Nova

“I just asked Pax to get us there,” Leah said, her voice slightly nervous.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the amount of money those guys drop.”

“They’re insane, right?” Leah asked.

“If you ladies will take your seats, we’ll begin takeoff procedures,” the flight attendant told them, his voice calm. At least he knew I was hidden in the damn bathroom.

Of every way I’d ever tried to talk to Rachel, this had to be the most insane. She was also the only woman worth going to this length for. I refused to lose her. Not after everything that we’d been through. If I couldn’t make her listen, I’d make her see.

If she didn’t beat the shit out of me first.

Which is feasible considering it’s Rachel.

“We’re almost ready for you,” the flight attendant whispered through the door.

“Thank you,” I whispered back.

My heart jumped as I heard rustling in the cabin. I pressed my ear against the door and listened. This was by far the stupidest shit I’d ever pulled, or the most epic. Only Rachel could decide.

“You in good and tight?” Leah asked.

“Yep, I’m good,” Rachel answered.

“Good! So, I know this feels totally out of the blue, but you’ll understand in a minute.”

“What—?”

“When I was on Mykonos with Pax, his mom said something to me. She told me that even love couldn’t stitch together two souls that were too stubborn to bend.”

“I’m sorry? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Okay. Um. I’m saying bend. Remember that I love you, and that anything I do is always with your best interest at heart.”

“Leah…”

I almost laughed at the slight growl I heard in Rachel’s voice.

“Remember when I didn’t want to come on this to start with? And you told me that I had to step outside my comfort zone?”

“Seriously. What’s going on?”

I heard the sound of a buckle coming undone. “Consider this me telling you the same. And you know…if it doesn’t work out right, then I can just hop the next flight.”

“What? Where are you going? Why are you leaving? Leah, I’m going to Korea, not the freaking grocery store! You can’t just hop over—”

“I love you!” Leah called out. “Bend!”

“What?” Rachel shrieked. “How am I stuck? What the hell?”

I heard the sound of the door closing, sealing the fuselage.

“You can’t close that door! We’re not leaving without her!”

“I’m sorry, miss. I’m under direct orders.”

Then there was silence as the plane rumbled down the runway.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rachel screamed.

That was my cue.

As the plane increased speed for takeoff, I passed the small couch in the back of the private plane and made it to the groupings of single seats that faced each other, using the seat backs as leverage. Fuck, we were going fast.

“Landon!” Rachel hissed as I took the seat opposite hers and buckled in. “What are you doing? We’re taking off!”

“If walking down the center aisle of a plane while it’s taking off was the most dangerous thing I did, I’d be out of a job,” I told her calmly.

Her eyes flashed fire at me. “You’d better explain. Fast. I’m not in favor of being kidnapped, and if you think I’m headed to Nepal with you, you’re out of your goddamned mind.”

I smiled. “God, I missed angry you. You’re so beautiful when you’re pissed.”

“Oh, then I’m about to be fucking gorgeous,” she promised as we lifted off. “I can’t believe you would do something as low as this.”

“We’re not going to Nepal,” I told her softly.

Her eyes swung toward mine, wide and cautious. “I’m sorry?”

“We’re not going to Nepal,” I repeated.

She swallowed, and her hands finally stopped fidgeting with her buckle. Then she sat back in her seat and raised an eyebrow.

My Rachel was back.

“We’re going to Korea. I have the itinerary; the arrangements are all made.”

“You hijacked Wilder’s private plane to take me to Korea?”

My hackles bristled. “It’s not Pax’s plane. I chartered it for you, since I don’t like him taking care of what’s mine.”

“How very alpha of you. Do you turn at the full moon, too?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Maybe. When it comes to you, all bets are off, and I wouldn’t put it past you to bring out any sort of tendency in me.”

She cracked a begrudging smile, and I almost fist pumped.

“You told me that nothing I could say would ever make you trust me again,” I started, and my heart jumped into my suddenly dry throat.

“I did.”

“You also told me that you still love me.”

Her eyes dropped before they slowly returned to mine. “I did,” she repeated in a softer voice.

“You’re correct. There’s nothing I can say to you that’s going to make you trust me. I lost that right years ago. I realize that now, that while you’ve loved me these last couple of months, while we’ve been together, you’ve never fully trusted me, otherwise you would have listened to me when your dad dropped his little funding bombshell.”