3 - Kodiak
3
Kodiak
—
As Leo disappears into the cockpit, I swallow my nerves and keep my attention on Frankie.
She clutches the armrests of her seat, her fingers stiff and pale.
The plane hasn’t even started its taxi to the runway, and her eyes already dim beneath ghosts of anxiety. She tries to hide it with a brave smile, but it’s not working.
The distant tinkling of glass and subtle movements from the nook in the front signal the presence of a crew member.
They haven’t closed the air stair door yet. I can still carry her off.
“Hey.” I crouch beside her, meeting her stark gaze with a steady one of my own. “Give me one good reason not to throw you over my shoulder and haul you out of here like a caveman.”
“Because I secretly enjoy the caveman act and might start thinking it’s the only way to travel.”
“Woman, I’ll always be your caveman.”
A small, nervous breath escapes her, wrapped in curved lips.
Stunning.
I need to strap her in, but the seat she chose puts her back to the cockpit.
“Is this where you want to sit?” I glance around, counting. “There are five other options plus that three-person divan.”
“If we crash, no seat is safe.”
“The chance of crashing twice in three days is extraordinarily rare, verging on statistically improbable. For once, the odds are in our favor.”
“Good answer, handsome.” She runs the backs of her fingers along my jaw. “Even so, will you sit across from me so I can look into your eyes when we become an improbable statistic?”
Christ. My chest constricts.
Her fear is instinctual, a deep-rooted dread that even the bravest can’t easily shake off.
“I know it’s hard, but I need you to try something for me.” I take her seat belt in my hands, beginning the familiar ritual of securing her in. “Focus on the here and now, not on what could happen. You control this moment, not your fear.”
“Okay.” She squares her shoulders. “I’ll try.”
As I straighten the straps across her lap, every little flinch and tense breath she takes has me scrambling to lighten the mood. A tactic Wolf excelled at.
“When I buckled you in on the Turbo Beaver, I checked it about twenty times. Bet you thought I was just being overprotective.”
“There was another reason?”
“I was making excuses to stay close.” I peek at her face. “To get into your pants.”
“Stop.” She laughs, the sound warming my skin.
I continue my routine with the buckle, deliberately fumbling and drawing out the task. “I might need to check it another twenty times, just to be sure. You know, safety first.”
Brushing my thumb against the waistband of her jeans, I deftly release her button and hook a finger in the opening, teasing her zipper.
“Kody,” she whispers.
“Or maybe I just like coming up with excuses to touch you.”
“You never need an excuse to touch me.” Her smile widens, and her grip on the armrests loosens as she watches my exaggerated concentration on the buckle.
“That right?” With one hand, I blunder my attempts with the latch while my other hand sinks deeper into the heat behind her zipper.
“If you play with it much longer, I might think you’re doubting your handiwork.”
“Never.” I click the buckle securely and with the hand I still hold in her pants, give the latch and her zipper a tug. “See? Just had to make sure it’s as strong and resilient as the person wearing it.”
Her laughter, more genuine this time, fills the cabin, easing the stiffness from her shoulders. “I know what you’re doing, you wicked man.”
“Tell me.” I shift forward, wedging my hips between her legs.
“You’re trying to make this less terrifying.”
“Tell me it’s working.”
“You know it is.” She leans closer.
“Sorry to interrupt.” The female crew member, dressed impeccably in a navy uniform, approaches with a polite smile.
With a growl, I remove my hand from Frankie’s jeans and keep it tucked against her waist.
“We’re about to take off. Please, take your seat.” The pretty Black woman blushes as she meets my eyes. “My name is Tanya. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Bourbon for her. Vodka for me.”
“Please and thank you,” Frankie adds.
I grunt.
Tanya nods and moves on.
“We need to work on your manners, caveman.” Frankie taps my lips.
I bite her finger, making her yelp. “Trying to tame me already?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” She zips up her pants, shutting down my advances. “You’re supposed to be in your seat.”
“I’d rather be in your seat.”
“Sir?” Tanya calls out. “Where are you going?”
I glance up and find Leo stepping out of the plane.
“Taking a leak.” He’s already unzipping.
“Outside?” Tanya gasps. “There’s a lavatory on board.” She points to the rear.
“Fine.” He ambles toward us, pausing to caress Frankie’s cheek. “Want to hold my cock while I pee?”
I catch Tanya’s wide-eyed stare. “We found him in the wild. He’s not potty trained.”
“Fuck off.” He continues toward the back. “What the—? How am I supposed to fit in here? How does it even work?”
“Figure it out.” Frankie laughs.
He proceeds to piss with the door open, bumping around and cursing over the sound of his stream.
“Wipe off the seat,” she yells.
“What seat?”
“Oh, God.” She covers her face.
At least he washes his hands before returning to us. “The bathroom is a no-go, but that divan is the perfect place to fuck like animals.” He glances at the cockpit. “We have a few minutes before—”
“You’re a barbarian.” She smacks his abs, grinning. “Get out of here.”
“Love you.” He winks his one gold eye and stalks back to the cockpit.
I can’t fault him for being an ass. Everything he did was an attempt to calm her down. Most of it, anyway. I’m certain he meant to piss on the tarmac.
“Feeling better?” I brush a strand of hair from her face, my movements tender.
“Yeah.”
Our eyes lock, and the world outside the plane, with all its threats and uncertainties, falls away. It’s just the two of us, connected and safe in the knowledge that our bond is the constant we can rely on.
I test the connection points where her seat belt bolts to the frame with a focus born of a crash that still haunts us both. Then I check the latch once, twice, three times, each click a reassurance that I silently whisper to both of us.
