Nico

Two times in a row.

The realization tasted more bitter than the bile rising in my throat as the jet took another sickening plunge.

In just a few days of meeting in person, Alaric de Villier had uncovered two of my best-kept secrets, and I hated him for it. I hated him for the way he looked at me now, and I hated myself for the fact that I couldn’t stop pushing his buttons just to see him burn. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

First, there was that dark hallway incident, where I had clung to him like a frightened child, my pride practically out the window as I begged him to hold me until the lights came back on. Now this—the turbulence had shattered my mask again, sending me rushing across the aisle to him like he was the only solid thing in a world that had gone liquid.

I hate turbulence. I had hated it since I was a child. It was a deep-seated trauma that made every flight feel like a calculated exercise. It was a pathetic irony because I am a Formula One driver. I flirt with death at three hundred kilometers per hour, hugging corners where a single mistake means a fireball, yet here I was, paralyzed and hugging my rival as if my life depended on it.

Alaric had shocked me. When I lunged for him, I fully expected to be pushed away with a sneer or a mocking laugh. Instead, his fingers had locked around mine, holding me warmly, and then he leaned in and gently whispered to me.

"Relax. It’s just turbulence. You’ll be fine."

His words actually spread warmth through my racing heart, but the shaking didn’t stop. Instead of leveling out, the jet gave a soul-crushing lurch that sent the light fixtures flickering.

The cabin groaned, and the sound of stressed metal made my blood run cold. My breath hitched, coming in short, shallow gasps as the panic I’d been trying to suppress finally broke.

I didn’t just hold Alaric’s hand anymore. I lunged at him, wrapped my arms around his torso, and buried my face into the crook of his neck. I clung to him with a desperation that should have embarrassed me, but the fear of the sky opening up was louder than my pride.

Above us, the oxygen masks hissed as they dropped from the ceiling.

"Nico, look at me. Put the mask on," Alaric commanded. His voice was right against my ear, low and vibrating through my skull.

But I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed, my fingers digging into the fabric of his blazer. I felt him move, one of his hands leaving my back to grab the mask. He tried to pull me enough to fit it over my face, but another jolt sent the plane dipping sharply to the left.

That moment, gravity became my enemy.

My grip slipped, and as the floor seemed to drop out from under us, I tumbled forward. My seatbelt strained, then bit into my hips, and before I could catch myself, my weight shifted. I ended up slumped forward, my knees hitting the plush carpet of the aisle.

Alaric managed to reach for me. He was able to grab my hand and pull me towards him, and then suddenly I fell directly into the space between his legs.

My forehead slammed against the hard line of his thighs. My face, my nose, my mouth—all ended up pressed firmly against the heat of his crotch.

Embarrassing, I thought, but I didn’t dare lift my head, and neither did the plane stop shaking.

Through the expensive fabric of his trousers, I felt him. He was already hard. And as my face made contact with his crotch, I felt him react instantly to the pressure of my face against him.

The scent of him, the smoky sandalwood smell, filled my lungs more effectively than any oxygen mask could.

My face suddenly shifted on him, and I felt Alaric freeze above me. I felt his thighs tighten, his muscles turning to steel around my head. One of his hands, which had been reaching for the mask, landed on my neck.

He didn’t push me away. Instead, I felt his fingers curl into my hair, his large palm warm against my scalp. Then he let out a low groan, but it sounded more like a moan to me.

"Park," he rasped, his voice sounding like it was being dragged over gravel.

I didn’t answer because I was too embarrassed to, and I just remained like that.

Alaric groaned again and started tapping my back. It was a touch that was supposed to make me rise up, but instead every touch from him felt like an electric shock that surged through me with overwhelming pleasure.

"This is the captain," the voice sounded over the intercom. "We are currently experiencing turbulence, and we got a warning about an oncoming rainstorm which has compromised our flight path. Visibility is zero, and the weather is deteriorating faster than anticipated. We are unable to reach the resort terminal. We will be diverting immediately to a local landing strip on a nearby island. Everyone, please brace for an emergency landing."

The announcement hit me hard, and I couldn’t help but imagine the worst. Were we about to crash? I feared for my life, but then I remembered where my face was.

It was still between Alaric’s legs, and I knew I had to summon the courage to raise my head, so I did.

My heart started pounding hard in my chest as I looked up at Alaric, and for a split second, the emergency chimes and the screaming engines faded into the background. His hazel eyes were locked onto mine, blown wide and dark with a terrifying concern that got right under my skin.

I looked away immediately, then I felt his warm hand still around mine and inhaled deeply, knowing I couldn’t pretend about what just happened.

"I..." My voice was a wreck as I tried to speak. I lowered my head, unable to look at his face as the apology came out of my mouth. "I am sorry."