Dominic had postponed returning to the plane to give his team more time to research recent events. However, with each discovery the inconceivable became less deniable.

Abby might be telling the truth.

He thought back to their first encounter and the simple way she’d been dressed. Jeans and a t-shirt were not the clothes of a hired siren. What if she really had been there simply to help her sister? She said she’d stayed out of concern for him. He had repaid that kindness by practically chasing her around his brownstone and then insulting her.

As he looked back over their time together, he felt ashamed by his actions in a way he never had before. Each step of the way, Abby had freely offered her companionship and her support. Because of her, he’d been able to spend a few days as simply Dominic; not a defiant son, not a corporate magnate, just a man mourning a loss.

He groaned as his recent outburst replayed in his head. He’d mocked her for being a teacher, when in reality it was one of the many things he admired about her. Unlike him, she had a passion for what she did that was not driven by greed or personal gain. And it was that desire to help that had brought her to China with him.

It was conceivable that Zhang could have used Abby’s concern for him to manipulate her into delivering the additional contract pages; which had forced Dominic to make his first act of philanthropy. However unwillingly it had come about, his company would now have a positive cultural impact on billions of women and lead the way for other large corporations to support international social causes and, surprisingly, that knowledge filled Dominic with an unsettling feeling of satisfaction.

The media called him a hero, but the real hero was Abby.

Without her, he might have gone on believing that the world had somehow cheated him and deserved to be treated accordingly. How had he gotten so politically powerful without ever wondering if he could use his influence to better the lives of those less fortunate? Had it been arrogance or obsession which had allowed him to deal with third world countries without ever considering that he could affect more than their exchange rate?

In less than a week, Abby had changed him forever. And what had he given her?

He had barged into her life, blackmailed her, used her, and dragged her off to China for purely selfish reasons.

No, there wasn’t much about the last week that he was proud of.

What had this trip been like for her? He could only imagine and, once again, admire the strength of her character. He remembered her saying that she hadn’t traveled outside of the states before. But she had done it for him without complaint. She’d accepted being deposited at a hotel in a foreign country with body guards who were little more than strangers to her.

She must have been terrified when she’d overheard the guards discussing their surveillance of him; unable to trust the very people he’d told her to rely on. Why hadn’t she come to him when she’d heard? What had she said? She’d wanted one more night of intimacy with him before breaking the bad news.

He couldn’t fault her there, either. Hadn’t he been the one who had repeatedly reminded her that what they had was temporary? He’d thought that by saying the words he could gain some control of his emotional response to her. Instead, it had held her silent when she most needed someone to talk to.

From what he’d been able to gather from Scott’s team before he’d sent them packing, Abby had met with Zhang for the first time yesterday. Scott had admitted telling Abby that he’d seen no harm in the meeting. He also detailed their next day’s outing into a rural community for the sole purpose of showing Abby China’s educational needs. At the time, Dominic had dismissed his words as part of their web of lies, but now he considered them. Someone like Abby would have been easy to manipulate. Once she’d seen the need and been told that Dominic’s livelihood relied on her taking action, Abby would have done what she thought was right. Especially, if as she said earlier, she’d fallen in love with him.

He groaned.

Each of her decisions made sense when he asked himself what a good, moral, loving person would do. Nothing she had done was in contradiction of the way she had lived her life. She protected those she cared about. She sacrificed for those who needed her. She risked for the causes she thought were important.

He had done nothing to prepare her for the situation he’d thrown her into; one that she’d navigated with remarkable confidence considering the challenges which had arisen. There would probably never be a way to know for sure if he could have closed the deal without the contract addendum, but Stephan’s presence was testament to the forces working against him. No one could deny that the scholarship provision had closed the deal.

Five percent profit from a company as large as Corisi Enterprises would hardly be missed and the global boost to his company’s international standing due to that charitable donation was priceless.

The more he thought about how Abby had met each challenge, the more he admired her. She’d gloriously marched up to China’s Minister of Commerce and handed him the paperwork as if it were something she’d done a hundred times before. She couldn’t have known for sure if that act would see her heralded as a hero or a criminal, but she had risked herself for the sole purpose of saving his company. And how had repaid her? Vicious accusations, kidnapping, and more insults.

She was right; he wasn’t good enough for her. She deserved someone who knew how to treat her like the precious gift she was. His gut twisted painfully at the thought of her being with another man.

There had to be a way to fix this.

His cell phone rang with Jake’s familiar tone. He flipped the phone open and held it to his ear. He deserved whatever his friend was about to unleash on him.

