Unwanted Heat

Obviously before our wedding, I had never flown on a private jet before, so it was quite a surprise to realize how big this plane really was. Besides the pilot and staff area, there are two large bathrooms and then a small bedroom in the rear of the plane. The bedroom isn’t very big, but there is a queen size bed, a small dresser and nightstand in the room. On the bed lies two small overnight bags which I assume contain everything we need for the flight to Fiji.

“I asked Susan, the personal shopper who arranged everything for you, to pack you something comfortable for the flight over. Hopefully whatever she packed will be sufficient.”

“I’m sure whatever it is, will be fine.”

“I would suggest trying to get some sleep on the flight over; the flight crew will wake us when they need us to begin to prepare for landing.”

“Are you going to sleep?”

“The seats out there fully recline-”

“You can stay-”

“No, I’ll sleep out there. Kenzie…” he runs his hands through his hair. “I’m not sure how things are going to work once we arrive at the villa.”

“What do you mean?”

“The villa only has one bedroom…”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I tried to get us a two bedroom villa, but there is only a handful on the island and they book months in advance. I didn’t want to push the issue too much and give my travel agent any reason to raise questions about why I was demanding a two bedroom villa only to then have our wedding announced days later.”

“No, of course not. It’ll be fine, Nicholas… I mean, we’ve slept together… er… slept in the same bed twice now without an issue. I know it’s not ideal-”

“No. I’m sure there is a couch or something at the villa I can sleep on.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. I’m sure the bed will be big enough for both of us-”

“I… I’m going to end up having a nightmare, Kenzie. It’s inevitable; I rarely go more than a night without one. When that happens, I… I can’t risk hurting you.”

“You won’t hurt me-”

“You don’t know that!”

“You didn’t think twice about sleeping next to me when I had a nightmare or when… after I freaked out the other night.”

“That’s different…”

“Why?”

“Because, you can’t hurt me! Kenzie, I’ve given Carter a split lip and nearly broke his nose the one time he tried to wake me up. My parents learned very early on after they adopted me, not to try to wake me when I have a nightmare, because they would end up getting hit when they tried. I… in the nightmare I’m fighting… to get her hands off of me, but in reality…”

“If you end up having a nightmare this week, I promise you I won’t try to wake you up. I’ll leave the room and wait until you wake up before I come back in.”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s better than you sleeping on the couch.”

“Kenzie… what if I hurt you?”

“You won’t.”

“But-”

“How about a trial run?”

“What do you mean?”

“Carter is here now, so if something were to happen he could intervene. Sleep in here with me; I’m sure it’s more comfortable than sleeping on the chair out there.”

“I don’t know.”

“Just think about it. I hate the thought of you sleeping on an uncomfortable couch if you don’t have to. If you want to try this tonight, then we can see what happens. If you have a nightmare and Carter has to intervene, then the couch it is in Fiji. But if you have the nightmare and you don’t hurt me, then consider sharing a bed with me there.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Why?”

“Why not just let it be?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Because you deserve to be comfortable, and I don’t care what you say, sleeping on a couch is not comfortable. A night is one thing, but spending an entire week on a couch? Your back will be killing you before we even head back to New York. If we’re going to be in Fiji, we both should enjoy it. You won’t be able to do that if you can barely move.”

“I suppose.”

“Just think about it okay, no pressure. If you would rather sleep out there tonight or on the couch, that’s fine.”

I suddenly feel guilty for trying to pressure Nicholas to share a bed with me. I really just want him to be comfortable and it doesn’t seem fair that he would have to sleep on the couch, leaving me with an entire bed to myself. As insistent as I was when I first signed the contract with Bridget that I would never be alone with a man, that all changed when I spent the weekend with him. Knowing him as well as I do now, I have no problems with the idea of sharing a bed with him tonight or in Fiji.

“I’m going to go check in with Carter and see how things are going in New York,” Nicholas says before leaving the room.

I shake my head, hoping that I didn’t hurt his feelings with my suggestion. Before changing out of my wedding gown, I decide that if he insists that we not share a bed this week, we will be taking turns sleeping on the couch. It’s only fair that we both get to sleep comfortably, so this way every other night one of us is comfortable. I have to admit that I like the idea of sharing a bed with him again-I slept so well the other morning in his bed. I loved feeling his arms around me when I woke up; I’ll never forget how safe I felt in his arms.

