6. CHAPTER 6
The only way to avoid digging myself into an even deeper hole is to pretend to do some work while we’re on the plane. I move to a different seat, the one that’s the farthest away from the chatty trio. My earlier excuse of my work being confidential, allows me to keep my laptop turned away from them without raising suspicion.
Coward,my wolf mutters, accompanying the words with a mental eye roll.
I don’t bother to acknowledge him, and instead click on the next episode of the TV show that I’m watching while pretending to work. It’s the sixth episode already, and I’m not that into it, but I also don’t want to talk to Jessica and Melissa. Helia’s the one I’ve volunteered to spend my time with. She’s the only human I don’t mind being around.
How long does the flight even take? he changes the topic when I don’t show any signs of replying.
Around six hours,I tell him, giving him the minimum amount of attention.
We’re nearly there, he says after doing some mental calculations.
“Attention passengers,” the captain’s voice comes from the speakers. “Please prepare for landing.”
Told you, my wolf says, sounding proud of himself.
I roll my eyes as I close my laptop. I leave it on the table for the flight attendant to put it away. Helia’s face brightens when I slide into the seat next to her. She’s already buckled up as are her friends, which only leaves me.
“Did you finish what you had to do?” Helia asks, and I nod.
“Time for the weekend to start!” Melissa exclaims and cheers.
While both Jessica and Helia join her, I can tell that Helia’s heart isn’t in it. If her friends’ faces are open and relaxed, Helia’s is guarded and tense.
Interesting, my wolf comments, noting the same detail.
There’s something she’s not telling them,I guess.
Challenge accepted, my wolf says with determination like no other.
I suppress a sigh, knowing that he’s like a dog with a bone with the only difference being that he’s a big bad wolf.
To get the point across, he howls loud enough that I’m forced to grit my teeth so hard it’s a miracle my jaw doesn’t break. It’s the only way I can suppress the urge to cover my ears even though it wouldn’t do anything to keep down the noise.
“Are you okay?” Helia whispers from my side.
“Yeah,” I force out, my jaw hurting. I can’t exactly tell her that my wolf’s annoying me, so I come up with the first lie I can. “I’m not too fond of landings.”
Helia covers my hand with hers and intertwines our fingers. The warmth from her skin seeps into mine. The touch makes me alert, waking up every part of my body. When her green eyes lock on mine, it’s as if the time stops and there’re just the two of us. My other hand itches to caress her cheek, to bury the fingers into her lush long blonde hair, and to bring her close enough for our lips to touch.
“I have to take away the glasses for the landing,” the flight attendant says, breaking the trance Helia’s touch has put me in.
My head jerks in the flight attendant’s direction and I clear my throat. “Go ahead.”
They’re watching you, my wolf warns, sensing Jessica and Melissa’s eyes on us even though I’m trying very hard not to glance their way to confirm it.
They can watch as much as they want,I reply, unbothered by the attention. As a Grey prince, I’ve gotten my fair share of gawkers and stalkers. They’re harmless as long as they stay in their lane.
They sure are curious,he argues lightly.
They’re just protective of their friend, I brush it off. I can respect that.
If you say so,my wolf replies, not sounding too convinced.
“This is your captain speaking,” the voice comes from the speakers. “We’re ready to land.”
The flight attendant takes a seat closest to the cockpit and buckles her own belt. I don’t care much for landing, take-off, or even turbulence, but I will pretend that I do if it gets me more of Helia’s attention.
Her hand still over mine, I lean my head back and close my eyes shut. As expected, she leans to me and begins whispering sweet nothings to distract me. I take in her every word, drinking in her sweet flowery scent.
“Just a little bit more and we’re there,” she whispers, loud enough only for me to hear. “We’ll make our way to The Ritz-Carlton hotel where we’ll barely have enough time to freshen up and change our clothes before attending the gala.”
“What will you wear?” I ask with an equally low voice. Turning my head to the side, she’s close enough for me to press my forehead against hers. “I’m sure the description can’t do justice to real thing, but I’m in dire need of a distraction.”
“Right,” she mumbles. “Umm, well, I’m wearing a white knee-length dress with a flower pattern on the hem.”
“Long or short sleeves?”
“Strapless,” she replies without missing a beat.
“A lot of skin,” I comment, just the thought of it making my cock twitch in my pants.
“The design doesn’t allow me to wear a bra,” she whispers conspiratorially, coaxing a low groan from me. She laughs, and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. “You’re such a perv.”
“Can you blame me?” I counter, raising my brow in challenge. “When was the last time you’ve taken a proper look at yourself?”
Helia lowers her head but not before I catch a slight flush spreading across her cheeks. A blonde strand falls forward, covering her face from view. With the hand that’s not holding hers, I tuck the loose curl behind her ear. She inhales sharply as the tips of my fingers graze her skin.
She’s more affected than she’d like us to believe, my wolf observes with his keen senses.
“I might be too excited to play your boyfriend this weekend,” I admit, confessing something personal to gauge her reaction.
“I think this is the first event that I’m actually looking forward to,” she replies, not actually acknowledging my confession, but also not entirely dismissing it.
It’s a start,my wolf comments, and I agree.
I lift my eyes over her shoulder to the window, taking in the approaching ground. The buildings get shape, the cars become bigger, and the lights don’t blur into one anymore. One more minute and we’re officially in San Francisco.