“Are you insane, Dom? Have you finally lost your mind?” Dominic held the phone away from his ear. Jake had put aside his normal cool and was unabashedly yelling into the receiver. “Turn the plane around and drop Abby off in Boston before this becomes an international scandal that not only nullifies our contract with China but also lands you in jail.”

“I love her, Jake.” Dominic said and slumped in his chair as he made the admission. “But I screwed up.”

Jake sputtered before saying, “You think?” and continued to let off steam at an unusually high volume. “Abby called Zhang in tears. Now you’ve got one very pissed off Asian woman who is galvanizing what looks like military support for Abby on at least two continents. The press is all over this. Even Murdock couldn’t squash the story. They know the truth behind the amendment to the contract and they know you forced Abby to go with you. You can thank Stephan for that. Abby has become an instant folk hero globally: the teacher who made higher education possible for women all over China. The jury on you is still out. The press is calling you either a romantic or a madman. You’ve got to bring her back. ”

Dominic ran a hand through his already wild hair. “Jake, are people destined to repeat the sins of their parents? I think I’ve become my father.”

Jake took several audible calming breaths. “You’re not your father, Dom, and we all have control over what kind of person we are. Each word that comes out, each action that we take, defines us. If you want to stop being an asshole, tell the pilot to head for Boston.”

It all sounded so rational, but the truth of the matter was that Dominic didn’t want to return Abby to Boston. He’d just discovered that he loved her. He couldn’t let her go now.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t be a better man. Abby deserved a real partner. He wasn’t sure what that would look like, but he was willing to let her show him. “I’m not bringing her to Boston. What’s my other option?”

Jake mumbled several cutting remarks beneath his breath, then said, “How about apologizing and telling her that you love her? I don’t know, something crazy like that.”

Genius. “I can do that. You’re right. The solution is so simple.”

A noise reverberated through the line that sounded suspiciously like Jake was smacking the phone on his own head. His aggravation rang clear in his voice. “Nothing is simple when it comes to women, but if you do love Abby now is definitely the time to tell her.”

“Relationship advice from a confirmed bachelor?” Dominic scoffed.

Jake calmed enough to joke. “How do you think I stay single? I understand the female mind.”

Dominic stood with sudden purpose. A week ago he had shared Jake’s aversion to commitment. Now he found himself wildly hoping their earlier unprotected sex had created another bond between him and the woman he could no longer imagine his life without. “I’m going to do it. I’m going to tell her that I love her. Thanks, Jake.”

Jake groaned and added reluctantly, “Good luck, Dom.”

Dominic hung up with confidence. Abby had already admitted that she loved him. He had just realized that he loved her. All he had to do now was walk in there and tell her how he felt. Hell, I might even propose.

What could possibly go wrong?

Abby raised her tear stained face from the pillows when she heard the bedroom door open. Her head was throbbing painfully and her face felt swollen. She sat up and reached for the box of tissues on the small shelf near the bed. After blowing her nose loudly in a tissue, she hugged the box to her stomach. “What do you want?” she asked, her gravelly voice sounding foreign even to her.

“I love you,” he announced as if those words would immediately erase their last conversation.

“No, you don’t.” Abby felt none of the joy she thought she would at his declaration.

His eyebrows met with irritation and he moved to stand near one side of the bed. “Yes, I do.”

Abby blew her nose again, pulled a small plastic trash can off of the floor and began filling it with her discarded tissues. “What happened? Jake called and told you that Zhang is going to help me leave you as soon as we land?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “Jake did call, but we can talk about that later. I realized that I love you.”

Abby hugged the tissue box tighter and forced herself to be realistic this time. No more reading what she wanted into their interactions. “No, you didn’t. You think you do because I’ve just become something you can’t have. You don’t like to lose. That’s not love.”

Dominic’s jaw tightened with frustration. “You are the most stubborn woman. You already told me that you love me. You should be happy.”

Abby threw the small trash can at his head, but missed when he ducked just in time. “I’ll be happy when I’m back in Boston trying to forget I ever met you.”

“You’re not going back to Boston.” Dominic’s eyes glittered with determination.

“I’m not staying with you on your stupid island,” Abby answered.

“We’ll see about that.” Dominic said, defaulting to the domineering jerk she’d thought he was the first night she’d met him.

But she wasn’t intimidated by him and it was about time he saw that. “Yes, we will.”

“Fine,” he said, walking back to the bedroom door.