I bit back a groan, imagining her saying that in an entirely different context. One with a lot fewer clothes. Maybe one where she was on her knees before me, pouty lips parted before my cock.Fuck.
“Sure.” The word came out strangled.
She leaned closer, smoothing some of my hair away from my face. It felt so good.Toogood.
She seemed to linger for a moment, and then she removed the cap, misting it over my face. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but that felt…actually, really nice. Refreshing.
She opened the lotion. “Then, you need to moisturize,” she said, smoothing the thick lotion over my skin. It felt so good—to be touched by her. Cared for by her.
“There.” With her hands still on my face, she smiled softly. “How did that feel?”
“Amazing.” My voice was gravelly, and my body felt like a live wire. “Thank you.”
She smiled again, wider now. “You’re welcome.” She let out a happy sigh and settled back to her seat. Completely unaffected. “Now we can watch the movie,” she said, covering herself with the blanket.
I laughed to cover my discomfort, cueing up the movie on my screen. When we were both ready, we hit play at the same time. One minute, I was watching the movie—more like watching Bryn’s reactions to the movie—and the next thing I knew, I was blinking my eyes open.
I glanced around, surprised I’d fallen asleep in the first place. The plane’s engine was still humming and Bryn was asleep, so I took the opportunity to study her. Her hair was up in a messy, high bun. Her lips were parted softly, and she looked so peaceful.
I lifted my hand as if to touch her cheek, imagining how it would feel to touch her freely. To not hold back anymore. And then I lowered my hand and shook my head.What am I doing?
I stretched out my legs then got up to use the bathroom. As I was headed down the aisle, I could see the moment it happened. That spark of recognition when a woman a few rows back realized who I was. There was that pause, the widening of the eyes, and then the knowing smile that came after.
I ducked my head but not before I’d seen her scan me from top to bottom, her eyes lingering on my gray sweatpants. I continued on, hoping to keep a low profile. I’d gotten stopped by fans a few times at the airport in LA and Miami, asking for a picture or an autograph. I appreciated them and their support, but also…I just wanted to enjoy my vacation with Bryn.
And while I would never be rude to a fan, it was difficult to hide my annoyance when they inevitably asked Bryn to step aside and take their picture. She’d done so—graciously, of course. But I’d wanted her by my side, in front of the camera. Not hiding behind it.
I locked the bathroom door, taking care of business before washing my hands. I brushed my teeth, feeling more refreshed. When I emerged, the woman from a few rows back was standing outside.
I tried to tell myself that maybe she also needed to use the bathroom, but from the eager glint in her eyes, I feared that was wishful thinking.
“I’ve always wanted to join the Mile High Club,” she said in a sultry tone. “What do you think? Want to make this tripflyby?”
You’d think after all these years I’d be used to that by now, but sometimes I was still caught off guard by how brazen people could be. And I cringed at the cheesiness of her lines. Because that’s what they were—lines. She didn’t care about me as a person; she just wanted to be able to say she’d fucked an NHL player.
“I’m not interested,” I said, moving to bypass her. I wasn’t trying to be rude, but I wanted to shut this down quickly.
“Oh, come on.” She pouted, jutting out her hip.
Seriously?No meant no. That went both ways.
“I’m with someone,” I said, though I didn’t owe this stranger any explanation.
The woman stepped closer. “She’s asleep.” She placed her hand on my bicep. “It can be our little secret.”
“Please remove your hand,” I gritted out, just as a flight attendant joined us.
Of fucking course.
Her eyes bounced between us, taking in the scene. I could only imagine how this looked to her.
“Everything okay here?” she asked in an overly chipper voice.
“I was just returning to my seat,” I said, hopeful the flight attendant wouldn’t misconstrue the interaction. Regardless of what she thought she’d just walked in on, I was grateful for the interruption.
The rest of the flight passed without incident, but I didn’t fall back asleep. After that encounter, my guard was up, and I couldn’t seem to let it back down to relax enough to rest.
I was still tense when we waited for our luggage at the baggage carousel a few hours later. It didn’t help that I had several missed calls from an unknown number, as well as one from my mom. I had a pretty good feeling I knew who was calling from the unknown number, but I’d been hoping the problem would just go away. Clearly, that had been overly optimistic. I sighed, resolving to call Mom back soon since it was past midnight.
