Force of Forever (All In #0.5)

Uttered softly but a command nonetheless. She obeyed.

“What’s your name?”

“Pia.”

“Pia.” She loved the way the two syllables sounded in his lilt. So different than the Tagalog-tinted voices of her family. “I’m Matt.”

Her customer service face resurfaced. “Nice to meet you, Matt. Let me know if you need anything.”

His chuckle held her in place. That dark chuckle said that even for a man perfectly formed, there was plenty he needed.

Pia knew the feeling. She was pretty, too. Employed. Surrounded by loving family—too surrounded at times. Roof over her head. Wanting for nothing. And yet…

She thought she saw the same truth in Matt’s storm-blue eyes. They had both stepped on this plane wanting. They’d step off wanting even more.

2

Merde.

How the hell was he supposed to get any work done now thatshehad invaded his brain like a conquering army?

Matt twisted in his seat to watch Pia walk away, an unsubtle move that thankfully she didn’t notice. Standard issue or not, the dress sung the praises of her curves. Matt shook his head, downed the rest of the brut wine, and picked up his iPad again. His new company was only a few months away from launching. Almond eyes and caramel skin were distractions he didn’t need when every hour, every email, every detail counted.

But he couldn’t ignore the buzzing in his blood, or the way his heart continued to beat out of rhythm. The beautiful woman with the beautiful name had disrupted his drive forward with just a few words and a dimpled smile. Isn’t that what his mother had always warned him and Tate about?There’s no room for love in a family like ours. Every part of you belongs to this business. To our legacy.

That philosophy had served the Geier family well. Matt’s surname graced high-end liquor shelves, cosmetics stores, and closets of the wealthy all over the world. Spirits,parfum, and couture were how they’d made their mark. Soon, under his own guidance, they’d branch into luxury experiences as well. Matt was contributing to his legacy just as expected.

Need nudged at him, and he glanced over his shoulder again. The feeling wasn’t just an ache for skin on skin. When was the last time he’d held a conversation that wasn’t about work? When had he lastconnectedwith someone? He missed lightness. He missed easy.

A sigh escaped. He was too busy to be lonely. Too busy to care that his time had long ago ceased to be his own.

Matt lost himself in financial documents again, the time ticking by and Pia’s absence still ongoing. Hadn’t she said she’d check on him?

The old man in front of him jolted awake with a loud snort, shattering the soft stillness of the cabin. A too-loud, uncouth stretch and yawn followed. Matt’s brows flicked together, but his irritation was instantly replaced with gratitude as Pia appeared at his neighbor’s elbow with a tray of warm towels. Unashamed, Matt watched her converse with the other passenger. The fucking shape of her. How long was the night-black hair she had tucked away from her face? And how could he dominate her attention without being a dick?

His heart thundered as she approached him again.

“Towel?”

He nodded, his tongue suddenly too big to form words. She handed the rolled towel over with tongs and watched while Matt buried his face in the steaming fabric. He sighed in satisfaction. The heat was nearly too much. As the steam opened his pores, it also coaxed open his mouth.

“Merci, Pia.”

Her mouth rose in a smile he wanted to taste. “You wanna keep the towel? Looks like you’re starting a love affair with that thing.”

“Let’s save talk of love affairs for later in the flight, shall we?”

She inhaled audibly, her smile freezing on her lips. She just stood there blinking. He fumbled to correct what had come out as less of a flirty reply and more of a creepy come-on. He handed the towel back. She accepted it with a robotic gesture.

He tried again. “So, Paris. Exciting, yes?”

Fail.

She blinked her chocolate eyes a few more times. Her lashes were long and tangled in the corners. “Sure? I haven’t seen much of Paris, honestly. I rarely layover here, and when I do it’s airport to hotel and back.”

Matt heard the wish in her voice. This was what connection entailed, right? Listening with more than your ears? “What would you do in Paris if you had the time?” As a lifelong resident, he’d lost touch with the tourist draws.

Her dimples reappeared. Matt couldn’t help but smile back. “Musée Rodin,” she replied immediately. “Croissants that are so fresh they melt in my mouth. I want to see stained glass that makes me weep and walk through a park that could only exist in France. And I don’t care how basic it makes me, but I want to see the Eiffel Tower at night.”