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I slowly open my eyes once we hit peak altitude, and the motions of the plane switch from turbulent to smooth.
“Thank you,” I mutter, removing my hand from under his.
Twisting back to the window, I’m floored by how small the world looks as it drifts beneath us. Tiny trees are sprinkled across mountains far and wide, as beautiful as an oil painting. Land, lakes, and hills stretch for miles, but it all pales in comparison to literally flying inside a cloud.
“Wow,” I whisper.
Rowan chuckles softly, grinning around the edge of his glass. “I had a feeling you’d like it, but I didn’t know how much I’d enjoy your reaction.”
I blush furiously, even though I’m still cross with him.
I’m overwhelmed by fear, uncertainty, and frustration, but then… There’s something freeing about the idea of being me for once. Not the Molly who hides her face, can’t garden to save her life, and hasn’t ever adventured outside of her small town.
And maybe I don’t forgive him just yet, but Rowan’s giving me something I never thought I could experience—a chance to exist as the unfiltered, raw version of myself—and part of me, no matter how minuscule, is grateful for it.
He pulls out his laptop and, an hour later, between the vibrations beneath our feet, the clouds billowing by outside, and the gentle taps from his keyboard, I’m lulled into a soft, blissful sleep.
Rowan’s smooth voice tickles my temple. “Time to wake up, kitten.”
I groan. I’m so warm, and the sheet I’m rubbing my face into smells delicious. Kind of like… My eyes pop open to find my arm slung around Rowan’s middle and my head resting in the hollow curve of his shoulder. There’s even a tiny circle of drool right above his pec.
I scramble to sitting and wipe the corner of my mouth, not caring for the dimple tugging his cheek. At some point he must have raised the armrest between us, letting me use him as a human pillow.
“How much longer do we have?” I ask sleepily.
He stands and crosses the cabin to where two garment bags are hanging above the cushioned bench. After unzipping the one with his tux, he says, “About forty-five minutes.”
I scrunch my face when he starts to undress. “Don’t you have somewhere private you can do that?”
“I’m not the modest type.” He pauses unbuttoning his shirt to arch a brow over his shoulder. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you aren’t, either.”
A sweeping rush of heat warms my chest and neck as he rolls his shoulders, slipping his shirt down his back and off his muscled arms.
I bite the inside of my lip, squirming in my seat.
His belt is next, and I can’t take my eyes off him or that knowing grin of his. Rowan’s putting on a show for me, and shamelessly enjoying it.
Stubborn as ever, I remain seated while he takes his sweet time. But once he’s finished getting dressed, my body’s alive with awareness, practically electrified.
“You never told me where we’re going,” I say once he’s finally dressed.
Unzipping the bag beside his, he reveals a pale fuchsia silk gown and a pair of silver satin high heels from the bottom. “I’ve been summoned to a commemoration of sorts.”
Rowan turns to me expectantly, and when he crooks a beckoning finger at me, my heart rate spikes.
I contemplate denying him, but he’s got me on a plane, headed miles away from everything and everyone I know. I’m completely at his mercy, and yet, beneath the tension of our fight earlier, I know in my gut that this man would never intentionally harm me.
Will he push me? Yes. If I know him like I think I do, he’s going to do that a lot. But I’m going to push him, too, and in the end, I believe both of us will be better for it.
I unbuckle my seatbelt and carefully step across the cabin floor. He appraises me openly, the way a man admires a woman he cares about—possibly even adores, if I knew what that kind of affection felt like.
I eye him curiously after taking off my shoes. “You don’t sound very happy about it.”
His fingertips graze my belly as he removes my shirt, and I swallow the knot in my throat when he hooks his thumbs in the sides of my leggings and gradually lowers them. “That’s because I’m not. Everett accepted the invite on my behalf.”
“What’s it for?” I hardly recognize my voice, breathless and tight, as he lingers, crouched at my feet. “What if… What if I embarrass you?”
“You could never embarrass me. And you’ll be as brilliant as you always are simply being you.” I’m given a kiss to my inner right thigh, then the left as I step out of my pants.
