Mile High (Up In The Air #2)

CHAPTER SEVEN

We walked back into the building without another word. James gripped my elbow in a proprietary manner.

We re-joined my group of friends. A few people gave us good natured smirks for our absence, but no one said anything about it.

James was quiet and withdrawn. I had a hard time enjoying myself when I knew I had put him into his sudden dark mood. He was barely even touching me. It wasn’t until Damien engaged me in conversation that he became suddenly affectionate. Damien was asking me if I had any plans for the next New York layover when I felt James press against my back, wrapping his arms around me very carefully, just under my breasts.

Contrary man, I thought darkly, as he buried his face in my neck.

“Um, no, I don’t think so.” I tried to answer Damien, distracted by the mercurial man at my back. He’d pressed his groin against me, and I had no doubts as to what he was thinking about.

James raised his head at my answer. “I have an event I’d like you to attend with me, if you’re up for it.

It’s a formal affair, for charity.”

I stiffened, bewildered by the offer. It was an about-face for him, asking me to something so public. We had established from the start that we weren’t going to date. It wasn’t what either of us had wanted from each other. I had quickly found myself hurt by the arrangement, but I hadn’t known he’d changed his stance on any of it. When had it changed and why? Or was this just a stunt to show his ownership to Damien?

“Um, I don’t have anything to wear to something like that,” I said, naming off the first excuse that came into my head.

His hands started moving along my stomach, stroking. He grabbed my hips, holding me still as he straightened behind me. The motion brought his erection more flush against my butt, and I had to stifle a gasp. I didn’t want anyone to see just what he was doing. I tried my best to look normal, but had no idea if I succeeded.

“I’ve had my dresser select a wardrobe for you, to keep at my place,” he said in a perfectly casual tone.

“And she’ll be there Friday morning to help you either select something from the wardrobe, or find something else. She’ll have a sampling from several designers for you to try on.”

I blinked, not sure what to think of that. “You shouldn’t-“ “It’s only fair, if I want you to attend a bunch of stuffy affairs with me, that I provide the clothes you’ll need to wear to them. And besides, we’ve already discussed the gift thing exhaustively. If I recall, that was one of the concessions that you actually agreed to.” He was moving against me as he spoke. It was hard to hold on to a thought when he did that.

“When did you do all that? The wardrobe thing?” I asked, baffled.

“Weeks ago, when I realized that I was just going to have to get used to the idea that I couldn’t shelter you from the paparazzi, so I might as well show you off.”

I just blinked.

Damien was looking between us, studying James. I had almost forgotten, for a few minutes, that he was even there. James had that effect on me.

“You’ll come with me, won’t you?” James murmured in my ear.

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, his arms moving slowly, rubbing against my nipples. There was no way that he wasn’t aware he was touching them. They were hard little pebbles that he had to feel through the material of my thin shirt and lacy bra.

“I, um, I don’t know. The invitation is unexpected, as I’m sure you know. I’ve never been to anything like that.”

“There’s nothing to it. We just get dressed up and walk around, mingling. I won’t leave your side, if you’re nervous. I just want your company.”

Damien walked away, likely feeling ignored. He made his way to Murphy, who was telling a story loud enough for the entire room to hear.

I pitched my voice low, speaking over my shoulder. “I thought we weren’t doing any of that. You said from the beginning that we weren’t dating.”

“I’d talk to you about it, but I’m not allowed to talk tonight, remember?” His deep voice was a rumble against my ear.

I saw his game. He wanted to get me curious enough to take back my own words. I wouldn’t do it, though, even if my curiosity was eating at me.

I poked an elbow behind me. “Fine then, let’s not talk about any events either, while we’re at it. That raises too many questions about our relationship.”

He made a displeased little hum behind me that I could feel rumble through me. He didn’t speak for several minutes. I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking him questions.

Finally he broke his silence. “Do you like horses?” he asked.

“Horses?” I asked, baffled.

“Yes, horses. Do you like them?”

I thought about it. More about why he was asking then what he was asking. Finally, I just focused on the question. “Yes, I like horses. Doesn’t everyone? Why?”

“Have you ridden?”

I flushed. “Once. It was just a two-hour guided tour, up in the mountains, so I’m not even sure it counts, but I loved it.”

“Do you think you feel well enough to try riding now? Or do you need to heal up more?”

I cast him a suspicious glance. “Do you have horses in town?” I hadn’t noticed any stables at his property, but I also hadn’t exactly gotten a proper tour.

“I do. I need to show you the entire property sometime, including the stables. They’re set away from the house. But that isn’t what I had in mind. You said I could do whatever I wanted with you. You didn’t give me any restrictions, including staying in town. I would take you to the beach, to relax, but I find that lately I absolutely despise the beach.”

