Chapter 116: Chapter Nineteen

Alec

“Where are we going?” Nat was doing cute little circles around me at the airport.

All I told her was that the climate was the same as Portland, so not to get her hopes up that we were going to Disneyland for the weekend.

“If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise.” I kissed her forehead. “Besides, you love surprises.”

Nat chewed her lower lip. “This is true. But you do know I'm going to find out based on the ticket counter we go to?”

I smiled. “We'll see about that.” I led her toward the first-class lounge of Alaska Airlines and went to the counter with both our IDs and ticket info. The great thing about being famous?

You could pull strings, and damn if I wasn't trying to just use this time to be with her and only focus on her. She deserved that much after all the shit going on in my head.

After I checked in our bags, I jogged back to the seat where I left Nat, but she was missing.

“Nat?” I went around the corner, then went and knocked on the door to the restroom.

“Be right out!”

I shrugged and picked up a magazine.

Fantastic. A picture of me and my glorious black eye filled the page. “Lover's spat?”

I groaned and threw the magazine down.

Nat emerged from the restroom looking a bit pale. “Babe, you alright?”

“I think I'm just excited.” She sat down with a huff. “Plus, I may have skipped breakfast.”

I growled low in my throat. “You know how much I hate it when you skip meals, Nat. You have to take care of yourself.” I pulled her into my lap and stroked her face. “Damn, you're beautiful.”

She sighed. “Even when I'm pale and look like a ghost?”

“Even when you wake up in the morning and your hair is poking all over the place.” I tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her nose. “Even when you scrunch up your face and scowl.”

She did exactly that and tried to pull away.

“I love you.” I kissed her softly on the mouth.

She pulled away. “I need food.”

“I need sex,” I muttered, kissing her again.

“Um, I think public nudity is illegal.” She pushed against my chest and giggled as I kissed her neck.

“Not true. I'm famous. We can do whatever we want.”

“Wow, you really just sounded like Demetri.”

“And, no more sex talk…” I laughed against her lips. “Food wins. You win.”

“I always win.”

“That's because you're pretty.”

“Really? I thought it was because I was brilliant.”

I rolled my eyes and helped her to her feet. “You're that too. Let's grab some food and get on the plane.”

“Yeah, because it's a really long trip to—”

“—Seattle.” I froze. “Damn it, Nat! You ruined the surprise.”

“You did just doubt my brilliance. Had to prove you wrong.”

She tried pulling away from me, but I jerked her against my body and then pressed her against the wall, luckily nobody else was in the suite. “I always knew you were brilliant and beautiful.

“I thought it was because I was the shiny new toy and your brother wanted me first,” she joked.

But it left me feeling cold. I never wanted her to think that. It made me sick to my stomach that she would even joke about it. “Never.” My voice was hoarse. “Never say that again, Nat.

“I love you because you are you. I suck at romance, you know this, but these next two days I'm going to try really hard to make you remember why…”

She snaked her arm around my neck and pressed her lips to my cheek. “Why what?”

“Why you and me are forever.”

****

Nat and I boarded the plane and sat in first class, if one could call two rows with one curtain first class. At any rate, it gave us some privacy away from people.

I'd already had my fair share of fans, what with the two teenagers who literally tripped on their own bags, only to land in my lap and then ask if they could touch my bicep.

Sigh.

Nat thought it was hilarious. She leaned across the seat and began talking about my music and when the girls asked if I was a good kisser, she blushed. Yes, blushed and said, “What do you think?”

I wanted to crawl into a tiny hole.

Granted, I've never been shy, but the fact that both girls were pushing fourteen and probably hadn't even kissed a guy made me feel like some sort of predator as their eyes fell to my lips.

I smiled and gave them my autograph.

“They were cute.” Nat laughed and then her brow furrowed.

“What? What's wrong?” I put my arm around her and pulled her close to my chest. I swore my heart was beating so fast.

She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and cupped my face with her hand. “It's just that… the great Alec Daniels has never given me his autograph…”

“You've never asked!” I burst out laughing. “What the hell, Nat? How about I just tattoo my name on your ass?”

“Ha ha, very funny.” She punched my arm. “You remember?”

“How could I forget? Hot-as-hell local girl telling me she was going to tattoo my name on her person and then ignored me as if I was some sort of… pathetic loser. Talk about humbling.”

“Admit it.” Nat nudged me. “I'm good for your ego.”

She was more than that. “Nat, you're just all-around good. You know that?”

“I know.”

“No, I'm serious.” I turned so I could face her. “You don't even understand how much I love you. I don't deserve someone like you.”

“Say it louder,” she whispered as she kissed my mouth and nuzzled my neck. What did she say about public nudity? On planes? Would we get arrested?

I braced her with my hands and pulled her onto my lap. Screw it. If someone wanted to take pictures of me mauling my girlfriend, to hell with them. I wanted to show her.

“We're going to get kicked off the plane.”

“No we won't.” I sucked on her bottom lip.

She sighed into my mouth. “Alec?”

“Hmm?” My lips moved to her ear.

“Can I have your autograph?”

“Baby, you can have whatever you want as long as you don't stop.” My hands dug into her hair, grabbing the silky tendrils and combing them through my fingers.

“Yeah, I'd rather you both stopped, considering there are small children on this flight,” a voice said to our right. I promptly stopped kissing Nat and pulled back.

The flight attendant was grinning from ear to ear. With a wink she pointed to Nat's seat. Reluctantly I set her in it and saluted the flight attendant.

My body was still in overdrive, so it didn't help when Nat reached across her armrest and proceeded to inch her hand up my leg.

Her wicked fingers grazed my knee and then higher until I thought I was going to throw her against the floor.

And then she pulled back and whipped out a magazine.

A magazine!

“Oh, hell no.” I smacked the magazine out of her hand.

“Oh, I'm sorry. Is something wrong?”

I glared. “You know damn well what's wrong.”

“How long is this flight?” She tilted her head and twirled a piece of hair around her finger.

“Long enough to make me want to jump out of the plane,” I grumbled. “Long enough to tempt me to join the mile-high club in the one and only bathroom they have on here.”

“You little exhibitionist.”

“Don't say little.” I nudged her and grabbed her hand, placing it on my neck and leaning toward her. “Please?”

“You needy little slut…” Her fingers dug into my flesh as she massaged my neck.

A long time ago I had accidentally told her, in a moment of total weakness while she was touching me, that I like massages more than sex. I hate that sometimes it's true.

The way her hands graze my skin, push me into a fantasy world that sometimes feels more personal, more intimate. It may just be because I used to sleep around a lot, I have no idea.

Damn tiny seats and tiny planes.

I adjusted myself as best I could and leaned closer to her.

“You smell like sunshine,” I mumbled. I was already in such a stupidly relaxed state that I started to say stupid stuff.

“Sunshine, huh?” Nat moved to my ears and down my neck with both hands. “What's sunshine smell like?”

I exhaled and leaned closer to her, smelling her hair, her skin. “Fresh, happy… constant.

“Your skin is so soft… it's like…” My voice trailed off as I leaned up and met her lips with mine, slowly teasing her with my tongue, trailing it down her bottom lip and dipping into her mouth.

“This is your captain speaking… We've just received the go-ahead for takeoff. Flight attendants, take your seats.”

I pulled back from Nat and tucked her head on my shoulder. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She yawned and wrapped her arm around my body as the plane took off.