Page 67 of Under Your Scars

A poke to my side has me fully awake in a millisecond, and Christian laughs as I playfully whack him with a pillow. He’s already dressed in black slacks and a black dress shirt. I glance at the clock. It’s 6:15. He must have let me sleep until the last possible second and I appreciate the consideration.

I rub the sleep from my eyes. “I was promised coffee,” I grumble, and a second later, a cup of it appears in front of me. Christian looks at me as if he wants me to praise him for remembering, and so I kiss him on the cheek before taking a sip. It’s perfect. Just the right amount of hazelnut creamer. I sigh contently and smile. “Should I wear something nice too? Are we going somewhere after we land?”

“Wear whatever you want. The plane ride is long and we’re just going to relax tonight. We don’t have any obligations until tomorrow.”

Long plane ride and relaxation sounds like leggings and a sweater to me. Christian always dresses with finesse. It doesn’t really surprise me that he’s boarding a plane at six in the morning looking like he’s about to visit a country club.

I get ready as quickly as I can, and we get into an unassuming Escalade. “What’s so important about this business trip?” I ask, finishing my coffee as I watch the mansion grow smaller in the side view mirror.

“Nothing special. We’re trying to open a satellite office in Greece and the investors there just want to have a few more casual meetings before they sign contracts. That’s really just an excuse to spend three days drinking on the company’s dime.”

“They couldn’t have picked a better location. Mykonos is my number one dream destination.”

Christian smiles. “Any other dream destinations?”

“Pretty much anywhere in Europe. Oh! New Zealand. The only place I’ve ever traveled to outside of the US was the Bahamas. It was a college graduation present from my parents, and it was such a nice escape before I started law school. I haven’t had the chance to travel since I moved to Meridian City.”

Christian hums. “Well, that’ll change. I travel all the time. Pretty much my entire life as CEO is meetings, meetings, and more meetings. We will see so much of the world together.”

Together. I love that word. I love how casually it rolls off his tongue—like it’s set in stone that we’re spending the rest of our lives with each other.

The drive to the Atlantic City airport is shorter than I thought, and before I know it, we’re driving straight onto the tarmac towards a large black private jet with the Reeves Enterprises logo on it.

“I can only imagine the headlines that will emerge once it gets out that you’re getting on your private jet with some woman.”

“Some woman?” Christian emphasizes, hitting the brakes so hard I jerk forward violently in my seat. “Elena, you listen to me. Don’t youeverrefer to yourself as ‘some woman’ again. You are the only woman I have eyes for. You are the only woman I’ve ever considered sharing my life with. I knew from the second I met you that I wanted to make you mine forever. You areeverythingto me.”

I sit in my seat and stare at him, wide-eyed with my mouth hanging open in shock. Everything he just said feels like it came straight from his heart without a filter, and I really don’t know what to say or do except look at him.

My car door opening breaks me out of my hypnotic gaze and I step out onto the tarmac without a word, Christian following close behind. He leads me to the stairs of the jet with a hand on the small of my back. Once inside the warmth and privacy of the jet, he spins me around to face him.

“Elena, look at me.” I bite my lip nervously as my eyes meet his. “I meant every word.”

I nod. “I know. I’m sorry—I just…I don’t know what to say.”

He leads me to one of the many plush seats and I take one by the window, and he sits across from me. A flight attendant brings a small tray with two glasses of sparkling champagne for us. I take mine with an unsteady hand and take a long sip.

Bleh. Champagne and coffee do not mix. The flight attendant notices this and offers me an array of different beverages. Orange juice, coffee, water, soda. I shake my head and put the champagne in a cup holder. I stare out the window as we ascend, and Christian lightly taps my ankle with his foot.

“Are you okay?” he asks quietly. I give him a nod, albeit unconvincing. “Talk to me.”

“I guess I’m just a little…shocked that you feel that way about me. We haven’t known each other very long.” I shrug my shoulders to convey that I’m not sure if what I’m saying even makes sense.

“You shouldn’t be shocked. You’re extraordinary, Elena. I know you don’t see it, but I adore everything about you, even the parts of yourself that you’re insecure about. I know precisely how much creamer you put in your coffee because your nose does this crinkling thing as you pour it until it’s enough. I know you tend to forget your lip balm because you’ve got a dozen tubes of it all over our office. You lightly chew at your bottom lip when you’re concentrating and when you bowl you always double tap your foot before you roll.”

I can feel my eyes sparkling from just how wonderful it is to know he commits all those seemingly unimportant details to memory.

“I see more than you think I do,” he adds, and a stray tear falls from my cheek. I nod and wipe my face.

“Do I at least look cute when I crinkle my nose?”

“Fucking adorable,” he confirms. Once we’ve reached our cruising altitude, he leans over.

“Want to join the mile-high club?”

Fifteen hours later, we land in Mykonos. Our jet pulls in next to a dozen other private flights and we emerge onto the tarmac, where a black Rolls Royce is waiting for us. It’s late and dark outside, but I wish it was daytime because all I want to do is stare at the ocean.

“Is the car ride to the hotel long?”