“Maybe I don’t need slow,” she said. “Maybe I just need you to keep kissing me, and when we’re somewhere that doesn’t belong to our boss, we’ll see where things go.”
Mark’s smile was brighter than the sun streaming in the windows. “I can do that, little librarian.”
He slanted his mouth across hers, and she got lost in his kiss. Nothing else mattered.
Chapter 11
They stayed tangled together until the flight attendant told them—while unnecessarily averting her eyes—that the plane was descending and they needed to buckle up. Nothing about what they’d been doing had been particularly scandalous, but Mark had a sparkle of amusement in his eyes as he helped her to sit up and buckled her in next to him.
Outlaw, indeed.
Jenna felt much steadier than she had when she’d boarded the plane, but she knew whatever they faced ahead might shake that steadiness quickly. Her nerves were already jangling about getting off the plane and into whatever car Ian sent. She was only truly comfortable inside her own vehicle—she knew its specs and trusted them.
Mark tucked an arm behind her and gently pulled her against his side, letting her lean on him. “You know I’m here for you, right?”
She smiled at him. “Yes.”
She did know, and she appreciated it more than he knew. She was nervous right now, but not fighting back terror. That was thanks to him.
“Saving these people is important,” he said softly. “Of course it is. But I’m here to be whatever you need and to keep you safe. You don’t have to pretend with me, so if you need something you don’t feel comfortable telling anyone else, tell me.”
Jenna didn’t know if she deserved that kind of consideration, but the words settled over her like a warm blanket, regardless. “Thank you.”
The plane landed so smoothly she barely knew they were on the ground, and then they taxied toward the small buildings of this airport. In front of them, the flight attendant appeared once more.
“My apologies. Mr. DeRose wanted me to tell you that he’s sorry this airport doesn’t have a hangar large enough for this plane, but he hopes the vehicle he sent makes up for it.”
Jenna’s stomach plummeted, but Mark was already speaking. “Bring us as close as you can, please.”
The woman nodded and went to tell the pilot.
“I’ll go grab the keys and bring the car right next to the stairs.”
“It’s okay,” Jenna said shakily. “They’ll all look at me strangely if you do that.”
“And?”
She couldn’t come up with an answer. The shame she always felt about not being able to do things like walk out a door like a normal person bubbled up inside her. But this was her life. She couldn’t change her paranoia, even with Mark at her side. And she needed to function once she got to wherever they were going, not be in recovery from a panic attack.
She hung her head. “Okay.”
The plane stopped a few minutes later, and Mark went to do exactly what he’d said. Jenna sat still, her hands between her knees, trying to breathe and not think about how it would look and also not think about the unbearable amounts of space outside here in the middle of the desert.
She glanced out the window and did a double take. A vehicle was driving toward the plane, but it wasn’t a car or an SUV like she’d expected. It was a bus. It looked like one of the giant buses bands went on tour in. Absolutely massive, with dark windows—a tint she recognized from her own car—and tires that were incredibly familiar.
Had Ian tricked out a tour bus for her?
Mark was smiling as he came out of the door right by the stairs, grabbing their luggage and taking it on board before he came for her. He was still beaming. “Good thing I have a Class A driver’s license. But you are going to love this thing.”
“I’m sure I will,” she muttered. “I just have to get there first.”
“I have an idea.” He sank onto one knee in front of her. “The bus is already at the bottom of the stairs. Will it help at all if I carry you? You can close your eyes, you’ll only be outside for a few seconds, and you don’t have to worry about anything else.”
She knew what walking down even the few stairs of the plane was going to feel like. Knew about the dizziness that was going to assault her. The vomiting by the time she made it to the bottom of the steps.
The terror that was going to feel like it was ripping through her from the inside out.
Normally, having other people nearby as she tried to go outside made everything worse because she was trying to hide her reaction and live through it. But Mark already knew.