25. Chapter 25 #2
I checked my purse for my passport and headphones before locking up my apartment.
Moore put my bags into the trunk of the SUV as I climbed into the backseat.
Summoner always bowled me over, but today was an exception.
I pressed my thighs together. His facial hair had grown in a bit.
The salt and pepper coloring in his jawline screamed rugged.
I desperately wanted to touch it, to feel the grit of his stubble under my fingertips, in between the softness of my thighs, but there was a time and place.
“Doesn’t make me look too old, does it?” He instantly knew what I was looking at.
Vanity was a rare concern of Summoner’s. Or, at least one rarely spoken aloud. I quickly shook my head.
“No! Not at all! I think it makes you look distinguished. Sexy.”
“Distinguished and sexy. I’ll take it.” He chuckled.
“Just trying out something new?” I shifted in my seat, trying to wrangle in my hormones.
“Sort of. The beard keeps with the whole not-being-noticed thing.”
Duh!
“Like the hair.” He reached for my hand. Courtesy of Shay, tight box braids stretched down my back.
“Soooo, four full weeks of nonstop Poppy. Are you sure you can handle it?” I teased.
“Very sure.”
The smile on my face betrayed the weight of my sadness. In between fits of crying, I had mentally tried to accept that this trip was a swan song. I didn’t want things to end, but it was happening regardless of what I wanted.
Stay in the moment, Poppy!
Moore drove us to a small airport outside of the city. Mouth open, we stepped out of the SUV onto a private tarmac. I was stunned by the gleaming jet in front of me.
“Obscene, isn’t it?” Summoner stepped beside me.
“Seriously, yeah.”
“Yeah, that’s why I use it sparingly. Sadly, sometimes it can’t be avoided.”
“Paper straws and all that,” I muttered.
He took my hand in his and, with a gentle tug, led me up the stairs.
The interior was a luxurious display of plush leather and muted lighting, giving the space a cozy feel.
Each seat was an oversized recliner, swiveling to face any direction.
My eyes widened in amazement as I took it all in.
A flat screen filled the wall on the right size of the cabin.
I took a seat and sighed as I sank into the leather comfort.
Summoner sat across from me. There was a pang of disappointment that he was so far away, but I had him to myself for the next four weeks. There would be enough time for cuddles.
A leggy flight attendant appeared from the front of the cabin.
Summoner pulled his hat low and grunted in her direction.
I attempted to act more human when greeting her.
Beyond asking for our drink orders, she had to do checks to prepare us for takeoff.
Moore took the seat in front of Summoner and sighed.
“He plans on sleeping the entire flight,” Summoner laughed.
“It’s true,” Moore noted before popping in his airpods.
Seamlessly, we were up in the air. I enjoyed the view out my window without having to fight to see over someone else’s shoulder.
The flight attendant brought me a Sprite I sipped on while playing a game on my phone.
I stole glances at my traveling companions.
Moore passed out before we reached the coast, and Summoner cracked open a new pulp novel.
One of my glances wasn’t so stolen as I looked up to find him smiling at me. My cheeks burned.
“Bored already?”
“No,” I scoffed. “But how long is our flight?”
“9 hours.”
“9 hours?!”
“We should be there in the morning tomorrow.”
“In the future! Oooo!”
Shaking his head, Summoner turned his attention back to his book. After a couple of hours clicking through all the games on my phone, I was actually bored. I tried sleeping, but for how comfortable my seat was, I couldn’t drift off. Too excited.
My phone buzzed with a text.
Summoner OMG: Follow me.
Summoner closed his book and stood up. He stretched his arms overhead before making his way to the back of the plane. At the rear of the plane was a large bedroom with a desk and a gigantic bed. Before I could get a good look at my surroundings, Summoner’s mouth was on mine.
***
When flying private, customs comes to you. Still slackjawed and slightly groggy, when we landed, two rather cheery customs officials came aboard and checked our papers. It was a rather quick and painless process. I reminded myself not to get used to this. To stay in the now.
Wearing my headscarf, I stepped off the plane, and the sunlight smacked me directly in the eye sockets. I rubbed my eyes and tried not to fall down the steep plane stairs. Across the tarmac, waiting beside a SUV, a tall man with short black hair waved to us.
“?Bienvenido a Espa?a!” he shouted.
His eyes widened at the sight of me trailing beside Summoner. Summoner led us over and grunted a hello to the young man.
“Poppy, this is Mark. He helps keep El Huerto del Sol running.”
“El Huerto del Sol?” I asked.
“El Huerto del Sol is the name of the farm and estate.”
“It has a name?”
“I’m the brains of it all.” Mark grinned.
He stepped around Summoner and carefully he took my hand in both of his. “La chica es hermosa…” he murmured before kissing both my cheeks.
I didn’t speak Spanish, but the Rosetta Stone in my brain provided me with a very rudimentary definition. My cheeks heated. Mark had a suave air around him. It certainly affected me.
“…I’m Poppy. Nice to meet you, Mark.”
“The pleasure is all mine, surely.”
On the edge of my vision, Summoner rolled his eyes. “Come on Poppy, I’m sure Mark needs to help Moore with our bags or something, anything.”
Still grinning, Mark gave me a wink before shuffling off. In the backseat, Summoner held onto my hand in a not-at-all-possessive way. I smiled.
My overprotective old man.
From the driver’s seat, Mark attempted to give us a guided tour. It lasted three minutes until Summoner shouted for him to shut up. Moore streamed some classical music to the car stereo, instantly alleviating the need for conversation.
I watched the Spanish countryside roll past my window.
The sun’s wispy rays feathered on everything it touched.
Kissed from above, colors exploded into something best captured by a watercolor painting.
Hues of yellow, orange, green, and gold danced in nature.
I never imagined that any place could look so majestic.
I glanced at Summoner, who impassively looked out his window.
Of course, he had seen it all before. I gave his hand a slight squeeze.