17. Grace
SEVENTEEN
Grace
“Mr. Knightly. Wonderful to see you again. Anything I can get you before takeoff?”
The flight attendant smiled at him. Then she glanced at me, and her smile didn’t seem quite so sincere.
Dane waited for me to sit by the window, then took the seat beside me. “Two glasses of champagne. Thank you, Sharon. You have Dom on board, right? A 1985?”
“Of course.” She eyed my messy hair and glasses before she went to the galley.
Believe me , hon , I thought. I barely know what I’m doing here either.
Dane reached over to fasten my seatbelt and then laced our fingers together. “Comfortable?” he asked.
“Perfect. But champagne for breakfast is more indulgent than my typical menu.” I wasn’t counting the rare brunch mimosa with Piper.
“We’ll have coffee afterward. But I’m in the mood to celebrate.” He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it.
I’d never even been in first class before. But here I was, on a private plane about to jet off to Manhattan with the sexiest man in existence. Somebody pinch me.
How was this my life?
That morning, Dane had picked me up before sunrise in his Range Rover. I’d been careful to disarm the security system at my house. We’d already had a false alarm a couple of days ago, and I didn’t want a repeat of that. Four grumpy, exhausted volunteer firefighters who’d been up all night on a call, and then I woke them mid-morning. Oops.
The alarm system had made a big difference to my peace of mind, though. Especially since we still had no leads on whoever had broken in to the house.
But not so great for my peace of mind? The growing frustration whenever I was with Dane and he didn’t kiss me. He hadn’t since that day in his hotel suite last weekend.
I had been dreaming of that kiss. It hadn’t even lasted that long, but it had been the best kiss I’d ever experienced. A tease of what was to come.
Yes, I was the one who’d insisted that our fling last only as long as this trip. But I hadn’t expected him to take that rule so literally. Nearly every day this week, he had stopped by my house to say hello. Or met me for lunch or coffee. Always to discuss ideas for the resort or hear my insights into the local community. We’d had a few meetings with local business leaders too. Every time, he’d kept things G-rated. But Dane had this way of looking at me that fired me up without a single touch. Like he was imagining all the filthy things he wanted to do to me that would scandalize the town if they knew.
Lordy, he was giving me that look right now.
If we didn’t get to the liaison soon, I might spontaneously combust before I even got to enjoy the shopping and sightseeing.
Sharon walked over carrying a tray. She set a flute next to my seat and one by Dane’s. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks.” He smiled at her. “Once we’re in the air, we’ll have breakfast. Coffee and pastries. And whatever else Grace would like.”
“Yes, sir.” Sharon aimed a death-glare at me before she left.
“She doesn’t like me,” I whispered.
“What? Why wouldn’t she like you?”
“Because I’m with you. You knew her name. Did you and she ever…”
“No. But I like that you’re jealous. It’s cute.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Sure. And I’m not jealous about those firefighters you live with.”
I opened my mouth and nothing came out for several seconds. “No reason to be jealous.”
“You don’t have one either.” Dane picked up his glass and clinked it against mine. “To our long weekend. It will be infinitely better having you with me.”
“Cheers. Thank you for bringing me.” I took a sip. “You could kiss me if you want. Since we’re on the trip now. Technically.”
Dane smiled, but he didn’t take my not-so-subtle hint. Instead his leg pressed against mine as we sipped more of the champagne. The bubbles and citrusy flavor tickled my tongue. Not as good as a kiss from him, but close.
Sharon collected the glasses for takeoff. As the plane accelerated down the runway, I grabbed Dane’s arm.
“First time flying, right?” he asked.
I nodded, my response stuck in my throat. He put his arm around me and held me tight against him. I was relieved that he didn’t laugh. Seemed ridiculous, since I’d had three brothers in the Army who were deployed overseas. But they’d always been eager to come home.
“Takeoff and landing are the noisy, bumpy parts,” Dane said. “But you’ve got this.”
Once we’d reached altitude and the flight smoothed out, my breathing relaxed. Sharon brought coffee and an assortment of danishes, croissants, and hearty bread with butter. So good. Then Dane ordered smoked salmon and an omelet with goat cheese and roasted tomatoes, holding out his fork to give me a bite of each one and giving me fiery-hot looks whenever the fork disappeared into my mouth.
Yikes.
After eating, I used the wi-fi to check my messages. Piper had written.
Piper
Did you leave yet? I must know all.
Me
We just took off. Had champagne and breakfast.
I snapped a picture of the dishes, which Sharon hadn’t picked up yet, and sent it to my friend. This was already my best vacation ever. Made me wonder, with a delicious, turned-on shiver, how much better it would get. Five whole days to look forward to.
