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“You have to go with Dad?”
Crap. I can’t refuse to go now. Casey heard everything. Not to mention the less-than-subtle ringtone. Refusing will raise questions. I wonder if I have time to slip away to Morocco. Probably not.
“Looks like.” I smile, but it feels off.
“Why do you look scared? You know my dad is a teddy bear. He won’t bite.”
Oh, Casey, he does bite.
The problem is, I like it when he does.
Lily
Turbulence jostles me as I hide away like a little bitch in the bathroom of the plane. I guess when businesses are bought, things like private jets come with them. Or maybe Maddox and Ryder just tossed an ungodly amount of money on this thing. That actually seems probable, given all of their unhealthy attachments to their wives and girlfriends. Come to think of it, it doesn’t look like the same one I was on last year.
Almost a year ago to the day, my brother forced me on the record label jet—before it was taken over by Maddox and Ryder—because he was pissed about me flirting with Blaze Erikson. I wasn’t interested in that arrogant egomaniac. I just wanted to piss off Liam. Which I accomplished. Had Angel and his friends not interfered, Liam was seconds away from giving me what I wanted and outing us.
“This is bad, Thad,” I whisper through the phone, knowing I shouldn’t be on it. I have no idea what Sin Records pays for Wi-Fi on the plane, but I know it can’t be cheap. I don’t have a choice, though. I am freaking the fuck out. Besides, those jackasses put me in this position. They can fork over a few hundred or thousand or whatever it costs. It seems reasonable, considering I’m in a fucking plane that costs more than most people will see in ten lifetimes. “Do you have any idea how hard it has been not to climb him like a tree the past two weeks? Oh, and btw, I’ve been with him longer than five minutes every time, so kiss my ass.”
“Yet, you’re on the phone with me at thirty-five thousand feet, hiding in the restroom because you’re afraid you’ll join the mile-high club in the next few minutes.”
“Why are you such a dick?”
He laughs, and if I could, I’d reach through the phone and punch him in the face. “I just don’t understand what you want me to do, Lil. I can’t leave.”
I push my fingers through my hair for the dozenth time, wondering how many times it takes before it falls out. I stare at the closed door as if it will fly open at any minute, with my six-and-a-half-foot nightmare barging in and destroying all my willpower.
“I know you can’t come,” I grumble. “I wasn’t asking you to, but maybe if you… I don’t know, Thad. Go get hit by a bus or something, so I have a reason to rush right home.”
“Uh, I’ll pass thanks. Besides, I already look like I got hit by a bus. Dad took one look at my face this morning and forbade me from leaving the apartment. He seems to think Murdoch has spies following me around, and a bruised face would look less than responsible.”
I pull the phone away from my ear and hit the video option. So much for keeping data usage low.
When his face appears on my screen, my eyes double in size. “What the hell happened to you?”
“I accidentally ran into your boyfriend’s fist,” he deadpans. “Told you that guy wasn’t turning you loose.”
“Liam doesn’t just go around punching people, even when he’s jealous.” My brows furrow, and I glare when a shit-eating grin splits his face. “What did you do?”
“I proved my point.” His chest puffs, and he preens like a four-year-old. He loves being right. “And he may be under the impression we are having sex.”
“You are a child.” I roll my eyes. “Don’t you think the fact we’re engaged gave the same impression?”
He shrugs and leans back in his stupid chair. He’s such a princess. “Just drove the point home.”
“Which got a fist driven into your face.”
“So what is the giant doing to make you hide, exactly?”
“Nothing.” I toss my hands in the air and nearly lose my grip on the phone. Wrapping my fingers tighter, I bring it back to eye level. “He hasn’t done a thing. He has sat in his seat and barely looked at me.” In fact, he’s had his head back, eyes closed, and fingers at his temples the entire flight. And I’ve tried hard not to worry. Which is the real reason I’m hiding. Liam is not my concern anymore, but the urge to check on him is strong. I don’t need anything else confusing my muddled brain.
“I don’t see the problem, Lil. You’ll have separate rooms, I’m sure, so no alone time once you get through the flight. Just…” His mouth curls to the side. I can’t decide if he’s fighting a grin or a grimace, but my hackles rise regardless. “Do me a favor, would you?”
My hand shoots out when we hit another batch of turbulence to steady myself. “What?”
“When those tree-climbing urges take over, try not to do it in public. It will look bad if pictures hit social media of you riding him like a bull rider days before we get married.” He air quotes married, but it doesn’t stop the swirling in my belly.
“Stop saying that word, please. And I won’t climb him or anything else. I’m just… Look, asshole, it’s been a while, and Miss Kitty is hungry.”
