by J. C. Grant
I pulled up to the hanger with five minutes to spare. A young guy emerging from the waiting jet surprised me when I stepped out of the car—I'd requested a female crew. I looked him over. He was thin, early twenties, dark hair and eyes, on the pale side.
Since I met her, I was sizing up every man I saw, determining if he was a threat—this guy wasn't.
“Mr. Taylor?” he asked.
“Yeah. Any delays?” I asked, anxious to get Austin on that plane.
“No, sir. Whenever you're ready. I'm Rick. If there—”
“Could you grab the bags and her purse?”
She still didn't show any signs of waking when I opened her door. I'd never seen her this tired before.
“Come on, Austin. Wake up. We gotta go. The plane is waiting on us.” Still nothing. Then I remembered her period and that she was probably just exhausted.
Rick appeared at my shoulder. “Does she need medical assistance? We have someone on call for—”
“No. She's fine,” I barked a little quickly.
“Mr. Taylor, if she is—”
“Austin, answer me,” I barked at her.
“David. Shut up. I'm tired,” she murmured.
I unbuckled her seatbelt and picked her up, relieved to get that bitchy little attitude from her. The attendant barely moved out of the way when I turned, her bare feet grazing him.
Fuck, I forgot her shoes. Shit.
Rick hurried behind me as I carried Austin onto the plane.
I knew when I pulled up, Aaron had booked the right jet. Getting it on such short notice was impressive—despite his failure to get a female crew. I was going to have to give the guy a raise. The cabin was warm and inviting with neutral tones, oversized leather seating, and walnut accents. It wasn't as comfortable as home, but it was the best you could get on a chartered jet.
Sitting down on the long bench seat, I settled Austin in my lap. I knew the attendant was going to ask for her driver’s license. I also knew they wouldn't want us going to the back until after takeoff. Normally, I wouldn't give a fuck what they wanted, but I wasn't willing to risk getting grounded right now.
“Mr. Taylor, can I see her I.D. please?” His tone indicated he believed exactly what I was afraid of—that Austin was underage.
Goddamn it.
CHAPTER TWO
“Bring me the bags.” My voice gave away my annoyance.
Shifting Austin over as he placed the bags next to me, I pulled her passport and wallet out of her purse and handed them to him. Then I busied myself with getting her situated and buckled in.
“She is twenty-seven?” The disbelief in his voice was clear.
“Yeah,” I answered, not bothering to look at him.
He didn't say anything.
I finally sat back and glanced at him. He wasn't paying attention to her I.D. anymore.
“When're we leaving?” I asked, getting pissed with his gaze lingering on my girl's tits.
I guess he thinks he can verify her age by those.
Staring him down, I pulled her closer, tucking her into my side, covering her cleavage with my forearm. I knew men stared at her. Coveted her. How could they not? Didn't mean I was going to let that shit slide.
“Miss James?” he asked, reaching for her when she didn't respond.
My hand was around his wrist before I could process what I was doing. “Don't,” I warned darkly. Too dark. I tried shifting to something more neutral. “She doesn't like being touched by strangers.”
He looked at my hand and paused. I saw fear flicker across his face. Then I remembered my fist had just gone through a wall.
“Sorry, I just want to…” He trailed off as he pulled away. “Do you need ice?”
“Are you serious right now? I am trying to sleep. Can you both be quiet?” Austin said abruptly.
Apparently, all the talking had not only woken her up, but pissed her off.
Maybe the little fucker'll leave us alone now.
“She's on her period,” I said to his shocked expression.
His roaming eyes finally met mine.
“Oh… oh, ah… I see,” he stammered and quickly handed her passport and wallet to me, clearly flustered.
The jealous caveman in me relished it.
Watching her be a bitch was a fucking turn-on.
I pulled her legs across mine, tucking her closer as she nuzzled into my chest. Her soft body pressed to mine, molding to me... My body hummed with satisfaction and my arms tightened as I pulled her legs over my hardening dick. I couldn't find words for how good she felt. Pressing my lips to her crown, my eyes closed as I breathed her in, letting her invade my senses.
“David, why are you hard?” she whispered groggily.
“Everything about you makes me hard. Including you being a bitch to guys who are checking you out,” I said softly, unable to stop the smile from forming on my face.
“I'm marrying a pervert,” she mumbled in that sexy rasp that made my cock jump.
I squeezed her tighter.
“Yes, you are,” I whispered. If push came to shove, I wouldn't let her back out. I wasn't above emotional blackmail or some coercion to get her married to me.
“I love you.” Her voice was barely a whisper; I wasn't even sure she knew she'd said it out loud. Like so many other of her unintended words, it affected me more because of it.
“I love you so fucking much, sweet girl. I won't survive without you... I don't want to.” I buried my nose in her hair, breathing in the light, clean scent of her shampoo.
After a long moment, once we had taken off and Rick had left us, she started tugging on her seatbelt. I'd never seen her like this, PMS-ing. It was adorable.
“We'll be in the back,” I called loudly, knowing wherever the attendant was, he would hear me. I heard a cabinet close before he appeared.
