Stepbrother Romance 3 - Addicted: A New Adult Alpha Billionaire Romance (5 page)

“I ate a small lunch.”

“Good.” He sipped some more.

The car turned onto a rural two-lane road that meandered over rolling hills through farmland. I watched barns and cows and corn whiz by, wondering where we were going.

I had to give it to Kent, when he wanted to pull off something big, something exciting, he knew how to do it. I’d never been so excited on a date before. The limo turned into a drive leading to a small cluster of one-storied buildings. The sign read Washtenaw County Airport.

Airport? What the hell?

I looked at Kent. Grinning like a total goon, he lifted his glass. “Up for some adventure?”

“Adventure? Where?”

“Alaska.”

I choked. On my own saliva.

He handed me his glass, and I downed half its contents in a series of frantic gulps.

Alaska? Had he said Alaska?

“What did you say?” I croaked between sputters.

“I thought we’d have dinner in Fairbanks…
tomorrow
evening. Tonight we dine on the jet.”

“But… Alaska?” I was going to faint. I grabbed the closest thing to me, which happened to be Kent’s arm, and held on for life.

“What’s wrong?”

“Alaska? I can’t go to Alaska. Not now. Not today.” I concentrated on breathing. Innn. Outttt. Innn. Outttt.

“Why?”

I couldn’t believe this. What was he trying to do? Why was he taking me so far away? “I have… what about the electrician? And I didn’t pack any clothes. And… and…” And that airplane didn’t look big enough to fly across Kent’s backyard, let alone across a freaking continent. I’d never been in a plane, let alone one that small.

He gave me an up-and-down perusal. “I’ll buy you some clothes. I think we could find something nicer to wear just about anywhere. Like, in an abandoned barn. And my assistant is handling the electrician.”

I had to get out of this. Sure, I would love to travel. Someday. But not today. I wasn’t ready for this. “But what about your work?”

“I decided I could take a couple of days off.”

Of course he’d decided to take some time off. Just my freaking luck! “I’m sure you’ll regret that. Won’t your business go belly up without you?”

“No, of course not.” He leaned closer as the limo’s rear door swung open. “What’s wrong? Afraid to be alone with me on a plane?”

I felt all the color drain from my face. “How long is the flight?”

“Oh, I’m going to guess about seven hours.”

I looked out the open door. There stood the plane, in sight. It was small. Not one of those micro planes that carried one or two people, but not a commercial sized jet either.

I gulped.

I was stuck. In that little thing? For seven hours. With a Kent Payne who was hell bent on seducing me. How had things gotten so fucked up?

With any luck, I’d be too terrified to be seduced.

I curled my fingers around the ends of the armrests and held my breath. The plane was zooming down the runway way too fast. What if it didn’t take off? What if something was wrong? What was I doing on a plane in the first place?

Queued in to my terror, Kent placed his hand over mine. “It’ll be okay. Haven’t you flown before?”

I shook my head. We hadn’t left the ground yet and already my stomach was doing loop-the-loops.

I felt an odd sensation, that dipping feeling you have when you drive fast over a bump and the car goes air born for a second or two. And another. And yet another. Pressure pushed me down, into the seat. We were in the air. I knew it. But I couldn’t look outside. In fact, I couldn’t look anywhere. My eyes were closed and I had no intention of opening them until we landed. I couldn’t open them. Even if I wanted to…which I didn’t.

“Easy, Shayne. The worst part’s almost over,” Kent said in a smooth and totally reassuring voice. I was not happy to be on a plane right now. Nor was I happy that Kent had arranged this without asking me first. But at the same time I was glad he was with me now because he was being incredibly understanding and sweet.

“Thanks,” I squeaked, my eyes still clamped tight. Now I wished I’d drunk more of that champagne.

“Can I get you anything? Drink? Food? Pillow and blanket?” When I didn’t respond, he added, “There’s a cabin in the back with a bed, if you’d like to stretch out and get comfortable.”

“Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you,” I said on a hollow chuckle. “Get me drunk, toss me into a flying tin can, and then off I go, to bed with you. I have news for you, Valmont. It’s not going to be that easy.”

“I didn’t think it would. I was just trying to make you comfortable. You look like you’re about to throw up.”

Yep, that was about right. I was mighty glad my stomach was empty now. “I’m fine.”

“Very well.”

