“I’m just glad the plane stopped shaking.”
He pulled his hand away, making me feel lonely without his touch. I didn’t need him to hold my hand to make me feel better, but the second it was gone, I missed it. It was nice to have someone comfort me. “Nothing to be scared of. Planes fly all over the world, and there are rarely any crashes. And my planes definitely won’t crash.”
“Stop saying the word crash.”
He smiled. “Sorry, that was a bit insensitive.”
“It’s okay… I know you’re trying to help.”
He pulled his phone out of his pocket again and checked his email.
I shut the window shade because I didn’t want to see the endless blue. It would only remind me how high up we were. “How long is the flight?”
“Pretty long. Try to get some sleep.”
I automatically leaned against his shoulder to get comfortable even though I could easily recline back. Something about the fabric of his shirt and the warmth of his skin made me feel better. Now I was used to sleeping with him every night. He was the silent lullaby that sent me to my dreams.
He positioned me upward then put the armrests away, so there was nothing separating us. “Lie in my lap. It’ll be more comfortable that way.”
This was the nicest he’d ever been to me. He defended me against Dunbar and Ariel, but he never went out of his way to put my comfort before his own. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. You know how much I like having my lap near your mouth anyway.” He wore that cocky grin I’d become accustomed to.
I rolled my eyes then lowered myself onto his lap. I caught Ariel staring at us from her seat across the row, probably wondering why Crewe was letting me lie across his lap. I ignored her and got comfortable.
When I was across his lap, Crewe rested his arm over my waist. “Need a blanket?”
“I’m okay.” I pulled my knees to my chest because I was a little cold.
Crewe must have caught my lie because he turned to Ariel. “Grab me a blanket, please.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” she countered.
I couldn’t see Crewe’s expression, but I imagined he was giving her an intimidating look. “You wanna keep your job, right?”
Now Crewe was just going to make Ariel hate me more. I wasn’t sure why she disliked me so much. It wasn’t a big deal that I was lying across his lap. He fucked me every night, so this was pretty tame.
Ariel stood up and opened the overhead compartment. She tossed the blanket at us, the fabric landing right on top of my head. “There you are, Your Highness.”
I felt the tension rise like heat from a fire.
Crewe didn’t say anything, but I knew his silence was threatening enough. He wouldn’t let anyone get away with that kind of back talk. There would be repercussions later. He probably just didn’t want to go to war with her in a concealed vehicle with his men in the back of the plane.
Crewe returned his attention to his phone like nothing just happened. His jaw was clenched in irritation, but he swallowed his anger. His arm rested around my waist, his touch warm and preferable to the ice-cold air coming out of the vents.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep when I was so nervous, but within minutes, my eyes grew heavy and closed. I drifted off to sleep with Crewe’s lap acting as a pillow, feeling unusually comfortable despite all the calamity surrounding the ride.
2
Crewe
The plane touched down, and I was escorted into the back of the SUV at the airport. London was drowsy from sleeping on the plane, and she continued to lean on me for support. She’d never been affectionate or clingy before, so I let the closeness slide. When she was scared on the plane, I felt obligated to calm her down. After everything I put her through, it was the least I could do.
But Ariel wasn’t having it.
It was nighttime when we arrived in Italy, so there wasn’t much to see during the car ride. London hooked her arm through mine and rested her head against my shoulder while I continued to handle emails and text messages. Ariel sat against the other window, wearing a permanent sneer on her pretty face.
We arrived at my villa an hour later and passed through the gates. I had an acre of land with nothing but grass and oak trees, but the privacy was nice. It wasn’t as remote as my home in the Shetland Islands, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The two-story house was big enough for me and my crew, giving me the luxury of having most of the top floor to myself. I didn’t have to keep quiet when my ladies came to visit.
London finally woke up when we arrived. She stood in front of the house and examined it despite the darkness. There weren’t streetlights in Tuscany since it was rural countryside. Features were difficult to make out, and the crew had to break out their flashlights to find the entryway. “I can’t see much…but it looks nice.”
“Wait until the sun comes up.” We walked inside, and my crew carried the luggage exactly where it needed to go. Ariel stepped off to the side and made a phone call, probably returning all the calls she missed during the flight.
I hadn’t slept on the plane, so I was tired. I was ready to have a few glasses of scotch in front of the fireplace in my bedroom to wind down. Then I’d fuck London before I went to bed. Business could resume when the sun came up.
But I had to take care of something first.
London lingered in my proximity, not exploring the rest of the house without my permission. She was getting better with obedience, learning to follow my commands without my actually giving them. Like a new puppy, she was slowly being trained.
“Lovely.”
She faced me, her hair messy from sleeping in my lap during the flight. She was a low-maintenance woman who required little upkeep to remain beautiful. It was the only time I’d witnessed such a thing. Josephine spent more time perfecting her appearance than anyone I knew. Since she was royalty, I understood the necessity. But after looking at London every day, I realized appearances meant nothing. She was far more beautiful than most women I knew, without lifting a finger. Not too many women could say that.
And I certainly would never tell her that. “Wait for me upstairs. Third door on the left.”
“Why?”
My eyes narrowed.
She immediately understood this was one of those times when I wanted to be obeyed without question. She didn’t ask any more questions and took the stairs to the second landing. The rest of the men finished unloading the car then took their positions around the perimeter.
Ariel hung up her call.