I raised my brows at him. “You don’t like the beach?” I asked him, baffled.

He set his jaw and looked across the room with a steely glare. I followed his eyes. He was staring at Damien as though he wanted to do the man bodily harm.

“Currently, just the thought of the beach makes me want to do violence,” he said, his tone quiet but ominous. “So I have another idea, if you’re up to try some riding.”

I studied him, trying to follow his odd thought patterns. “Where did you want to take me?”

He turned that steely glare on me. “You said I could do anything with you tonight. And you did not say I had to tell you what or where. All I want to know is, do you think you can ride a horse?”

I glared back. “I’m not sure. I feel okay. If I didn’t do anything too crazy, and it was a calm horse, I suppose I could.”

He nodded decisively. “Okay, we’ll take it easy. Let me make some phone calls.”

I watched him walk outside, a little stunned by the sudden turn of events.

He always seemed to do that, turn everything around until I was dizzy and panting and giving into his whims without a protest. It was infuriating, and exhilarating. I had thought my life was content and full before I met him. I had thought that excitement was the last thing that I wanted for myself. And the thought of falling in love had been anathema to me. How could meeting one person make everything change so suddenly? I wondered, not for the first time. I didn’t know where he was planning to take me, but it didn’t matter. I would go. My self-control became an elusive quality when I got into James’s orbit.

I approached Stephan, listening to the long-winded story Murphy was into before I was noticed. He was walking everyone through the horror of waking up with two women and a new tattoo with one of their names on it. Only he hadn’t remembered either of their names, just that one of them was Lola, since it was written in big black letters on his chest.

I blinked at the ridiculous story. Surprisingly, I hadn’t heard it before, though I had seen the tattoo when he was lounging by the pool. I listened, as interested as everyone else to find out which woman the tattoo was for, and why.

“Turns out, it was another woman I’d met earlier that night. She’d left in a jealous rage after the tattoo, when I started talking to the two I woke up with. I was just being friendly, I’m sure!”

His defensive stance about two women he’d woken up in bed with made everyone laugh. He was still genuinely offended by the woman who’d inspired his tattoo and never spoken to him again.

Four other pilots had joined the group. I recognized them only vaguely. They were part of the younger generation of pilots, and I knew they were friends with Damien and Murphy, but I couldn’t recall any of their names.

“He calls her the one that got away every time he gets really trashed,” Damien said in an amused voice, making me start. He was just behind me.

I turned to give him a slight smile.

His voice was pitched loud enough for the large group to hear, but he seemed to be speaking to me. “He doesn’t even remember her, but he says he trusts even his drunk judgement enough that, if she inspired a tattoo in one night, she must have been ‘the one.’ Every time he goes on a rant about how he hates being single, he blames Lola’s damned temper.”

I looked at Murphy, laughing. He had a sheepish, good natured-grin on his face. It sounded like something he’d say, and he didn’t deny it.

“Where was this?” I asked him.

“Melbourne, Australia. I bet she had a sexy accent,” Murphy said in a dejected tone.

“We all know how much you love sexy Australian accents,” one of the pilots added, sending everyone into new peals of laughter.

“Hey, now.” Damien said, raising his hands. “Don’t drag me into this. I’ve been with Murphy for years, and he has yet to get a tattoo for me on any part of his body, sexy accent or no.”

“Now we know for sure he’s never slept with you,” Marnie interjected. “If he had, there would be a Damien tattoo somewhere on his body, I can attest. One night, and I had to check the urge not to brand you on my ass.”

Loud hoots and hollers followed her brazen announcement, Murphy laughing the loudest. His laugh was particularly infectious.


I had to give Damien a second look. I’d have sworn he was blushing.

“Don’t think I haven’t tried,” Murphy gasped out, still laughing. “He’s just about the prettiest man I know. Prettier than at least half the women I’ve been with. But I can’t even get a cuddle when he’s drunk.”

Our laughter was loud enough that even in the boisterous bar, most of the people were staring our way.

That was about the time James strode back inside.

I was standing closest to Damien, though we were still a good two feet apart. And I couldn’t stop laughing, even seeing the storm that immediately overtook his lovely features at the sight of us standing near each other again.

I knew that he had a problem with Damien. He seemed to think there was something between us. I just didn’t understand why. I’d known Damien for years before I’d met James. If we had shared a real interest in each other, obviously something would have happened by now. I understood Damien’s appeal, but he just didn’t do it for me. I had more…exotic tastes. I thought that all should have been very obvious to James, so it was hard to humor his strange dislike for one of my good friends.

James strode to me, looking much too fine even in a pique.