As Tanya closes the air stair door, my gaze stays on Frankie, searching for any trace of fear, ready to soothe it away.
“Brave, beautiful thing.” I inch closer, my lips finding hers.
I pour all my love and devotion into the kiss, all my promises of protection. She’s going to make it. We all are.
When our mouths part, the heat lingers, suspended in the electricity that travels between us.
Until I look up.
Monty stands just inside the doorway to the cockpit, his features twisted into a barely contained rage. His blue eyes sharpen into lethal blades, his body tense as if ready to spring into a fight. The dark bruises that Leo gave him only add to his manic appearance.
But he catches himself, his jaw clenching as he battles his fury. Then, with visible effort, he reins it in, his face smoothing into the cultured facade he wears so well as he turns and closes the door.
My heart thuds against my ribs, the encounter lifting the hairs on my nape.
“What’s wrong?” She twists, glancing at the door to the cockpit. “What happened?”
Nothing.
The lie sits on my tongue. I’m trying to comfort her, not add more stress.
But I’ll never lie to her.
“Monty watched me kiss you.” I move to the seat facing hers. “Pretty sure he wants to disembowel me.”
“He’ll have to go through me first.” She sets her cute little jaw.
“He doesn’t scare me.” I latch my seat belt and reach for her, fitting our hands together. “This will be an adjustment for him as much as it is for us.”
I can’t imagine losing this woman’s love and watching her move on with other men. I can survive anything. But not that. It would hollow me out, cleave me apart, and turn me into dust. No coming back from that.
The engines roar with a surge of power, the vibration seeping into the cabin.
At first glance, Frankie seems composed, but subtle signs creep in—the twitching of her hand in mine, the hitching of her shoulders, and the way her breath catches as the plane begins to taxi.
Her momentary calm fractures before my eyes.
The jet picks up speed on the runway, and her fingernails dig into my hand. Her jaw flexes, and a fresh layer of fear clouds her eyes. No doubt every motion of the plane reminds her of what could go wrong.
I scoot forward as far as my belt allows and wrap my hands around her thighs, marking the tension there.
Our gazes hold as I soften my voice just for her. “You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
Her breath shudders.
“We’ll make it through this, just like we always do.” I squeeze her thighs gently. “Focus on me.”
“That part’s easy. You’re really nice to look at.” She tries to smile but not quite managing it. “I thought I could handle this.”
“You are handling it. Being scared doesn’t mean you’re not strong. It means you’re human. We’re all a bit shaken.” As the plane lifts off, ascending higher and leaving the ground behind, I keep talking to distract her. “We’re rising above it all. Just like we planned. Nothing can touch us up here, not while I’m by your side.”
Her eyes dart to the window before meeting mine again. “I don’t want to feel this way, so scared, so out of control.”
“Fear is just…it’s like the cold we faced in the hills. You acknowledge it. You respect it. But you don’t let it stop you. You taught me that. We adapt. We survive.”
“I taught you that?”
“Yeah, you did. You also taught me kindness. And forgiveness.” I caress my hands along her legs. “You taught me how to be with a woman. Not just sex. But the truest form of love I’ve ever known. A woman’s love.”
“Your mother loved you.”
“I don’t remember. I don’t even know what she looked like.”
“Maybe Monty has photos of her.” The plane bumps with turbulence, and she chokes. “If we make it to Sitka.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you.” I grip her hands, stilling her shaking. “Just like we always had a plan if a storm hit or the ice cracked beneath our feet, we have a plan now. You’re not alone. You’ve got Leo up there, giving Monty hell. Anything feels off, he’ll take care of it.”
The muscles in her face relax, the fear not gone but somewhat abated by the reassurance. “Thank you. For understanding. For talking me through it.”
“Always.” I feel the heaviness of my promise, not just in the words but deep in my bones. “You focus on breathing. Control what you can. Let us worry about the rest.”
She sways closer, her grip loosening as she listens to my voice.
“Remember the wolf you took down? And the bear you outran? And the psychopath who hurt us for thirty years?” I keep my gaze steady but fierce, imbued with my pride. “You annihilated our greatest enemy within months. You’re a force to be reckoned with.”
“I nearly starved you to death in the process.”
“We survived. Nothing has beaten you. Not going to start now.”
With our fingers intertwined and the world receding below, the threats and shadows of our past might linger, but together, we’re untouchable.
We fall into silence until the speakers overhead crackle with static.
Leo’s voice fills the cabin.
“Ladies and feral men, welcome to cruising altitude. If anyone’s thinking of joining the Mile High Club—I’m looking at you, Frankie—give me the signal.” He laughs. “The pilot doesn’t like that. You should see his face right now.”
Rustling and scraping sounds over the intercom.
“I hope they’re not fighting.” Her complexion pales.
“Just a reminder,” Monty cuts in. “My plane, my rules. This is a family flight. Keep it PG.”
She snorts.
I glance back at the divan, and my thoughts plunge into darkness. “Have you and Monty…?”
She goes still, her lips pressed in a line.
Of course, he’s fucked her on his plane. And on every surface of the estate we’re about to share with him.
A hot ember burns in my stomach.
“Kody…” She grips my arm.
“It’s smooth sailing from here,” Monty continues. “If you feel a bump, it’s just me teaching my co-pilot a lesson.”
“Try me, old man.” Leo’s voice comes at a distance, barely audible over the intercom before it clicks off.
“Well then.” Frankie sinks back into her seat with a sigh. “We’re off to a roaring start.”