Chapter 28
twenty-eight
. . .
Emilia
To say that I’d had the best few days of my life was an understatement. Bridger and I had spent the whole day together yesterday. We’d bundled up and walked along the Champs-élysées, spent a few hours at the Louvre, and enjoyed an amazing private boat tour along the Seine.
I’d been involved in lengthy relationships that never had as many moments or memories as we’d managed to pack into this short trip to Paris.
When we weren’t sightseeing, we’d spent our time in bed, exploring one another’s bodies. I’d had more firsts than I could count.
My first experience with no-strings-attached sex.
My first time having my wrists restrained.
My first orgasm during sex.
My first time having shower sex, as well as sex on a balcony while staring at the Eiffel Tower.
The biggest surprise was when he’d asked me to stay last night and to sleep in his bed, which I did.
And now it was all coming to an end as we sat side by side on a private plane heading home.
Back to reality.
“You’re awfully quiet,” he said as he sipped his cappuccino.
“Did you hear that Cami got divorced?” I said suddenly.
His gaze narrowed. “Who?”
“Cami Rogers. Your high school girlfriend.”
“No. I haven’t spoken to her in years. And after you shared with me how she’d treated you, I don’t have any desire to ever speak to her again.”
“You have blind loyalty to me now?” I pushed my tongue into my cheek.
“Don’t pick a fight with me, angel. It doesn’t suit you. If you have something to say, you should just say it. I don’t do passive-aggressive bullshit.”
“I’m not picking a fight. We always fight.”
“But we don’t fight about Cami fucking Rogers. She’s a woman I haven’t spoken to in more than a decade. Our relationship wasn’t deep. It was teenage sex and ditching school. Nothing more.”
Damn it. I sounded like a jealous asshole, and I had no business feeling this way.
I rubbed my temples. “I’m sorry. That was catty and immature. I have no right to be jealous.”
His gaze narrowed. “Don’t apologize for the way you feel. Just tell me, so I know what’s going on. I’ve never been good at reading minds.”
“I don’t care about Cami.” I glanced out the window as the clouds swirled around. “Thanks for a great trip.”
“Have you ever made the mile-high club?” he asked abruptly.
“Umm… no. Of course not.”
“Why don’t we add one more first to your list?”
“Absolutely not.” I shook my head frantically. “Cecilia would know exactly what we’re doing.”
“She’s napping in the back until it’s time for lunch.” He smirked. “Aren’t you curious what it feels like to come at forty thousand feet above sea level?”
“I’ve never thought about it.” I squeezed my thighs together, glancing over my shoulder to see if he was right about Cecilia being asleep.
He leaned forward, his lips grazing the shell of my ear. “I want to bury myself inside you and feel you come all over my cock in that little bathroom, Emilia.”
“I thought our time was up,” I said, my words coming out embarrassingly breathy.
“Do you want our time to be up? We aren’t in Rosewood River yet.”
I never wanted this to end. I couldn’t say that. He’d freak out. That wasn’t the deal. At the end of the day, I was going to suffer when this ended; what was one more romp in the hay going to do?
“Let’s go,” I whispered.
He had us both out of our seats so fast that I couldn’t help but laugh. We hurried past a sleeping Cecilia and around the corner to the restroom. It was larger than what I’d been on commercial planes, but it was still a tight space.
He closed the door, then pinned me to the wall and kissed me senseless.
He pushed my joggers down, and I kicked them off easily, since I was wearing fuzzy socks and no shoes.
I fumbled with the buckle and zipper on his jeans but finally got them pushed down to his thighs, along with his briefs.
I wrapped my hand around his shaft and pumped a few times.
“Fuck,” he said against my lips. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
I pulled back to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t have a condom on me. I left my wallet out there.”
We both stared at one another for a long beat.
“I’m on the pill. I’ve never had sex without a condom, have you?” I asked, the tip of his dick teasing my entrance.
“I’ve never had sex without wearing a condom, either.” He searched my gaze. “Are you sure about this?”
I nodded. It made no sense that the one person I’d take a risk on would be the man who didn’t want anything serious with me.
There was no future here.
But I wanted this.
I wanted him.
I nodded. “Please. I want you inside me now.”
He lifted me up before turning us completely around and setting me on the small vanity area. He stroked my hair away from my face and stared down at me intensely as he pushed inside me.
“You feel so fucking good, angel,” he grunted as I braced myself with my hands behind me while he thrust into me.
Over and over.
He leaned down and kissed me, my hands moving to his shoulders, gripping hard as he moved faster.
The sensation was too much.
Overwhelming.
I gasped against his mouth as he moved his hand between us, knowing just what I needed. His thumb found my clit, and all it took was a touch, and my vision blurred as I climaxed so hard I couldn’t breathe.
He drove into me one last time and grunted my name against my ear as we both continued grinding against one another, soaking up every last bit of pleasure.
Once our movements had slowed, he pulled back to look at me. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes welled with emotion.
