Chapter 23 #2
“Wow,” I say softly. “It looks a lot different when I’m not… drugged.” I look pointedly at Reis, who steps back into the seating area in three long strides, with a hard set to my eyes.
“That was a mistake. I’ll regret it for the rest of my days.” He twists me in the aisle and the kiss he gives me is electric. “I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you,” I repeat with a soft smile, one just for him.
“Please get seated, and buckled in. The pilot wants to get in the air as soon as possible,” Sarah snaps abruptly, breaking the little bubble Reis and I were in. I jump and look behind me in alarm, as Reis' eyes narrow and his lips press into a hard line.
“Thanks.” He shakes his head. “You may go.”
Like a petulant princess, Sarah turns on her heel and literally stomps away.
“Come on,” Reis steps back, holding an arm out for me to slide into the opposite side of the table from Adam–who’s already snoring–and literally waits for me to climb into the interior seat before buckling me in.
“Okay, Reis, my turn,” Markus says, pushing Reis out of the way and claiming the seat next to me quickly. Forcing Reis to find another spot.
Reis smacks Markus on the shoulder teasingly. “Fuck off, man.”
“I got the seat though,” he smirks, taunting Reis before turning to me. “Hey, Songbird.”
“Markus,” I say softly, and a slow grin blooms on my face as I rest my head on his shoulder.
“I guess I’ll sit over here,” Reis grumbles, sitting across the aisle on the single side. Kai chuckles, sitting opposite Reis.
“No one wanted to sit next to Adam?” I ask. All the guys started to chuckle, laughing at the idea, shaking their heads quickly. “What? Why?”
“I’m very surprised you haven’t noticed yet. Adam is… an active sleeper,” Reis tries to explain.
“What do–” But just as I ask, I see Adam grunt and twist in his seat, putting his leg up on the free seat with a kicking motion. If there was anyone there, they’d have been donkey kicked. “Okay, I see what you mean.”
“Seriously, how have you not been kicked in your sleep before? Back in the beginning–” Markus starts to tell a story, but the pilot comes out and interrupts him.
“Hello, all. We’re going to get on our way now.
It’ll be about seven hours to London, but clear skies.
We’ll hopefully be able to shave some time off when we get in the air.
Please, sit back, relax, maybe try to sleep to get on London time.
We’ll take very good care of you,” the older gentleman nods his head kindly.
I feel oddly calmer knowing that he’s going to be the one flying us.
“Well, hello, you’re new. My name is Captain George, I’ll be your pilot today.
” He says to me with a kind smile, holding his hand out for me to shake it.
“Okay, George, no need to try and steal my girl.” Markus jokes with a wink, but puts a hand on my knee in claim.
I shake my head, smiling at Markus, but take George’s hand. “Very nice to meet you, thank you for flying us today. It’s my second flight, but first international one.”
“Oh my,” Captain George smiles brightly, clapping his hands together once. “That is very exciting indeed. And on a private jet, no less. There’s much worse ways to fly.”
“I believe it,” I chuckle uncomfortably. Because honestly, if it wasn’t for the guys, I wouldn’t be flying at all. I feel like an imposter.
“Well, try to relax and enjoy it,” he says specifically to me with an honest expression, before looking at each of the guys and heading back into the cockpit.
Underneath my feet the floor starts to rumble stronger than before, and Sarah–ugh, Sarah–comes over to tell the guys (and maybe because she had to by law) and I the safety procedures.
I don’t fucking like the tone she’s taking with them, all soft and sultry as she touches Kai’s shoulder to show where to put the lifejackets.
Newsflash bitch, we all know where a life jacket would go. No need to touch my man. No need to speak like you’re trying to have sex with their ears.
Fuck right off.
The longer she talks, the more I think I’m going to commit murder on this flight. I’ll be safe if I stay in international waters, right?
“Thank you, I think that’s enough.” Kai takes her hand from his pec and basically throws it off. “It’s very obviously not the first time we’ve flown. We get the gist. Go away now .” Kai’s tone is dark, and short. He’s completely done with her, and if she’s smart, she’ll listen.
“But, Kai,” Sarah whines. She actually fucking whines in my boyfriends ear. Like they fucking know each other and I clench my teeth so hard, my jaw feels like it’s going to pop.
“Who the fuck are you to talk to me like that? To say my fucking name like that?” He raises his voice slightly, turning in his chair to look at her straight on.
“Get the fuck out of here before I demand you’re taken off this flight.
In fact, I better not see your face for the next seven hours.
