I can tell that as much as Yasmin likes me, she’s relieved that this ordeal is over. Jessa and I follow her to her office, and as we pass through the entry hallway, the sun shines through the tall windows. It’s a warm day for mid-February. I realize how much I’ve missed the sun. Jessa squeezes my hand, and I look down at her and think…
She is my sun.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jessa
For transatlantic flights, I always use the private plane with the separate bedroom and private bathroom. It’s a Gulfstream G650ER, sleek and fast, with an interior that looks more like a luxury hotel suite than an aircraft. The main cabin has cream leather seats, polished wood accents, and soft lighting that makes everything glow warm. But the real prize is the in back: a bedroom with a queen bed dressed in fine linens, and an en-suite bathroom with a shower. It’s like a suite in the air, designed for comfort when you’re crossing an ocean.
Even though this is my life now, it will take time to get used to these luxuries. Three months ago, I was splitting rent with my mother in a shitty apartment. Now I own a plane. The shift is dizzying.
I pull Castien into the bedroom and shut the door behind us. The cabin is barely big enough to fit him. When he stands, he has to bend, so his head doesn’t hit the ceiling. His wings are tucked tight against his back to avoid the walls.
He looks around, taking in the space.
I want him just for myself. I’m already tired of people staring at us.
At the MSA in London, Brother Tolliver said nothing when Castien emerged from the Quiet Room with me in his arms. He didn’t need to, since he already knew what had happened between us. Yasmin, though… She didn’t ask questions but regarded me with suspicion. Then my personal assistant, Tara, the flight attendants, even the pilots… All of them stared at us with probing looks when we boarded.
I know this won’t stop anytime soon. People will always wonder about us. They’ll question how a woman and a mechanical angel can be together. They’ll see him as an object,not a sentient being, and I’ll have to set the record straight eventually. Interviews, press appearances, all of it. I’m ready to do it. But not now. For now, I just want to be alone with him. I want to forget the world for a few minutes and live in the present.
I kick off my heels and climb onto the bed. Castien watches me, his head tilted slightly, then he lies down beside me, his massive frame taking up most of the space. I swing my leg over him and straddle his waist, settling on top of him.
I run my hands over his face, tracing his jaw, his cheekbones, the plane of his forehead. My fingers trail down his neck, over the seams and joints where his plating connects. I move lower, over his chest, feeling the hard ridges of his construction and the warmth radiating from his core. My palms slide over his abs. I can’t stop touching him. I can’t believe how much I’ve missed him, how right everything feels now that we’re together.
“I’m sorry it took so long,” I say. “I’m sorry I made you wait and suffer.”
Castien cups my face with his hand.
“Don’t,” he says. “I don’t care.”
I lean over him and kiss his cheek. Then I kiss where his mouth should be, pressing my lips to the smooth steel. He sighs under me, a sound that comes from deep in his chest, almost a groan.
“You’re going to miss being kissed properly,” he says.
I chuckle and shake my head.
“No, I rather like being the one giving the kisses.”
I trail down his body, kissing here and there. His neck, his collarbone, the center of his chest where I can feel the faint hum of his Aether Core. He grows warmer under me, his internal temperature rising with each touch. I move lower, over his stomach, until I reach the plate that covers his crotch.
I press my palm over it. The metal is hot, almost burning.
“Can you show me how to take this off?”
He reaches down and presses on the spots along the edges. The plate clicks, releasing from its moorings.
“Let me,” I say, and take it off myself, setting it aside.
I stare at his cock. It’s hard, straight, perfect. Steel, just like the rest of him, but slick with silver fluid that drips onto his abdomen. I wrap my fingers around it.
I look up at Castien. He’s looking at me with so much adoration it makes my chest tight.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you,” I say.
I stroke him, my hand moving up and down his length. He pushes his head back into the pillow and groans louder. I lower my head until my lips are just above the head of his cock. I whisper against it.
“I want to apologize properly.”
