A Sip of You(4)

“Yes, sir.” He disappeared through the cabin door.

“Is he coming with us?”

“He’ll travel on the other plane. Was the drive here alright?” William asked as he removed his hand from my back. I missed his warmth immediately.

I wanted to ask about the other plane. I hadn’t realized this trip would be more than just the two of us, but I left that for the moment. “The drive was fine.” I smiled at him and waited for him to offer to show me around, but he wasn’t looking at me. In fact, he looked distracted. He seemed alternately fascinated by the floor and then by the stock report. I cleared my throat. “What’s through the door?”

“Hmm?” He blinked at me, seeming to remember I was there. “The bedroom and a bathroom. Take a look. I need to speak with the pilot.”

Without another word, he turned and headed to the cockpit. He’s definitely distracted, I thought as I made my way back to the bedroom. I opened the door and almost laughed. I couldn’t believe this plane. It was like something out of a movie. The bedroom boasted the same color scheme and opulent finishes as the rest of the interior, and I had to wonder if there were decorators for private jets. Probably.

Inside the bedroom, the requisite bed was more than large enough for two. The space was small and spartan yet richly appointed, as was William’s style. Everything looked very expensive. Across from the bed was the bathroom. I peeked inside and wasn’t surprised to see it was modern in tone like William’s penthouse.

This was majorly impressive. Was I completely lame if my instinct was to snap a couple of pictures and text them to Beckett? He’d be so jealous, but he was the perfect person to share this with. I’d told Beckett I didn’t want to get too wrapped up in the whole billionaire thing, and he had promised to keep me grounded.

I sent a quick text and then took one last awe-filled look around. I’d always flown cramped and uncomfortable in coach, even on overseas trips with Jace for surfing events. Once we’d been bumped off a flight from San Francisco to Sydney and the airline had moved us up to business class on the next flight. We thought we were living large when we reclined our seats all the way and took advantage of the open bar. But I never in a million years imagined taking a shower or sleeping in a bed on a plane. I stepped back into the bedroom and ran my hand over the luxurious duvet. I wondered if I would be joining the Mile High Club on this trip. I’d never done that. A curl of desire spiraled through me. I sincerely hoped so.

When I returned to the main cabin, William introduced me to the captain and co-pilot, who greeted me warmly and told us we were ready to depart. When they retreated, William took me in his arms again. “Every time I see you, you’re more beautiful. Have I told you I don’t deserve you?”

“Yes.” I grinned. “But you can tell me again.”

“I don’t deserve you. And you are very beautiful. I intend to tell you that every day. Plan on holding to me to that.”

Then he kissed me deeply. As always, the feel of his body pressed to mine made me heady with desire, but I was looking for something else too. I was thrilled that he was thinking about us together every day, but what I really wanted right now was to recapture the connection we’d shared last night. I wanted us to talk for hours again, and I wanted him to open up to me even more. I wanted to know him in every way and I wanted him to know all of me too. I loved him and was just waiting for the perfect moment to tell him.

I kissed him back eagerly, but he pulled away. Disappointment rocked through me as, again, I got the feeling his mind was somewhere else.

“Is everything all right?” I asked.

“Now that you’re here, everything is fine. I just want to make sure you feel welcome,” he said, lifting a highball glass of amber liquid from the table. He’d already drank some of it; I could taste the bourbon on his tongue.

“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked. “The bar is fully stocked.”

“What, no flight attendant?” I joked. “What kind of plane is this?”

“Well, I like my privacy,” he said with a smile that faded far too quickly, “but I’ll try to make sure the accommodations are more to your liking next time. In the meantime, I guess I’ll have to wait on you, hand and foot.” His words sounded so seductive, and my throat went dry, but I kept things light between us for the moment.

“You’ll do, I suppose.” I smiled, but then saw he wasn’t even really looking at me. Something about William was definitely off. I couldn’t tell if it was because he was nervous about what he’d find on the trip—probably, but he hadn’t said anything more about his brother. Or maybe he just didn’t like flying, or maybe it was something else entirely. It was still so hard for me to read him.