Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The shock of the day has embedded itself under my skin. When I woke up, I was convinced I’d be in a shit mood and have to put on a fake face, sink into my lawyer persona, and push through being in attendance at a funeral I had no business being at.
Instead… Well, I’m still not entirely too sure what happened. I’m riding Cloud Nine, completely entranced by the woman sitting in the back seat of this cab with me, holding my hand.
And not just any woman.
Raina.
I’m holding hands with the one woman I denied for years.
When we got back to Madrid, I drove straight to the rental car agency and returned the Aston Martin, made a call and arranged to have our bags delivered to the airport, then we walked to a nearby restaurant.
To say dinner was a surprise is an understatement. The conversation flowed easily, and although I’ve always known Raina had a brilliant mind, this conversation was different.
She asked me about work and I told her about the trials and tribulations of working with an all-female clientele, while also working alongside a pompous asshole who thinks he’s God's gift to the rich and famous.
I asked her about her fear of flying, and she explained how when she was eleven, her parents put her on a flight to spend the summer abroad in a program.
It was her first time flying alone, and there was intense turbulence that caused the plane to quickly descend several thousand feet, but they couldn’t avoid it.
For what felt like hours after, the plane jolted through the sky so aggressively, the safety masks were expelled.
It terrified her. She thought they would crash.
Since then, she’s only flown through the night, accompanied by anxiety medication and a sleeping pill.
As she told me the story, my heart ached, and a surge of protectiveness coursed through my veins.
All through dinner I was present—attentive. Not trying to talk myself off a ledge or figuring out how to get away as quickly as I could because I was afraid to be in her presence for too long. This wasn’t like any other date I’d had with other women.
I’ll admit I was afraid. I fed myself a preconceived notion about Raina for years, telling myself I couldn’t have her, and listed the reasons—X, Y, and Z.
I believed those reasons.
It’s clear I didn’t know my ass from my head, and I certainly didn’t recognize how much of an idiot I was being.
Vinnie is going to give me so much shit for this.
Raina’s laughter is infectious. Listening to her happiness all night while getting lost in her eyes as they shimmered in the flickering candlelight that graced the table was perfection.
I’ve been surprising myself with the thoughts that have been running through my mind. Maybe it was the ambiance, or maybe—just maybe—I’ve woken the fuck up.
Regardless, I’ll never deny myself her again.
I just need to get her through her divorce first.
Now, as the cab pulls off at the exit for the airport, I direct the driver to the area where Sully’s plane awaits, hoping what little Spanish I know is enough to make sense.
“Did you take your medication?” I squeeze Raina’s hand.
She looks over at me and smiles. “Yeah, about twenty minutes ago.”
“Good,” I say to her, then tell the driver, in English, because I have no idea what it would be in his language, “You can stop up ahead.” He nods and pulls closer to the jet before putting the cab in park.
At the same time, the driver and I both exit the car. He heads to the trunk to pull out our bags, and I go to Raina’s door to open it for her.
“Thank you.” She accepts my hand and uses it to pull herself out.
I catch myself staring at her legs, salivating over those boots she’s still wearing and daydreaming about the way she left them on as she rode me in the sacristy.
That image will forever be burned in my mind and go down in history as the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced.
Tipping the driver, I take our bags from him and roll them over to the boarding stairs. Raina follows behind me, staring up at the aircraft.
Stepping aside so she can pass, I tip my head toward the plane. “You first.”
“This isn't what I imagined Sully's jet looking like,” she says as she steps onto the plane, assessing it with wonder.
“What did you think it’d be like?”
“Black satin sheets and a heart-shaped bed with a mirror on the ceiling.”
A boisterous laugh tumbles out of me, and both of our eyes widen as it does. A sly grin overtakes her face before she continues exploring.
When was the last time I laughed like that?
“Hello!” the stewardess intervenes. “So sorry to interrupt. My name is Bea, and I look forward to taking care of you both tonight.”
Bea rakes her gaze across my body, confirming the suggestive way she said that last bit was intentional.
Taken aback at her forwardness, I say nothing and observe her with curiosity, studying her mannerisms.
From a few steps away, Raina clears her throat loudly. My gaze snaps to hers, as does our stewardess, and instantly I see the fire in her eyes. A small smile plays at my lips, and I try to hide it by covering it with my fist.
