Mile High (Up in the Air #2)(82)

I nodded, smiling and looking up into his eyes. I let him see all of my happiness but none of my troubles. It was what he deserved.

Javier cleared his throat. “Um, so, did you mean just for Stephan, or…”

I gave him a friendly smile. “I meant for the two of you to come, if you want to. James has an obscene amount of room, considering that it’s in Manhattan.”

Stephan cleared his throat, shooting Javier a positively wicked glance. I could have sworn Javier blushed just a tad even through his lovely pale mocha skin. “Javier and I only need one room regardless.”

I blinked. That was moving incredibly fast, for Stephan. I took it as a good sign. He seemed to be more comfortable by the minute about being in an open relationship with a man.

“I had one more thing I wanted to talk to both of you about. I’ve decided to stop working so much overtime and just stick with my regular shifts, for the most part. I hope you don’t mind losing your overtime partner.”

Stephan didn’t look in the least perturbed. “About damn time, Bee. I figured you would be catching on to that soon enough. I already asked Javier if he wanted to be my new overtime buddy. He’s doing some trades to share our days off, so it should work out perfectly.” As Stephan spoke he stroked a hand over Javier’s jet black hair.

Javier closed his eyes, as though savoring the light touch. I didn’t know if it was just the only thing I knew with my limited experience with relationships, but it looked to me like Javier was clearly Stephan’s submissive. The way he closed his eyes, his hands in his pockets to keep from touching back, just reminded me so much of an act of submission. Stephan’s hand moved down to rub at a spot on Javier’s thin, straight shoulders. Javier let out a pleased little moan. I thought they were beautiful together.

“The crew bus is here. Let’s load up,” Stephan said, releasing Javier.

We filed out, handing our luggage to the driver, who loaded it into the baggage compartments mounted along the bottom of the mini-shuttle. “Five more coming,” Stephan told the driver, climbing inside. Stephan and Javier took the backseat, and I sat on the row just in front of them. “Bianca, be our lookout,” Stephan said rather cryptically. I turned to look at them. I was as shocked as I’d ever been by what I saw.

Stephan had a flushed Javier pinned down on the bench seat beneath them. He was straddling the smaller man and giving him a very intense, very heated look. He held the other man’s wrists pinned tautly above his head. As I watched he bent down and kissed him. It was not a casual kiss but a rough one, and I knew dominance when I saw it. My shocked gaze flew out the window as I suddenly realized that I was the lookout, and that I actually needed to do the job considering the things going on in the backseat.

I heard Stephan murmuring something to Javier, and I could hear that whatever it was was muffled against some part of the other man’s skin. “Bianca, do you suppose you could manage ten minutes without me on the flight?” Stephan addressed me. “I know it’s going to be hectic, but I would really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” I answered without hesitation.

“See. I told you she would. Three hours, tops, and I’ll take you again. I’m not that much of a tease,” Stephan said in a low voice to Javier. It made me blush down to my toes, but I stayed alertly watching out the window.

“You are a tease,” Javier muttered, sounding sullen. “Three hours is forever.”

I spotted the pilots in the lobby. “Pilots incoming,” I said, sounding a little panicked even to my own ears.

Stephan sat up, releasing Javier. I glanced back at Stephan. He grinned at me shamelessly. I couldn’t help it. I grinned back. Javier looked more perturbed but still happy. His blush was like a happy glow around him. His words hadn’t shown me that, but his face did. He gave me a shy smile. “Sorry,” he muttered to me.

I smiled back. “Don’t be sorry. I’ve never seen Stephan like this. I think you guys are beautiful together.”

That made him truly glow. Javier had it bad. It took one to know one, and I knew that lovesick look because a certain Mr. Beautiful had the same effect on me. I was relieved to see it. I wanted Javier to feel that kind of love for Stephan. He wouldn’t want to hurt someone he loved that much.

“Quit making him blush, Bianca. That’s my job,” Stephan said, ruffling Javier’s hair affectionately.

Sure enough, Javier blushed harder.

I turned around, shaking my head with a strange smile on my face. I had never seen this side of Stephan, didn’t know he had it in him.

The Saturday morning flight into Vegas was hectic, as it always was. Stephan took his ten minutes with the meeting with Javier in the bathroom that I had expected. Both men emerged looking flushed and happy. We all grinned at each other like fools before Stephan and I got back to work and Javier returned to his seat.

Stephan and I clutched hands as we landed, grinning at each other. We didn’t say much, just enjoying the moment.

I texted James as we taxied in.

Bianca: Just landed in Vegas. How r u?

James: Fine. Keeping busy with work, but still missing you like crazy.

I hesitated, then just said to hell with it.

Bianca: I miss you too.

James: Call me when you get to your house.

I put my phone away after that, since I’d be contacting him again soon enough.