Reluctantly Yours(83)
On the drive, Chloe lays her head on my shoulder, and I wrap my arm around her. She’s been working as hard as I have, putting in extra hours for the assistant editor position she’s filling in for along with being my mother’s assistant. I know she’s working hard to prove herself in her job and the publishing industry itself, and I hate that I had once threatened to take it all away.
When we arrive on the tarmac, I gently wake Chloe.
Marcus unloads our bags and we ascend the stairs to the plane. Inside the cabin, I introduce Chloe to Libby, the flight attendant, and the pilots, Kip and Cory. They’re all part of my usual crew.
Libby pours me a scotch and offers Chloe a drink before letting us know we’ll be taking off in ten minutes.
I walk Chloe to the back of the plane.
“This is insane!” Chloe squeals with delight. “I can’t believe you have your own plane.”
“Actually, the plane’s not mine. It’s chartered. It’s not fiscally responsible to own a plane. Maintenance costs are brutal.”
She laughs. “Says the man with billions of dollars.”
“And I don’t fly much,” I add.
“Oh God, that’s right. You don’t like to fly.”
“I’ll be fine.” I take a long pull of my scotch, letting it smooth out the edginess I feel. With Chloe here, it’s different. Her excitement and enthusiasm calm my nerves.
“What’s back there?” she asks, pointing to a closed door.
“The bedroom.”
“This plane has a bedroom?” Her mouth gapes open.
“How else am I going to fuck you at ten thousand feet?”
“Oh my God. We cannot. People will know.” She looks around.
“Libby? The one other person in the cabin?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll need to work on being quiet.”
“Maybe you need to work on not making me scream.” She lifts her eyebrows in a haughty expression.
I shake my head.
“You should take the window,” I suggest, dropping into the aisle seat. I close my eyes and exhale a deep breath.
Chloe reaches for my hand. “Is there anything I can do? To distract you?”
I turn toward her and open my eyes.
“You being beside me is the best distraction.”
The engines roar as we pick up speed down the runway. Chloe pushes the window shut and squeezes my hand.
“We didn’t fly as a family. Too expensive for seven people. We took road trips instead.”
She starts telling me about the time her family went on a road trip to South Dakota. The music her parents made them listen to and how packed it was with seven people and how you could barely move. How her youngest sister got left at a rest stop and how the van smelled like farts and fast food.
“So, the next time you’re flying around in your private chartered plane, remember you could be stuck in a smelly van.”
I chuckle at that. A minute later we’re airborne, my anxiety about this flight eased by Chloe’s entertaining story. She finishes her story while I finish my scotch. Then, somewhere over the Atlantic, we make good use of the plane’s bedroom.
CHAPTER 26
Chloe
We’re in Paris.
The city of lights. And love.
That’s where Barrett has taken me. On a date. This man is unreal.
I barely slept on the plane, Barrett’s roaming hands and mouth keeping me up half the flight, but it doesn’t matter. After a shot of espresso and a flaky croissant that tasted of butter and sin, I’ve got the energy level of a five-year-old at Disney.
The hotel is extravagant. Marble floors, gold-plated ceilings, French blue walls with intricate gold-painted details, and crystal chandeliers. That’s just the lobby.
We’re staying in the penthouse. The first thing my eyes connect with when the door opens is the Eiffel Tower right outside the window. French doors open to a balconet, I can’t help but step out to get a better look.
“Barrett! You have to see this.”
I turn to find him in the middle of the room, his hands shoved into his pockets, watching me with a smile on his face.
“The view is good from here.”
“Right.” I nod in understanding. Looking out at the famous landmark, I wonder what Barrett has planned. Will we sightsee? Check out museums? Eat delicious French food until we’re stuffed? I’ve already determined I could sustain myself on croissants if necessary.
“What’s the plan?” I move to wrap my arms around his waist, my temple resting at the center of his chest. I’m in Paris, with Barrett. It’s surreal, yet it feels natural. As if I could be anywhere right now, it would be here. And if I could have anyone by my side, it would be him. I wouldn’t have said that a month ago. I can’t believe how quickly my feelings about him have changed. “Louvre? Musée d’Orsay? Walk along the Seine?”
“I thought we’d take a tour of this bed here.”
I turn my head to look up at him. “You brought me to Paris to have sex?”
“Among other things.” He grins down at me. His fingers slide into my hair and he kisses me sweetly.
The kiss turns burning hot in seconds and I’m considering forgetting all about the enchanting city out the window in favor of spending all day in bed with Barrett, but he pulls away and gives my ass a sharp smack.