I heard a click and then felt him move away. Was he leaving  me? My eyelids snapped open.

Yes, he was! He was walking away.

“Where are you going?” Oh wow. So my voice was about three octaves higher than normal. That was terror, right there. Pure terror.

He returned to his seat. “I was just going over here.” He pointed to a couch-like seating area. “Would you like to come with me?”

“Is it safe?” I asked.

“Of course.”

I looked down at the seatbelt, snugged reassuringly against my pelvis. I touched the buckle. It was only a couple of strips of woven material. If we crashed, it wouldn’t do much to keep me alive. So why was it so hard to unfasten it?

Kent pushed the button and eased the two pieces away from each other. Then he offered his hand. “I’ll help you.”

I placed my hand in his and our gazes tangled.

My heart jumped around in my chest. Not because I was unbuckled. But because of the expression on Kent’s handsome face.

It was no use. There was no way I would win this bet. Absolutely none. Zip. Nada. I was cooked. If I could swoon at just a simple touch while in the midst of terror, there was no hope.

Tempted to throw up the white flag and hurdle myself into Kent’s arms, I stood. My legs wobbled. My knees were soft, like marshmallow.

“You’ll be more comfortable over here,” he said, gently pulling me toward the couch.

I hoped he was right. Seven hours was a long time to feel this awful. How I wished I could blink and be there.

Kent turned to face me, the couch behind my legs. “Have a seat. I’ll call for some drinks.”

I plopped down. “Thanks.”

He pushed a button on the wall and within seconds a uniformed young man was standing in front of us, eagerly awaiting our requests. Two sets of male eyes focused on me.

“Water, please,” I said.

Kent’s brows lifted. “Are you sure that’s all you want?”

“No. I want a big glass of that champagne you had earlier. But I know that would be stupid. So I’ll stick with water for now.”

“Very well,” Kent said then asked for some coffee. The flight attendant scampered off to get our drinks. Meanwhile, as Kent settled in to do some work on the laptop he pulled out of a pocket on the side of the couch, I tried to get comfy. The couch was an improvement over the chair, there was no question of that. But it was still a little on the hard side, and there were no pillows and no coffee table on which to rest my feet so I couldn’t stretch out my legs. Kent sighed then said, “Here, try this.” He set the laptop aside and maneuvered me by my shoulders, coaxing me to lay lengthwise, my head resting on his lap.

That was better in one way, worse in another. I was much more comfortable. But my face was inches away from his groin. And every time I inhaled, I smelled that intoxicating combination of man and soap and cologne. He smelled so good.

I turned onto my side so my back was resting against the back of the couch and I was facing out into the cabin and watched the flight attendant bring our drinks. He handed them to Kent then left without saying another word.

“Drink?” Kent offered.

I didn’t want to move now that I was comfortable. “No thanks. Maybe later.”

He gently smoothed a hand over my hair. “That’s it. Just relax. If you can fall asleep, the flight will seem much shorter.”

“I don’t think I can sleep.”

“I can help you with that.”

I snorted. “I’m sure you could.”

“No, I don’t mean
that
. I mean…” He lifted my head then stood. “Flip over onto your stomach.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Trust me.”

“Trust you? Really?”

He grinned. “So far I’ve behaved, haven’t I?”

I grunted a reluctant acknowledgement. He hadn’t outright seduced me. But I kind of felt like a lobster, having a nice swim in a big pot. He was slowly turning up the heat so I wouldn’t notice and jump out.

He made a rolling motion, and I complied. Somewhat reluctantly. I had a feeling I was making this too easy for him.

He swung a leg over my body, wedging it between my hip and the couch back. Now straddling me, he set his hands on my shoulders and began rubbing.

Oh, did that feel good.

I let my eyelids fall shut and relished the sensation of his strong fingers working the tension out of my muscles.

“You’re tense,” he informed me.

“I’m on a plane for the first time. With you. What do you expect?”

His chuckle vibrated through my body. “I apologize if this is stressful. I didn’t mean it to be. I genuinely thought you’d enjoy the trip. I hadn’t realized you’d never flown before. I guess I should’ve asked before making the plans. But I wanted to surprise you.”

