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Someone walked along the middle aisle, and I glanced up to see a middle-aged man staring at Tatum’s chest as he passed. A surge of annoyance flared through me. Suddenly, I didn’t like what was on display one bit.
Careful not to jostle her too much, I grabbed my carry-on bag from the floor and pulled out my tablet first, then a sweatshirt that I stuffed in there this morning, just in case it was cold on the plane. I laid it over Tatum like a blanket, and she shifted in her sleep again, nuzzling further into me. I could feel her warm breath fan out over my neck.
A half-smile lifted my lips as I connected my tablet to the in-flight Wi-Fi and checked my email. I had two new messages, and I opened the first one. It was a confirmation email about the venue for the bachelor party I was planning. As best man for my friend Michael’s wedding, it was my job to make sure that I showed him and the rest of the groomsmen a good time on the island. It was going to be a blast.
The other email was from a woman named Amy, but I didn’t open it. The subject line said:We need to talk. I knew that whatever she wanted to say was just going to ruin my good mood, and that was the last thing I wanted.
The fasten seatbelt sign turned on as I put the tablet away, and I reached over to put up the table tray in front of Tatum. The pilot came over the intercom system to announce that we were starting our descent, and I made sure to avoid looking out the window that Tatum had left open. I knew from experience that seeing the ground come closer so rapidly would just make my anxiety worse.
I wasn’t sure why I told Tatum the truth about the effect that taking off and landing had on me. I’d never told anyone about it before. But she was so nice, with no judgement in her eyes, that I felt compelled to be honest with her.
As the plane tilted downward, I couldn’t keep myself from tensing up. My stomach flipped, and I grabbed onto the armrest. All I could do was breathe deeply and wait for the nerves to pass once the wheels were firmly on the ground.
Then, there was a gasp and Tatum suddenly jerked awake, looking around in confusion. I didn’t know if the plane’s change in trajectory woke her up, or if it was my own bunched up muscles making her uncomfortable, but it didn’t matter. It provided a distraction from the reaction I was having to the landing as her disorientation passed and she looked horrified.
She wiped away a little drool from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and looked down at my shirt, where she’d left a little wet spot on my shoulder. Her eyes widened, and I thought that she looked adorable as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
“Oh my god, did Idroolon you?” she asked, completely mortified. “I-I’m so sorry.”
I chuckled. I couldn’t help it, but apparently that was the wrong reaction because she huffed indignantly.
“It’s not funny and I don’t appreciate you laughing at me,” she said, her tone a bit miffed. “I just had a few drinks and it made me sleepy…”
“Does alcohol make you talk in your sleep too, or does that happen all the time?”
She paled, her eyes widening in dismay. “I...talked in my sleep? Oh no. What did I say?”
“I’m afraid that’s going to stay my secret.” I winked at her.
I wasn’t sure why I didn’t tell her what I heard. Maybe it was because she seemed so upset when she mumbled those words about her troubled love life. I instinctively knew that she’d be even more embarrassed if she knew that I’d been privy to something so personal.
She frowned at me, but I just grinned. Then, the plane touched down and it occurred to me that it was the least anxious I’d ever felt during a plane’s descent.
“Thanks for keeping my mind off the landing,” I said as she glanced down and realized she was covered up in a sweatshirt that was probably three sizes too big for her thin frame.
“Is this yours?” she asked, pulling it off and straightening her shirt underneath so that less skin and cleavage was showing.
“Yeah. I, uh...thought you might be cold.”
That sounded better than admitting that I had been jealous of others seeing down her shirt. And I wasn’t sure that I could stop looking myself unless she was covered up. I’d just met this woman and I already had a disturbing lack of self-control when it came to her.
“Oh, well, thanks,” she said softly, appreciatively. “Here you go.”
She handed over the sweatshirt, and our fingers brushed. I felt the heavy weight of my cock in my pants at the simple contact.
Then, it was time to disembark the plane. Tatum avoided eye contact with me, which I assumed was because she was still self-conscious about falling asleep on me and drooling. I didn’t try to keep the conversation going as we stood and made our way off the plane, sure that my amusement would just make her more upset.
Still, as we walked out into the airport, I knew that I couldn’t let her leave without any idea of whether or not I would ever see her again.
“Will you be on the island long?” I asked, as we approached the baggage claim area side-by-side. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
Tatum grabbed her suitcase off the revolving belt and gave me a small, almost regretful smile. “I’m afraid I’ll be too busy for that. But it was nice to meet you, Ben. Enjoy your vacation.”
She turned and walked away while I waited for my own suitcase to drop from the chute. I watched her go, my eyes drawn to the swing of her hips, and wondered just what that meant.
CHAPTER3
Tatum