Stay behind the curtain. I won’t have you making my girl feel uncomfortable because you’re trying to get in my pants. ”
My jaw drops as I watch the scene unfold. I can’t believe Kai’s doing this… for me. For my comfort level.
“But sir, I…” Sarah starts to stutter, looking at Reis then as her next target. “Sir, please,”
“Oh no,” Reis holds his hands up. “Don’t be looking at me. You fucked up, and you’re going to have to deal with the consequences. He’s going easy on you. I’d have already kicked you off if you touched me like that.”
“No, no, please,” she says, stepping back and looking across the aisle to Markus and I.
“I’d apologize if I was you.” Markus takes my hand in his, and puts it on the table so she can see our intertwined fingers.
Sarah’s eyes drop to our hands, and they narrow when he runs his thumb over my knuckles.
Her jaw juts to the side and I can see the jealousy take over her body.
But it’s at war with the need to keep her job.
“Now,” Markus snaps darkly.
Sarah’s eyes jump to attention, glaring at me angrily. “I’m sorry, I’ll be more cognizant next time.”
“There will be no next time,” Kai snaps, his hand banging down on the arm rest angrily.
“Of course. My mistake, and many apologies.” Sarah looks down, mock-bowing before stepping back into the galley, pulling a set of curtains shut behind her. There’s a zipper closure instead of just being pulled together and I’m surprised.
The plane is big enough that the galley has a bathroom and two seats. So hopefully she’s not too cramped in there for the whole time… but I’m also guessing she’s used to it.
“Guys,” I start to say, sighing deeply. “You didn’t need to do that. Now she’s going to say something…”
“I do not give one flying fuck if she’s mad or disappointed or any shit like that. She shouldn’t be trying to hit on us no matter what, but that? Nah, that wasn’t okay,” Kai says loudly, loud enough that there’s no way Sarah didn’t hear it.
“No one is going to disrespect you like that. No one is going to openly disrespect our relationship like that,” Reis agrees.
“You’re talking as if you’re willing to tell the world of our… unconventional relationship,” I say quietly and pointedly, raising my eyebrows in worry. I don’t want to be a secret, but I also don’t want to damage all they’ve built.
The engines ramp up, and we start to move, pulling onto the runway. My fingers tighten around the armrest tightly. I’ve flown before; granted, that was after a few drinks, a killer orgasm, and then a roofie, so I can’t say that I wasn’t scared to fly before.
I’m just in a better, clearer state of mind now.
“Are you okay?” Markus leans into me, asking me softly to not bring attention to the others. The jet starts to speed up. We’re going too fast. There’s no way we should be going this quickly.
I look out the window, see the sun rising as the concrete ground zooms past. I focus on the horizon, on the beautiful orangey, pinky hues that slowly light up the sky. Gulping, I can feel the front end of the plane lift up and somehow, the plane keeps going forward.
“Yep,” I say equally as softly. I don’t really think I am okay though. The blood rushes from my face and my stomach starts to turn.
“Liar,” he whispers.
“Shhh,” I shush him and hope he drops it.
The plane is finally in the air, and the white noise is deafening right now. How Adam hasn’t woken up at all, I have no clue. He slept through the entire take-off, the plane jostling his body around and everything.
Has he not been sleeping when I sleep in his room? The fuck? Why?
I’m already tucked under Markus' arm, so he tightens his hold around me, and threads his fingers through mine on his free hand.
“I’ve got you, baby,” he says quietly, kissing the side of my head.
His arm feels like he’d hold me securely if anything happened, and my body relaxes just slightly.
Am I afraid of flying? Sighing, into his embrace, I’m grateful I’ve got someone holding me close while I discover this new, unfortunate, personality trait of mine.
The jet soars through the air, climbing higher and higher until it seems to level out when we’re above the clouds. That sharp push forward slows, and it’s like gravity takes hold again. My heart recognizes the difference and I breathe a little easier.
“Wow,” I say in awe. Pressing my face against the window, I see the most amazing sight. The clouds look like mountains. Like Mt. Olympus nestled in the sky beautifully. It takes my breath away.
This is something I didn’t think I’d ever get to see.
“It never gets old,” Markus says in my ear.
“I don’t think it ever could.”
“Just like you. Like loving you,” he says. His words pull my eyes from the magnificent view to look at him.
“What do you mean?”
“Loving you will never get old. It will never be something that I, that any of us, want to hide. You–just you, baby–are the best thing to happen to us, you always have been. And after having lost you, we will never take you, or your love, for granted.”