“Thank you.” Still not great at accepting compliments, I attempted to change the subject. “Why are you up and dressed?”
Picking up the bag at the end of the bed. “I have a surprise. I need you to get up and get dressed.”
“But—”
“No buts. Get your sexy ass out of that bed and get dressed. I’ll wait for you downstairs, otherwise we’ll never get out of the house.” His heated gaze traveled down my body. Reaching down he adjusted himself, staring at me longingly as he sucked in a deep breath, before walking out the door.
I sat for a moment, feeling my heart dance in my chest as I wondered what on earth he could have planned. There had been so many surprises—each one more wonderful than the last. I pulled the sheets up to my face and grinned.
“Hurry up!” he called from the stairwell.
Jumping from the bed, I washed up quickly and threw on the jeans and T-shirt Ashton had left on the bed. I’d been too busy staring to notice the outfit earlier. Pushing my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, I took the stairs two at a time. It might be the crack of dawn, but it had been a long time since anyone surprised me. And with Ashton, each surprise was better than the last.
“Ready?” he asked, shaking the car keys.
“Yeah.”
I reached for the bag at his feet, but he pushed my hand away and picked it up himself. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked as we walked down the steps to the Bentley already waiting in front.
“Nope.”
I stuck my bottom lip out, hoping it would get me more information, but after he’d loaded the bag into the trunk and rounded the car to open my door, his thumb swiped over my bottom lip.
“It won’t work, Elena.” He opened the passenger door and gestured inside the car.
“Fine.” I slipped into the seat, listening to his belly laugh all the way around the front and into his own seat. It was hard to keep up the pretense and not laugh with him. By the time we pulled out of the drive, I’d given up and giggled right along.
I had a hard time sitting still during the whole drive. Theories about where we might be heading flipped through my head at such speed, I could barely keep up with them. Ashton turned the car into a small airport, pulling up and parking behind one of the hangers.
“Flying?”
“We are, but I’m not telling you any more.”
We climbed out of the car at the same time and Ashton grabbed the bag from the back on his way to meet me. Threading his fingers through mine, I gasped at the gesture because the slight pressure on my hand settled my nerves. It was weird how well he knew me.
We walked hand in hand to the hanger. The front was open, the plane already out on the tarmac.
“Ashton.” A man with cropped red hair came through the door. “You made good time.”
“We did,” Ashton said, extending his hand. “Once someone got out of bed.” He looked over and winked at me.
“It’s the middle of the night,” I protested.
They both laughed. “John, this is Elena.” Ashton brought me forward. “Elena, this is John. Dad keeps him on retainer for special flights.”
“It’s a pleasure.” John kissed the back of my hand. He lingered a little longer than necessary.
“John,” Ashton warned.
John raised his hands, his eyes raking down my body. Despite Ashton’s warning, his gaze lingered on my breasts. “You can’t blame me for getting carried away.”
“Then you can’t blame me for what’ll happen next.”
“Fair point.” John started to back toward the door. “Plane’s fueled. Checks done. Flight’s cleared. We can take off whenever you’re ready.”
Ashton glanced over at me, obviously seeing the pleading in my eyes. “We’re ready now.”
“Stairs are down. Help yourself. I’ll be up in a minute.” John took off, jogging out the door.
“It was nice to meet you,” I called out into the night. Turning to face Ashton, I added. “You scared the crap out of him.”
He scoffed. “I don’t give a shit. I pay him to fly a plane, not grope the woman I’m trying to impress.”
I rolled my eyes and let Ashton lead me to the steps, which were already extended. “A private plane?”
“The only way to get where we’re going. The airport is small and the next largest one is three hours away.”
Geography was never my best subject. I racked my brain for where he might be talking about.
“Stop trying to figure it out,” he said softly next to my ear. “You’ll spoil the surprise.”
He placed the bag in one of the compartments near the front, then showed me to one of the seats, each a large leather recliner. This plane looked nothing like the jets where they shove three people in a section that is really only big enough for two. Taking a seat, I was surprised at how comfortable the seats were.
“I’ve only ever flown coach.”
“How many times have you flown?”
I glanced down to the floor. “Once, when we left for Vegas.”
Ashton’s head snapped in my direction. “Are you telling me you’ve only flown once in your entire life?”
I nodded, unsure how to respond. Humiliation swept through me. “Yeah, we drove from there to Colorado. Dominic wanted to start afresh somewhere new.”
“I thought your parents lived on the East coast. You didn’t visit them?” His tone was harsh.
“Dominic always said we didn’t have the money to make the long flight.” I looked at the carpet for so long I began to memorize the pattern. “Besides, we lost contact, remember?”
He caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger, bringing my face up to his. “Elena, you’re not to blame. It’s just that every time you let me in, I’m disgusted with how callous and selfish that man is.”
So many thoughts ran through my head. Whether it was right or wrong, I decided to tell Ashton about my plans.
“I’ve decided to file for divorce. I just need to find a good lawyer.”
A wicked grin crossed his lips and he swooped, taking my lips in a demanding kiss. Swirling tongues fought burning fires and I momentarily forgot where we were until he sat back, panting, “I want you. Can’t. Not yet, at least.”
My chest heaved. It still amazed me how quickly Ashton could reduce me to a mass of nerves and no brainpower. All it took was a simple kiss. The man had a very talented tongue. Wherever he used it.
John stepped into the plane at that moment, averting his gaze. “Buckle up, we’re cleared to take off.”
My face flushed with the idea of being caught.
“He didn’t see anything,” Ashton whispered. “And he’ll miss the rest of the show when he’s stuck behind that door, flying the plane.” He gave me a salacious grin.
Every nerve ending tingled with his carnal promise. “We can’t do that on the plane.”
His hand slipped underneath my shirt. “Oh we can. And we will. You’ve done nothing but tease me since I woke you up. I’m done waiting.”
“Oh God.”
“That’s right. You’ll be screaming that a lot in a bit. But, my name will do just fine for now.”
“Wait . . . did you say that I’ve been teasing you?” All of the comments, looks, not to mention the kiss flashed before me. “You’ve—” He covered my lips with his fingers.
“Don’t deny it. I saw you staring at my ass earlier. What’s a man supposed to do?” I wanted to protest that he happened to be the one who took my clothes off last night, but his fingers never moved. “Since we can’t do what I want to do yet, let’s talk more about your divorce.”
His fingers moved away from my lips but I only managed to get out, “Last night,” before he covered them again.
“Uh-uh. We’re talking divorce, not your teasing ways.”
I rolled my eyes and nodded. Once again, his fingers fell away. “I want to start divorce proceedings. I don’t want to wait another minute to be free of him. I should have left before, but I didn’t know any better. I’m glad that now I do. I just need to find a lawyer.”