Chapter 27 #2
She swallows hard. Before I can talk myself out of it, I lean in and kiss her. Hungry, possessive, and quick. “Get in the car, Vivienne.”
She crawls inside, fastening her seatbelt, too dazed to continue to protest. Satisfaction slithers its way through me.
It’s good to be back together. I won this round.
I climb in after her, allowing the smug smile on my face to show.
Our car ride is quiet, and I don’t push my luck.
As much as I want to grab her hand or wrap my arm around her shoulder, I keep my body and my hands to myself. Baby steps. She’ll warm up. I hope.
Once we’re alone, maybe I can crack her.
I need to understand why she’s driving a wedge between us when I’ve seen it with my own eyes how much she still cares about me.
There’s a reason she won’t allow herself to love me, and I’m going to get to the end of it before the plane lands in New York City.
The driver pulls up to the hotel. I give Vivienne a look that says don’t even think about it. A few minutes later, the driver and I load her luggage into the back. Before he climbs into the driver’s seat, I slide in close and whisper, “Thanks for not running.”
“I didn’t want to risk being abducted by someone worse than you,” she answers dryly.
Apparently, the Ice Queen’s reign continues, and so does our silent ride.
Once we board the plane, we’re finally alone.
She follows my lead, taking a seat in one of the plush leather chairs.
It’s another step in the right direction.
I sneak a glance at her out of the corner of my eye.
Vivienne is visibly uncomfortable. “What’s wrong? ”
She shakes her head, brushing me off. I reach for her hand, and to my surprise, she clasps it. Her warm fingers wrap around mine. A familiar buzz fills me as I sweep my thumb across the back of her hand. Vivienne squeezes.
“Let me guess, you don’t like takeoffs?” I say softly.
“No,” she whispers. “I hate them. And landings.”
“Is there anything I can do to make it better?”
“Just talk. Distract me,” she mumbles so low I can barely hear her.
“Okay,” I say smugly, straightening in my seat. “I’ve missed you.”
She doesn’t say anything in return, so I keep going. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”
“I know.”
There it is. She knows I never gave up on her. Silence surrounds us as I grapple for something to say. “I’m excited for you to see my house. It’s not as cool as having your own pool,” I tease, “but I do have a rooftop balcony in Brooklyn.”
“Oh, Brooklyn,” she scoffs in a fake snobby voice. “Is that supposed to be fancy?”
I burst out laughing. “It’s not like that. You’ll see.”
“Keep talking,” she demands, gripping my hand tighter as we hit some light turbulence while ascending.
“Are you still mad?” I ask.
She stares at me long and hard. Just when I think she’s not going to answer, she says, “What makes you think I’m mad?”
“Um, the muttering and flailing, refusing to go with me nicely—“
She cuts me off.
“I was thrown over your shoulder. I wasn’t given a choice to walk nicely.” Her tone is sassy, exactly how I like it.
“I’ll give you that one. But I still had to fly my ass all the way to Florida to get you to speak to me,” I argue back playfully, easing our conversation in the direction I want it to go.
She tenses, and even though it makes her uncomfortable, I need to know why she pushed me away. She looks down, focusing on her legs.
“I wasn’t mad,” Vivienne confesses. She lets go of my hand to shield her face.
“Tell me,” I whisper. “Why did you push me away?”
She pulls herself into a protective ball, and I drop to my knees. Kneeling at her feet, I reach for her. She murmurs, “I was trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?” I gasp. “Everything’s handled, Vivienne. I made sure of it. You didn’t need to protect me.”
“I didn’t want to ruin your career, Cas. You’ve worked so hard.” The confession rolls off her tongue like poison.
“Ruin my career, Vivienne, what are you talking about?”
“Everything that happened. It was all my fault, and you got dragged into it. Your career would be over.” She sounds like she might break.
“It’s over. Nothing is going to happen to either of us. The case is closed out completely.” I tug gently on her, but she resists.
“That’s not all. I don’t deserve you. I did something horrible, out of spite, and you didn’t care. Instead, you tried to protect me. Your fans also hate me and don’t want us to be together.” Her words sting, reminding me why she got stabbed to begin with.
“Some of my fans are sick and delusional. They’ll never accept me being in a relationship because they want to be with me. The rest of that, I don’t care about. I would do anything to keep you safe, Vivienne. Let that sink in—anything.” My voice is deep and raspy.
She unravels herself slowly. “That’s what scares me, Cas. You did everything it took to protect me.”
“Stop being scared, my little muse. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
She leans forward to cup my face in her hands. Her lips are dangerously close to mine, and then she kisses me. Her forehead presses to mine. “I’ll never stop being scared of losing you, Mr. Rockstar.”
“My heart belongs to you, Vivienne Taylor. Keep it safe.” I kiss her back, deepening it with my tongue. Fuck, I missed the way she tastes.
She kisses me back and when we finally pull away for air she sighs, “I will this time.”
Vivienne holds up her pinky finger, and I hook mine around it.
“It’s a good thing I like broken, petty things,” I growl.
“I’m not petty,” she scoffs. “Okay, fine, maybe a little bit.”
I lift a brow at her. “Fine, I’m petty, but at least I’m pretty.”
“There’s her bratty attitude. It’s so fucking good to have her back.”
Vivienne and I gaze at one another long enough for our eyes to glaze over. She blinks them clean, grips me by the shirt, and yanks me into her. Our mouths crash together like we’ve been starved for this moment.
“I missed you. I’m so glad you came for me,” she gasps between kisses.
“Mmmmm,” I groan. “I’ll never stop chasing you. I told you, you’re mine.”
She holds me tighter as I sweep my tongue against hers, slipping my fingers through her hair and allowing my hand to tangle in it. Vivienne wraps her legs around my hips, grinding against my cock. I’m instantly hard. Eight weeks without her was torture.
“I want you. I wanted you the minute you threw me over your shoulder and stuffed me in the car.” Her hand slides down my stomach in search of my cock.
She doesn’t have to look hard. When her fingers rub over my jeans, I hiss. “Promise you won’t get mad at me, and I’ll let you in on a secret,” I growl.
She bites her lip, which drives me wild. I love it when she does that—it’s so fucking adorable. “Fine. I know I’m going to regret this, but I promise.”
A shit-eating grin slides into place. “Wait here.”
“Where else am I going to go?” she asks sarcastically.
I laugh. I have a sexy flight attendant outfit in my bag. I got a pilot costume for myself too, in case she’s really into it. She’s trying so hard to see what I’m doing as I unzip my carry-on. I pull the matching bra and panty set out, hiding both behind my back, and make my way back to Vivienne.
“Last time we did one of your fantasies. This time, I think we should do one of mine.” I hold up the outfit and the lingerie.
Her eyes sparkle with excitement. “So if I’m dressing up for this, what are you wearing?”
“What should I be wearing?”
“It’s your fantasy,” she shrugs. “What are my options?”
I smile confidently. “There might also be a pilot’s uniform in my bag.”
“Yes. I want you to wear that. I’ve been a very naughty flight attendant. You better teach me a lesson and remind me how to behave,” she teases in a breathy voice that sends pleasure rolling up my spine.
“Get changed,” I say, dropping them in her lap. “Don’t worry, I’ll be watching.”
She snatches them up for a better look. “Watch away, Captain.”