Page 113 of Coveted

Clara and Juliette will soon start wondering where I am, so I write a message to our group chat and hit send. At least they’ll know who I’m with, if not where.

Lucan notices me typing, and I brace for his wry comment.

“Good,” he says. “The people who care about you should know where you are.”

The nervous flutters in my stomach die down. Maybe this is a regular date. Harmless, cute, uneventful.

“Then tell me where you’re taking me? So I can let my friends know.”

He flashes a wicked grin. “Somewhere no one can reach you. You’ll be all mine.”

My heart sinks.

I should’ve known my fear was valid. He’s taking me god-knows-where to do god-knows-what. It’s unlikely I’ll escape with my honor and pride intact, if I have any left after the things I’ve done with him already.

A plane flies overhead, and then another. Leaning forward, I squint at the long buildings behind wire fences down the road.

“An airport?” I ask, feeling like I’ve slipped into another dimension. “But the closest airport is half a state away.”

“The closest public one.” Lucan turns onto a smooth, paved road. “This is a private terminal.”

The gates at the entrance get nearer.

I narrow my eyes in suspicion. “Why are you going inside?”

“I told you. I’m taking you to dinner.”

The gates open as he approaches, a security guard waving from a booth.

Understanding dawns on me, swiftly followed by anxiety. “But…”

Lucan pulls up in the middle of a tarmac near uniformed staff and a sleek white jet.

“You must be kidding,” I say, my knuckles pale as I grip the armrest.

He kills the car engine. “I would never kid.”

Before I can argue, a staff member opens my door. “Good afternoon, Miss Marlowe.”

Lucan exits the car and exchanges words with a woman in a pilot’s uniform. She nods to him, and then climbs the jet’s stairs.

Is this really happening?

Lucan takes the place of the staff member at my door.

“Anything wrong?” he asks. “Pilot’s ready when we are.”

“I’m not,” I say.

His brow creases. “Not what?”

“Ready.”

My insides twist as I stare at the jet.

Getting on the aircraft feels like a huge deal, maybe even as big as having sex with Lucan. The pilot might be flying, but he’s the one in charge. He could take me anywhere, and do anything.

I’d be putting myself in his hands. Trusting him utterly, when I’m not sure I trust him at all.