A Sip of You(5)

“In all seriousness,” I said when he placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me to the seats before the table. “This is amazing. I never even imagined planes like this existed, and you have two.”

“I have five, actually. But only two are making this trip.”

Before I could respond to that revelation, William reached over and buckled me in. His arm grazed my breast as he did so, and my nipples tightened in anticipation. He glanced up at me, his eyes more grey than blue. Even distracted, he didn’t miss anything and could tell when I had even the smallest response to his touch.

“Some of my staff and my security team are flying out on the other plane. I don’t like traveling with an entourage, but it’s usually necessary, so I deal with it.” He sighed as he took another sip of the bourbon. “Do you want a drink?” he asked again. Had he forgotten he’d already asked me that?

“No, I’m fine,” I said.

He buckled himself in and pressed a button to signal the cockpit. “We’re ready to go.”

“We’ve been cleared for departure, Mr. Lambourne,” came the reply. A moment later the jet began to taxi.

I hadn’t realized how quickly a smaller plane would move. It seemed to whip down the runway. William reached over and tightly grasped my hand in his. I glanced at him and noted the tight set of his jaw and the strained look on his face.

“Are you sure everything is okay?” I asked as the engines roared even louder.

He nodded, tight-lipped. The plane leapt into the air and for a moment we seemed to hang and glide, and then we made our way up and up. Still, William gripped my hand in an almost painful clench.

“Positive?” I asked. He didn’t respond, and I sighed. He could be incredibly frustrating sometimes—a lot of times. I knew letting me in and telling me what was going on—in his mind, in his heart, in his life—was never going to be easy for him. But he knew how important honesty was to me and to our relationship. “You know I’m here for you, right?” I said. “If you want to talk about anything...”

He glanced at me, then released my hand and reached for his drink.

So I guessed that was a no. Hopefully at some point I would find out more about the phone call that brought us here and about Wyatt’s mysterious reappearance. Wyatt was William’s older brother, or he had been until he and William’s parents were presumably killed in a plane crash when William was only eleven. Not long after we first met, I’d done a little Googling of my own and read about the plane crash. I knew what lengths William went to in his attempt to figure out what happened to his family. The plane wreckage had never been found, but apparently that wasn’t unusual for a plane crash in Alaska. So I knew some, but I wanted the details and to know what William knew.

I had so many questions and William had promised me answers, but it didn’t appear those answers would come now. He was too wound up, too tense. A few minutes later, there was a ping and William rose. I watched him as he made his way carefully to the bar near the big flat-screen and freshened his drink. The flight felt pretty smooth to me, so his careful walk seemed a little overdone. Or maybe that bourbon hadn’t been his first.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” he asked. “I had the galley stocked before we left. The lobster club sandwich is very good and so are the spring rolls. Or how about sparkling water? I’ve got fresh limes.” He seemed to be rambling a bit now. I cut him off.

“I’m not hungry right now. Thanks.”

I watched as he reached in his pocket, popped a pill in his mouth, and then took a deep swallow of his drink.

I was concerned now, but I tried not to let on how much. “That must be your secret medicine,” I said, my tone teasing. “Now I know what gives you all that stamina and vitality.”

He laughed, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, which were more guarded than ever. “Come here,” he said, taking a seat on the couch across from me. I unbuckled my seat belt and made my way to him. William took my hand and pulled me down beside him. It was soft and comfortable, and I curled my legs under me. William’s hand continued to stroke mine.

“So you’re not Superman, after all,” I said quietly.

“Far from it. That was Xanax. I hate flying, but it’s necessary. And then, so is the Xanax.”

I nodded, squeezing the fingers that still stroked my hand gently. Of course he hated flying, and I couldn’t believe I just realized it. His whole family died in a plane crash. His mother and father and older brother were gone in an instant. It was amazing that he ever set foot on a plane. He was amazing.