“Come on, before they find us beat to a pulp, naked,” Luke said. His words where rational, sensible, but his erection belied his calm demeanor. It just looked damn painful.
“You think we could just—” The plane took another nosedive. Dani rolled across the floor, landing at Luke’s feet, giving her the rather unique view of seeing the underside. “I suppose not.”
He dropped her underwear on her head. “C’mon, now. Be a big girl...”
“No!” she said, digging in her heels, drumming them against the carpeting like a little kid in a full-blown tantrum. “No, I am not getting dressed until you get...”
The plane bounced. Twice.
“YOU’RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!” she screamed at the ceiling.
“Who are you talking to?”
Dani snatched the underwear and pouted as she drew it on. “Never mind.”
In a few moments, they slinked back into their seats. William looked up, raised one eyebrow, and shook his head.
“When the seatbelt light comes on, you need to return to your seats right away!” the stewardess or staff member, or whoever the bitch was, chastised her. Dani dropped her head, staring at her lap, hoping that if she counted to six hundred she could keep herself from punching the woman in the face.
“We weren’t dressed,” Luke explained.
Dani dropped her face into her hands. Really? Advertise it, why not...
The woman rolled her eyes and said, “Well, at least you’ll be relaxed for the trip.”
Luke had an iron grip on Dani’s arm as the woman walked away, never realizing how close she’d come to death.
“Decent fit?” William asked.
Dani’s head shot up and she looked at him for a long moment.
“The clothes?” William prompted, having the grace to look awkward.
“Oh. Yes. Thanks. Clothing.” Dani nodded, glancing down at her t-shirt and jeans uneasily. She wasn’t about to admit in a million years that these had turned out to be the most comfortable jeans she’d ever worn in her life.
Luke collapsed against the back of the seat beside her and exhaled noisily.
“Have a good shower?” William asked.
Luke turned slowly. “Dandy.”
“Hey, how many people can say they showered on Air Force One?” William crowed, delighted in his accomplishment. Then he dropped his voice to a conspiratorial tone. “And what else did you two do on America’s most recognized airplane?”
The next wave of turbulence might have saved his life. By the time they stopped bouncing, Luke had both Dani’s hands trapped.
“Let go.”
Luke shot her a look and let go slowly, really slowly, as Dani straightened her clothing. William was still holding the paper cup in his hand, though his pen was skewered through the middle of it and water was pouring out onto the floor.
“We’ll be landing soon.” William said, signaling for the staffer.
“I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE. I wasn’t able to procure a limo on such short notice,” William said as they walked down the staircase the airport had wheeled to the gate. The appropriate people had been informed that this was not Air Force One, the president was NOT on board, but the bulk of the thing and the official seal carried its own gravitas. Meaning more people than were truly necessary just about tripped over each other trying to secure imaginary luggage, and getting a car turned out to be easier than ordering the airport to not provide honor escorts and marching bands.
Dani felt rather underdressed in jeans, and silently thanked William for the fact that she wasn’t seen coming out of the president’s plane in short shorts and a ripped t-shirt. Although a part of her wondered what the headline would read the next day if she had. It felt odd, though. Outside their immediate circle of airport and underlings, it did seem that the airfield was rather empty. In fact, nothing seemed to be taking off or landing at all.
Please tell me they didn’t reroute air traffic. No, wait... I don’t want to know. I truly do not want to know.
She climbed into the back of the car provided. Not a limo, but still sleek and black and looking rather official. Luke and William sat beside her. Dani felt a momentary burst of elation to be on the way and actually doing something, which died a quick death when the car pulled out and came to a complete stop at the exit of the airport.
Judging from the bumper to bumper mess on the expressway, traffic was going to be bad.
“Unfortunately,” William said, his voice rather terse, “I’ve been informed that traffic is unusually heavy due to some heavy construction on the route. We’re on the other side of the city from where we need to go.” He settled back against the seat with his phone, lips compressed, face a study of worry. In that instant Dani had a quick view of what Luke would look like when he was older, when he pouted. She shook her head.
Okay, we’ll work on that.
Luke was staring out the back window behind them. Dani snuck a peek. “What? Are we being followed?”
“Just... surprised,” he admitted, twisting around to face forward. “I wasn’t sure we were going to get away with it.”
“Away with what, dear boy?” William asked, setting down his phone and digging into a briefcase at his feet and bringing out a stack of papers at least an inch thick. Dani’s eyebrow rose as she glanced over at Luke, who gave an almost imperceptible shrug. The case had been waiting for him when the car arrived.
“How we got away with just running off like that,” Luke said after a moment. Dani bit back a smile. His tone was distracted as he shifted, trying to get a better look at the papers. William shot him a look and turned his body somewhat, presenting him with the back of the file folder to look at.
Luke sat back, expressionless. Dani could tell he was fuming inside.
“Do you think they’ll come after us?” Dani asked, reaching for his hand, running her fingertips over his fingers until he reached out to trap her wandering fingers in his palm.
“You don’t know my mother...” He drew her hand to his lips and kissed the tips of her fingers. “She’s a lot like you. Like a pit bull when she gets an idea in her head.”
“I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted,” Dani muttered, enjoying the warm flutter in the pit of her stomach at the feel of his warm breath against her hand. It conjured pleasant images of warm breath elsewhere against her body.
“I wouldn’t worry about them at this point.” William laughed, not even looking up as he shuffled through his stack, nearly dropping several and only just saving them. “They’re safe. We can always return once our business has concluded, and have a true family outing if you so desire.”