The car ride to the Seattle Tacoma Airport takes about two hours including traffic to get to. In that time I've managed to calm down a lot and think through the events of the night and I find that I am very embarrassed about crying in front of Alexander. I mean, I do barely know anything other than the basics of him.
"We're here," Alexander murmurs to me off of his probably numb lap as the car is let through onto the tarmac and stopped next to an airstrip.
Lowering the side window, I feel my hands get clammy as I eye the large white jet that stands out among all the aeroplanes on the tarmac, the tail of the name on the tail of the aircraft catches my eye for a second before the door I was leaning is suddenly pulled open.
Alexander who had at one point during my admiring of his jet stood with his hand outstretched to pull me out of the car. His face shows not an ounce of the emotion he had shown when he finally saw me on the street instead, his face is back to his cold emotionless mask that I have grown accustomed to.
"Private jet?" I ask softly as I get out of the car on my own ignoring his hand to which his eyes glint as if he were enjoying a private joke, leaving Jenkins' jacket in the car. "What?"
"You are a strange one," He murmurs distractedly, guiding me up the stairs to the aircraft with his hand gently pushing me forward from its place on my lower back. "Yes, Janette. It's my private jet."
I have no idea whether to be appreciative that it's not a public aeroplane or scared out of my mind that it'll be just us on the plane. In all honesty, I think the latter is currently my biggest fear at the moment.
I still haven't told him.
Stepping on the plane I find my ears to be filled with the noise of about eleven strangely familiar chattering voices and I tense.
"Janie."
A chorus of deep male voices acknowledges me some sounding business-like and others sounding playful or cheerful.
You've got to be kidding me. Why? Among all the people in his very successful and respected company, why did he have to choose them?
All freaking eleven of them too.
"Breathe, Janette," he whispers into my ear as he guides me with soft nudges to a seat next to a window. "I don't need you passing out on me."
The seat is plush and leathery and there is a table like the one you'd see in the dining car of a train in front of me. Before taking his seat opposite me, he leans across my seat to grab the seatbelt that's deep in the space between the seat and the aircraft wall which he takes and tightens securely around my waist making me inhale sharply at how tight it is.
"Are you alright?" he smiles deviously, clearly noticing my discomfort as he loosens the belt a little, his lips meeting mine in a short kiss as he warns. "Don't even think of unbuckling yourself until the seatbelt light turns off."
"Holt," Adam growls taking a seat across the aisle next to me, glaring at Alexander like he'd kill him if he were to so much as breathe for another second. "Hands off my little sister."
Theo laughs good-naturedly filling the sudden still silence in the plane that followed Adam's warning, "Come on Addy! Give it a rest! She's going to marry him anyway, let them be a couple outside the bedroom as well. Oh right speaking about bedrooms, you two can sleep in the in-flight bedroom the rest of us-"
Before he even finishes talking, William has him restrained from the back and Seth has his hand covering Theo's mouth, both of them look sheepishly over to Alexander and me before dragging Theo's struggling body into the bathroom and locking him in by blocking the door.
"That should teach him to keep his brain out of his ass," Alexander sighs before sitting across me, his grey eyes holding no emotion. "Miss Summers I suggest you get some sleep, it will be thirteen hours before we reach Taiwan."
Ah, so he's back to calling me 'Ms Summers'.
Snickers erupt from my busybody brothers as they listen into their boss's conversation with his 'Nanny', I feel too tired to argue with him on that as I lean against the cold window, looking out to the spotlit runway and that's when I feel the aircraft beginning to move along the tarmac and automatically my hands ball themselves into fists.
I hate takeoffs and landings...
"Jamie, you okay?" Logan reaches across the aisle to hold my balled fist. "It's the flight, isn't it? You're still afraid of flying..."
Laughing in the most unconvincing way I can, I try to sound cheerful and nonchalant but even I can hear the strain in my voice, "That? I got over that fear a long time ago...Don't be ridiculous, Lou-go...I'm fine..."
