A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men 5)

My mouth fell open. “Oren, don’t be insane. I can’t come with you on your interview trip.”

He looked up at me. “Why not?”

“Because...” I shook my head and laughed. His entire idea was crazy, though it made me giddy to even consider it. “I can’t just hop on a plane and spend a few days with you all the way across the country. If I take that kind of money out of my savings for a ticket, Noel will wonder—”

“Then I’ll pay for your ticket.”

“Oren.” I was about to turn him down again when he grasped my hand.

“I want you there with me.” The look in his eyes told me he wasn’t kidding around. “I need you there.”

My stomach roiled as I watched Oren stow our carry-on luggage in the cubby above our seats. I couldn’t believe we were really doing this. I almost expected Noel to come charging onto the plane any second and pack me away like a misbehaving child.

I was beginning to feel as childish as I knew I was acting by hiding my relationship from him, but I was just so worried about what would happen after he found out. The two things I knew were that I didn’t want to lose Oren, and Noel didn’t want us together. And those two truths weren’t going to cohabit peacefully once they became aware of each other.

But I pushed my worries aside to snicker at a middle-aged woman who couldn’t stop checking out Oren’s ass as his shirt rode up while his arms were over his head. I shook my head, not blaming her for her interest at all. Then I began to chew on my fingernails as all my fears resurfaced.

Oren lowered his arms from the luggage bin and turned to me with a grin. “You want the window seat, babe?”

Ogling Lady nudged my hip. “Ooh, you better take it, honey. Ain’t too often a man gives up the beloved window seat for his woman.”

Oren turned his grin her way. “It’s her first time flying,” he said. “I thought she should have the full experience.”

“Well, aren’t you the sweetest thing.” I could just see her insides melt as she gazed at him. The idiot had totally unleashed poor Ogling Lady’s inner cougar, and she was no doubt picturing him drizzled in her favorite wine so she could just...lick him clean.

He ate it up, too, being extra chivalrous as he gently took my arm to help me get to my seat.

“You better cut it out,” I whispered to him as he sat beside me. “You’re going to make her ovaries explode.”

His lips twisted with sexy amusement. “But, honey, I haven’t detonated anyone’s ovaries all day.”

I snorted and shook my head.

In the two seats directly across the aisle from us, Zwinn were also getting situated. Bumping my elbow in Oren’s, I murmured, “Never mind. She just noticed how hot Quinn is and forgot all about you.”

“What?” He zipped his attention to Ogling Lady. When he saw that she was indeed watching Quinn, he scowled but leaned close to me to murmur, “She’s probably just wondering why he doesn’t look nearly as good as I do.”

Throwing my head back, I laughed. And that’s when I decided, no more worrying. I was going to have fun and just enjoy the trip.

I watched Oren untangle his lap belt so he could click it into place. A drunken giddiness stole over me. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told the woman I’d never been on a plane before. This was indeed my virgin flight. I’d never even been this far from home before. I kind of wanted to bounce in my seat and squeal. What was better, I was doing it with Oren.

He looked good with his hair sweeping across his forehead as he scowled and muttered at his seat belt, finally getting it untangled. His shoulders were so yummy as they shifted and flexed under his crisp gray button-up shirt. I wanted to pop all the buttons and run my hands up his chest, lick my way across his beard stubble and just…bite his throat.

I leaned toward him and whispered into his ear. “Want to join the mile-high club?”

His hands stilled on his seat belt. Then his face came up. “Fuck, yes.”

Grinning, I really did bounce in my seat. “So do I!”

He glanced around. Across the aisle, Zwinn had settled in and were holding hands, leaning against each other as they talked quietly amongst themselves. Turning back to me without actually looking me in the eye, Oren started talking quietly. “First we gotta wait until the plane is actually in the air, and then you go first. When I get there, I’ll knock twice. Only twice. Got it?”

I nodded and grabbed his hand, squeezing.

He squeezed right back. “This is going to kick ass.”

Okay, so maybe the mile-high-club thing turned out to be an epic fail. But we can’t say we didn’t give it our best shot.

Minutes after we were in the air, Caroline stood up, pretended to yawn and stretch, and shimmied past my legs to reach the aisle. There was a moment when her sweet ass was right in my face, and I was tempted to reach up and cup each blessedly taut cheek, but I told myself, patience. I’d have them both in my hands very, very soon as I thrust into her a freaking mile off the ground. Or thirty-thousand feet off the ground. Whatever. The point was, we were going to be so fucking naughty, and I couldn’t wait.