The one that saysWhere do you think you’re going, pup?
My stomach drops clean to my skates.
“Fuck,” I whisper under my breath, more to myself than him. A pathetic little whine that cracks in the back of my throat.
I can’t run. Not from that look.
So I turn. Slowly. Pathetically. Back toward the jet bridge. Back toward the plane. My sneakers drag like they weigh eighty pounds each, every step a death march.
The line shuffles forward, boarding passes scan, the gate agent smiles like we’re just another group of travelers instead of a rookie center about to drop dead in the aisle. The boys are laughing still.
None of them notice I’m walking like I’m heading to my own execution.
But Damian does.
I don’t need to look back to know it. I can feel it—his eyes on me, drilling between my shoulder blades the whole way down the jet bridge. Silent. Heavy. I swear I’d rather he growled, barked,orderedme. At least then I could hide behind the command.
Instead, I’m climbing onto this plane because he looked at me.
Because I can’t stand the thought of disappointing him more than I can stand the thought of turbulence.
Christ.
The line creeps forward, boarding pass scans, and before I know it I’m stepping onto the plane. The hum of engines rattles the floor under my shoes, the recycled air already choking me. My lungs seize, lungs skipping like a scratched CD.
I slow, almost stop.
Then his shadow falls over me.
Damian.
He stands behind me in the narrow aisle, hands in his pockets, body broad enough to block the flow of passengers until I keep moving.
So I do.
Row numbers blur past until I’m staring down at our seats. Window. Middle. Aisle. My stomach flips when I realize who’s already sliding into the aisle—Cole, grinning like a bastard with his headphones around his neck, ready to chirp me for the next two hours.
Which leaves the window.
Damian jerks his chin once.
My throat tightens. “Cap—”
He doesn’t even blink. Just that tilt of his head again.
Fuck.
I climb in. My knees bang the seat in front of me, my bag slides underfoot, and the window glares at me like a black hole. I can’t breathe, can’t move, can’t—
Then Damian drops into the middle seat beside me. His arm stretches across the backrest like he owns the entire row, broad shoulders cutting the world in half. His thigh presses into mine, solid, unyielding, a weight I can’t ignore.
And just like that—I’m caged.
Pressed between the window and him, nowhere to run. His eyes glance down once, steady, as if to sayStay put, pup.
Cole leans across the aisle. “Look at you, curls. Cap’s got you in the corner like a naughty kid. Better hope he doesn’t put you in a time-out mid-flight.”
I flush scarlet, choking on my own breath. The engines rumble louder, the captain’s voice crackling over the intercom, and my heartbeat spikes until I’m shaking.