All eyes are now trained on me and I do my best not to give away any sign that I'm afraid, relaxing my fists in a show that I'm truly okay, I end up biting down on my lower lip to keep the scream that gathered in my throat as it threatens to escape when the ascent begins.
"She's scared alright," Kieth sighs and I hear a loud thump as someone whacks him. "It's true and you know it, Kass. She's biting her lip so hard it's going to...ah...bleed..."
The metallic taste of blood fills my mouth and I welcome the stinging pain that comes with it. My heart is racing as the change in altitude causes my ears to block out, and the nails of my fingers dig themselves almost painfully into my palm.
Suddenly in the midst of this, I am lifted off of my seat and slid against something warm, the calming smell of Alexander's body wash which is a masculine male scent, makes my fists unfurl, allowing me to wrap his arms around his neck, my nose rubbing against his neck.
"It's alright now," He murmurs, his thumb pulling my lower lip out from under my upper teeth. "I've got you."
The plane begins to cruise once it gains enough altitude and although it is not the same as being on the hard ground, it is still better than the ascent into the skies. After the fear-induced adrenaline rush, comes the shakes and like a chihuahua that just took a shower, I begin to do exactly that.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Alexander sighs, wrapping his arms tighter around me.
"I didn't know how to bring it up," I say though my voice is muffled by his chest. "This trip was very last minute."
It does not take a genius to know that my reply does not please him nor does it please my brothers. The rising uproar of their disapproving voices makes it more obvious than the feeling of Alexander frowning on top of my head.
"You can let me go," I murmur into his ear, shifting my weight on his lap. "You already held me on the way to the airport and I'm fine now despite the shaking."
As if God himself wanted to prove me wrong, just as I said what I said, the plane ran into a little bit of turbulence. My eyes close shut as my arms tighten around his neck, my body stilling on his as I wait for the shaking of the plane to stop.
Alexander does not miss a beat once the turbulence stops, "You were saying?"
"I was saying that if you're okay with it, "I tremble letting my thoughts slip out without going through a filter. "I'd like to stay where I am."
Emitting a low grunt in response to my admission, Alexander takes my waist in his hands as he shifts me a little on his lap so that he can unbuckle his seat belt. This motion causes my behind to brush against his groin and the unmistakable stiffness that resides below me has my cheeks heating up.
The seatbelt proves to give some technical difficulties so Alexander presses me further into his groin to get more space to toggle with the seat belt. The motion does nothing but grow his member further and I unwrap my arms from his neck to press my cold palms against my hot cheeks.
"Janie?" Adam's concerned voice rings out in the now-silent cabin. "What's wrong?"
Giving him the brightest smile I can muster in this situation, I reply, "I am fine. Just a little warm from the adrenaline."
"Do you want some melatonin?" Keith asks already digging through his carry-on bag before waiting for my answer. "I know you hate medication but it might help with the flight anxiety."
Alexander shifts me towards his lap as he finally gets the seat belt undone, sparring me from further embarrassment. With a triumphant look on his face, as he passes me two thick white pills, I take them hesitantly.
"Don't take them," Alexander whispers, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand. "If you don't want to."
"It's for the best," I mutter, glancing down at his groin. "I can't inconvenience you further."
Following my gaze, the grin that spreads across his face makes my heart skip a beat and as though that were not enough, Alexander pulls me closer to him, pressing my chest to his while my behind glides over his front. Our eyes meet and he holds my gaze as my breath catches in my throat. His hands grip my waist tightly as he discreetly grinds into me.
Several coughs break our eye contact and I remember we are not alone in the aircraft. Grabbing the pills from Keith's outstretched hand, I dry swallow them before scampering off of Alexander and back into my seat. With a smirk on his face, Alexander crosses his legs as he leans against his arm on the shoulder rest, his greys staring into my browns, ignoring the glares all around him.
Holy crabs.