Book 2: What Happens Here - Chicago (What Happens Here Series)

Chapter 1 - Ethan

Once Ethan boarded the plane a very attractive flight attendant greeted him as he made his way to his seat in the first-class area. He smiled at her, but he was preoccupied with thoughts of Jasmine. He had hoped that she would make the flight, but once they'd started boarding the plane, and he didn't see her, he reluctantly tried to relax for the flight home. Alone.

As if on cue, the attractive flight attendant approached him, and asked if he wanted a drink, or a bite to eat. Although he really wasn't in the mood to eat anything, Ethan decided to accept her offer of a drink instead. Once the attendant walked away, Ethan laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. His heart was aching, and his thoughts raced through his mind as he replayed his final hours with Jasmine. Ethan was confused, because when he'd left Jasmine's suite hours before, everything had seemed okay, but now for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what had happened once he'd left her room.

Maybe what Valentina had done at the reception was more than Jasmine was willing to handle. In Jasmine's defense, her ex-fiancé had put her through hell, and Mackenzie had even suggested as much when she'd laid into him at the reception. When Shane had asked if Valentina had been responsible for Jasmine's sudden departure from the reception after Valentina pretended to be a "spurned lover", Mackenzie had been angry on Jasmine's behalf as she'd said, "... my best friend doesn't need any more drama in her life. She's already been through too much at the hands of a man that had additional interests." Ethan could understand and respect Jasmine's friend for being protective of her. Hell, he even admired Mackenzie, but she had been wrong about him because Ethan was nothing like Jasmine's ex.

Ethan loved Jasmine and the last thing that he would ever do was hurt her. Maybe Jasmine doubted his feelings for her, or worse case, maybe she realized that she didn't feel the same way about him. The multitude of questions spinning around in Ethan's head was driving him crazy, and not being able to speak with Jasmine was truly bothering him. What had happened? Had Jasmine decided to get back with her ex? Maybe she had decided to work things out with the asshole, and what the two of them had shared was merely a weekend distraction for her. The thought of never seeing Jasmine again had hurt, but the idea that what they'd shared being nothing but a "fling" for her cut deep into Ethan's soul. Jasmine's avoidance of his calls and texts not only angered Ethan, but it hurt him as well. He deserved better, and he damn sure deserved to know what the hell was going on.

Ethan was so deep into his thoughts that he flinched when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. His eyes jerked open and landed on the startled face of the flight attendant. Taking a cautious step back, she said, "I apologize for disturbing your rest Mr. Daniels. I wanted to give you your drink." Releasing a breath, Ethan gave the attendant a reassuring smile and said, "Sorry. I was just in deep thought." Glancing at the small bottle of alcohol and empty glass of ice that she had in her hands, he nodded towards what she held and said, "Thank you." Her smile widened, which made her features even more attractive, and when she stepped closer, Ethan took in the full sight of her. She was tanned, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Besides the peach tint on her full lips, she wore very little makeup, which gave her a "girl next door look." Her uniform hugged every inch of her tone body nicely, and when her ocean-blue eyes rose to meet his, she did not hide the fact that she was attracted to him. While Ethan could appreciate her interest in him, he did not feel the same. Yep, it was official...Jasmine Ellis had definitely ruined him for any other woman.

After handing him his drink, the attendant, whose nametag had read "Stephanie", lingered for a few moments longer than necessary as she made an attempt to engage him in a fruitless conversation. After several questions about whether he had enjoyed his time in Las Vegas, Stephanie had been called away by another passenger. Once she'd walked away, Ethan had released a brief sigh of relief, because he really hadn't been in the mood to speak to anyone. With the way he was feeling, and with the unanswered questions about Jasmine racing through his mind, he just wanted to relax, and try to get through the flight home.