“Thank you, Bea. We shouldn’t need much. Does this plane have a bedroom?” Raina asks, and I choke back a laugh.
Claws are out, I see.
“It does.” Bea drops her gaze to the floor. She’s embarrassed. Perhaps the suggestion wasn’t intentional. “Just up ahead.”
“That’s great, thanks,” Raina says, with a small hint of attitude behind her fake smile.
“Can I offer you any beverages? The pilot is already preparing for takeoff and we should be in the air within the next ten minutes.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, thank you. We’ll be retiring early.” Grabbing Raina's hand, I lead her to where Bea said the bedroom is, and the moment the door shuts behind us, I spin her and push her against it.
Nuzzling her cheek with the side of my nose, I purr, “Jealous?”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t have to be.”
She presses her palm into my chest and side steps out of my grasp. “Don’t I, though?”
I rub my jaw. “What do you mean?”
Giving me her back, she crosses her arms over her chest, looking at the bed. “My Rolodex is longer than my little black book,” she mocks, repeating my earlier words from dinner.
I’d meant it in a comical way—stating that I had an overflowing client list and business is booming, both of which I am very grateful for. Maybe making a joke of it wasn’t the best idea, but I don’t even have a little black book.
“Raina—” I reach for her, brushing my knuckles against her shoulder. “I was joking.”
Turning to face me, she gives me a tight smile. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m overreacting.”
Rubbing my hands up and down her arms, I dip my head so she’s forced to look in my eyes. “If it bothered you, then I’m sorry. I was trying to be funny when conveying that business is great right now. I don’t actually have a little black book. That’s Sully-level.”
She laughs at the mention of Sully. “It just stung, I guess. Remember, I’m the girl who’s had a painfully embarrassing crush on you for entirely too long, and now?—”
Catching her lips with mine, I silence her with a kiss. She tilts her head, and I grab the side of her face, deepening it. Raina melts in my arms as she whimpers, and I practically feel the tension float out of her.
Sweeping her hair from her shoulders, I skim my fingers along her back to find the zipper of her dress and pull it down until her skin is fully exposed. Bringing both arms around her, my hands explore her body as she gently wiggles so the dress falls to the floor.
Breaking the kiss, I float my eyes down the front of her and audibly groan at the black lace bra and panty set—and those fucking thigh-high boots.
Fusing my mouth to hers again, I lightly push into her stomach with the tips of my fingers to guide her to the bed. When her calves hit the back of the mattress, my knee finds its home between her legs, and she begins unbuttoning my shirt.
Our kiss intensifies, her fingers curling around the fabric, pulling it out of my slacks, then pushing it off my shoulders. It lands behind me silently, and I make quick work of my belt.
Soft moans float past Raina’s lips and into my mouth, and the vibration from her vocal chords sends a caressing wave of tingles through my body.
The second my pants and briefs join my shirt, we break apart, both breathless as I stand to finish removing my clothes and hers.
It’s at that moment we hear the hum of the plane's engines grow louder, and Raina gasps when she realizes we’re taxiing on the runway.
“Let me distract you,” I whisper, climbing between her thighs. I kiss her tenderly, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. She whimpers when I nip at her lower lip, deepening the kiss by pressing my thumb beneath her jaw to tilt her head. My hand curls around her neck again.
I might be obsessed with her neck—with the feel of it beneath my touch. So damn sexy.
Aligning myself with her, I trace my tongue around hers and push into her in one thrust, filling her to the hilt. She stretches around me. She takes me perfectly, like her body was made for mine, and mine for hers.
“Luce,” she moans, her eyes squeezing shut. My name on her tongue sounds like a prayer.
“You take my cock so well, baby. I could fuck you all day and all night.”
“So do it.” Her hips lift, desperate for the friction I’m not giving her. Instead, I stay perfectly still. “Fuck me, Luce. Please.”
“Beg for it. Let me hear how much you want me.”
“I do want you.” Her words turn to a moan as my fingertips drift to her clit. “I’ve always wanted you.”
“I’m going to ruin you for any other man,” I growl against her skin as a sheen of sweat layers my skin from the pressure of holding myself back from moving. Hitching my arm around her leg, I lift it, allowing myself to bury deeper.
“I only want you.” She grips my shoulders so tightly I can feel the half-moon indentations of her fingernails embedding in my skin.