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“She's not answering me, but Dean confirmed he dropped her off. He waited until she went through security… so…”
That's something, at least. She didn't ask Dean to drive her home, but she still might be having second thoughts.
The boarding gate is closing, and a last call goes out over the loudspeaker. I don’t care about missing the flight, I’m worried about where she is. She’s not answering my texts or calls, either. Deciding to abandon the flight and concentrate on finding my mate, I head for the exit. I need to lay eyes on her before my wolf gets any more anxious and causes a scene. There are too many scents and too much noise. He hates it.
As I turn the corner, I nearly crash straight into Maya. She looks flustered as she hurries along, dragging her carry-on behind her. Catching her by her arms as she bounces off my chest, I haul her to me in a tight embrace, relieved that she's finally here.
“Are you okay? I was getting worried,”I gasp, running a hand over her hair before pulling back to look at her over, reassuring myself that she’s unhurt. Her back is rigid, and her face is pale, so I step back and give her some space. I can't get a read on her mood. Is she annoyed? Just flustered at being late? Or is it more than that?
“I’m fine. Come on, let’s go.”
Her gaze lands on the unhappy ground crew waiting for us to board so they can close the gate. I grab Maya's hand, and she follows somewhat reluctantly. Ross is ahead of us, making a show of searching for his boarding pass, delaying as much as possible to give us a few more valuable seconds.
With a stern look, the flight attendant lets us pass and promptly closes the door as we hurry toward the plane. Maya glances back when the lock clicks, her steps faltering for a second before she pushes back her shoulders and continues down the tunnel.
The flight is only half full and I’m disappointed to find my seat isn’t beside Maya. It makes sense, but my heart sinks. Kim booked for me and Ross, while Leah secretly arranged the ticket for Maya on my personal credit card. Ross shoves his bag into the overhead compartment next to mine, but when he turns and sees me looking at him with hang-dog eyes, my boarding pass in my hand, he rolls his eyes. I look pointedly at Maya, who is making her way down the opposite aisle, and he sighs, removing his bag and walking up to her to check her seat number.
“Let me sit in your seat Maya, I prefer the aisle.”
She looks at him, then me, knowing full well Ross’ seating preferences have nothing to do with it. She smiles shyly at me before nodding and letting him slip into her seat instead. I take her bag and place it in the overhead locker, liking the look of her wheelie suitcase next to my own, slightly bigger one. It’s official. I’m as whipped as Cooper and Rex.
Maya slides into the window seat and I lower myself into the one beside her. She’s quiet and stiff, looking around at the various exits and the stewards, who are running through their last checks before take-off.
“Not a fan of flying?” I ask, leaning closer to get a comforting lungful of her scent. Instead of calming me, it makes my wolf whine because it’s tinged with anxiety. He doesn’t like it. I’m praying it’s about the flight and not about me.
“I’ve never been on a plane before,” she admits quietly, biting her lip and shifting in her seat uncomfortably. I look at her closer this time, and I notice she’s not just pale, she's grey. Her hands grip the armrests so tightly her knuckles have gone white. Her pupils are wide, and her breathing is quick and shallow. She’s on the verge of a panic attack.
“Shit, baby. I’m so sorry. I should have guessed.”
She’s from a pack that has isolated itself for the last thirty years. How did it never occur to me she might not have been on a plane before? I’m an idiot. I glance at Ross, but he looks completely at ease, unfazed by the entire experience.
“He’s gone with Dean on a couple of trips. He’s probably the worldliest of us all.”
Reaching across her, I pry her hands from the navy leather armrests, now sporting some deep grooves from her nails, and hold them in mine, dipping my head to catch her eye. She blinks rapidly, her eyes darting around wildly. I need to calm her down.
“Do you want to get off the plane?”
I’m sure they won’t be happy, but we still have a small window to disembark if we really need to. Maya shakes her head stubbornly, despite the fear showing on her face. Her normally sweet scent is sour, and my heart goes out to her. I need to find a way to get her out of her head.
“Okay, then look at me, baby.”
Rubbing my thumbs back and forth across the palms of her hands, I take exaggerated breaths and nod at her, encouraging her to mimic my slow, controlled breathing. She nods along with me, pursing her lips as she inhales and exhales in time with me, never breaking eye contact. As she calms down and her hands stop trembling, I realise how intimate this is. It feels like we’re the only people on this flight.
The plane jolts as we taxi down the runway, and she pivots in her seat, looking away from me to watch the landscape outside whizzing by. As we pick up speed, her heartbeat keeps pace, pounding hard, and I can see her pulse fluttering under the delicate skin of her neck.
“Nathan, Nathan…,” she chants anxiously, her voice high and squeaky. She’s staring at me once more and shaking her head quickly from side to side. When the plane lifts into the air, I can feel her terror rising, through the tenuous bond we share, as if it's my own.
“Stay with me. Eyes on me,” I say slowly, catching her face between my hands and holding her steady. I resume my deep breaths and once again, she copies me, her gaze fixed on my lips.
The whine and clunk of the wheels retracting makes her jump, so I swipe a thumb across her lower lip to disrupt her spiraling thoughts and bring her attention back to me. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and brushes my thumb ever so lightly. I can’t help my reaction to her. My cock hardens and I groan, biting my lip as my eyes fall to her mouth.
“Kiss me.” The words fall from her lips and at first, I think I’ve misheard her. “Kiss me, Nathan. Please. Distract me.”
Maya’s plea pulls at my heartstrings and who am I to deny her? I hate that she’s scared, but if she wants me to keep her mind busy, I’ll happily oblige. Slowly, ever so slowly, I close the gap until there’s only an inch between us, and our breaths mingle.
“Like this?” I whisper, and Maya sucks in a breath, as though my voice startled her from her trance. I know the feeling. She has me under her spell. She nods enthusiastically, colour returning to her cheeks and a smile tugging at her lips as she leans forward until our lips are touching, just barely. I push forward, kissing her far more passionately than I intended, my fingers holding her chin in place as her taste drives me wild.
Her tongue tangles with mine and I moan, her eagerness threatening to push me over the edge. I shift my body to block her from view if anyone was to pass by as I place one hand on her knee, stroking carefully higher up her thigh and back down. My other hand goes to her seatbelt, which I flick open, shoving the armrest up and out of my way.
