“Dude! Do you have an erection?” he whisper-hisses.
“Sshh! Keep your voice down,” I warn him.
“I’m trying,” he whispers, “but you’re about to pop your pants here,and I’m not sitting with you if you’re gonna sport a stiffy the entire flight.” He glances at my phone and his eyes widen. “Wait, did you fuck the doc last night?”
I shut the screen down and put a finger to my lips to shush him. I look between the seats to see who’s behind us. Mack is already passed out in the window seat. He hates flying, so he usually hits the melatonin hard and goes to sleep when he gets on the plane. Samsonov sits next to him with his noise-canceling headphones on.
Only Fig is in the row in front of us, and he listens to audiobooks the entire flight.
“Not one word to the rest of the team,” I warn Kelsier. “Especially not on the team chat, or I swear to Christ-”
“Yeah, you’ll beat the shit out of me,” Kelsier interrupts. “Just fucking tell me.”
I exhale deeply and sink back into my seat. “Yeah, we had sex last night. A lot.”
Kelsier raises a brow. “A lot?”
“Like four times before she went home.”
His eyes widen. “Jesus Christ!”
I give him a warning look, and he lowers his voice again. “I take it that it was good sex?”
I groan. “You have no idea. It was like I no longer needed a recovery period. I was almost ready to go again by the time I got the condom off.”
“That good?” he asks in surprise.
I look around to be sure no one is listening. “She has a praise kink,” I tell him. “One of these days she’ll squeeze my dick off if I call her a good girl too many times.”
He claps a hand over his mouth to stifle whatever reaction he was about to make. “Fuck, man,” he says when he pulls his hand back. “You hit the fake dating jackpot.”
I jerk my head to him. Everything with Gray was so real last night that I forgot the rest of the team thinks I’m only fake dating her. Before lastnight, they were the only ones who knew the truth about us. Now, they’re the only ones who don’t. The rest of the world thinks I’mactuallydating Gray…and they’re right.
I have the urge to bolt out of my seat and announce to the whole plane I’m dating her and that they all need to keep their eyes and hands off, but one thing stops me. If she and I date for real, will she still be allowed to work with me? Maybe Kaladin will think we’ve gotten too close and call it off. Are there ethical issues with him paying her if we’re dating? It’s not a problem right now because he thinks we’re only fake dating, but if he knows the truth…
No, I can’t tell anyone yet.
Well, almost anyone.
“I need to tell you something, Kels, and it will seriously fuck things up if you say anything to anyone,” I say. I’m wary of divulging this to him, but he’s been my best friend since I got here. Granted that hasn’t been long, but I trust him.
He looks at me seriously. “Okay. What? Everything alright?”
“Swear you won’t say a word.”
He frowns. “I swear. What is it?”
I inhale deeply and let it out. “I’m not fake dating Gray. I’m actually dating her. I told her last night she’s mine for real.”
He stares at me for what seems like minutes as I wait for him to say something.
“Holy shit, Gunny,” he says finally. He grins. “Congrats. It sounds like you’ve got it bad for her.”
I sigh again. “I can’t stop thinking about her. I want her so much.”
He cocks his head. “Do you want to be with her, or is this just lust?”
I take a moment to consider, but I already know the answer. I got angry with the reporters who suggested I was dating an older woman, mainly because I’d felt her stiffen next to me when they said it. The thought of the way Drew and other men have hurt or used her makes me want to throw furniture across the room. And, yes, I couldn’t wait to getbetween her legs while we were watching the movie, but I also loved the feel of her tucked up against my body. I want to protect her. Make her feel safe and desired.