He didn’t look panicked at the way I’d responded to his words; he just continued watching me before he pulled out and grabbed some tissue.
He took his time cleaning me up, and the act was so intimate it overwhelmed me.
He helped me down, and I slipped my undies and my joggers back on as he adjusted himself and buckled his jeans.
He tucked my hair behind my ears. “Are you good?”
“I am,” I whispered. “How about you?”
“Yeah. I’m good, angel.”
And then he unlocked the door and reached for my hand.
We made our way back to our seats, and thankfully, Cecilia was still sleeping in the seat when we walked past her.
We spent the next hour talking about our families, and he told me all sorts of stories about being the oldest brother in the family and all the trouble they’d gotten into as kids. And then his next words surprised me.
“The anniversary of my mom’s death is coming up,” he said, and he was staring down at his hands now.
I turned to look at him. “She passed during childbirth, right?”
“Yes.”
“So your birthday is also coming up?”
“Correct.”
“Is that hard for you?” I asked, reaching for his hand on instinct.
“No. It’s hard for my mom, and that makes it difficult. But she insists on celebrating my birthday like it isn’t the worst fucking day of her life.” He cleared his throat.
“Well, that day can be both, right?” I said, my thumb stroking the inside of his palm. “It can be a day that’s hard and wonderful all at the same time. I’ve seen the way your mother looks at you. I’ve actually always longed to have that kind of relationship with my own mother.”
He turned to look at me. “Your mother is an asshole if she doesn’t see how amazing you are. I mean, I’m an asshole, and I see how amazing you are.”
I chuckled. “You’re not the asshole you pretend to be.”
“You’re only saying that because we just had epic airplane sex.” He grinned.
“That could be it,” I said, not hiding the humor from my voice.
Cecilia approached with two trays of food. “I’ve got lunch for you, and I brought sparkling water for now. Would you like a glass of wine?”
We both declined the wine and thanked her.
Reality was setting in.
Vacation time was over. We were heading home, and we’d go back to normal.
I’d be swamped between the flower shop and the renovation. Not to mention it was almost Christmas, and I had a ton of shopping left to do.
We both ate our pasta, and his phone vibrated. He looked down at the screen.
“For fuck’s sake,” he grumped. “There’s a new ‘Taylor Tea’ article out, and apparently, we’re both in it. Rafe is enjoying this far too much.”
“What does it say?” I asked, reaching for the phone.
I read it aloud as he continued eating. “‘Hey there, Roses. The holiday is just around the corner, and the town is bustling with festivities. A bar fight broke out at Booze and Brews this week, and let’s just say that a certain postman and his future father-in-law are still not seeing eye to eye. Well, seeing as our postman is walking around with a shiner, I’m guessing he’s not even seeing out of his own two eyes.
’” I laughed and shook my head. “This is ridiculous. And you thought I’d write this? It’s such an invasion of privacy.”
“Agreed. And Rafe said there’s something about us in there, and that pisses me off.
” He motioned for me to eat my food. Bridger Chadwick was quite possibly the most confusing man I’d ever met.
He was so closed off and guarded, yet he showed me so much care and concern that it confused the hell out of me.
I forked a quick bite of pasta and then continued reading.
“‘Hopefully a new baby will help heal all wounds, including the baby daddy’s wounds.’” I rolled my eyes at the audacity that my parents had allowed this to be printed.
But I was aware that “The Taylor Tea” had increased revenue considerably, and my parents were all about the bottom line.
I turned my attention back to his phone.
“‘In other breaking news, there’s been a noted absence at the Vintage Rose lately. Apparently, Rosewood River’s favorite florist has branched out into interior design, and who better to renovate than our favorite broody billionaire?
But maybe his home is not the only thing she’s renovating, as word on the street is that the two have jetted off to the most romantic city in the world.
Maybe it’s not his business she wants; maybe it’s his heart that she’s after.
I hope it’s not hers that gets broken. Because we all know the saying…
once an unattainable bachelor, always an unattainable bachelor .
’” My mouth dropped open when I finished, and Bridger gave me a warning look as he reached over and pushed my mouth closed. I chuckled.
“I’m both a broody billionaire and an unattainable bachelor.” He shook his head with disgust.
“I don’t know why you’re offended. At least what they’re saying about you is actually true. They’re basically calling me a fraud.”
A loud laugh escaped him. I loved when he laughed because it was raw and genuine, and you had to earn it.
“How are they calling you a fraud?”
“They’re claiming I don’t want to renovate your home. I’m in it for something else. That’s some shady shit to say about me, and the fact that my parents printed it…” I threw my hands in the air after I handed him his phone back.
He leaned close to me. “Do you want to renovate my black, jaded heart, Emilia?”
“Of course not,” I said with a shrug. “And for the record, your heart is not black or jaded. It’s a good heart, Bridger. And anyone would be lucky to claim it.”
His face turned completely serious, lips in a straight line, and he stared at me for a long moment.
“Not everything is meant to be claimed, angel.”
And I knew he meant it.