I felt my muscles tense. “When? For where?”
He rubbed my back. “I’m going to London on Monday, then Liechtenstein on Wednesday.”
“That sounds fun.”
“Not really.” He sighed again. “I’d rather do the sailing day with you. I’d rather do anything with you. Part of me working from here is knowing that I have to travel more, though. Maybe someday you can come with me.”
“Maybe.” That idea seemed very far-fetched.
“Let’s get up and have some breakfast, and then get Charlie. How would you like to go up in a plane, instead of on a boat?”
I sat up and gulped. “I’ve never been on a plane before.” His eyes widened. “I know, I’m a rube.”
“You’re not a rube.” Luke ran his palm over my cheek, down my shoulder, and cupped my breast. I pressed it into his hand, my nipple hardening, and he smiled. “You’re a temptress. Go get dressed, and I’ll make all the coffee I have in the house.”
I got dressed, washing carefully in the shower. I was a little sore from all the, um, exertions of the night before. And the morning. But all my muscles clenched when I thought about how Luke touched me, how he felt inside me. The more I thought about him, the more I wanted to run out of the shower and attack him.
So by the time I got out, and saw that he had made a carafe ofcoffee, and found some dried cherries in his pantry for me, I didn’t hold back. We ended up making out with me planted on the kitchen counter, legs wrapped around his waist, then he sat in a chair and I sank down on him, riding up and down as he grabbed my ass, sucked on my breasts, and we came seconds apart, again. I rested my head on his shoulder, breathing hard. “Whatever I did to deserve that, I’m glad,” Luke said hoarsely.
“The coffee,” I explained.
I called Martha from the car to say that I was running a little late, and we raced over to her house. Her eyebrows shot to her hairline when I got out of Luke’s car.
“Good morning, honey. We’re just about to head to church. Maybe you’d like to come too?”
I blushed red as a beet, and Martha chuckled. “How was last night?” I asked her. “Did the boys have fun?”
“Frankie had a wonderful time, and I think Charlie did too. We were glad to have him. Such a polite little boy!” I was happy to hear that. Most of my manners lessons had seemed to be short-lived. “He has a big heart, Emily. It’s so nice for Frankie to have a friend who accepts him just the way he is.” I looked at her and smiled. That was my sweet pea.
Charlie came running into Martha’s kitchen and I pulled him into a hug. “Hi, pal! Did you get any sleep last night?” Frankie entered more slowly. “Frankie, did he drive you crazy?”
“You’re Charlie’s aunt,” he told me, then looked at Charlie hugging me. “We had fun.”
“I’m glad. Got your stuff, sweet pea? Are you ready?”
He looked into the yard where Luke and Carl were talking. “Why is Luke here?”
“Well, he thought it might be fun for us to go for a ride in his Cessna, his plane. What do you think?”
Charlie’s eyes were huge. “Yes! Yes, please! Can Frankie go, too?”
Martha shook her head. “Frankie needs to go to church now. It probably wouldn’t hurt anyone to go,” she remarked nonchalantly, and I blushed again.
We drove to the grass-field airport where Luke kept his plane. My stomach was in knots. I knew, theoretically, how planes flew. I understood flight dynamics, and Newton’s laws of motion. But in practice, putting that tiny white tin can in the air seemed really inadvisable.
Luke did a pre-flight inspection of the Cessna. He showed Charlie and me around the plane, naming the various parts and gear, and Charlie helped him to untie it. We got in and put headsets on to be able to hear each other. Luke started running down a checklist, turning things on, flicking switches, turning knobs. “Buckle up,” he advised, and with a bump we started taxiing down the grass runway.
Charlie was so happy and excited that I could hear him laughing through the headset. “Where do you want to go?” Luke asked.
I shrugged. Now was not a time to speak; it was time to pray. Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day, be at my side, to light and guard, rule and guide.
“Amen,” I said aloud.
Luke glanced over at me, eyebrow raised. “Are you praying?”
Our speed increased and the engine noise did too. Then with another bump we were airborne.
“We’re flying! We’re flying!” Charlie was yelling behind me.
