a given I would give it up because of who you are. That you felt entitled to it. That’s what turned me off.”
“I didn’t mean to come off like that,” he said. “I just thought I read all the signs right.”
“It was right until it was wrong,” I said, shrugging. “I don’t know how else to explain it to you.”
“And now?”
I blinked. “Pardon?”
“Now?” He leaned closer. “Is now right again? Did I make it right again?”
The dry air circulating through the plane practically ignited between us in that same, strange draw I’d experienced in the hotel room, but I shook my head quickly.
“Too soon,” I blurted out, scooting down the couch from him.
“What the hell, June?” he asked, his eyebrows drawing together. “You’re sending mixed messages. That’s you, not me.”
“What did you think was going to happen?” I demanded. “Did you think that you were going to explain yourself—not even apologize, mind you, but flap your jaw at me—and I was going to, what? Spread my legs for you?”
“Would you think I was a bad person if I said yes?” he asked, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture.
The situation was too ludicrous for me not to laugh at. “You seriously thought that. You seriously thought that dumping a bunch of money on Nana and me, inconveniencing yourself and your busy schedule by flying us across the globe, charming my grandmother, doing God knows what else, was going to make me fuck you!”
Nana stirred across the aisle, murmuring softly, and both of us froze. I clapped my hands over my mouth, until she started snoring softly again. I got up to check on her—one side of her oxygen tubing had slid down over an ear, so I slipped it back in place, tucking it behind her snowy white hair.
Assuring myself that Nana was resting well, I whirled back around to face Devon. He wasn’t getting off so easily.
“What the actual fuck, asshole?” I whispered furiously, leaning down to get in his face partly so he could hear my diatribe, and partly so he would understand how angry I was. “This is the most sociopathic thing I could think of. Are we in danger? Should I strap a parachute to Nana and get her out of here?”
“The jet doesn’t have parachutes,” he said.
“Ugh!” I threw my hands up into the air. “You are the most ridiculous thing I have ever encountered in my entire life, and that’s saying something. Neither of my parents had any interest in raising me after they brought me into the world, so I know a thing or two about ridiculous things. You, however, are much more ridiculous than that. Are you able to grasp the scale on which I’m rating you?”
Devon nodded shortly, his brown eyes big, and I was mollified, to a certain extent, that I was, at least, reaching him in whatever reality he existed.
“You could’ve spent less money on a prostitute,” I told him, exasperated. “Seriously. This is all way too much. If you’d wanted some kind of physical comfort so badly, you could’ve gotten what you wanted minus all this drama.”
“I didn’t want a prostitute,” he said innocently. “I wanted you. I want you.”
“What?”
The jet jolted suddenly with a pocket of bad air, a random spiral of turbulence that was just enough to throw me forward into Devon’s lap. He caught me reflexively, and in that quick instant, I somehow felt at home pressed against that hard torso, his strong arms wrapped around my body,
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and husky. I could feel it vibrate inside his chest. It…did things to me. I nodded, not sure I trusted my own voice to do any talking for me.
“I’m not used to people telling me no, June,” Devon said. “I’m used to getting what I want.”
“I am well aware of that fact.” My chest heaved as if I’d sprinted up a couple of flights of stairs.
“I wish…that you would tell me yes.”
The plane shuddered again and Nana yelped. “Goodness’ sake,” she complained as I leaped
“I didn’t mean to come off like that,” he said. “I just thought I read all the signs right.”
“It was right until it was wrong,” I said, shrugging. “I don’t know how else to explain it to you.”
“And now?”
I blinked. “Pardon?”
“Now?” He leaned closer. “Is now right again? Did I make it right again?”
The dry air circulating through the plane practically ignited between us in that same, strange draw I’d experienced in the hotel room, but I shook my head quickly.
“Too soon,” I blurted out, scooting down the couch from him.
“What the hell, June?” he asked, his eyebrows drawing together. “You’re sending mixed messages. That’s you, not me.”
“What did you think was going to happen?” I demanded. “Did you think that you were going to explain yourself—not even apologize, mind you, but flap your jaw at me—and I was going to, what? Spread my legs for you?”
“Would you think I was a bad person if I said yes?” he asked, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture.
The situation was too ludicrous for me not to laugh at. “You seriously thought that. You seriously thought that dumping a bunch of money on Nana and me, inconveniencing yourself and your busy schedule by flying us across the globe, charming my grandmother, doing God knows what else, was going to make me fuck you!”
Nana stirred across the aisle, murmuring softly, and both of us froze. I clapped my hands over my mouth, until she started snoring softly again. I got up to check on her—one side of her oxygen tubing had slid down over an ear, so I slipped it back in place, tucking it behind her snowy white hair.
Assuring myself that Nana was resting well, I whirled back around to face Devon. He wasn’t getting off so easily.
“What the actual fuck, asshole?” I whispered furiously, leaning down to get in his face partly so he could hear my diatribe, and partly so he would understand how angry I was. “This is the most sociopathic thing I could think of. Are we in danger? Should I strap a parachute to Nana and get her out of here?”
“The jet doesn’t have parachutes,” he said.
“Ugh!” I threw my hands up into the air. “You are the most ridiculous thing I have ever encountered in my entire life, and that’s saying something. Neither of my parents had any interest in raising me after they brought me into the world, so I know a thing or two about ridiculous things. You, however, are much more ridiculous than that. Are you able to grasp the scale on which I’m rating you?”
Devon nodded shortly, his brown eyes big, and I was mollified, to a certain extent, that I was, at least, reaching him in whatever reality he existed.
“You could’ve spent less money on a prostitute,” I told him, exasperated. “Seriously. This is all way too much. If you’d wanted some kind of physical comfort so badly, you could’ve gotten what you wanted minus all this drama.”
“I didn’t want a prostitute,” he said innocently. “I wanted you. I want you.”
“What?”
The jet jolted suddenly with a pocket of bad air, a random spiral of turbulence that was just enough to throw me forward into Devon’s lap. He caught me reflexively, and in that quick instant, I somehow felt at home pressed against that hard torso, his strong arms wrapped around my body,
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and husky. I could feel it vibrate inside his chest. It…did things to me. I nodded, not sure I trusted my own voice to do any talking for me.
“I’m not used to people telling me no, June,” Devon said. “I’m used to getting what I want.”
“I am well aware of that fact.” My chest heaved as if I’d sprinted up a couple of flights of stairs.
“I wish…that you would tell me yes.”
The plane shuddered again and Nana yelped. “Goodness’ sake,” she complained as I leaped
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