House of Leights (Secret Keepers, #3)(68)

Chase, noticing my white knuckles, held his hand out to me, palm up. We were just taxiing down the runway, and I wasn’t sure I could loosen my grip yet, but the thought of touching him was enough for me to try.

“Not a fan of planes?” he joked as I grabbed onto him with a death grip. “Want me to sell the family business?”

That part didn’t sound like he was joking at all. “What?” I forgot for a moment what was happening, swinging my head toward him. “Definitely not. Your family is doing a good thing trying to provide aircraft that don’t horribly pollute the air. Do they crash less as well? Because that would be doubly awesome.”

It looked like he was trying not to laugh at me. “Planes rarely crash. You’re safe. And even if, by some extremely rare occurrence, we have trouble with this one, then I will save you. We’re hard to kill, and I have more than a few skills to keep us alive.”

That did make me feel a little better. But my reflex reactions were still there, so the moment the plane surged forward I had to close my eyes and think happy thoughts. Usually if I was flying with my parents, I’d be dosed up on the Xanax my doctor prescribed me before vacations. Right now, though, I only had Chase.

Surprisingly enough, he worked almost as well, because by the time the seatbelts sign disappeared, I was barely even thinking about the fact that we were thousands of feet in the air. As everyone started to move around, Xander came by our seats. “It’s about six hours to Hawaii with the headwind, so I suggest everyone gets some sleep while you can.”

“Sounds good,” Daniel told him.

Xander didn’t sound angry anymore, just normal. He looked tired, though; fatigue lined his blue eyes. “Couples can take the bedrooms,” he added, just before he left. “The rest of us will use the lounger beds.”

He walked off and I had a moment of panic. This thing with Chase, I wanted it, badly. But I wasn’t sure I was ready for us to share a bed yet. We were only just getting to know each other … and, I’d never done that with anyone before. Except Brad, and he totally didn’t count.

“You need rest.” Chase was watching me closely. “I’ll stay out here if it makes you feel more comfortable. But you should definitely grab one of the beds.”

I shook my head. I was an idiot. We were only sleeping, nothing else. Chase would never push me, and possibly it would be me making the first move, because he was a total gentleman. I didn’t have anything to worry about except my own stupid nerves.

I grabbed his hand. “Come on, we both need the sleep. It’s been a long day.”

He didn’t argue, he just squeezed my hand and followed me through the plane. The first door was closed, so we went into the second. The room was small, fitting a king-sized bed and a single side table. There was a television on the wall, but neither of us turned it on. “I really need a shower,” I said, staring down at the pristine white sheets.

Chase reached out and pulled the thick blanket back. “You can shower, but I don’t think we have anything to change into. All of our bags were left at the car.” When I hesitated again, he added, “Don’t worry about making the sheets dirty, they’ll change all of the bedding as soon as we leave the plane.”

“I might just wash my face and hands,” I decided.

Chase nodded, and I quietly left. I went to the closest bathroom, but it was occupied, so I walked on to the next one. There was a shower inside the small stall, but I ignored it. After I used the toilet, I quickly washed my hands and face. The soft white towel came away streaked with dirt and blood, and I ended up stripping half my clothes off in an attempt to get all the blood off me. My eyes lingered on the two-inch cut on my shoulder, surprised by how healed it already looked. It was half scabbed over. Insane.

Once I was eighty percent clean, I made my way back to the bedroom to find it empty. Chase must have gone to use the bathroom, too, which gave me a second to shuck off my shoes, jeans, sweater – despite Chase’s assurances, they were way too gross to sleep in – and crawl in under the sheets. My eyes grew heavy almost instantly, and while I registered the door opening and closing again, I didn’t move. As his warm weight settled in behind me, I instinctively turned toward him and he wrapped me up in his arms. Once my head was on his bare chest, everything inside of me calmed … and grew excited at the same time.

“This is surreal,” I whispered, my body molded to his. “I feel like I’ve known you my entire life.”

Chase’s lips brushed across my forehead and I just breathed him in, that mint and pine scent that was already so familiar. “I was there when you were born,” he told me. “It was a special, sacred moment. We waited on the other side of the trees that held the legreto. When your mother was able, she wrapped you up and brought you over for us all to see.”

I let the silence cloak us while I thought on what he’d said. “My entire life, I’ve felt out of place,” I admitted. “Fitting in wasn’t the problem. I was popular, a cheerleader, but always seeking more. Now … that feeling is gone. It’s clear to me that I was searching for you.”

He tilted my head up and our lips met. Lying side by side, the difference in our heights didn’t matter, and I had easy access to his mouth. My leg went up over his body because I needed to be closer to him. Everything inside of me was thrumming, and it was really difficult to remember that not only was I a virgin, I was on a plane filled with Daelighters who no doubt would have fantastic hearing.