Realizing I’ve been in here too long, I quickly change out of my wedding gown and put on the comfortable yoga pants and top packed for the trip. The overnight bag also has a long sleeve top and a clean pair of clothes for tomorrow for when we arrive.

“Did you find everything you needed?” Nicholas asks when I come out of the bedroom.

“Yes, it seems Susan thought of everything I would need.”

“Good, she also arranged for your wardrobe for this week, but if she forgot anything I’m sure they will have it on the island or we can send

Carter to get what you need.”

“I’m sure I can make do with whatever she packed.”

The next couple of hours pass by quickly; Nicholas gets some work done on his laptop, and I spend some time reading a book that Julie thought I would like to read on the plane. Julie and I have spent a lot of time together since I moved in; for the most part, it’s just the two of us in the apartment all day. Hunter is there on and off depending on what is going on for the day, but it’s typically just been the two of us.

“I think I’m going to head to bed,” I close the book when my eyes begin to become too heavy to read.

“The flight crew will probably need to wake us in a few hours, depending on the timing we make on the way there. Once we arrive and settle in to the villa, you can go back to sleep if you’re still tired. The time change is going to screw with your mind for the first day or two until you adjust.”

“I’m sure it will.”

I don’t ask what he has decided for his sleeping arrangements for tonight. Instead, I assume since he didn’t mention coming to bed that he is going to sleep out here tonight. Although I’m disappointed, I understand his fear that he might hurt me, especially with how guilty he feels about what happened the other night. I quickly use the bathroom to wash up before climbing into the incredibly comfortable bed. The sheets must be the same ones that he has on his bed because they feel just as soft and warm. I’m just about asleep when I hear the bedroom door open and close quietly. I sense him in the room even without seeing him. He seems to stand at the end of the bed for a few minutes before sighing and walking to the other side. Slowly, almost cautiously, he lies down next to me, and then pulls the blankets over him.

“Mr. Parker, Mrs. Parker? We will need you to take your seat in fifteen minutes so we can prepare to land,” a voice wakes me a few hours later.

“Thank you,” Nicholas grumbles next to me without moving.

Like the other morning, I wake up with his arm around my waist and my back against his chest. I don’t want to move; I don’t want to get out of bed and go back to our seats. I’d rather stay right here and sleep longer with him next to me.

“Good Morning,” he says.

“Morning.”

“Did you sleep okay?”

“I slept good, you?”

“Surprisingly, really good,” his voice is barely above a whisper.

When I sit up, Nicholas grabs my hand and squeezes it before letting go. He doesn’t say anything, but that small gesture says enough. I grab my overnight bag and head to the bathroom to get changed.

“Good Morning, Ms… Mrs. Parker,” Carter greets me when I come out of the bathroom.

“Morning, Carter.”

“There are some muffins and fruit on the counter if you want to grab something before the seatbelt sign comes on. You only have a few minutes, but if you would rather wait, I’m sure the villa will be stocked when you arrive. Coffee and tea are ready as well.”

Nicholas comes out of the bathroom a few minutes later looking completely refreshed and ready to start the day. We have just enough time to grab some fruit and coffee before the flight attendant asks us to take our seats. We land in Fiji a short time later and manage to breeze right through customs. We are escorted to a small sea plane where our luggage is loaded.

“Um… are you sure this is safe?” I ask nervously as we enter the very small plane.

“Rest assured, Mrs. Parker, this plane is fully inspected and completely safe. I guarantee it,” our pilot says.

“You’ll be fine,” Nicholas chuckles.

The ride is bumpy and rough compared to the smooth flying of the jet, but once we are in the air it doesn’t matter. We fly over the bluest water that I’ve ever seen. When the plane lands, I am utterly amazed at the view before me; everything looks completely breathtaking. Despite it being barely four in the morning, the staff is ready to great us when the plane lands. We are escorted to the villa in a golf cart which I am surprised to learn will remain for our use the entire week we are there. Carter checks everything over before heading back with the staff to the main building, leaving Nicholas and I alone for the week.