Redemption

by Jennifer Bene

  “That’s right,” he growled and leaned down to capture her mouth, another fierce kiss as he kept them linked, rocking his hips against hers as they both came down. Exhaustion teased at her, and she knew he had to be even more tired. Nipping his lip, she smiled when he did it right back.

  “I love you,” she whispered against his mouth, and he let his weight settle over her as he wrapped his arms under her shoulders. Surrounded by him, she wanted to freeze this moment and live in it forever. Away from the rest of the world and the chaos of their lives.

  It was perfect, and only made more so when he kissed her again and said, “I love you too, angel.”

  After another long kiss, he slowly slid from her, and she whined because she didn’t want the moment to end. Didn’t want reality to come back, but as soon as he dropped to the bed beside her, he had her in his arms again. Yanked tight against his hard chest as he buried his face in her hair and breathed deep.

  “You okay?” he asked, barely a whisper, and she smiled as she wrapped her arms over his and hugged him as much as she could.

  “I’m amazing, or did you miss the orgasms?” She laughed, turning her head so she could see him. That shadow was back in his expression, the one that kept popping up whenever the real world reared its ugly head. Then it disappeared, wiped away with a wicked grin before he kissed her.

  “Oh, I noticed. Hard to miss it when you’re squeezing my cock like a vise.” Another kiss and a nip, and then he chuckled. “So, you got what you wanted after being such a naughty girl, didn’t—”

  “Oh my God, David. I was going to come help you, you were just impatient.” She laughed when he hugged her hard.

  “When I tell you to come help me, I mean right then, angel.” A sinful growl buzzed against her ear, and she squeezed her thighs together, reveling in the dull ache he’d left behind. “You should listen.”

  “Hate to break it to you, but this isn’t exactly a deterrent,” she said through another laugh, but it was cut short when he forced his hand between her thighs, cupping her pussy and sending a shiver through her.

  “You like it when I fuck you hard, don’t you? When I make your cunt hurt for days and use you again when I want to anyway.” He nipped her neck, sliding three fingers into the soaked mess they’d made.

  “Yes,” she purred, arching and spreading her legs to make it easier for him. It hurt in a good way, especially as he hooked his fingers inside her and held on. “Fuck…”

  “Next time I tell you to come and help me hang pictures, I want you to remember that I mean now. Not when you decide it’s convenient,” he rumbled, and she shifted her hips, twitching in his grip.

  “Or what?” she taunted, and he mashed the heel of his hand against her clit, rough and way too tempting as tired as she knew they both were.

  “Or next time I’ll chain you face down and whip your ass before I fuck it.” He bit down on her shoulder, the one he hadn’t marked already, waiting until she wriggled and whined before he released her. “And remember, angel. Lube is a gift… I don’t have to use it.”

  “Fuck,” she whispered, tensing in his arms as she imagined the pain, but her body still squeezed his fingers inside as he chuckled against her ear.

  “That’s right.” He kissed the bite marks he’d just made then slid his fingers out of her to bring them to her lips. She sucked them in, tasting the mix of them as he groaned behind her. “So, be a good girl for me.”

  Lianna nodded with his fingers still stroking over her tongue, little murmurs escaping past her lips as she tried to fight the dark temptation he’d laid out for her. It would hurt, she knew that, but more than a little part of her wanted it.

  Finally, he pulled his fingers free and reached back to turn off the light. As soon as the covers were pulled up, he wrapped his arm over her again, tugging her tight to his front. “Time to sleep, angel.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, still wound up from the visual he’d planted in her head. Idly, she reached up and toyed with the chain, listening to it clatter softly before she smiled and settled into the warmth of his body.

  They were fucked up, but they were perfect.

  She just had to hope he’d remember that when they landed in France.

  Two

  David

  Thirty thousand feet in the air, it seemed like everyone was more comfortable in the first-class cabin than him. The lights were dimmed, and although he couldn’t see anyone except Lianna, he figured all the other passengers were still sleeping on the long fucking flight to France.

