Grounded (Up in the Air #3)(87)

James maneuvered himself closer to the crowd, though there was a barricade that separated them. He threw an arm around my shoulders, his opposite hand moving to the diamond hoop attached to my choker.

We had made it maybe six steps when there was a collective gasp from the crowd, and I turned just in time to see Blake jump a few inches into the air and catch a large plastic cup in her hand mid-air. The lid of the thing flew off, and dark soda and ice went flying in every direction, but it was still an impressive catch. It had been aimed at either James, myself, or both, but not even a drop of it reached us. Blake was drenched. She looked unperturbed about her own wet shirt and face. She threw the cup on the ground and scanned the crowd, a very hostile look on her face.

It was as though the drink throwing had opened a floodgate. People began to shout lewd comments in our direction. I couldn’t make them all out, but the loudest comments seemed to be coming from women, and aimed at James.

“You are so f**king hot!” a woman shrieked.

“With a dick that huge, you can spank me anytime!” another one shouted.

It was all so silly that a giggle escaped me as Clark ushered us into the limo. Blake followed us in.

“Good catch, Blake,” James said. “I’m giving you a raise for not letting a drop of that reach Bianca.”

She nodded solemnly. “Just doing my job, sir.”

Her response sobered me up a little, because I began to think about just what her job was. If it had been a bullet instead of a drink, she probably would have done the same thing. I hated that. I didn’t want to get hurt, but the thought of someone being harmed in my place seemed even worse to me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Mr. Matchmaker

I barely took a breath after my last flight before it was time for our trip to Japan. I was more excited than I’d ever been about a trip as we got ready. I’d traveled a lot for work, but always for short trips with short layovers, more work than play, and something as frivolous as two solid weeks of being a tourist was such a treat. James would have to work a little, he’d told me, since we were visiting his Tokyo property, but even he would be off work for the majority of the trip.

I knew it was a very long flight—we could be on the plane for up to fourteen hours, and that those hours would feel like days, but my mind was already in Tokyo as we boarded the jet.

James was doing his usual control freak buckling me in thing when he informed me of a minor detour. “We’re going to go have lunch in Maui first,” he said, his tone idle.

My brow furrowed. It seemed a little out of the way… “Maui?” I asked him.

He shrugged and gave me his most charming smile. “I want you to guess why.”

There was only one thing that made me think of Maui. “Something to do with Lana?” I guessed.

He shrugged again. “I can’t help myself. It’s the first time she’s opened up about it. I set up a lunch with this Akira guy. I know I’m meddling, but somebody needs to do it.”

I studied him, and felt myself fall a little deeper. He had such a romantic soul. Just knowing him had made me more romantic. It was a contagious state of mind. “What do you plan to say to him?”

He kissed the tip of my nose as the plane began to move. “Not much. First, I just wanted to take his measure, to see if he was worthy of someone as stalwart as Lana. And if he is, I’m only going to tell him that he needs to man up. A man in love has to make the first move. It’s the least he can do.”

I smiled at him. I could feel how soft that smile was. “So you’re the matchmaking type?” It reminded me so much of Stephan. “Are you going to be setting up all of our friends?”

He returned my soft smile in spades. “Love is like that. It’s like a wildfire in my blood, and now that I know what it feels like, it’s made me generous. I feel like the world should get the privilege. And if I can help someone I care about find it, then certainly I’ll try.”

“That’s so sweet,” I told him sincerely.

He smiled into my eyes, and his smile wasn’t sweet at all. “You won’t think I’m sweet in about ten minutes, when I tie you to my bed and f**k the sense out of you.”

I felt parts low in my body clench. “You’re in such a romantic mood. Aren’t you going to call it making love today?”

“How about we call it lovingly f**king your brains out?”

I laughed. That did sound more apt, I thought.

James wore me out for hours before he let up enough for me to catch a little nap. The man redefined the word insatiable. It felt like I’d barely caught a moment’s sleep when he was waking me up again.

We stopped by the Middleton Resort to freshen up before our lunch with Akira. James changed into his version of vacation casual, which consisted of a soft white V-neck that set off both his muscles and his golden skin to perfection. He wore low-slung, pale-gray cargo shorts, and loafers with no socks. I studied his ankles with singular fascination.

“If anyone had told me that ankles could be sexy before I met you, I would have said they’d lost it.”

He grinned. “I’ve always thought yours were sexy. The first milestone on my way up from the ground and up to paradise, Love.”

I laughed. Of course he took it there.

I changed into a silky pink tank and dark gray shorts that were borderline too skimpy. I wore white flip-flops entirely for comfort.