Trust me. It’s something I most definitely would have taken notice of.
I stare up, getting lost in his green eyes, like a forest with no way out, stuck in all its beautiful glory.
Feeling hypnotized with his mere presence, the knot of anxiety deep in my stomach grows quickly when the words still don’t come. Jack’s the only person in the world that could leave me both speechless and awestruck within seconds. It’s been like this my whole life.
“Hey, Peters, you ready?” Captain Miles thankfully interrupts us, breaking me out of the spell I was bound to. “Hey, Belle.” He maneuvers his head around Jack, who is blocking his view, to shoot me a playful smile.
Jack lets out a slight growl in warning, not that anything Jack does would stop Miles from being flirtatious. It’s second nature for Mr. Playboy Pilot.
This is the fine line that Jackson and I often teeter because that growl is nothing new, but today it seems more.
Protectiveness is one thing Jackson has never let up on, not for me or any of the other women in his life. On the contrary, the domineering shit is what drives me nuts. I will never fault him for being protective of the ones he loves, but him being a controlling arse out of nowhere makes me want to kick him with my heel.
Deciphering this new behavior of his is proving to be more difficult than I could have imagined.
Finally coming to my senses, I swat Jack away to greet Miles with a proper hello. As I approach him, I can feel the heat radiating off Jackson as he presses up against my back in warning.
Miles, of course, finds this amusing. He’s never understood our relationship, but he does understand Jackson since they’re mates and hang out often enough. So pushing his buttons is something he enjoys.
Jackson clears his throat. “Don’t you think we should take off now?”
Hesitation crosses Miles’s face, probably wanting to rile him up a bit more, but he ultimately agrees since we’re already behind schedule.
The plane Wills recently bought is huge, and even though it has plenty of seats, Jack and I always sit together. It’s only natural, even with no one else on board, that we would still choose to sit next to each other.
I scooch over to my preferred window seat while Jack takes the aisle. We sit in uncomfortable silence—or at least it is for me—until the plane starts to taxi, and the stewardess comes out to give us a safety demonstration.
“What the fuck is she wearing?” I whisper to Jack.
I’ve seen her the few times I’ve been on the new plane, and never once has she looked like this.
I watch her do the demonstration, her eyes never leaving Jackson, and ever so slightly, she pokes out her chest to enhance her boobs.
Are you kidding me right now?
“Have you hooked up with her?” I growl, taking a page out of Jackson's book.
He freezes, and I think he considers lying or making an excuse for a second. “No, but almost.”
“Almost? What the fuck does that mean?” I hiss, immediately annoyed.
Do I like to hear about Jack’s conquests? No, most definitely not.
Not even after all these years have I gotten used to the pang of jealousy that courses through me every time we’re out. But am I able to usually move on from it undetected, knowing a future together is not for us?
Yes.
I’d rather be friends than ruin everything because of my ongoing crush, so I’m not sure why I’m being so vocal right now.
He doesn’t answer the question, but assures me he doesn’t even have one ounce of interest in her.
“Well, what a joke. Why even wear clothes at all? If Sadie saw her working on her plane dressed like this, she would lose her shit.”
When the plane starts to rumble, indicating it’s about to take off, I throw my arm into Jack’s lap and he intertwines our fingers like always.
No matter how often I fly, the take-off and landing get me right in the gut with that free-falling, out-of-control feeling.
Once we’re up in the air, Miles lets us know it will be about an hour and twenty minutes until we land, and it should be a smooth ride.
