April nods, and I pull her in close, letting her collapse into my arms, no longer having to be strong for at least a little while. “He . . . just now,” she sobs, and I feel tears in my own eyes, even though I met him only once. “They said he never woke up.”
“Then let's go talk to the GM. We're going straight to London from here, okay?”
The team is great, and April and I are on a private jet to London by midnight, saving us the wait of a connecting flight in Calgary. Mr. L. even told me that the team would cover the cost of the flight, but I tell him that I want to pay at least half for it. “Take it out of the game checks for the rest of the season,” I tell him while April gets into the taxi. “I'm serious, you pay for the whole thing, and I throw four interceptions next week.”
On the plane, April's preoccupied, and I go over, sitting next to her. The plane's a Lear, with supposedly plenty of legs to make the whole trip in one shot. One advantage is that we've got luxury accommodations, including a bed. Not what I'd planned, but considering that it was the only jet with range available, I'll take it.
“I'm glad you were able to say goodbye,” I tell her, putting an arm around her shoulders. In the taxi, she'd tearfully told me about her trip to London Thursday, and how she'd kissed her father goodbye. Still, with the situation being what it is now, it hurts. “You said he smiled a little at that, right?”
April nods, and takes my hand. She gets up and takes my hand, pulling me with her. “He did. But right now, I need to try to rest.”
We go to the back of the plane, where a partition separates the bed area from the rest of the cabin. It's a small bed, some weird size bigger than a full but smaller than a queen, and I guess it's custom built for the plane, I have no idea. April and I lay down, and I pull her in tight, just letting her draw comfort from me.
Slowly, with no intention other than trying to comfort her, I stroke her hair, running my hands up and down her back when she turns into me, wrapping her left arm around me. “I'm sorry.” she whispers. “I pressured you to stay here in Canada.”
I shake my head and kiss her forehead. “No, you didn't. I made my decision for a lot of other reasons. The biggest one is you. I want to stay with you.”
April looks up at me, and suddenly pulls me down into a softer, more intimate kiss than we'd exchanged all night. “Tyler… I need this.”
I look into her eyes and nod slowly in understanding. Adam gave us his blessing, and I know that, regardless of anything else, April is my One, the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, the woman that, some day perhaps, I want to have children with. There are so many reasons to make love, and this time, we're reaffirming life.
I kiss her gently, pulling her up on top of me, caressing her body through my old jersey and jeans, letting her set the pace. Her hair hangs over both of our faces, cutting off almost all the light and wrapping us in a dim private world. “I love you,” I whisper as she leans in and kisses me again.
We strip each other slowly, kissing and tasting each exposed inch of skin that April presents before me. I hold back with every ounce of my patience, knowing that right now, what she needs is comfort, not raw passion.
April pulls off her jersey and bra, and I bring her left breast to my mouth, kissing and nibbling on her silky, perfect skin. I can feel her heartbeat under my lips, and as she moans, she sobs at the same time, so I kiss my way up her throat to swallow those sobs and take them inside me.
We hold each other closely, not letting any space between us until she slides off to the side and reaches for my cock inside my pants. She slips her hand inside the track pants and grasps me, her eyes dark and filled with emotion. I can't help it, I moan softly as she pulls me out, just enough that my cock points up into the air. “April . . . are you sure?”
She looks up into my eyes and nods, her eyes glistening. “I’ve never been more sure.”
With slow, meaningful measured movements, she unsnaps her jeans and pushes everything off, leaving her nude and beautiful in the dim orange yellow lights of the sleeping cabin, her face trembling with emotion. Without saying a word she climbs back on top of me, taking my cock and positioning it at her entrance. She's warm, and as I slide inside her, she holds her breath, her eyes slightly unfocused, in an inner spiritual place that gives her beautiful face a graveness I've never seen before.
She blinks, and her eyes join with mine, and she reaches out, putting her right hand on my heart. I put mine on hers, and she starts riding me, lifting herself up and down slowly, each motion carrying deep meaning beyond the joining of our bodies. I can almost feel it in my mind, and I wonder if there really are things like telepathy. Or am I just reading her emotions in her eyes?