“Can I get you anything? Some ice—”
I didn't wait for him to finish, unbuckling myself and Austin. Then scooping her up, I started moving toward the back cabin.
“David, what's wrong with your hand?” she asked, looking down at her thigh were I held her.
“I punched a wall at your house. I'll get it fixed as soon as we get back.” I maneuvered us through the doorway into the small room.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I thought you wanted to sleep. I'll tell you tomorrow, okay?” I countered, trying to avoid answering the question as I laid her down on the queen-sized bed.
“Ice it,” she mumbled.
Her concern for me was something I was waiting for, and it felt better than I imagined. I quickly agreed, keeping my voice soft, hoping she would go back to sleep.
I was relieved she didn't press. It wasn't a subject I wanted to talk about right before getting married—I didn't want her thinking about him. Grabbing the extra blanket from the end of the bed, I covered her then went to the bathroom. Finding a first aid kit in a cabinet under the counter I quickly cleaned up my hand. It wasn't bad, but I told her I would ice it…
I quietly made my way out of the cabin.
“I need some ice for my hand,” I said when I reached the front.
“I'd do whatever she said too,” he said, like we were in on some secret together.
And that just pissed me off.
I leaned in close. “Is that what you were thinking about while you were staring at her tits?” My tone was venomous.
“What? No—”
“Save it,” I growled, roughly taking the bucket of ice from him.
A few long strides and I was quietly shutting the bedroom door behind me. I kicked off my boots, then laid down, scooting in close, careful not to wake her. I positioned the bucket on my hip and buried my hand in it. My jaw clenched as the sharp needles pricked my skin, the painful bite of the ice shocking.
Fuck, I don't miss this about playing ball.
She shifted, snuggling back into me. Her ass pressing into my dick pulled my entire focus, making the pain a distant memory.
Digging my phone out of my pocket, I called my agent, intending to leave a voicemail.
He picked up on the second ring.
“What are you doing? Pictures with girls! At clubs! The store! You're fucking up your image!” he all but yelled at me.
“I'll be outta town for a couple of days. Be back for my shoot Friday morning. And the girls you are seeing me with? It's one girl. My fiancé.”
“You got engaged? Are you crazy? You can't marry pussy you've been fucking on and off for years! You can't—”
“Stop. I met her eight days ago, and—”
“You can't marry some girl you just met. David—”
“I didn't ask for your opinion. I never signed up for the image you and Elaine created for me. Don't get confused. I chose to keep my life private, now I'm choosing not to.”
“You'll lose fans, David. You can't—”
“The only thing you're worried about is money. So let me explain it to you like this: I'm getting married to the girl I'm fucking crazy in love with. And if you can't manage my career without me playing along with your image, I will get another agent.”
“David, have you talked to Elaine about this?” he asked, panic in his voice.
“Yes, Martin, I have. We've already worked out the details.”
“David, who are you talking to?” Austin murmured.
Fuck, I was waking her up again. And I really didn't want her hearing about this shit now.
“My agent, sweetheart. Sorry.” I wanted to comb my fingers through her hair, soothe her back to sleep, but one was holding the phone while the other was in ice.
“She's with you? Where are you?”
“On a plane.” I lowered my voice, trying to keep her from hearing. “I forwarded my calls to Aaron. He's more than capable of handling my affairs for a few days. Can you handle my career for two days?”
“Yes. Just think about this—”
“Stop talking. Now, Martin. Next time I talk to you, we'll decide if we need to part ways.”
“What about next season? Did you still want to do that or—?”
“No reason to discuss that until I get back. If you're not my agent anymore, no reason for you to do the work.”
“David, no. It's fine. We'll figure somethin—”
“Your attitude about my life needs to change.” I took a breath and growled low, “And, Martin, ever refer to her as pussy again and I'll break your fucking jaw.”
“David—”
I ended the call before he could piss me off more. The only thing he cared about was getting his ten-percent.
“I need to make one more call. Okay?” I whispered, hoping she was asleep.
She made a noise and snuggled her ass back into me further.
I quickly called Elaine, hoping she would pick up.
“Seriously? What else could you possibly want from me, David?” she said in greeting.
“Small problem. We're not going to Vegas,” I whispered.
“What? Why?” Elaine sounded panicked on the other end, a feeling I understood very well at the moment.
“She said no to Vegas.” I turned my head away trying to prevent Austin from hearing us, which made me feel like an asshole for keeping this from her.
“You said you'd get her to agree to Vegas! You said it wouldn't be a problem!” Elaine screeched loud enough for Austin to hear.
“Well, I was wrong. She doesn't want Vegas. And stop yelling,” I whispered harshly.
“Are you serious? What's this girl done to you?” When I didn't respond, she continued, “What does she want instead?”
“She didn't say. So, we're on our way to the Virgin Islands now.”
“David, I already traded big favors to hold it until tomorrow. Pay the fee for a same-day wedding.”
That was my plan, which was the reason I chose the location. Same-day wedding.
“I will, but we won't be able to get married until tomorrow evening.”
