Brooke
The cabin feels very empty now that Jake and Hope have gone. I’m not alone, though, the stewardess is hovering near the plane door, ready to greet the other passenger. I’m not silly. I know that any moment Brody will walk through the entrance way.
Hope and Jake are about as subtle as a brick through a glass window. Apart from the big hints they gave me, it was the loud shout of, “YO, BRODY! Glad you could make it man!” from Jake that really gave the game away.
I’ve used my last few moments of alone time to try to think of what I’m going to say to him. How to play it. It’s like going on your first date, you don’t quite know what to expect but this Brody. The man I’ve loved my whole life. The man I’ve hurt. The panic over his imminent arrival set in about thirty seconds ago.
What if he rejects me?
What if he decides that coming here is a mistake and he leaves?
What if he’s just coming to tell me that we’re over for good?
What if we can’t fix this?
What if…
What if…
What if…
“Hi.” Brody stands directly in front of me, a ball cap low on his head so that it almost covers his eyes.
“Hi,” I squeak, giving him a little wave.
Real smooth, Brooke.
“You okay?” His voice is gruff as he takes a seat opposite me, strapping himself in.
“Yeah.” Is the only answer I give. What is it with my mouth and not being able to speak right now? I had a whole speech planned out in my head and yet, I can’t remember it. Nothing that I want to say seems good enough.
“Good,” he answers, scrubbing his hand over the day’s growth on his chin. “Look, Brooke.”
“Brody.” We say at the same time. A small smile forms on his lips as he gestures for me to go first.
“No, you first,” I find myself saying in answer.
Brody lets out a long sigh. “I know that you don’t want to be here.”
You’re wrong there, Brody, I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than with you.
“But can we at least pretend and try to get along for the time we’re on the island?”
“You sound like you don’t want to be here.”
“This was stupid,” he says bitterly, unbuckling his belt. “What the fuck was I thinking? I’m going home.”
He almost falls over as the jet lurches, and I reach out a hand to him, helping to steady him as the plane starts to taxi down the runway.
“Guess you’re stuck with me,” he mutters, pulling his hand away. I feel bereft as he breaks our connection.
“I don’t mind.” I smile. “It’ll give us a chance to talk.”
“I thought you were done talking,” he says, taking off his cap and piercing me with those gun-metal gray eyes that I love so much.
“I was wrong.”
“Yeah, right.” He scoffs. “You sounded pretty final to me.”
“And you were the one who stormed off.”
“After you told me we were over for good. What was I supposed to do? Hang on like your little lapdog, hoping that you’d change your mind?” He looks out the window as we climb higher and higher into the sky. “I love…d you too much to hurt you anymore. That’s why I walked away,” he says quietly, watching me through the reflection in the window.
“You don’t love me anymore?” Of all the things that he just said, that is the one thing that I zeroed in on. Loved. Not love you, but loved.
Brody turns his head to look at me again, a small smile on his handsome face.
“I’m trying hard not to.”
“What if I don’t want you to stop loving me?” I say quietly.
“Then I’d say that you need to quit playing games with me. I don’t want to live my life with you not in it.” He directs his gaze to the ceiling of the cabin, taking deep breaths of air as he tries to calm his emotions. “When I picture my future, it has always been with you by my side. Even when I was being a dick.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Grandma always said that if you love someone, then you have to be prepared to let them go. I’ve only ever wanted you to be happy, B. That’s why I’m prepared to let you go.”
“Don’t let me go. Please.”
“I can’t fight for someone who doesn’t want to be with me anymore.”
“And I’m telling you that I want to be with you.”
“Maybe we’re not meant to be together.” He shakes his head sadly. “Not if we keep hurting each other the way we do.”
“Are you actually listening to me? Or have you gone deaf? Because I’m telling you that I want to be with you.”
“You’re saying that to make it easier on me.”
“No. I’m saying it because I love you, Brody. I have loved you my whole life.”
“A few hours ago you wanted me out of it for good.”
“I should have spoken to you, and I should have listened to you about Joely. I was wrong and I’m sorry.”
“But you didn’t trust me. You didn’t believe me when I was telling you the truth. You chose to walk away. I know I hurt you, Brooke, but finding out that you don’t have faith in me…I don’t want you to live your life constantly worrying and thinking that my head will be turned by another woman. That won’t make either of us happy, will it?” I shake my head no in answer. “I can’t live my life thinking that you don’t trust me. It breaks my heart to think that one day I could come home and you’d be gone because I said or did the wrong thing, and instead of talking to me about it, telling me how you feel, you ran. I want you to tell me. Tell me what you’re thinking, because if I don’t know, then I can’t do anything to fix it.”
“This is your pilot speaking, it is now safe to remove your seat belt.”
As soon as the announcement is made, Brody stands, and starts to make his way to the back of the cabin.
“Where are you going?”
“To see if this thing has a bed or something. I’m beat.”
“That’s it? This conversation is over?”
He stops, and spins on the spot to face me. “For now. I’m sure that we’ll have plenty of time to talk when we get to wherever we’re going. Right now I need to get some shut-eye.”
“There’s a bedroom at the back of the plane,” I say, pointing at the closed door at the back of the cabin.
“Sweet.” He grins, walking toward it.
“Brody?”
“Yes.” He comes to a halt, the door half open.
“I love you, and I’m sorry.”
“I know,” he says, shutting the door quietly behind him.
I’m tired.
Really, really tired.
