Chapter 9
Acer drove Dane and Shana to the airport at five minutes to midnight. Dane swigged down a shot of Patron on the house and when he slammed his empty glass on the bar, he put an arm around Shana and dragged her out the door.
On the plane, Shana let herself sink into the custom leather seat with relief, weariness and an exhausted thrill running slow and tingly underneath it all.
“I’m damned tired, Lover boy.” She added a smile by way of apology.
They were getting married. Not today, but soon, and the notion tickled her to no end.
Every time she tried on the concept of Mrs. Dane Blaise a bubble of euphoria clogged her chest until she thought her heart would stop from overexcitement.
He sat opposite her, staring at her as if she were a rare painting in a museum.
He did that now and then and it always made her feel adored and thrilled and just a little uncomfortable.
A secret worry that she might not measure up.
Not today, but sometime in the future, when she was older and they’d spent too much time together.
“You and me forever.” She let her thought out into the air. She shivered.
He saw it.
He smiled.
*****
Forever. Today the notion soothed his singed soul.
He felt good in the warmth of Shana’s love and affection.
Sure. Like forever meant something. Meant the same thing to her as it did to him.
The sting of fear he’d felt in the past at forever had faded.
Not disappeared completely, but it had been buried deep under layers of good, warmth, joy and laughs and lovemaking with Shana.
“Before you fall asleep, how about we have a champagne toast.”
She raised a brow and gave him a half sleepy smile.
“After all, Acer went to all the trouble to set us up.”
She laughed.
They had a champagne toast even though it wasn’t Dane’s style—it must have been Acer’s idea to include the chocolates and rose petals. He didn’t say that, but Shana figured it out.
They laughed.
Although the plane was barely underway, he unbuckled his seat belt and moved to the seat next to her. That was one of the advantages of flying on a private jet.
“Before you go to sleep, Sugarpants, tell me what’s on your mind.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. He knew her inside and out. Everything about her. Could hear her thinking, but not what was in her head. He reveled at the sparkle of her sleepy green eyes, capable of so much.
She didn’t answer him. Instead she caressed his face, running her palm across the stubble of his jawline. Bliss had been an empty word, meaningless to him before now. He’d always assumed this kind of bliss was fabricated by poets, songwriters, and sappy romance novelists. Until that moment.
When he thought she would simply fall asleep, keeping her thoughts to herself for another day, Shana looked up at him, her eyes intense and awake.
And she said the one thing that could make Dane go weak like Superman exposed to kryptonite.
The one thing that could bring his blissful state to a screeching halt.