Fiona Thompson had a one-night stand—with her ex-boyfriend’s older brother, a guy she’d only seen once before.
Yeah, not exactly an emotionless fling.
It was her first time—painful, not gonna lie. But when those strong hands held her steady, lifting her higher and higher until she felt like she was flying…it left quite the memory.
Now, looking at the man next to her, even in sleep he looked insanely good.
Worth it.
She didn’t hang around. Climbed out of bed, grabbed her clothes, got dressed.
Before leaving, she leaned down, kissed his chiseled cheek lightly, and whispered, “You earned it—with that stamina and those skills. Consider this your bonus.”
Then she scribbled a note, left it on the nightstand, and walked out.
As the hotel door clicked shut, the man in bed slowly opened his eyes.
He sat up. The white sheet slipped down his lean torso, barely covering his hips.
Turning to the bedside table, Ethan Blackwell picked up a pack of cigarettes and the note stuck on top. With casual precision, he flicked out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, lit it.
He glanced at the note again. Her neat handwriting spelled out:
[Just mutual fun, no strings attached.
Goodbye means we don’t know each other anymore.]
Ethan took a deep drag, long fingers holding the cigarette as smoke curled around his sly, attractive face. A subtle, knowing smile tugged at the edge of his lips.
Outside, Fiona stepped into the crisp morning air. The cool breeze hit her face like a wake-up call, making her feel like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her passion-dazed mind.
She figured, no big deal. Just a grown-up kind of thing. And she was his little brother’s ex, so there’s no way he’d want to complicate things.
People like them? Probably never meet again.
Yeah… shook out too soon.
The next day, bam—smacked right in the face by reality.
There he was, standing dead-center at the Jiangcheng Airlines meeting room. Ethan freaking Blackwell—the “won’t-see-him-again” guy—freshly transferred from Singapore. And not just anyone: he was a senior captain.
Fiona, barely a year into her job as a flight attendant, sat frozen in the back row. She stared across the room, expression stuck between “WTF” and “this can’t be real,” at the man she’d spent the night with.
She could still feel the heat of his breath near her ear, every intimate touch from that night crisp in her memory.
This was straight-up karma.
She wasn’t scared of Ethan—just really allergic to drama.
Her popularity at the airline wasn’t anything to brag about. She wasn’t into kissing ass or spending her personal time buttering up coworkers.
Yet her looks? That was another story.
Fiona had one of those striking, classic bombshell faces—bold features, sharp aura, beauty without even trying.
In a place teeming with gorgeous women, she still stood out—flawless skin, top-tier body, the works.
Which meant other women? Not fans.
Now imagine the gossip if they found out about her and the newly arrived captain…
Yeah, it would be a total mess.
And Fiona Thompson hated messy.Fiona was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly noticed Ethan’s eyes on her—those charming, half-smiling eyes laced with something between teasing and curiosity.
The first few rows started to pick up on Ethan’s gaze. Curiosity sparked, and a few began glancing back.
Fiona caught on quick. Before anyone could react, she leaned forward and made a move to leave.
Sensing the attention shift her way, she calmly said, “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
She nodded politely, cracked the door open, and walked off without a backward glance.
And she stayed gone—for over half an hour.
Only when she figured the welcome meeting must be wrapped up did she finally make her way back into the office building.
The hallway was already mostly empty.
As soon as Mr. Redshaw, her team lead, saw her, his face darkened. “Fiona, glad you remembered to show up.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Redshaw,” Fiona said, though not a trace of guilt showed on her face. “Wasn’t feeling great. The meeting’s over, right? So… can I leave now?”
“Leave? Seriously?” Mr. Redshaw looked annoyed. “Why is it so hard for you to just be a team player once in a while? Captain Ethan is just doing his job—he’s meeting everyone one-on-one to get familiar with the crew. You’re literally the only one left. Stop stalling and get in there.”
Fiona: …
So much for dodging him.
Well, might as well take this chance to clear the air. Save herself the headache later.
A few minutes later, she knocked on the office door. A deep voice replied steadily, “Come in.”
She opened the door and met the eyes of the man behind the desk.
Ethan was leaning back in his chair, one brow lifting as he locked eyes with her. He looked relaxed, almost lazy, and casually twisted his finger in the air before flashing her a small grin. “Close the door.”
Fiona shut the door behind her and turned back toward him.
Before she could say anything, Ethan tapped his thigh and said, with a slow, laid-back drawl, “Come here. Sit.”
That tone—low and just a little too smooth—instantly made memories of last night come rushing in: the heat between them, the way he’d whispered in her ear…
She forced herself to shake off the images and walked to the other side of the desk, her stunning face tense and unreadable.
“I left you a note. Didn’t you see it?”
His voice was incredibly nonchalant. “I saw it.”
Seriously?
“Captain Ethan, I think we both know what a one-night stand means. Last night was meant to stay in the past. There’s no need to bring it up again. We’re basically strangers.”
“Strangers? Funny,” Ethan said, dragging out the word deliberately, putting extra stress on the “fun.”
Then he stood up and walked toward her. When there was barely space between them, his arms came down on either side of her, hands resting on the desk, boxing her in.
There was a smile tugging at his lips, calm and almost smug, nothing outright threatening—but that crazy confidence of his somehow made the air feel tighter.
“Last night was amazing,” he said quietly. “So good that I’ve made a decision…”