The seats are comfortable enough, but not enough to sleep in. My gaze keeps going to the door at the back of the cabin as I contemplate whether or not I should join Brody there. The only thing that’s stopping me is the thought he might reject me.
Time to pull up your big girl panties, Brooke.
“Can I get you anything?” Mia, the stewardess, asks me as I unfurl myself from the seat.
“No, thank you.” I stretch, hours of sitting in that damn seat has my body feeling stiff as a board. “Actually, Mia.”
“Yes.” She smiles.
“Do you know how much longer we have left of the journey?”
“About two and a half hours.”
“Thanks,” I say, returning her smile.
“No problem.”
The jet shakes slightly as I make my way to the back of the cabin, and quietly open the door to the darkened room. From the light of the cabin, I can see that Brody is lying on his back, the sheets just barely covering his naked body, his bare, chiseled chest on full display as he rests his head on one arm. My panties are suddenly soaked. Gently closing the door behind me, I strip off my clothes and slip, naked, into the bed beside him.
Instantly an arm snakes around my middle, pulling me into the warmth of his toned body. His hard length moves against my ass—up and down, up and down, as he not so subtly thrusts his hips against me. The hand that was wrapped around me slowly creeps down my body until it comes to rest on my pussy. My hips automatically undulate as he starts to stroke my clit oh so gently. From behind, he starts to push against me harder.
A loud gasp escapes my lips as one long finger enters me, swiftly followed by another.
“I was wondering when you were going to join me,” he growls in my ear.
“I thought you were mad at me.”
“I am,” he says, nibbling on my earlobe as he fucks me with his fingers. “But I still love you.”
“Do you?” I try but fail to suppress a loud moan. If poor Mia hadn’t guessed what we were up to by now, she surely would have heard that.
“Always,” he answers, removing his fingers from me. Before I have a chance to protest, he places his cock at the entrance of my pussy, pushing forward tortuously slow as I wiggle my ass against him. “I’ll always love you, Brooke.” He pants. “I don’t know how to stop.”
“Then don’t.”
“But you don’t want me.” He pulls out, holding himself there.
“I’ve never wanted anyone but you.”
“You don’t trust me.”
“I do, Brody. I was wrong, so, so wrong.” Wetness seeps between my thighs, while tears form in my eyes. I don’t doubt that Brody loves me, but there’s something so final in his words.
“What do we do?” He blows lightly against my neck.
“Don’t give up. Don’t let go of me. I need you, Brody, I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” Brody whispers, pulling me backward so that I’m lying on my back. “I want everything with you. Babies...” He shifts down the bed, placing a soft kiss on my belly. “A ring on your finger.” He continues to kiss up my body. “I want to grow old with you.”
“What if I can’t…”
“We’ll adopt.”
“But we might…”
“We won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I love you and you love me.” His voice is choked with emotion as he stares down into my eyes. “I lost you once…I don’t think my heart would survive losing you again.”
“Oh, baby…” Tears start to fall down my cheeks.
“Don’t cry,” he says as he gently wipes the tears away.
“I trust you. I love you. Now, please, make love to me.” I smile, even though I’m crying.
“As you wish.” He grins, placing a kiss on my forehead as he lines himself up at the entrance to my pussy once more.
Thump. Thump.
“Baby.” He breathes as he pushes into me.
Thump. Thump.
“Oh God.” My bottom lip is raw as I bite down on it in an attempt to not scream too loudly.
“Fuck. I can’t hold on. I gotta…” He buries his head in my neck as he pounds into me.
Thump. Thump.
“Brody.” I’m teetering on the edge of an abyss; any moment I’m going to freefall into sweet oblivion.
Thump. Thump.
“Ummm, Miss Elderhouse? Mr. McAllister?”
“Did…do you hear that?” Panting, I lift my head toward the source of the sound.
“Ignore it.” His deep voice rumbles as he brushes his fingers over my clit, giving me the push I need to plummet over the edge.
“Oh God! Oh God!” The scream that comes from me could probably be heard throughout the plane, but I don’t care. All I care about is Brody thrusting into me with a brutal force as he chases his own orgasm. I arch my back up, shifting my hips, and triggering yet another orgasm as Brody comes hard, filling me with his seed.
“That was…that was…I…love…you.” He grins, and collapses on top of me, as I giggle into his hair.
Thump. Thump.
“Sorry to disturb you, Miss Elderhouse, but I checked with the pilot, and we will be landing in the next twenty minutes, not two hours.”
“Okay,” I yell. “We’ll be out in a minute.” Brody rolls off me, snatching up his jeans from the floor, amusement written all over his face.
“She totally heard us, didn’t she?” He chuckles as he pulls his pants on.
“I think the whole plane heard us.” I place a pillow over my face as I try to cover my mortification that someone overheard us having sex. Poor Mia. I don’t know whether I’ll ever be able to look her in the eye again.
“Hey.” He chuckles, pulling the pillow out of my grasp. “Are you hiding?”
“Do you think that I can stay in here until we land and then sneak off the plane?”
“Nah. You need to do the walk of shame.”
“You’re so not helpful.”
“But you love me.” He smiles brightly before pulling his tee over his head.
“I suppose I do.” I sigh.
“Suppose?” He raises a questioning eyebrow.
“Yeah.” I grin.
“Well that’s good enough for me.” He bends down and places a gentle kiss on my lips. “Now get that beautiful ass out of bed and come do the walk of shame with me.”