This was majorly impressive. Was I completely lame if my instinct was to snap a couple pictures and text them to Beckett? He’d be so jealous, but he was the perfect person with whom to share this. I didn’t want to get too wrapped up in the whole billionaire thing and Beckett 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. Once I’d been bumped from a flight and the airline had compensated me by moving me up to first-class on the next flight and I’d thought I was living large when I reclined my seat all the way. I never 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 comforter. I wondered if I would be joining the Mile High club on this trip. 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 me we were ready for takeoff. When they retreated, William surprised me by taking 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.” 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 wanted the connection I’d felt with him last night. I wanted us to talk for hours again, and I wanted to share my feelings with him. I wanted to tell him I loved him. We had so much to talk about on this trip. Plus there was his family and his brother—the reason for the trip—but more than anything else, I felt this was a beginning for us. This was our chance to open up to one another and really explore our feelings. I wanted to be everything to William. I wanted to know him in every way, and I wanted to share myself with him as well.
I kissed him back eagerly, exploring him and hoping he would do the same, but he pulled back. Disappointment rocked through me as, again, I got the feeling his mind was somewhere else.
“What was that kiss for?” I asked.
“I wanted to be certain you felt welcome,” he said, lifting a highball glass of amber liquid from the table. He’d already drank some of it. I’d tasted 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?”
“As you know, I like my privacy,” he said with a smile that faded far too quickly. “I’ll try to make sure the accommodations are more to your liking next time. In the meantime, I’ll have to wait on you, hand and foot.” I didn’t miss the tenor of seduction in his voice, and my throat went dry, but I kept things light between us for the moment.
“You’ll do, I suppose.” I smiled, but 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, if he just didn’t like flying, or if it was something else entirely. “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.” He 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 could tell when I was aroused. “My staff and security will travel on the other plane. I always travel with a team. I hate it. I’m not the sort of man who likes an entourage, but it’s necessary.” 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 for takeoff.”
“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 grasped my hand in his, his grip tight. I glanced over at him and noted the tight set of his jaw and the strained look on his face.
“Are you 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.
“Are you sure?” I asked. He didn’t respond, and I sighed. He could be incredibly frustrating sometimes—a lot of times. When was William going to let me in and tell me what was going on—in his mind, in his heart, in his life? I knew it wouldn’t be easy for him, but I thought we’d talked through that. I thought he knew I was ready to support him and be there for him. “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 Wyatt’s mysterious reappearance. Wyatt was William’s older brother, or he had been until William’s family was killed in a plane crash when William was only eleven. From the very little William had told me, it seemed like Wyatt might have been found, but I wanted to know the whole story. I wanted the details and to know what William knew. What made him suspect his brother was still alive? I’d done a little of my own research on the plane crash, and I knew William had left no stone unturned in his search for answers to what had happened to his family. The plane wreckage had never been found, but that wasn’t unusual for a plane crash in Alaska.
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. He made his way carefully to the bar near the flat screen TV and freshened his drink. The flight felt pretty smooth to me, so his careful walk seemed a little overdone. Or perhaps that bourbon hadn’t been his first.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” he asked. “I had the plane stocked before we left. The lobster club sandwich is very good and so are the spring rolls with ginger sesame dressing. 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.”
He reached in his pocket, popped a pill in his mouth, then took a deep swallow of his drink.
I was getting a little concerned, but I knew better than to show it if I wanted William to share anything with me. “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, Catherine,” 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 on the couch beside him. It was soft and comfortable, and I curled my legs under me. William’s hand continued to stroke mine, and his eyes had turned molten-grey. I shivered. That was the color of desire.
“So you’re not Superman, after all,” I said quietly.
“Far from it. That was Xanax. I hate flying and avoid it when I can. But too often 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. 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.
“I know this has to be unbearable for you,” I whispered. Please let him open up to me now, I thought.
William, let me in
.
“The Xanax makes it bearable, but you, Catherine, you help more than you could possibly know.”
“I want to know,” I said. “Maybe talking to me would help.”
His eyes grew tender, and he pulled me into his lap. I could feel the tension in his tightly coiled body, but he seemed to relax slightly when we touched. His hands stroked up my arms to cup my face and then he leaned forward and kissed me gently. I tasted the bourbon again. It had a smooth, smoky flavor. It was earthy and elemental, much like William was in some ways. The sweet kiss deepened when I responded, and he pulled me closer, pressing me against him so we were one. His lips touched mine lovingly, but there was something else there too—something desperate and dark. And something temptingly erotic. My toes curled as my body came alive with desire. I wanted more. More of his mouth, more of his hands, more of everything he could offer.