I marveled, as I did much too often, at how beautiful he was. His longish, sandy brown hair fell artfully out of his face as he walked. The chiseled muscles of his arms and upper body were clearly defined by his thin shirt. His clenched jawline was perfection. His mouth was almost bow shaped but held too firm of an edge to be pouty, though it sure was pretty. His arched eyebrows and thick lashes were a shade darker than his hair, drawing attention to his vivid turquoise eyes. His nose was straight and flared appealingly at the tip, sitting just right in his unrivaled face. He was simply beautiful. He was in no way feminine, but the word handsome just couldn’t do those refined looks justice. He was long and lean, but in tight fitting clothing, it was clear that he was well muscled, rather than thin. He’s perfection, I thought absently. What is he doing with me? Was always my follow up question.

He moved in close beside me, but didn’t touch me.

“Looks like I missed all the fun,” he said quietly to me, his voice strangely empty.

My smile began to fade.

“The arrangements have been made,” he said shortly. “You’re all mine, whenever we finish up here.”

“What about you two? You look like you’re hot enough about each other to break out the ink. When are you going to tattoo your names on each other?” Marnie called out to James and I, smiling and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

I sent him a sidelong smile.

He gave me the tiniest smile in return. “It would be a waste to mar her perfect skin just for a little ink,”

James said. “But I would happily get a Bianca tattoo, if that’s what she wants.”

I arched a brow at him as the crowd erupted, shouting encouragement for the folly. I’d seen James’s body. He didn’t have one tattoo, so he was just messing with them, of course.

“You wouldn’t return the favor, Bianca?” Judith called out, sounding aghast.

I shrugged, giving James a narrow-eyed glare. “I guess if he got a tattoo for me, I’d let him pierce my nipples,” I said more to him than the crowd. But the crowd absolutely roared at the joke.

He ran his tongue over his teeth in that mouthwatering way of his. He held out a hand to me, as though to shake. “You have a deal, Love. Please, shake on it. Nothing would please me more.”

Someone sounded like they choked on their drink just behind me. I heard Stephan shouting something along the lines of, “What the f*ck, Buttercup?”

I looked at his hand, wondering why he had to take the joke so far. But I shook his hand without giving it much thought, just going along with his over the top antics. One of Murphy’s favorite lines about telling jokes came to mind, for some reason. Always go with the bit, he liked to say. Can’t deny the bit.

“You first, though. I want to see that ink before I pierce anything,” I said, making sure I had insurance, just in case he really had gone crazy.

He smiled, and it was positively wicked. “Of course.”

“And I want to see those piercings, Bee!” someone called out. I couldn’t even tell who it was.

“We want to see, as proof that you both held up your end of the bargain!” I recognized Judith’s voice that time.

“You should put her name on your cock, in that case!” Marnie called out. She got enough of a shocked response to call out, “Too far? Was that one too far?”

James threw an arm around my shoulder, anchoring me close against his side. “No one gets to see her piercings, but I’ll show the tattoo. Bianca can even pick which part of my body she wants to mark.”

The joke had gone on long enough. I pulled back to give him a stern look, opening my mouth to speak.

He pressed his hot mouth against mine before I could get a word out. He kissed me, a hot, not fit for public, kind of kiss. His tongue swept deep into my mouth, just begging me to suck it. I pushed against his chest at first, having every intention of avoiding his need for PDA. His hand fisted in my hair, the other hand going to my lower back to press me firmly against him.

I struggled for only a moment before I was lost, softening against him, sucking at his tongue like my life depended on it. My hands fisted helplessly in his shirt, my wrists aching for the feel of the restraining pressure that I craved.

I forgot about my friends, forgot about the joke he’d taken too far. He could have taken me there, against the wall, if he’d wanted to. That was his power over me.

He was the one to pull back, smiling. He looked over my head, and I knew he was grinning at Damien, a cold, triumphant grin.

“If you don’t pick a spot, I might just have to take the only other suggestion I heard, something about your name on my cock.” He spoke loudly enough to get some hoots and hollers from the crowd.

I couldn’t even form the words to respond. He took one of my fisted hands, spreading it flat over his heart.

“Or how about right there, Love?” he whispered to me.

I licked my lips, opening my mouth to speak. I knew I should say…something, but my mind had just gone off into space. Off into, thinking about the things he could do to me, territory. He laughed, clearly enjoying the state he’d put me in.

He was smug and gloating as he stroked a hand over my hair. I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was soon to be at his mercy for the night. The thought was all-consuming. I was excited, and aroused, and scared.

Was it too soon, since my injuries? Would I bring back some of the shadow pains that had so recently faded? Would he take it easy on me, or push me hard? I wanted to know the answers more than I feared the pain.

One thing I knew for certain. He was going to f*ck me mindless, and I could barely stand the wait.