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There. At least Natalie would know how much I cared. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as the plane began to turn. Something bumped into my seat.
It was Luke. He sat down in the adjoining seat in an effort to calm me down. It would have been sweet if only he would stop laughing at me.
“This isn’t funny."I reached over and shut the window.
“It is, though.” His voice was strained.
I groaned as the flight attendantspoke over the intercom, telling us to prepare for takeoff.
He broke into fresh peals of laughter as I buried my face in my hands, then Luke lifted the armrest and pulled me into his arms. I relaxed as he snaked his arm around my shoulders. Iwas nestled between his neck and shoulder. I breathed in the aroma of his cologne. It was incredibly soothing. What would it be like to fall asleep like this, every night?
“I think I know how to distract you.”
It was working. All I thoughtabout was how nice it was to be held. Then the jet suddenly soared forward and Luke let out a grunt as I seized a handful of his arm.
“There, there. It’ll be all right.”
His fingers were under my chin, making me tilt my head back. Then his soft lips kissed me gently. Desire radiatedlike a heat lamp, pounding all the way down my abdomen. He pulled back as I responded more passionately.
There was no one here to see us, save for his flight attendants. Why was he toying with me like this? I sawsome of my confusion mirrored on his expression.
I buried my face into his chest whenthe wheels lift from the ground. It was the most curious sensation. At the same time the weight lifted, pressure increased over my shoulders as we climbed into the sky. Luke reached over and opened the window, revealing a field of blue beneath us.
“See? It’s not so bad.”
“I guess not.”
“How come you’ve never flown?”
I snorted at the question. He might as well have asked why I didn’t own a yacht.
“I grew up poor in foster homes. No one would have flown me anywhere.”
He made a deep sound that rumbled through my back. “How ironic. My dad put me on a plane the moment my mother died.”
Something cold went through me as I imagined a dark-haired nine-year-old boy, surrounded by strangers on an airplane, wiping tears from his eyes.
“How did she die?”
He sighed.“She committed suicide.”
My whole body stiffened. His hand rubbed my shoulder as if I was the one who needed comfort.I wanted so badly to turn around and hug him. Luke’s voice was very even, but I detecteda note of resignation.
It would mess with anyone’s head.
“That’s fucking horrible.”
He shrugged. “I’m over it.”
“There’s no way you’re over it,” I blurted.“I’m sorry. I keep trying to filter my thoughts, but it doesn’t work.”
He weakly chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone’s always sucking up to me, hoping I’ll advance their career or give them money or something. I’m sick of it. Besides, you might be right."
“Why don’t you cut ties with people who suck up to you?”
“Because then I’d have to fire a good ninety percent of my employees and cut ties with most of my family. I can’t just do that.”
Sure you can. “Well, I promise I’ll never do that.I wasn'ttaught manners, for one.” Bringing this up gave me a fresh wave of anxiety. “Seriously, you’re going to have to teach me.”