  Nine hours on a plane to hell, but at least it was nine hours in luxury.

  The seats were incredibly comfortable, and they converted into a flat bed at the push of a button. David had tried it, and he’d even finished off a few of glasses of wine with their first meal to try and sleep… but he’d barely napped. Lianna had told him that with the time change they’d arrive in the morning in France, and it would be best if he slept while they flew, which made sense.

  He just couldn’t do it.

  Everything about the first-class cabin made him uncomfortable. The obvious luxury of it, the other passengers, the over-the-top service from the flight attendants, all of it screamed one thing — you don’t belong here. And he didn’t. His dad had been blue collar even before everything went to shit, and after that, he’d only done odd jobs to try and make ends meet. David had never even dreamed of flying first class anywhere, much less to Europe.

  If this was a vacation, simply him and Lianna escaping somewhere together… maybe he’d be enjoying it. Maybe he wouldn’t feel like he’d swallowed a lead ball that was just sitting in his stomach, weighing him down, reminding him of exactly how different he was to everyone around him.

  Including Lianna.

  Glancing over the little wall that separated their seats, he saw she was still asleep. Perfectly relaxed. It would be a dick move to wake her just because he was bored. Sighing, he reached forward to fidget with his backpack again. Pulling it into his lap, David unzipped the front pouch and checked for the hundredth time that his surprise was still there.

  “Early bird?” the flight attendant asked quietly, smiling at him as she paused near his seat.

  “Flying isn’t really my thing,” he answered.

  “Ah, well, first class isn’t so bad.” Glancing across the cabin at the other passengers, she eventually turned her gaze back to him. “Would you like some coffee? We’ve got almost an hour until we begin our descent.”

  “That would be great. Thanks.” Offering a polite smile, he dropped his bag to the floor and waited for her to walk away before he checked on Lianna again. They were in the center of the plane, the only place the first-class seats were side by side, and he was grateful for that, but he would have preferred being right next to her. Able to touch her, to talk to her more easily.

  Hell, for the last week he’d had an ongoing fantasy at work that he’d join Lianna in the mile-high club… but that wasn’t possible. There weren’t enough passengers in first class to sneak away unnoticed, and the lavatory was right by the flight attendants.

  No plane sex for him.

  Just random movies on the little screen, drinks, snacks, and boredom.

  Grabbing the headphones, David tried again to focus on the movie he’d chosen, but his mind kept drifting back to Lianna. The night before the flight, she’d told him to do whatever he wanted with her. That wicked little smile of hers had been all challenge, and he’d been hard before he even had her naked — but he knew why she’d done it. Neither of them knew what the Faure estate would be like, or if they’d get to have any fun at all while they were there, they just knew he was going to hate it.

  But when he’d carried her to their bedroom, he’d pushed all thoughts of Jean-Luc and the other bastards out of his head, because he’d known exactly what he wanted.

  And thinking about it on the goddamn airplane wasn’t helping.

  Shifting in his seat, he tried to ignore the growing erection that was
doing its best to make his next interaction with the flight attendant awkward as fuck. He should just focus on the movie, wait for Lianna to wake up, and enjoy the coffee.

  Which would be easier if he could get the damn images of her out of his head. The sight of her spread out and chained down, just like she’d been in the cell, but on a real bed instead of a cheap mattress and concrete. On their bed. It was worse than a wet dream because he’d had her in both places. Heard the chains clatter with each thrust of his cock slamming into her, and the fact that this time she’d wanted it — craved it, even as she played their little game of ‘no’ — only made the distraction that much worse.

  She was perfect, absolutely perfect, and every breath he took felt like walking a tightrope of just when he’d finally fuck it up. Probably today.

  Definitely this week.

  Groaning, he grabbed the blanket off the floor and piled it in his lap, covering the hard-on just before the flight attendant appeared in the narrow doorway with his coffee.

