“Where are we? It feels . . . weird. I don’t hear the water.”
“You’re very inquisitive.” He nodded a greeting to the pilot of his private plane. “Okay, Wills, we’re going up a number of steps. I’ve got you.” He guided her left hand to the metal railing.
“That’s cold. You’re very mysterious.”
Chuckling, he helped her into the plane and led her to a seat. She wiggled her butt, settling into the plush leather. His eyes followed the hem of her skirt as it bunched up around her thighs.
“This is super comfy.”
He leaned over, speaking in a low voice even though they were alone. The pilot was preparing the plane for takeoff. “You’d better stop wiggling like that. Blindfolded with the world’s most gorgeous gams there for the taking is not a power position.”
“Can anyone see us?” she whispered.
“Nope. It’s just us, sweet girl.”
She curled her fingers around the arms of the chair, trapped her lower lip between her teeth, and spread her legs. His cock came to a full salute.
“I think you’re wrong, Z.” Her voice was liquid heat. “Very, very wrong.” She crossed one gorgeous leg over the other.
He groaned, taking the seat beside her, and slid his hand between her thighs. “Surely you don’t think a little leg crossing will keep me from making you come, do you?”
She grabbed his hand, keeping him from moving any higher. “Tell me where we’re going and maybe I’ll let you.”
He waited for the engines to rumble to life. She curled her fingers around his hand.
“Zane?”
Fear threaded through her voice, spurring him into action. He took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. “I’ve got you, baby. You’re okay.”
The plane started down the runway, and she began to tremble. Panic showed in her erratic breathing. “Zane?”
He pressed his cheek to hers, holding her around her shoulders. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. I promise you’re safe.” The nose of the plane lifted, and she made a frightened sound. He took off the blindfold, and her eyes were squeezed shut.
“Baby, haven’t you ever flown before?”
She shook her head, her fingernails digging into his hand. “You know how rarely I leave Sweetwater. Have I ever said, ‘Hey, I’m flying off to wherever’?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “No! I haven’t. Why do you have to do things so big? I thought we were going on a picnic.” Her voice escalated. “Please take me back, please.”
Shit! This was not the reaction he’d hoped for. Framing her face in his hands, he said, “Open your eyes, Wills. Focus on me.”
She shook her head.
“Willow, I promise you this will be worth it.” I frigging hope it will. “Look at me, baby. Now.”
Her mouth pinched tight, and she opened her eyes. The fear in them nearly brought him to his knees. “Good, baby. Just keep looking at me. You’re fine.”
“This isn’t a picnic.” Her voice escalated.
He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “It will be.” The plane veered to the right, and she grabbed at him.
“Zane? He’s going to crash. He’s going down!”
“No, Wills. He’s turning. This is my plane, my pilot. I promise you the plane is in excellent condition, and my pilot is the best there is.”
“You’re all set.” The pilot’s voice called her attention up to the front of the plane.
“I’m going to reach over and open the shade, okay?”
She nodded, clutching one of his hands tightly as he opened the shade and the lights of Sweetwater came into view.
“Sweetwater, baby. That’s your little slice of heaven right there.”
She leaned over, fingernails carving half-moons into his skin. But he didn’t care. The light rising in her eyes was worth every bit of the sting.
“Oh my gosh. It’s so beautiful.” She laughed, and tears he knew she’d been holding back trickled down her cheek.
He wiped them away, exhaling a relieved breath. “Sit by the window, baby.”
She shook her head. “Too nervous to move. You stay there.”
He moved the arm of the chair and pulled her against him, kissing her cheek as she gazed out the window. “See the lights of the chapel? And the dock?”
“Look!” She pointed at boats in the distance, the tips of their sails lit up like stars.
“In a few days, Hollywood is going to crash into Sweetwater, and I’ll be working sixteen hours a day. When it feels overwhelming, I want you to think of this moment. This view of Sweetwater. Not the temporary craziness.”
Tension formed around her eyes. He took her in a languid kiss, letting her know he was right there with her. “Don’t worry, baby. Nothing will change between us. I promise you that.” He pointed out the window to distract her from the reality he’d just mentioned. “Can you spot your apartment?”
Her eyes trailed over the landscape, while his landed on the twinkling red lights he and Piper had hung from Willow’s balcony. They’d wound red lights around a wooden sign in the form of “W+Z.” Piper had been much more accepting of him since Louie’s birthday party, and he was glad for it. Of course, she’d given him hell about not having his own tools. Clearly another trip to the hardware store was in order.
“Z.” Her beautiful green eyes met his, clear and full of love.
“I know I do everything big, and you think you’re a small-town girl. But you’re my small-town girl, Wills, and I don’t ever want you to miss out on anything.”
Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, and a soft laugh escaped as she touched her lips to his. “I love you, Zane. I seriously love you so much I ache with it.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
EXCITEMENT AND UNCERTAINTY rolled in with the clouds Sunday morning, and by midafternoon it felt like the whole town was holding its breath to see what would happen when Hollywood and Sweetwater collided. The first trucks arrived in the late afternoon, followed by a small bus and a few nondescript cars, each of which pulled onto the fairgrounds. Not into the parking lot, but onto the grass. “The crew”—that’s how Zane referred to them. The underlings who were tasked with showing up early to erect sets and prepare for the actors, directors, and other important people whose titles alone gave Willow an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. She drew upon the midair picnic she and Zane had enjoyed the other night. When it feels overwhelming, I want you to think of this moment. It seemed their relationship was made up of moments she never wanted to forget.
Zane had been with the crew most of the afternoon, while Willow, along with half the town’s residents, had watched from afar as trailers pulled onto the lot, tents were erected, and a handful of people wearing headsets and carrying clipboards traipsed through the town “spotting locations.”