Page 57 of Modern Romance September 2026 Books 1-4

He said, ‘It’s you, you’re really here.’

‘Yes.’

‘I missed you by fifteen minutes in Glasgow.’

The image of Axel Drakos on a packed budget flight was so incongruous that it wouldn’t compute.

The phone rang and Hope’s colleague answered and said, ‘Yes, eh, we’re coming, we just have a passenger here trying to talk to Hope.’

Hope snapped out of her trance. She was at work. She was in shock but welcomed it because she had no idea why Axel Drakos was here and was too afraid to ask why, just yet.

‘Axel, I’m working. I have to do trolley service.’

‘OK, I’ll wait.’

He didn’t move and Hope looked at him expressively. ‘You’ll have to get out of the way.’

He stepped into the small service area, having to duck his head. Hope’s colleague was staring at Axel as if she’d never seen a man before. Hope could empathise. She said, ‘Laura, come on.’

The whole way down the aisle Hope was facing back towards the service area, aware of Axel watching her like a hawk, as if she were going to do a flit out of one of the emergency exits.

The service didn’t take long and soon they were pushing the trolley back down. Laura, to give her her due, took the hint and made herself scarce up the other end of the plane. No doubt already spreading the word.

Now it was just Hope facing Axel in one of the most unlikely spaces. He pulled across the curtain.

Hope said, ‘Axel, why are you here?’

‘Because I’ve been an idiot and it’s been a week since I last saw you and I don’t want to spend another day ever without you by my side. I should never have let you go. I want you back in my life.’

Hope had to put a hand up on the wall to steady herself. She wanted to leap into his arms but caution was holding her back. She knew his world, how it worked—he might be saying this and meaning that he just wanted her back in his life as some sort of mistress while he got on with his appropriate wife.

‘Like…on the side?’

He frowned. ‘The side? What do you mean?’

‘Like a mistress or something.’ Now she felt foolish.

‘No! Why would you think that?’

She threw her hands up. ‘Because your world is full of people who are just together because it’s strategic or appropriate and I can’t imagine you denying yourself sex!’

He shook his head. ‘No way, there will be no denying of the sex.’

Hope stood her ground. ‘I won’t be sidelined, Axel. I deserve to be the one. I deserve to be chosen.’

‘I choose you, Hope. I chose you the moment I laid eyes on you.’

Was this real? Was she just hallucinating?

They still weren’t touching, but the air between them was thick with electricity. Then the phone rang. Hope had to answer. She said, ‘Yes, OK,’ and put it back down.

Axel looked impatient. ‘What do they want?’

‘Seat number twenty-three A is waiting for their sandwich.’ Just then the microwave bell pinged. Hope felt dazed. ‘That’s it.’

Axel held out a hand. ‘Give it to me.’

Hope took the sandwich out and gave it to Axel along with a napkin. She watched, totally bemused, as he took it down the aisle and handed it to the person who’d ordered it.