  “Thanks,” he said, pulling the table out so she could set it down.

  “I brought some creamer and a few sugars, but if you need more just ask. Okay?” She smiled, and he nodded at her as she went to check on the other passengers.

  After he’d prepped the coffee the way he liked it, it was still boiling hot when he took the first sip, and so he set it down and checked on Lianna again. She’d shifted, her face angled toward him like she knew he was thinking about her, about her soft lips and exactly how they’d feel wrapped around his—

  Fuck. Stop it.

  Adjusting himself under the blanket, he gritted his teeth and stared at the little screen, willing himself to stop fantasizing about her. The last thing he needed was to be off his game when they landed. As soon as they arrived at the Faure Estate, he had to be perfect. He had to keep her safe… while staying out of her way.

  He’d promised Lianna that he wouldn’t stand between her and her family, and he’d keep that promise, but he wouldn’t leave her alone. He wouldn’t leave her vulnerable.

  As he finished his coffee, it was a good thing that his mind flipped back to focusing on Jean-Luc’s bullshit because it killed the erection in his pants and gave him time to mentally prepare to face the man again. Sure, his stomach was in knots, and he was tense as fuck, but at least he wasn’t lost in fantasy anymore.

  The lights in the cabin slowly brightened and David pulled off his headphones, looking around to see the flight attendants getting ready for breakfast. Finally. Reaching over the wall dividing them, he shook Lianna gently by the shoulder.

  “Hey, angel, it’s time to wake up,” he said softly, loving the way her face scrunched up just before she hid it against the thin little pillow. “I’ve got a surprise for you if you wake up.”

  “Surprise?” she asked, her voice stained with sleep, but her beautiful eyes opened as she smiled up at him. “What kind of surprise?”

  “Sit up and I’ll give it to you,” he replied, leaning down to grab his backpack and remove the item.

  Lianna yawned, stretching as she sat up and adjusted the seat into the right position. She was in a navy sweater that hugged her curves as she twisted, and he immediately pictured Jean-Luc’s face instead of her body to shut down any urges.

  “You know, baby,” she whispered, looking over at him with a devious grin that was not helping his self-control. “I don’t think the flight attendants will be okay with your kind of surprises.”

  “Naughty girl.” Shaking his head, he turned the gift over in his hands and then met her eyes again. “It’s not that kind of surprise, no matter how much I’d like to join the mile-high club with you.”

  Laughing quietly, Lianna rolled her eyes. “Not happening.”

  “Trust me, I know.” Sighing, he leaned closer to her. “Look, I didn’t want to wake you up earlier, but we’re going to land soon, and I wanted to give you this while it was still just you and me. Before we get around all of them. And since midnight happened sometime while we were flying, it’s officially October fourth, so… happy birthday.” He passed the long, narrow box over the dividing wall, a little frustrated that the ribbon was bent, and the wrapping paper scuffed, from being in his bag, but the excited look on her face showed him she didn’t care.

  “Oh my God, David. Seriously?” Taking the little gift, she pulled the ribbon free and tore the paper.

  “It’s not much, but I just wanted to be the first one to tell you happy birthday.”

  “I can’t believe you remembered with everything going on.”

  “You really think I’d forget your birthday, Lianna? I know everything about you.” He grinned when she looked over at him with a slight shake of her head, but then she was shoving the paper into her lap and working the top half of the box free.

  “It’s beautiful!” she said, a little too loudly in the quiet plane, just before she leaned over the wall and pulled him into a kiss. He wanted to grab her, to take control of the kiss and make sure she remembered exactly what drew them to each other, but other passengers were already watching them, so he just nipped her lip before he leaned back with a smile.

  “I’m glad you like it, angel. I know it isn’t—”

  “Oh, shut up, I love it!” Lifting the necklace out of the box, she dangled it in front of her face, catching the small charm on the end so it would stop spinning.