As soon as the captain gives the all-clear, Helia lets go of my hand. I immediately note her absence, wanting to touch her again.
Aren’t you supposed to be her boyfriend? my wolf asks with an exasperated sigh. Go for it. You can literally do almost anything, and she’ll have to go along with it.
Taking his advice, I reach over and take her hand from her lap. Helia glances my way and gives me a small smile. She doesn’t pull away but instead intertwines her fingers with mine. Hand in hand, we get up from our seats and exit the plane. I nod at the crew, giving them the only acknowledgment I dare without risking them exposing me to Helia and her friends.
Thanks to the private landing strip, the security isn’t as tight as the public part of the airport. We slip past the controls without a hitch and to the taxi that’s waiting for us outside, courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton. I might have given them a call to make sure that everything goes smoothly. I also had our room upgraded and slightly personalized, but that’s the bridge that Helia and I will cross once we get there.
Once again, I’m forced to sit in the front with the driver. This time, I don’t mind so much, mostly thanks to the knowledge that I’ll have Helia all to myself in a matter of minutes. The other two can get lost for all I care.
If you want to get into Helia’s pants, you should be nicer to her friends, my wolf comments.
Spare me the relationship advice,I tell him. I want to sleep with her, not spend the rest of my life by her side.
The Ritz-Carlton has a doorman waiting for us. While the girls are impressed, this is a daily occurrence to me. To avoid looking like an ass, I make sure to slip an extra tip both to the driver as well as the doorman who’s hauling our luggage.
“Ready?” I ask the girls, offering my arm to Helia. She hooks hers through it and nods, her eyes shining with barely concealed excitement. I lean closer to whisper, “First time?”
“Yeah,” she breathes. “My parents always took my sister to all the events.”
She has a sister,I tell my wolf, taking notes.
“Why not both of you?” I ask, and if I hadn’t watched her carefully, I would’ve missed the moment her expression changes as she firmly lifts her guard.
“She had more interest in the family affairs,” she replies with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I was content to be left at home with all the books that I haven’t had the chance to read yet.”
“A bookworm,” I muse, and then lean down to kiss her temple. With that, I end the conversation that she didn’t want to have in the first place. “We better go, or we’ll be late for the gala.”
Jessica and Melissa have already signed in at the reception desk when we approach them. I leave Helia with them to collect our own keys.
“Grayden Gray,” I say low enough not to be overheard by anyone else.
When I called them earlier, I made it clear how important discretion was to me and asked them to call me by my first name. It’d be unfortunate to catch the attention of a passing royal while being with humans.
“Just a moment, please,” the young receptionist says, her attention on the computer as she types away, entering my information.
I lean sideways to get a view of the modern lobby with white ambient lighting. As I gently tap my fingers against the marble counter, I observe several groups of people chatting away. Thanks to my heightened senses, I’m able to hear their every word, but as soon as I catch some medical terms, I stop listening.
“Here we go, sir,” the receptionist says, looking up at me. She tucks a strand of her curly dark hair behind her ear, her lips lifting up in a polite smile as she hands me two keycards. “The Presidential Suite is ready for you. Mr. Jones over there will escort you.”
“There’s no need, thanks,” I reply, giving both of them a nod. But before I leave, I want to confirm another thing. “Were you able to do what I asked?”
“Oh, yes, sir,” the receptionist replies, keeping her voice low and discreet. “If there’s anything else you might need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
I reach into my pocket, pull out a one-hundred-dollar bill, and set it on the counter. “Thank you.”
The receptionist accepts the tip. “I hope you have a pleasant stay.”
I return to Helia and hold up the two keycards. Melissa’s eyes widen and she tugs on Jessica’s arm to get her attention.
“Is that the Presidential Suite?” Melissa asks, her voice full of awe.
“Yes,” I confirm, not seeing the point to pretend otherwise.
“Wow,” Melissa breathes.
“That’s not fair,” Jessica complains and glances at her keycard. “Why do you get a fancy suite and we get to share a room?”
“Because I asked for an upgrade,” I reply firmly and with a tone of finality. I hold out my arm to Helia, who’s staring at me with wide eyes. My expression softens, and I offer her a small smile. “Only the best for my girl.”
She tentatively returns the smile and takes my arm. “We should get ready for the gala.”
Jessica glances at the watch and lets out a low curse. “We have less than an hour left.”
“I told you that we shouldn’t have worked a shift today,” Melissa says. “It doesn’t make any difference that it was only half of it.”
“Yeah, yeah, the flight took longer than I thought,” Jessica agrees with a roll of her eyes.
“I did warn you,” Melissa mutters back.
They continue their bickering as they go toward the elevator, but I turn my attention to Helia, slightly tugging on her arm to get her to look at me. We slow down to allow Jessica and Melissa to get ahead a couple of feet.
“Everything okay?” I ask, trying to read the emotion in her green eyes.
“Yeah,” she breathes, then shakes her head.
“What is it?” I ask with a gentle tone. “Did I do something bad?”
“No, not at all,” she quickly assures me. “It’s just that this is all new to me.”
I raise my brow. “Good new, or...?”
“Good,” she says and smiles. “No one has ever paid so much attention to me.”
“I’m going to guess that you also never had a fake boyfriend,” I joke and grin.
Helia laughs. “That’s true.”
“Enjoy it,” I tell her and pick up the pace to catch up with Jessica and Melissa who are waiting for us at the elevator. “You only live once.”