“What, are you moving there?” Kella snickered. I glanced over. She and Fraser were sitting on the sofa.
“Hey Fraser,” I said, walking over to them, purposely ignoring Kella’s remark, “Thanks so much for this,” I added.
“No bother, seriously. I was heading there anyway. This way my girl comes with me too,” He kissed Kella’s cheek. She glared at me as I giggled.
“Yes, well I know this means a lot to Dane too,” I added, wondering how much he knew. Had Kella filled him in at all? Fraser’s expression went from happy to somber. Well, I guess that answered that.
“If I can help at all, Lily. Just say the word,” He added.
“You’re doing heaps already, Fraser. I can’t thank you enough,” Fraser laughed.
“I’m letting you join me on a flight to a place I was already going to. That’s nothing. I mean it,” He said. I caught the tone in his voice. “I have a lot of connections. If you need anything, let me know. I can’t imagine what Dane’s going through, but if I can help, that would be great,” He held my gaze and smiled.
Tears welled in my eyes, and I felt bad about all the times I’d dismissed Fraser as just some rich kid who flew through life on his status, when really he would have to have been one of the most genuine people I’d ever met.
“And Lil? I’ve arranged a room for you both at the Palace Hotel.”
“No-” I began, ready to draw the line at a room in a five star hotel.
“Not negotiable, Lily. It’s done,” He smiled. Kella leaned across to plant a kiss on his cheek. She winked at me. I managed to smile back, when the doorbell rang.
Okay. Here we go.
I’d never been on a plane before, much less a private plane. All my expectations were based on movies, and apparently my expectations were pretty damn low.
“Wow,” I gasped as I walked through the door, into the plane. It was huge, but had only enough recliners to seat eight people. I felt bad for suddenly wishing Steffy was further away; this would be awesome to travel somewhere longer than an hour. I blushed at my thought. What kind of person thinks that?
“Wow is right,” Dane, who was behind me, stopped to stare.
“Move along guys,” Grumbled Kella, waiting impatiently on the bottom run of the stairs.
I took the front recliner, sinking into the soft beige leather. Wow. I needed one of these for home. Dane sat beside me, his expression mirroring my awe.
“This is fucking amazing,” He mumbled, his eyes darting from the huge leather recliners, to the well-stocked bar.
“Wait until you taste the food,” Fraser, who sat with Kella opposite us, chuckled.
Food? My mouth watered at the mention of it. I hoped it wouldn’t be too far into the flight before they started serving. I had skipped breakfast, and I was starving. My stomach grumbled, agreeing with me that food was needed. Dane glanced at me and shook his head.
“What?” I grumbled, embarrassed. Why did my stomach always growl in front of him?
“Nothing,” He chuckled, “I love it when your stomach talks.” He laughed as I blushed. I gave him a look, and turned away to blush in private. In my head, I was still obsessing over that text message.
I love you. Love you.
Why? Why had I done such a stupid thing? And why hadn’t he said it back? Was I completely wrong about the feelings that I thought were between us? I racked my brain, trying to think of signs from when we were together that his feelings for me were there. I felt reassured. There were plenty of times that he’d showed his feelings for me.
Then why did it make me so anxious that my slip had been ignored?
The delicious smell of fish, butter and garlic swam through the cabin. A man in chef whites came out carrying a tray of plates. My mouth watered as he placed a dish in front of me that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a 3 Michelin star restaurant.
“Thanks,” I murmured. I couldn’t wait to tuck in. I slid my knife through the fish, watching as it flaked apart. Running my fork through the mixture of flavors, I placed it in my mouth. Wow. Amazing. The flavors exploded on my palate, sending feelings running through my body that closely mirrored an orgasm.
“Oh god this is good,” I moaned. Dane grinned, shaking his head, as he ate his food.
“What?” I protested, his amusement not nearly enough to slow me down. I couldn’t get enough of this dish.
“You,” He chuckled, “I’ve never met a girl who loves her food so much.” He watched me eat, laughing when I poked my tongue out at him. “It’s a good thing, Lil. Extremely attractive,” His tone lowered, his eyes dropping as he leaned across to nibble at my neck.