Traded(65)

“Ready?” he asked, shaking the car keys.

“Yeah.”

I reached for the bag at his feet, but he pushed my hand away and picked it up himself. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked as we walked down the steps to the Bentley already waiting in front.

“Nope.”

I stuck my bottom lip out, hoping it would get me more information, but after he’d loaded the bag into the trunk and rounded the car to open my door, his thumb swiped over my bottom lip.

“It won’t work, Elena.” He opened the passenger door and gestured inside the car.

“Fine.” I slipped into the seat, listening to his belly laugh all the way around the front and into his own seat. It was hard to keep up the pretense and not laugh with him. By the time we pulled out of the drive, I’d given up and giggled right along.

I had a hard time sitting still during the whole drive. Theories about where we might be heading flipped through my head at such speed, I could barely keep up with them. Ashton turned the car into a small airport, pulling up and parking behind one of the hangers.

“Flying?”

“We are, but I’m not telling you any more.”

We climbed out of the car at the same time and Ashton grabbed the bag from the back on his way to meet me. Threading his fingers through mine, I gasped at the gesture because the slight pressure on my hand settled my nerves. It was weird how well he knew me.

We walked hand in hand to the hanger. The front was open, the plane already out on the tarmac.

“Ashton.” A man with cropped red hair came through the door. “You made good time.”

“We did,” Ashton said, extending his hand. “Once someone got out of bed.” He looked over and winked at me.

“It’s the middle of the night,” I protested.

They both laughed. “John, this is Elena.” Ashton brought me forward. “Elena, this is John. Dad keeps him on retainer for special flights.”

“It’s a pleasure.” John kissed the back of my hand. He lingered a little longer than necessary.

“John,” Ashton warned.

John raised his hands, his eyes raking down my body. Despite Ashton’s warning, his gaze lingered on my breasts. “You can’t blame me for getting carried away.”

“Then you can’t blame me for what’ll happen next.”

“Fair point.” John started to back toward the door. “Plane’s fueled. Checks done. Flight’s cleared. We can take off whenever you’re ready.”

Ashton glanced over at me, obviously seeing the pleading in my eyes. “We’re ready now.”

“Stairs are down. Help yourself. I’ll be up in a minute.” John took off, jogging out the door.

“It was nice to meet you,” I called out into the night. Turning to face Ashton, I added. “You scared the crap out of him.”

He scoffed. “I don’t give a shit. I pay him to fly a plane, not grope the woman I’m trying to impress.”

I rolled my eyes and let Ashton lead me to the steps, which were already extended. “A private plane?”

“The only way to get where we’re going. The airport is small and the next largest one is three hours away.”

Geography was never my best subject. I racked my brain for where he might be talking about.

“Stop trying to figure it out,” he said softly next to my ear. “You’ll spoil the surprise.”

He placed the bag in one of the compartments near the front, then showed me to one of the seats, each a large leather recliner. This plane looked nothing like the jets where they shove three people in a section that is really only big enough for two. Taking a seat, I was surprised at how comfortable the seats were.

“I’ve only ever flown coach.”

“How many times have you flown?”

I glanced down to the floor. “Once, when we left for Vegas.”

Ashton’s head snapped in my direction. “Are you telling me you’ve only flown once in your entire life?”

I nodded, unsure how to respond. Humiliation swept through me. “Yeah, we drove from there to Colorado. Dominic wanted to start afresh somewhere new.”

“I thought your parents lived on the East coast. You didn’t visit them?” His tone was harsh.

“Dominic always said we didn’t have the money to make the long flight.” I looked at the carpet for so long I began to memorize the pattern. “Besides, we lost contact, remember?”

He caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger, bringing my face up to his. “Elena, you’re not to blame. It’s just that every time you let me in, I’m disgusted with how callous and selfish that man is.”