“I'll try to get it pushed back another day.” Her voice was tired. She was exasperated with me and the situation I had created. “Does she know about any of this yet? The pictures from the club? This media push you've arranged?”
“No, not yet. I'm gonna tell her in the morning,” I muttered.
Eventually, she said, “David, don't. You're twisted up over this girl, and some part of you is terrified she'll leave. Probably the same part that hasn't mentioned you arranged all this two days ago. Listen to that part of yourself.” She paused, then asked, “If things got bad between you two, would you still want to be with her?”
“Yes. Absolutely,” I answered without hesitation.
“Then don't tell her until after you're married. It's better to ask forgiveness than permission.”
“I can't lie to her. I won't.”
“You already did about the car.”
“I didn't lie… outright. I omitted.”
“How mad was she?”
“She got over it after a few minutes.”
“Wow.” She fell silent for a moment. “Maybe you can find the one just like that. I guess I need to start going to the grocery store,” she muttered then abruptly shifted back to business mode. “Am I handling her P.R. on this or does she have someone? Is she handling her social media accounts?”
“No, you are. I don't want anyone else involved.”
“Her social media accounts? She handles those herself, right?”
“She doesn't have any—that I could find.”
“You're going to ask her, right?” Her question was more of an accusation.
I really didn't want to. I didn't want to risk the questions that it would bring up. “Umm... yeah. I will. Go ahead and make her accounts and handle them.”
“David—”
“I forwarded my calls to Aaron, so call me on Austin's phone. I'll text you her number,” I cut her off.
“What if it's something that needs your immediate attention?”
“I have her phone.”
“Does she know that?”
“It's fine, Elaine. She won't be surprised.”
“I've known you eight years and I've never had to work so hard for you. And I've never seen you behave like this.”
“Never wanted anything, not like I want her. Do what you can to get it pushed back another day.”
She sighed. “Talk soon.”
“Yep.” I ended the call and put my phone away, hoping Austin fell back to sleep. When I pulled her phone out of my pocket to program Elaine's number and text her Austin's, it showed four missed calls and three texts. All from her mom.
Fuck.
I texted her back.
Austin: I have her phone. Austin
doesn't know you're coming.
I'd like it to be a surprise.
You got the flight info?
12:15 AM
What the fuck was I thinking? Of course her mother was going to check. Of course she wasn’t going to take some stranger’s word for it.
I impulsively sent her mother a pic of us, one I took when Austin was sleeping. After I sent it, I looked at it again and realized it could be kinda creepy. Me awake, Austin asleep. I needed to win her mother over, not freak her the fuck out.
Austin: Sorry, it’s David. And that's
a little creepy I guess.
12:20 AM
Mom: I received the flight
info. And if she is sleeping in the
same bed with you, then it's serious.
12:21 AM
I was glad I listened to my instinct to hide her clothes that first night. And I couldn't help but wonder if she had gotten up, looking for them, trying to leave. I thought if she had, I would've woken, but now I wasn't so sure. But she hadn't tried to leave since, and she had access to everything if she wanted to.
Fuck, my abandonment issues are in full effect.
I set the ice aside and turned my phone off. Then I silenced hers and took off my T-shirt, wrapping both phones in it. I didn't want her finding t
hem if she got up during the night. Domineering? Maybe, but I wasn't risking anything giving her second thoughts.
I curled around her, settling in.
“What are you hiding, David?” Her voice was soft and warm, but her question sent a chill through me.
“Can we talk about it when we get home? After we get married?” I asked softly, almost begging her to let it go for now.
“What did you do?” She was so quiet and calm, it was more nerve-racking.
I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to lie, but I didn't want to tell her. Taking over her public image behind her back was considerably more invasive than buying her a new car. Thrusting her into the public eye the way I was might not sit well with her. I knew there was a ninety-percent chance she would be furious, and a ten-percent chance she was using me for fame and would be ecstatic. And even if that ten percent were true, she wasn't getting rid of me. I meant everything I'd told her. I would make her fall in love with me. If it took the rest of my fucking life.
“David?”
“It's just—” I barely forced the words past my lips, but I couldn't bring myself to finish.
“Did you cheat?” She sounded resigned, which scared me and pissed me off at the same time.
“What? No! What the fuck? Sweet girl... no fucking way,” I whispered harshly, furious she thought that was a possibility. At the same time, I was worried she knew something.
“Will I be upset?” There was a hint of something in her voice I didn't like.
“Fuck, I hope not,” I breathed into her hair.
“Is it worse than your phone issue?” she asked, seemingly at ease with whatever my answer might be.
“No, not really.” Kinda.
“Okay,” she whispered and settled back into the pillow.
“Okay, what?” I stilled myself for her response.
“David, I love you exactly how you are. I need you to be exactly how you are. If you weren't, we wouldn't be here right now. The way you treat me gives me comfort. Makes me feel loved. Let's me trust you. The things that do bother me... I understand them. I can deal with them.”
A weight I hadn't realized I was carrying was lifted. Right now, she loved me. If I found out later she still loved Zach, I'd deal with it. I'd deal with him.