It was also nice to get some time away from home. My brothers had been even more overbearing than usual lately, especially since Teller hadn’t discovered any new leads about the break-in or about Nina Jamison.
If possible, I didn’t want to think about that stuff this weekend. I wanted an escape, however brief, from my life in Silver Ridge.
Piper
I am DYING. Have so much fun. Text me everything!
WAIT don’t text me. I expect you to be having too much hot sex for that. Just enjoy it and tell me later.
I snickered, and Dane looked over. “What’s so funny?”
I put my phone away. “Nothing. What’s on the agenda when we land?”
Dane’s arm draped around me again, making me snuggle into his side. “We arrive at Teterboro Airport. It’s in New Jersey. We’ll drive into the city from there. I was thinking we’d shop first. Margot made us some appointments at places she thought you’d like.” He pulled out his phone. “Take a look and let me know which strikes your fancy.”
“An appointment? I’ve never had an appointment to buy clothes.” I glanced at the list of different boutiques on his screen.
He’d told me a lot about his assistant Margot, and I’d looked her up online. She was in her fifties, a Black woman with a pixie hairstyle and a confident smile in her work profile photo. Margot gave every indication of being a whip-smart lady. I was looking forward to meeting her, and I was grateful that she’d been thinking of what I might like. But these boutiques seemed expensive. The pictures alone were intimidating.
“I thought we’d just go to H&M or something. I’ve been to the one in Denver, and they had a lot of great stuff.”
He tilted his head. “You are cute.”
I nudged him. “Quit. Clothes don’t have to cost a fortune for me to feel good in them.”
“If you don’t find anything you like in these shops, we can go to a chain. But you have to give them a chance.”
“Alright.” This whole weekend was about doing something different. Something exciting . Piper would tell me to go with it.
He leaned closer, his nose brushing against mine. “Good. This weekend, you’re going to have anything you want. I mean anything. Name it, and it’s yours.”
My skin flushed. “Just like that?”
“Just like that. Except for one thing.”
“Only one?” I joked.
“Yep.” He brought his thumb to my lower lip. “No kissing until we’re back at my place later.”
I pulled back and gave him an incredulous look. “No kissing?”
“Not until we’re at my apartment. Next time we kiss, we’re ending up naked.”
Arousal bloomed between my legs. “Maybe I’ll kiss you .”
“Then I’ll have to take you in the bathroom over there. And that’s not how I envisioned our first time together.”
“You’ve been envisioning it?”
“Fuck yes, I have. Several times a day.”
Desire flooded my body and throbbed in my clit. I wasn’t usually the kind of girl to follow a man into an airplane bathroom for a naughty rendezvous. But Dane had me tempted.
Bonus points because Sharon the flight attendant would know exactly what we were doing. She kept glancing back and aiming razor-sharp looks at me.
But I could wait. I’d waited long enough already, hadn’t I? I hadn’t had sex in… It was a bad sign that I couldn’t even remember.
“The rehearsal dinner is tonight?” I asked.
He grimaced. “Yeah. I can’t skip this one. A lot of people from Knightly Global will be there. The bride’s family too.” He rubbed a hand over his chin. “My father has some ridiculous plan about setting me up with the maid of honor, Ainsley. She’s the bride’s sister. I made it clear I wasn’t interested, and I doubt Ainsley is either. But I wanted to give you a heads-up because somebody might say something about it. She and I had a very brief thing back in high school.”
All the pastries and champagne turned to acid in my stomach.
His ex was going to be there? Ainsley probably looked just like those other socialites I’d seen in the gossip columns with Dane. Elegant and effortless and perfect. “So I’m, like, a decoy date?”
“I asked you to come with me because I want to spend time with you.”
I shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.” It was so a big deal. “But you could’ve told me before. I’m guessing your father won’t be happy that I’m there.”
“Hey.” He tucked a finger under my chin. “Since I met you, you’re the only woman I’ve wanted.” His voice was low and hypnotic. “It’s up to you where this weekend takes us. But have no doubt—I want you in my bed. Tonight and every night that you’ll let me have you.”
Dane’s words set off a flood of heat in my belly. I could hardly breathe. “That’s what I want too. For this trip I mean.”
“I don’t care what my father and brother think. You’re here because I want you to be. Okay?”
I nodded.
But the knowledge that his family might already dislike me was a splash of cold water. Maybe it shouldn’t have mattered. Not like we were actually dating. But it was a reminder that, for all Dane had shared with me, there was far more I didn’t know about him and his life. Women like Ainsley belonged in his world. I didn’t. Not really.
After this weekend, I doubted anything like this would ever happen to me again, so I had to soak up every minute of the good parts. Because when it was over, I’d be living on these memories for a long time.