I swallow.
There’s something about a man who doesn’t need to flex because the power sits naturally on him. Zaria catches the shift in my expression and smirks knowingly. The engines ring to life. The jet begins taxiing.
Our flight attendant appears, poised and professional, asking what we’d like to drink before takeoff.
“Champagne,” Zaria answers immediately.
I nod. “Same.”
Calil glances between us. “Make that three.”
The glasses arrive cold and bubbling.
I take a slow sip before looking at the flight attendant with a polite smile.
“Once you bring the rest of the service,” I say sweetly, “we’d love some privacy.”
Her expression doesn’t change. “Of course.”
She disappears toward the front of the jet. The moment the curtain slides closed behind her—the air shifts. Calil looks between us, taking the temperature of the room in a way only he can.
“What your pretty ass up to?” he asks, voice low and amused.
I slide one leg across the aisle, brushing my toes lightly against his shin.
“Maybe.”
Zaria leans back in her seat. She sips her champagne slowly—her eyes growing darker with desire after every swallow.
“Professor,” she says smoothly, “you sure you ready for five days of us?”
He leans forward slightly and rests his elbows on his knees while keeping his gaze steady.
“I wouldn’t have booked it if I wasn’t.”
The jet lifts off the runway. The city shrinks beneath us.
My stomach flips — not from turbulence. From anticipation.
Five days.
Rainforest.
Ocean.
Privacy.
Freedom.
All with the man in front of me looking like he built this moment with only love and adoration is mind.
The journey to Costa Rica feels less like a vacation and more like the beginning of something none of us will ever want to walk away from.
The hum of the jet deepens as we level out. We’re steady and smooth above the clouds. But inside the cabin? The air shifts.
It’s no longer playful. It’s charged.
Calil leans back in his seat, one ankle resting over his knee, champagne glass loose in his hand like he isn’t fully aware of how intoxicating he looks. The linen shorts sit low on his hips. The diamond chain catches the cabin light every time he moves.
