyboard, then dropped the cell back into her pocket. Stupid idea. If she texted him, she'd come across as needy, and she didn't want that.

Maia combed her fingers through her hair and gathered her emotions. She'd not acted this silly concerning a boy since junior high. But then again, she'd never been in love before, and even she had thought Dante an unlikely candidate.

As hard as he tried projecting a bad boy image he didn't fool anyone. Underneath that facade beat the heart of a considerate, compassionate man.

She traipsed into the kitchen and poured herself a third cup of coffee. In another hour, it'd be noon. Plenty of time to catch up on sleep even if he'd stayed out late. Once again, she checked her phone to make sure the ringer was turned to full volume. She sighed, laid it on the counter, then gulped from her mug. The bitter taste lingered on her tongue like a lie.

"Jeez! I didn't mean to sleep this late."

Maia jumped at the sound of Silbie's voice and turned around. "I thought you needed the rest. It was after three when you went to bed. If you want some coffee, I'll make a fresh pot."

"No. I should get going. If I don't get to Gabriel and Zari's house to see the twins, he'll disown me as his sister."

"Since you'll see Zari, will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

Maia set her cup down with more force than she'd intended. "Ask her if she's heard from her brother because he never showed up last night."

"I'd be happy to, but why not make this easy, and just call him?"

"No. He'll think I'm checking up on him."

"Look, he said he'd come by and he didn't. You're concerned about the change in plans. There's no harm in calling to find out if there's a problem."

Maia stared at her phone. "Maybe you're right. She scrolled to his name, then hesitated. "I really shouldn't."

"Don't be such a chicken." Silbie grabbed the phone and tapped his number, then handed it back to Maia. She held it to her ear a few seconds then ended the call. "It went straight to voice mail. Now I'm really worried."

Silbie took the cell again, tapped the screen a few times, then returned the phone to Maia. "I called the motel."

Maia nodded, then spoke. "Hello. Would you please connect me to Dante Filgard's room—oh—okay. Thank you."

Even before she asked, Silbie knew from Maia's expression something was wrong. "What is it?"

"Dante checked out two hours ago."

Dante gonna be in trouuuuble.

TEASER: "Only picked up bits and pieces. They want money. A ransom."