Page 49

49

ledger

my favorite food

“I need to go home and change and shower. I have cum all over me.” Her eyes narrowed. “Where did these pants come from?”

Ah, she had no idea what that word did to me. It made me want to toss her over my shoulder, forbid her from showering, and lick every inch of her clean myself. She drove me completely wild, but fucking her on the ice rink? That cemented the fact that I was madly in love with her.

“I have everything you need right here.” I pulled the overnight bag from the back seat of the car as I headed toward the airstrip outside the city.

“What the heck, Ledger?” she cried, pulling open the black bag. There was a small amenities bag and other shit I’d had Stassi pack for me.

“You’re not going to be needing underwear, Sunshine.” I gave her a quick wink as she kept digging.

“No pajamas?” she asked.

“Nah. You have my shirts. I prefer you in them anyway.”

“Where are we going?” The city lights were in the background as we pulled away from the exit to my apartment.

“To eat my favorite food.”

“Outside the city? With an overnight bag that has like three days worth of clothes?”

I wanted to surprise her with something my mom made growing up, but I wanted to take her to the place where it originated from.

“Technically, it’s four days of clothes.” I winked as I pulled up into the valet section of the airport.

It was obvious where we were headed as we approached the airport, and as I pulled up to the curb, Auburn grabbed my hand.

“I hate flying,” she murmured. I knew she did, which was why I had made sure everything was arranged to make this as comfortable as possible for her.

“I know,” I soothed, grabbing her hand and rubbing my thumb along the top. “I can take you home if you want, but I also wanted to see if you could trust me.”

She hesitated. “T-trust you?”

I nodded.

She shook her head. “Ledger, of course I trust you. It’s not you. I don’t trust me.” Her big eyes gave me a look that had me seconds away from hauling her off her seat and placing her in my lap.

“Trust you ?” I repeated, not understanding what she meant.

She took a deep breath. “It’s a plane. There’s no exit, no door to open if I need it. I feel…stuck.”

Holy shit. I understood why she hated planes; it was traumatizing for her to go back to that place.

Tears formed, and I put the keys in the ignition and raised my hand at the valet making their way over.

“We’re going home,” I insisted, but as soon as I went to put the car back in drive, her fingers wrapped around mine.

“I want to trust you,” she whispered. “You sacrifice so much for me. I want to do this for you.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m so sorry. I always promised to keep the door open for you, and this was me shutting it. I was going to show you?—”

She leaned over, cutting me off by pressing her soft lips to mine. “Will you keep me safe?”

I pulled away and lifted my hand up to her chin, making slow circles along her jawline as I stared deeply into her eyes, trying to convey how much my words meant. “I will always keep you safe.”

She breathed in deeply, then pulled away from me to look out the window. “Let’s do it.”

“I can show you somewhere?—”

She pressed her fingers to my lips. “Show me, Ledger. Show me everything.”

I beckoned the valet to come over and grab the keys, but as he attempted to open Auburn’s door, I stopped him. “I got it.” I pulled it open, and her smile was so wide, a stark contrast from the tears she almost spilled moments earlier.

“I’ve never been this spontaneous before,” she whispered.

Her fingers interlaced with mine as we strode toward the terminal. I stopped just as we opened the door. “Are you ready for an adventure, Sunshine?”