Chapter Thirty-one
Brynn
After dinner, we all do a little studying.
I let Toast out of her travel bag and play with her for a little bit, then I feed her and let her curl up in her bed for a while. Killian bought her a new toy, and he brought her food and water like a practiced cat dad.
Since there’s a major time difference between Boston and Paris and we don’t have time to be jetlagged, Dare advises us to get some sleep before he takes Aubrey and disappears with her inside the bedroom.
It’s an actual bedroom, with a closed door and everything.
“This jet has a bedroom?” I whisper to Killian.
He smirks. “It does.”
“That’s crazy.”
“We don’t have a dedicated bedroom, but the flight attendant can set up the couches when we’re ready. It’s like a big sofa bed, they unfold and stretch across the cabin. It ends up being essentially a second king-sized bed.”
“Rich people are wild.”
I decide he’s probably right, though. I’m too wired about the trip to feel tired, but since it will be morning in Paris when we land, we probably should try to get some sleep on the plane.
And when I see the impeccable, white king-sized bed set up in the middle of the cabin where our couches once were, I think that shouldn’t be a problem.
“How does an airplane bed made up of couches have the audacity to be this comfortable?” I ask Killian as we settle in.
He slides his hand along the back of my bare thigh, causing tension to gather instantaneously between my thighs. “I don’t know,” he murmurs, kissing the ball of my shoulder. “It’s Dare’s jet, so I would expect it to have a lot of audacity.”
I crack a smile and look back at him. “What are you doing?”
His hand sneaks between my thighs, and I feel my whole body get heavier.
“Stop that,” I say, reaching down to push his hands away. “We are not having sex on this plane.”
“Why not? It’s inarguably more comfortable than most opportunities to have sex on a plane.”
My eyes widen. “They are right on the other side of that wall. I will die of mortification if they hear us having sex.”
He glances that way, then puts his hand right back where it was. “The wall seems okay to me. We haven’t heard them having sex.”
“That’s because they’re probably decent enough not to do it when they know we could hear them.”
He leans in to kiss my neck. “I highly doubt that.”
“You’ve had sex with me before,” I remind him. “You know I can’t be quiet.”
He smirks. “I love that you can’t be quiet, but are you telling me you’re not up for a challenge?”
“Killian,” I say on a sigh as he tugs my dress down, freeing my tits.
It’s hard to keep saying no when they want his attention this badly.
“I’ll take you quick and hard, bury that pretty mouth in the pillows.”
Oh lord.
“I’ll make sure they don’t hear us. Make sure you can’t get too noisy.”
Making good on his promise, he slides his hand over my mouth and shifts his body, rolling me onto my stomach so he can climb on top of me. I moan against his palm when my bare breasts brush the soft bedding. We didn’t undress before bed, but I’m not wearing a bra and the dress is short and strapless. I’m not naked, but I may as well be.
Killian unzips his pants and I try to buck him off me, but he doesn’t budge.
“Nice try,” he murmurs, lightly trailing a hand up the underside of my arm and making goosebumps erupt across my skin. “Not good enough, though. If you want me off you, you’ll have to buck harder than that.”
I can already feel my heart starting to race, but just as he slides his hand down the front of my panties, the bedroom door opens.
I gasp against his palm, horrified, and Aubrey freezes on her way to the bathroom.
“I’m so sorry,” she says quickly, absently pulling the belt on her short satin robe tighter. “I needed to pee, but I’ll be so fast.”
We watch her disappear into the tiny bathroom between the rooms, and I yank Killian’s hand from my mouth so I can look back at him. “I hope you’re happy now. I will never be able to look her in the eye again.”
“Relax,” he says, easing off me. “She didn’t see anything, and I’m sure she was in the same position five minutes ago.”
I shake my head, pulling my dress back up over my breasts. “Absolutely not happening. Toast, come here, baby.”
“Oh, that’s low.”
I make kissy noises to further insist on attracting her attention.
Toast was curled up happily in her cat bed, but she perks up at the sound of my voice. She yawns, then makes her way over to the bed.
“There’s my pretty girl,” I say warmly, reaching my arms out for her. “You want to sleep with me tonight?”
She curls up beside me on the bed, and I stroke her back, looking happily over my shoulder at Killian.
He is not amused as he eyes up the furry little competitor for my attention. “Fine, but she’d better not get used to it,” he mutters.
“This is already the best date ever,” I inform him.
“This is a good way to convince me not to bring the third wheel next time,” he shoots back.
“How dare you,” I say, hugging her close and shooting him a look. “She’s not a third wheel, she’s part of the family. Besides, we already had two extra wheels, and they’re the main reason I won’t sleep with you.”
“Next time kick Dare off his own jet. Got it.”
___
We sleep through most of the rest of the flight.
I start waking up when I hear Dare and Aubrey coming and going from the bathroom, and it occurs to me they may want access to the main cabin again, so I wake Killian up, too.
We take turns in the bathroom, taking quick showers and brushing our teeth. Dare asks if we want breakfast before we land, but Killian says we can get food once we’re in Paris.
Once we’re in Paris.
That is insane. Even though we’re on the plane, it doesn’t feel real to me yet.
The flight attendant tells us it’s time to buckle up and prepare for landing, so we pack Toast back in her travel pack and gather all our things, then we sit in the regular airplane seats. Unlike commercial planes, though, these have leg room for days and are super comfy.
