“What’s that noise?”
“I’m packing up.”
“You’re still at work?”He chuckles, and I imagine him shaking his head.“Jesus, a few months in and you’re staying late every night. Should I be nervous?”
I smile, logging out of my computer. “It’s only because you’re not here to keep me entertained.”
“Well, I look very much forward to entertaining you…I’ll have Dimitri pick you up and take you to the plane. Think of where you want to go. Anywhere you’d like.”
***
“Hi, Dimitri,” I say, approaching the limo, eyes burning from lack of sleep. “Long time no see.”
“Yes, I’m mainly behind closed doors now.” He takes my luggage from me, which to my shame is heavy enough to weigh down even his beefy arm. With no clue where Benjamin plans to escape to, I had to improvise.
“Well, it’s good to see you.” I get in when he opens the back door for me, sliding onto the cool leather. It’s a scorcher. Summers in New York can be absolutely brutal.
“You too, Miss Fontaine.”
Exhausted, the minute he shuts the door behind me, my eyes become heavy. A soft voice is crooning from the radio in the front, drawing my eyes closed even faster. I re-open them when an arm comes around my back, another beneath the crook of my knees, lifting me off the seat. Delirious, I lean my head against Benjamin’s chest as we make our way through the tarmac toward the jet.
“You don’t have to carry me. I can walk.”
“Have you thought of where you’d like to go?” He smiles down at me warmly, his jet black hair shining off the bright lights from the posts. Fifteen hours and he appears refreshed and excited. He steps carefully, ducking when he reaches the door.
“Anywhere you are is good with me,” I mumble.
“All right, we’re gassing up the plane now. We have to be in our seats for the takeoff, but you can sleep in the cabin after that.”
I pout playfully, unable to keep my eyes open as he deposits me into a seat and buckles me in. I like this. His chuckle disappears as he exits the plane, probably to get the bags from Dimitri. I don’t stay awake long enough to find out.
***
“Darce.”
I squeeze my eyelids together, not ready to wake. His fingers are soft on my cheek.
“Baby, you can go to the bedroom. We’re in the air.”
I peek through one lid, finding him staring down at me. “How long have I been sleeping?”
“A half hour. Hard to believe you were passed out the whole ascent…I thought you’d like to sleep in a bed.”
“Are you coming with me?”
“I have a video conference, but I’ll be in after that.”
Unbuckling with difficulty, I stumble over to the other side of the cabin.
The room consists of a queen-sized bed, a dresser, and a loveseat. It doesn’t need much else. My luggage is already on the mattress. I reach into it, scavenging for something to wear to sleep. I pick out a pair of shorts and a yellow t-shirt, the first comfortable items I could find. Burrowing myself under the covers, I close my eyes.
However, fifteen minutes later, I’m still blinking, realizing I’m unable to drift off knowing he’s outside the room. There’s so much I want to ask him about, talk to him about. I sit up, rubbing my face. It dawns on me as I’m yawning that I have no idea where we’re even headed.
The room brightens when the door slides open. Benjamin is filling the doorway, surprised to find me awake. “What are you doing up?”
“I wanted to sleep next to you.”
“Did you?”