But instead of giving in to temptation, William pulled back and sighed. “Thank you for coming, Catherine. I know this wasn’t what we had planned for today. It means the world to me that you would drop everything to be with me. And I know I owe you explanations. They will come. Soon enough.” He raked a hand through his hair, closing his eyes briefly in what looked like pain. “It’s a sordid tale,” he said, eyes still closed as though he was seeing it in his mind. “Twisted and knotted and lengthy.” His eyes opened and his gaze met mine again. The color of his eyes had gone from molten-grey to ice-blue. I loved how his eyes reflected so much of what he felt. They could be scorching one moment and stormy the next. “It will take awhile to tell it all, and now is not the time.” He set me gently back on the couch, and I had to resist the urge to climb back into his warm, welcoming lap.
William stood. “As I said, it’s just the pilots and the two of us, no flight attendant. Are you certain I can’t get you something?” But he wasn’t really looking at me as he spoke. Again, he seemed distracted and far away.
“I’m really not hungry,” I said again. “Maybe later.” I’d accepted I wasn’t going to get the answers I wanted right now. “Why don’t you go lie down?” I suggested. “Relax.”
“That’s a good idea,” he said and started for the bedroom without even a backward glance. Weird. I’d never seen him like this. It was fascinating in one sense, but it worried me too. What exactly waited for us in Napa?
I waited for him to look back at me, for him to motion for me to follow him—I was hoping to join the Mile High club, after all—but he opened the bedroom door and shut it without a single acknowledgement or invitation to join him in bed. And that was
really
not like William.
I looked around the cabin, feeling uneasy. It was a little creepy to be alone on a plane like this. I almost wished Anthony had flown with us. I didn’t like being by myself in this hollow cavern, but there wasn’t much I could do at this point. The flight was four hours, and I was obviously going to be entertaining myself for most of it. I thought about pulling out my laptop and doing some work, but the idea didn’t appeal. Instead, I retrieved my tablet and my headphones and scrolled through the movies I’d downloaded. I curled up on the sectional, throw pillows tucked around me, started the movie then decided maybe I would have a snack.
Leave it to William to stock his plane with the kind of food I’d expect at a Michelin-starred restaurant. I spotted the lobster club sandwich and the spring rolls, and there was also a cucumber and shrimp salad, Asian beef with noodles, crème
brûlée
cheesecake with fresh berries, and toffee covered macadamia nuts. No airplane peanuts for William. There was even popcorn, but it was wasabi ranch flavor, which I’d never tried, and I didn’t want to sample now. I decided on a fruit salad and the sparkling water, and with a last look at the closed bedroom door, started the movie.
I’d unwittingly chosen a romantic comedy—or perhaps the choice was more deliberate on the part of my unconscious than I wanted to admit. Immediately, the story reminded me of how I’d met William outside Willowgrass on the night when I’d been scoping the restaurant for the
Chicago Now
shoot. One of these days I was going to have to call Jenny Hill and thank her for breaking her wrist so I could take the assignment. It had turned out to be a lot more than a good career opportunity. In a million years, I could have never pictured myself in love again or watching a movie on a private jet.
I still found it hard to believe that a man like William Lambourne wanted me. He had everything. He was gorgeous with all that thick mahogany hair, those stormy blue-grey eyes, and his ripped body. And he was rich. Before I met him, I had no idea what it meant to be a billionaire. I still had difficulty fathoming the extent of his wealth. His penthouse was the kind of residence someone like me could only dream of. He was involved in more business ventures than I could count. Hell, we were going to Napa Valley on his private jet, and the watch I was wearing was worth more than my yearly income.
On top of it all, he was a genuinely good person. I’d never forget the speech William gave at The Peninsula during the benefit dinner for the Lambourne Cancer Wing at Chicago Hospital. William endowed the wing after his aunt was diagnosed with cancer and he realized there wasn’t a top-of-the line cancer center in Illinois.
But William had his drawbacks too. He was incredibly secretive. If I was being romantic, I’d say he was mysterious. But more often than not, he chose to withhold information I felt, as his girlfriend, I was entitled to. The reason for this trip fell under the Secretive category.
However, I had reason to believe all of that was about to change. William had promised to be more open with me from now on and I knew it wouldn’t be easy for him or happen overnight, but I really wanted this trip to be about us getting to know one another better. I wanted William to open up to me about his family and the brother he had lost and now, possibly, found. I couldn’t imagine my entire family dying in a plane crash when I was just a kid. It wasn’t the kind of tragedy anyone ever got over. It was still part of him, and if I was really part of his life, I needed to know that part too. It couldn’t just be sex between us. I needed more, and I knew William wanted more too.
Two hours later, my movie was over, and I was bored and annoyed, flipping through an old magazine I’d found. Apparently even flights on private jets weren’t exciting past the first hour or so. The co-pilot had come out earlier to check on me, which had been nice. When I’d told him William was sleeping, he hadn’t seemed surprised.