“It’s okay.” I sighed. I was in heaven. Really. Kent’s hands were magical. “I appreciate the thought. It really is very kind and generous. I’m being a bit of a baby about this. I really should be more grateful. After all, you’ve gone to a lot of expense and trouble--”

“It was my pleasure,” he said, cutting me off, fingers pressing into the knots in my neck. “I figured I owed you more than a dinner at a restaurant after last night.”

“For the record, I was a bit of a baby about that too,” I confessed. “I shouldn’t have gotten so upset.”

“I should have at least texted you.”

I looked over my shoulder to smile at him. Our gazes tangled. My heart fluttered like a newly hatched butterfly.

A thought popped into my head and out my mouth, “Wow, things sure have changed between us.”

His brows drew together. “They have? How?”

“Well, at least for me,” I admitted. The intimacy of this moment was inspiring me to be honest. “I hated you for a while.”

There was another of those deep, rumbly chuckles. “Really? Hated?”

“Despised. Deplored. Detested.”

“I’m shocked to hear this.” He didn’t sound shocked.

“No you aren’t.”

“Okay, maybe shocked is an exaggeration.”

“You wanted me to hate you.”

“No, I didn’t. I just wanted you to keep your distance,” said the man who was now on top of me, not far away at all. And he was rubbing my shoulders and making me feel relaxed. And warm. Very warm. Everywhere.

“Yes, because you’re
so
bad.” I said, making sure to slather on a thick layer of sarcasm.

“I am.”

“You are not.” I rolled my eyes. “Please. Don’t even try. Sure, you tend to let your dick lead you around. But don’t most guys? You’re very generous. And giving. Look at all you’ve done for my mom and your dad. And for me.”

“Don’t let that fool you. Spending money is easy. I have so much of it I couldn’t spend it all if I tried. I’m still the irritating, despicable bastard you hated.”

Irritating, despicable bastard who was the best masseur in the world. “You’re selling yourself short.”

“No, you’re giving me too much credit,” he said as he worked a painful knot out of my back.

I lifted my arms over my head to make it easier for him to get to the tightest knots. “You practically ripped all the skin off your hands, smashing down the door to get my mom and your dad out of the carriage house when the tree fell on it.”

“Sure. But I also slept with you. Not once. But three times. And I’m shamelessly trying to get in your pants again to win a bet. See?” He heaved a long sigh. “Deplorable.” To illustrate how deplorable he was, he slid his hands south, stopping just short of my butt. My muscles clenched for an instant. My skin tingled. If they moved any lower, the bet was over.

“At least you aren’t lying about your motivation,” I offered.

“Not sure that counts for much.”

“Well, I think it does.” I wanted to roll over and look at his beautiful face. I wanted to see if the spark of desire I thought I heard in his voice was shimmering in his dark eyes. In my mind, I imagined it was there, gleaming. But I couldn’t look to see for sure. He held me in place with his knees, caging my pelvis, keeping me from lifting or twisting.

I kind of liked this feeling, of being under his control, unable to move unless he let me. “Anyway,” I added, “I’m entitled to my opinion.”

“Of course you are,” he acknowledged, hands kneading my lower back muscles. “Feeling more relaxed?” he asked, stopping after way too few minutes.

“No. You need to keep doing that. For at least another six hours.”

He laughed swung off the couch and smacked my ass. I jumped and squealed. The strike didn’t hurt. It startled me. I glared.

He grinned. “You liked that, didn’t you?”

“What?” My face flamed. “The back rub? Yes, I liked it. Who wouldn’t?”

“No, the smack on the ass. You liked it.”

I kind of did, now that I had time to register the flurry of sensations careening through my body. The nerves on my backside were still firing hot, sizzling pulses buzzing up and down my spine. My reaction was so unexpected, I didn’t know what to say, what to do.

Uncomfortable and awkward, I sat up and grabbed the untouched glass of water the flight attendant had brought me, using that as an excuse not to talk. While I gulped, Kent settled back down beside me and unfolded his laptop.

Really? He was going to work? Weren’t we on a date?

I gave him a raised-brow what-are-you-doing look and he folded the screen down.

“I thought maybe I’d get a little work done while we were flying,” he reasoned.

“We’re on a date. Remember?”

“Yes, I remember. However, you already shot down my suggestion for how to spend the time.”

“What suggestion was that?”

He raised his brows and jerked his head toward the back of the plane. “The bed? Or did you change your mind? Because we have roughly six and a half hours to kill. If you want to call me the winner of our little bet, we could both have what we want…”