Chapter Twenty-Three
EMERY
Mason pulls his car to a stop, but I don’t hear what he says with my face pressed to the window, staring at the plane not too far from us. “Are we going on that?” I ask, spinning to face Sebastian who’s sitting next to me in the back seat.
“Is that a problem?” He raises a brow at me.
“No.” I grin back at him.
When Sebastian suggested that we go away for the weekend last night, I don’t think I actually believed it would happen. That is until Lauren showed up at the house today on her ‘lunch break’ to help me pack. Even after that, I never thought we would be going somewhere that involved aplane.I’ve never been on a plane before.
Mason unloads our small suitcases from the back of the car, but Sebastian grabs mine before I can reach for it. However, I’m a little bit thankful because, despite its size, it actually weighs a bit. From the look Sebastian gives me, it doesn’t go unnoticed. While Lauren came over tohelpme pack, I would be lying if I said I contributed a lot.
“Have fun, you two,” Mason says, waving as we make our way to the small plane.
In hindsight, I probably should have put two and two together when Mason offered to drive us so Sebastian didn’t have to leave his car, but I was too excited to think of anything other than the prospect of spending a whole uninterrupted weekend with Sebastian. However, I feel guilty that we couldn’t bring Shadow with us.
Mason’s going to stay in one of the guest rooms at the house while we’re away. That way, nobody has to drive down there multiple times a day, and Shadow can stay at home, where he has plenty of space to run around.
I wave to Mason before turning around to find a man standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Good evening, Mr. Reed,” he says, extending his hand. Sebastian clasps his hand in a shake as I note the winged badge on his white uniform. “We’re scheduled to depart in ten minutes. The flight path is clear with little chance of turbulence, and we should have you to your destination in approximately two hours and thirty minutes. As usual, if you have any issues, please do not hesitate to alert the staff, and we’ll assist in any way we can.”
“Thank you,” Sebastian says. A moment later, someone comes for our bags, and we’re led onto the plane. The seats are much bigger than I’ve seen on television, not to mention luxurious.
“Aren’t we meant to go through an airport or something?” I whisper to Sebastian as we sit in one of the few seats available.
Sebastian chuckles at my question. “Usually, yes, but not when you’re flying privately.”
Privately, like he rented a plane or…“Is thisyourplane?” I ask, my mouth dropping open. Before he can answer, a lady approaches us.
“Champagne?” she asks with a tray balanced in her hand. Two glasses filled with bubbly wine are placed in the centre.
We each take a glass with thanks, and the lady disappears from sight again. This is definitely not anything like I’ve seen of planes on television with squishy seats and crying babies. Clearly, I’ve been watching the wrong shows.
A deep whirring sound rumbles through the cabin, and a slice of fear rushes through me as the plane starts to move. Sebastian reaches over and does up my seat belt, ensuring it’s secure.Oh God, I forgot to put on my seat belt.Suddenly, the notion that I haven’t been on a plane before is more terrifying than exciting.
“Are you okay?” Sebastian asks, his brows creasing.
“I…”
“I’ve got you,” he says, clasping my hand in his. I don’t waste any time squeezing his hand as his words slither their way inside me. Even though he’s talking about the plane taking off, I can’t help but hope he never lets me go.
Even though it’s dark by the time we land at our destination, I stare out the window as we’re driven to where we’re staying. Tropical trees line the streets as the water glistens in the distance. Sebastian sits beside me on the small shuttle, his hand resting on my thigh just above my knee. One of the bonuses of ourprivate flightis that no one else arrived at the same time as us, so we don’t have to share our transfer shuttle with anyone.
After take-off, my unexpected fear of flying fizzled away. Even the take-off wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, although the flight gotmuchbetter when Sebastian showed me what it meant to join the mile-high club.
My core aches as I shift in my seat, still able to feel him inside me. Sebastian squeezes my thigh in response.Does he know what I’m thinking?
As we pull to a stop, I turn to Sebastian with a smile. “Are we here?”
“Looks like it,” he says, smiling back at me. Then, without warning, I press my lips to his. “What was that for?” he asks, chuckling when I pull back.
“Nothing. Everything.” I don’t know if my words make sense, but it’s the only thing I can think to describe it.
Sebastian studies me for a moment before pressing a quick kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Let’s go.”
By the time we get off the shuttle, our bags are already waiting at the door of the house. Our fingers intertwine as Sebastian leads us to the place where we’ll be spending the weekend.
“Oh my God!” I say as we walk into the main living area. The house is beautiful, but that’s not what has my attention. Letting go of Sebastian’s hand, I move towards the full wall of windows leading to a small deck. A pool runs the length of the deck—the edge looking like it drops off into nothing—the water glistening with a tinge of blue against the lights lining the inside of the pool.