It was me.
Holding his neck, my ankles locked behind his back and my breasts pressed against his solid chest, I was sandwiched between him and the tile.
It was as if I’d awakened this morning starved for affection.
I couldn’t get enough—I needed to feel him, to know we were real. I needed the sensation of his skin against mine, the hunger of his kiss, and stretch of his cock within me. For longer than had become my normal, my orgasm stayed close and yet out of my reach.
The promise of relief seemed unobtainable as my fingers blanched his skin. Van continued to thrust, creating friction in the best of ways. My back arched and my fingers linked behind his neck as the warm water continued.
I didn’t want our union to end, to lose that connection.
And then the orgasm hit, much like a freight train silently chugging through the darkness, not making its presence known until it barreled through me with unmeasured ferocity, leaving me ruined and spent. For moments I clung to his neck, my body still in his arms, and him still buried inside me. Soaked and exhausted, I wanted to climb back into my bed and relish the lingering aftereffects.
Thinking back, maybe Van was right. Perhaps I was worried about what awaited us in Chicago, in that world beyond our snow globe.
As the steps and door to the Cessna closed, Andrew appeared at our side. “The preflight checklist is complete. We’re approved for takeoff as soon as another plane lands. We’re still on schedule and should be wheels up in less than ten minutes. In the meantime, is there anything I can get either of you?”
“We’re fine. Thank you for the timetable,” Van said. He looked at his wristwatch. “That should mean we’ll land before 8:30.”
“Yes, sir. Ruth has confirmed that your car and driver will be waiting.”
“Thank you.”
By the time Andrew was back to the cockpit, Van squeezed my hand. “It’s not a long flight, but you might consider taking off your coat and gloves.”
His voice pulling me from a fog, I shook my head and began the task of removing my gloves and coat. “Of course,” I muttered. Apparently, thoughts of our morning lovemaking had me a bit flustered.
Van took both of our coats toward the back of the plane where I watched as he hung them on hangers in a small closet.
“Our luggage is below,” he said as he came back to our seats. “Would you like coffee? I remembered to have cream on board.”
I shook my head and looked out the small window as Van busied himself at a small workstation, one that moments earlier had been disguised as a cupboard. Soon he was again across from me. There was something in his grin and a twinkle in his green eyes that caught my attention as he stared my way.
“What?” I asked.
He leaned forward, tugging gently on a small curl dangling near my ear and smiled. “You’re stunningly beautiful, Julia. I should tell you that a hundred times a day.”
“You’re thinking about the lace lingerie.”
“I was thinking about our shower.” His grin broadened. “However, now that you mentioned the lingerie, I’m thinking about taking it off you.”
The rumble of his tenor sent shock waves to my earlier satisfied core and hardened my nipples. One thought led to the next. “I’m glad we have a hotel room.”
His forehead furrowed. “What other option would we have?”
“When I told my parents we were coming to the city, Mom assumed we’d stay with them.”
Van’s laugh shattered the tension that had been growing within me.
“I doubt seriously that your parents want me to stay in their home.”
“My mom would be all about showing it off.”
“I’m not easily impressed.” He placed his coffee in a cupholder and leaned forward, laying his hand on my knee. “I don’t give a fuck about their house, Julia. It could be Buckingham Palace and I wouldn’t care. I’m only impressed by one of your parents’ accomplishments. And at this very moment, I’m staring into her beautiful blue eyes.”
It would be easy to get lost in the way Van looked at me. Even on this plane and after what we’d done upon waking, his gaze was all-consuming. In his orbs it was as if in the entire world only I could satisfy his hunger and desire. “You make me feel…” I gripped the armrest as the plane began to move along the tarmac.
“I hope the rest of that sentence is something along the lines of beautiful, wanted” —he paused— “loved.”