  “Celebrating something?” the flight attendant asked, smiling at them as she put his breakfast on his tray.

  “It’s my birthday,” Lianna answered, still grinning like he’d given her diamonds or something much nicer than a simple silver necklace.

  “And he remembered!” the woman replied, laughing a little. “And you’re going to France together. What a good guy! My husband never remembers my birthday, and we’ve been married twelve years.”

  “He is a good guy,” Lianna replied, looking over at him, and even though he should have probably corrected that statement, he let it go.

  “Well, happy birthday, and I hope you both enjoy your vacation!” Waving a little, the flight attendant returned to delivering more meals, and David went back to watching Lianna study the necklace.

  “You put ‘I love you’ on it,” she said softly, flipping over the small silver heart.

  “I do love you,” he said, clearing his throat as he sat up straighter. “Just wanted you to remember that if I happen to fuck up this week.”

  Sighing, she stared at him like he was an idiot — which wasn’t exactly wrong. He’d almost lost her by being a complete and utter idiot when it came to her family.

  “I’m going to do my best not to fuck up,” David added, and she rolled her eyes.

  “I’m sure you will.” Unclasping the necklace, Lianna leaned forward, her blonde hair tumbling over her shoulder as she reached behind her neck to hook it back together. A second later, she sat up and pulled her hair free, letting the little heart charm rest above the neckline of her sweater. It looked beautiful against her skin, and watching her reach up to play with it, flipping it over to see the words he’d had the store engrave, made him feel a little better about everything.

  “I mean it, Lianna. I told you that you’re all I care about. I don’t like them, and I’m not going to lie to you and say that I think I could learn to like them… but I’m not going to get in the way this week.”

  Lianna looked over at him, her brows furrowing just a little, and he knew it was doubt. She didn’t believe he was going to be able to handle being around her family. Hell, she’d tried several times during the past week to convince him to just stay in New York and keep working on Harry’s latest project — and he didn’t blame her. It wasn’t like he had a good track record when it came to dealing with the Faure family. Actually… it was pretty fucking terrible, but he’d do anything for her. He would go through anything for her.

  Even walk into Hell.

  “I really love this necklace, baby,” she said, and he sighed. Slapping a smile on his face, he watched her touc
hing his gift as her breakfast arrived. As long as she wore that, she’d remember him, remember what they had together.

  And if it also served as a way to mark her as his around that fucking family… well, that was just a bonus.

  “I’m glad. I know it’s not much, but—”

  “You really think I care about that?” she asked, sounding a little edgy. “I love it because you gave it to me. Because you remembered my birthday and obviously snuck it into your bag so you could surprise me.” The irritation faded from her voice as she smiled, leaning close again. “You really can be incredibly sweet when you try, David.”

  “Only with you, angel,” he answered, closing the gap between them to kiss her, and this time he didn’t hesitate to lick at the seam of her lips, parting them so he could taste her. He just needed to feel their connection once more before they landed.

  A soft, hummed moan escaped her as he slid his fingers into her hair, only tugging a little, just enough to earn a quiet groan before she broke the kiss and looked at him with heated eyes. “That’s not fair.”

  “Nothing about this is fair, angel,” he replied with a grin, and she leaned back from him, blowing out a breath as she looked over her food.

  “How much longer until we land?” She glanced over at him as she picked up her fork to poke at the meal.

  “The flight attendant said we’d be landing in Nice in about an hour.”

  Lianna grinned, stifling a laugh. “It’s pronounced Neess, baby. Not nice.”

  Rolling his eyes, he muttered about the bullshit French language as he sat back in his seat to look at the overly fancy breakfast.

  “You’ll get it in no time. I promise.”

  “Not fucking likely,” he grumbled, shoving a bite of melon into his mouth to keep from insulting the language, or the country, or the stupid trip. It was good practice though. He had a feeling he’d be biting his tongue more than a few times over the next week.