WELL, THAT DEFINITELY hadn’t been on my list.
But if it had, I’d be checking Become a member of the mile-high club off at this very moment.
I was pretty sure we’d obtained some frequent-flier miles as well.
Wowza.
I shook my head, chuckling under my breath. I shut the water off and stepped out of the shower.
Who takes a shower on a plane?
Well, I just did!
When Jude had woken me up before the crack of dawn this morning, I’d figured it was because we had some ridiculously early commercial flight to catch—probably first-class, knowing Jude. I’d thought I’d be stuck sitting next to some businessman who huffed and puffed every five seconds about one thing or another while the rich kid behind me kicked my chair. I hadn’t flown much, but I’d watched a lot of movies and TV, so between my few experiences and vast knowledge of how media depicted airline travel, this was how I’d expected our day to go.
Movies hadn’t prepared me for reality.
Heck, reality hadn’t prepared me for this.
Who rents a private jet to fly two people to . . . well, wherever we are going?
My husband—that’s who.
I’d met him as a nursing assistant who had little to nothing and watched him grow into Jude Cavanaugh, heir to a financial dynasty, yet he hadn’t changed—not where it mattered.
Back in the days when he had worn scrubs and checked vitals for a living, he still would have given me anything.
He had actually.
He’d brought me pudding cups during every lunch break he had. When I had been sick, he’d even taken unpaid days off to stay in my room and nurse me back to health even though others had tried to kick him out. And when the insurance company had turned me down, he had given up everything to get my new heart.
Today, he wasn’t any different. Money hadn’t changed him. I guessed it just allowed him more resources and ways to channel that need to constantly provide. He always said his father had been a great provider. Maybe that was where Jude had gotten the unwavering drive.
I just didn’t want to see the money change me. I never wanted to be the type of person to expect a certain way of life. If we were fortunate enough to live like this for the next twenty years, I hoped stepping onto a private plane would always bring a sense of wonder and never dull in my eyes.
I was just finishing blow-drying my hair when a knock came on the bathroom door.
I opened it and found Jude’s handsome face staring back at me.
“We’re going to land soon. You almost ready?”
Excitement sprang forward as I realized I’d finally discover the spot of our mystery honeymoon location.
“Yes, let me just repack some things.”
I turned, but his hand quickly grabbed my wrist, halting me mid-step. Before I had the chance to ask what he was doing, his mouth engulfed mine, quick and hard, before he walked away.
I was nearly dizzy.
I stumbled back into the bathroom before throwing things into my toiletries bag. I brushed through my hair one final time. A quick glance in the mirror told me I looked adequate, so I headed back out and joined Jude.
A sly grin adorned his face as I slid down next to him.
“What?” I asked, wondering why he appeared so smug.
“Remember after the third or fourth orgasm, you said something about being so out of breath that your throat was going dry?”
My mind replayed to our time in the tiny airplane bedroom. He’d tasked himself with determining just how many times I could orgasm in a row. After four, I’d moaned and writhed so much that my throat was nearly raw. He still hadn’t shown me mercy.
“Yes,” I replied.
He produced a bottle of water from his jacket and handed it to me as I looked at him with questioning eyes.
“It’s from Brie, our flight attendant. She told me to give it to you.”
Blood rushed up to my cheeks as I contemplated the likelihood of my survival rate if I jumped out of the plane now. I must have sat there too long because Jude finally broke the silence with a boisterous deep laugh.
“I’m kidding. I asked for it before you went into the shower. She’d never do such a thing.”
My breath began to return to normal as I shot laser beams into him with my eyes.
“Even if you were louder than a banshee.”
“So mean,” I said, unable to stop the laughter that was bubbling up.
“So, you forgive me?” he asked, taking my hand in his.
“No.”
“What if I told you to turn your head and look out the window?”
My eyes widened, realizing we’d already begun our initial descent while he had been busy with distracting me. It had probably been his plan all along.
As I whipped my head around, I saw it for the first time.
I still had no idea what it was, but from above, I was already in love.
Covered in snow and ice, it looked like he’d taken us to the North Pole itself. Tiny colored houses dotted the landscape. It was so unlike anything I’d seen in the US.
“Where are we?” I asked, turning back to see him hunched forward, peering out below.