I watch out the window as we near the airport, and a burst of excitement hits when we land.
It doesn’t feel like we’re in Paris when the door opens and we disembark, or even when we go to the special private area to go through customs.
It starts to feel more like it when we emerge, though.
The air is nippy and it’s a dreary day, but I put on the tights Aubrey let me borrow, and Killian did pack one of my sweaters, so at least I have that.
A car arrives shortly to pick all of us up.
Dare and Aubrey climb in first, and Killian holds me back. “Dare wanted to stay at a different hotel, so we’ll drop them off first, then we’ll take our stuff to ours. We’ll grab breakfast on our own, then we’ll meet back up with them to do some shopping.”
“Can we check in this early?” I ask, since it’s morning and every hotel I’ve ever been to doesn’t let you check in until late afternoon.
“Yeah. I knew we were bringing the cat, so I booked us two days instead of one that way we can get her settled inside before we leave.”
“Thank you for bringing her,” I tell him sincerely. I don’t have anyone to watch her, but I know he could have arranged it if he wanted to, and I know he probably brought her instead because I haven’t seen her in a couple of days.
He leans in to steal a quick kiss. “You’re welcome.”
He loads into the car with Dare and Aubrey, and then we’re off.
It feels like a dream as we make our way into the city and pass sights I’ve only seen on a screen or recreated in paintings and photographs. The buildings are so beautiful, and I can’t believe I’m really here.
We drop Dare and Aubrey off at The Ritz, then start toward our hotel. I’m getting antsy and excited all over again, then the car turns onto an avenue, and…
I gasp, absently clutching Killian’s hand when the Palais Garnier comes into view.
The Paris opera house.
The Phantom’s Paris opera house.
“Oh… my… god.”
The fourteen-year-old Brynn locked away inside me is dying right now.
Killian looks out the window at it, too. “It’s pretty damn impressive.”
“You don’t understand. I was obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera for a good portion of my adolescence. The romance, the drama, the deformed weirdo who would certainly have kidnapped Christine away from a shitty family if she had one and swept her away to his underground lair.” I glance at him just long enough to punctuate my point. “Obsessed.”
Instead of being horrified or in any way surprised, Killian smirks. “I know. I knew you were interested since it was your costume the night we met, but then you ran off and left me to sleep alone, so I had time to kill. I pored over everything I could find about you online. I liked your fifth-grade water cycle project, by the way. Elaborate for an eleven-year-old.”
I stare at him because what he said sounds like a joke, but I did do a water cycle project in fifth grade.
“I read your self-insert Phantom fanfic, too,” he states.
I feel mortification start in my toes and work its way up. “You didn’t.”
He nods solemnly. “And saw the way you spelled fan…”
“And you still like me?”
He laughs, wrapping his arm around my shoulders to pull me in. “Of course I still like you. And, given your particular interest, I thought you’d appreciate this…” He points to a beautiful, classically Parisian building just past the opera house. “That’s the hotel we’re staying at.”
My jaw unhinges, then I grab him and kiss him so hard, it should hurt.
I can’t quite believe it as the car pulls up to the front of the hotel. Killian gets out first so he can grab our bags. I offer to take some, but he tells me just to bring the cat.
The hotel lobby where we check in is absolutely beautiful with stunning interior architecture, and they have music playing that really sets the tone. I spin around, trying to take it all in, but I just… I can’t believe I’m here.
I can’t believe a guy liked me enough to do something like this for me.
And not even something I ever would have asked for. Something he decided would thrill me based on the research he did about me on his own.
Although, while sweet, it worries me a bit about what else he may have seen in my past.
I shake my head, refusing to invite that crap here. No, I am in Paris, dammit, and I will be present for every moment of it.
Once we’re checked in, we head up to the room. Killian opens the door and gestures for me to go in first.
I do, and… wow.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathe, walking inside.
It isn’t huge, but it’s perfect. There’s a big king-sized bed with a massive silver-lined headboard, and there’s a little sitting area with a couch right at the end of the bed for Toast to chill on while we’re not here.
There are clear double doors leading out to the balcony. Since Toast is still in her bag and I don’t have to worry about her escaping, I open them up and step outside.
We have a perfect view of the opera house.
Killian comes up behind me, taking the backpack with Toast in it and hauling her back inside, then he puts her on the couch at the end of the bed and closes the doors so she can’t sneak out and begin her new life as a Parisian kitty.
He comes back up behind me, and this time, he wraps his arms around me. “You like it?”
He shouldn’t have asked because now that he has, I feel a rush of emotion. “This is… I never imagined anyone would ever do something like this for me.” Tears rush to my eyes, much to my annoyance, and I turn in his arms so I can face him. “I don’t even know what to say, Killian. Thank you so much for this.”
He smiles, leaning in to kiss me. “You don’t have to thank me. I wanted to do it. I thought you’d like it.”
“I love it. This whole… this whole gesture is…” I shake my head, unable to find the words.
He doesn’t let me search for them for long. He cradles my face and pulls me in for a longer kiss this time. When he breaks it, he wraps his arms around me for a hug, and I can’t help noticing how perfectly I fit against his chest with my arms around him, too.
I can’t believe we’re embracing on a balcony in Paris. In front of the Palais Garnier, of all places.
There’s no contest. This is the most romantic moment of my life.