by A. D. Ellis
“Remind me, was sex involved?” I inquired.
Braeton gestured flippantly with his hand. “Sex is such a wishy-washy word…”
“Suffice it to say, Braeton and I figured out we’d be much better as friends than lovers,” Bryan cut in.
Kyle asked in a staged whisper, “Was he really that bad in bed?”
Braeton gasped around a laugh. “You little bitch. I’ll have you know I’m fabulous in bed. Bryan just couldn’t get his mind and dick off of Jase long enough to really find out.”
“Well, I mean, can you blame him? I’m pretty unforgettable,” Jase smirked.
“And I’m forever grateful that Bryan wasn’t over Jase.” Drew patted Braeton’s hand.
“Tell them I’m good in bed,” Braeton pouted, clearly beginning to feel the drinks a bit more than the rest of us.
“He’s amazing in bed. Best I’ve ever had,” Drew deadpanned.
“No, stop joking. Tell them for real. I don’t want people thinking I suck in bed.” Braeton all but stomped his foot.
“Oh, baby, you do suck in bed. That’s one of the things I like most about you.” Drew threw his head back and laughed as Braeton’s intoxicated brain registered the words.
A satisfied smile filled Braeton’s face. “See? I told you I’m good in bed.”
Laughter rang out around the table.
“And, with that, I’m taking him home.” Drew motioned for the checks. “I’ll get him some aspirin and water and get him to bed or he won’t be fit for taking you guys to the airport tomorrow.”
With bills paid and goodbyes said, we headed our separate ways.
Tomorrow, my husband and I would head to The Big Apple. The City of Dreams was fitting for our honeymoon because Kyle was my dream come true.
Chapter 4
Kyle
I snuggled into the comfortable heat of Adam’s arms. He’d worn me out in the shower and then again in bed, and it was definitely time to sleep. We needed to be awake early for our flight.
As I played little spoon to his big spoon, my body heated at the press of his hips against my ass.
“You asleep?” Adam’s sex-roughened voice asked.
“No, but we should be sleeping. We have a plane to catch very early.” I tried to sound annoyed, but found myself rocking my ass against his cock in a smooth, teasing rhythm.
“We can sleep when we’re dead,” Adam whispered against my ear before trailing his tongue down my neck to nip along my collarbone.
“If we don’t sleep, we’ll wish we were dead when that alarm goes off,” I warned, but turned in his arms so our hard lengths could enjoy the shared friction.
“You’re right,” Adam agreed. “But I just wanted to say thank you.”
Reaching up to cup his face, I smiled as the sexy moment gave way to an emotional one in light of our already sated bodies. “For what?”
Adam kissed me deeply, his tongue swirling with mine, as if his mouth wanted to devour me. “For being you. For loving me. For whatever our future holds.”
“What if it holds tension and arguing and frustration?” I teased.
“Then we’ll deal with it. No relationship is perfect, and I don’t expect ours to be.” Adam kissed me again, fisting a hand in my hair to tilt my head so he could deepen the contact. He pulled away slightly. “We’ve always been good about talking things out, voicing our concerns without blaming, and looking at both sides of the situation. The skills we use to our advantage in our jobs are great skills to have in many areas of life.”
“If I wasn’t so freakin’ tired from the wedding and the drinks and the two times we’ve already gotten off, I’d be all over you right now.” I sighed against his neck, feeling the love of his words and the heat of his body wash over me.
Adam chuckled against my head and pulled me closer. “Sleep tight, babe. Tomorrow we take on whatever New York has to throw at us.”
~*~*~*~
The alarm blared from Adam’s phone moments before my own chimed. I rolled over to turn mine off before nudging Adam.“Babe, your alarm. It’s time to get up.”
Before I could roll out of bed, I felt an arm snake out to capture me and heave me back against a warm, naked chest. I laughed, feeling giddy with the rush of love and anticipation running through my veins.
“Good morning, husband,” Adam growled against my ear. “What, pray tell, is on your agenda for today?”
“Well, good morning, husband,” I teased. “I do believe I will travel to the big city today.”
“The big city? A city bigger than the beautiful one in which we reside?”
“Oh, yes, a city much bigger and more grand. One of the largest cities in the entire world!” I added a lot of drama into our little play.
“And, what, dear husband are you planning to do in this grand city?” Adam asked in exaggeration.
“Mmmm, that’s the best part. I plan to eat amazing food, shop in fabulous stores, see breathtaking sights, and spend the duration of the trip loving my dream man.” I bit my lip in an effort not to break character.
“What? Just who is this dream man?”
“He’s beautiful, inside and out. He loves me, makes me laugh, and I plan to spend the rest of my life with him.”
“Sounds like a wonderful man,” Adam breathed gently against my ear.
“Oh, he is. I’m so very lucky to have him as my own.” I ran my tongue across his neck and delighted in the shivers of his body against mine.
“I think he’s the lucky one to have found you.” Adam smiled before gentling a kiss against my temple and trailing kisses down my face until his mouth captured mine.
As the kiss increased to a serious heat level, I jolted when my phone beeped with an incoming text.
Groaning and checking the time, I realized we had no time for morning activities if we were to be ready by the time Braeton and Drew came to pick us up.
Reaching for my phone, I saw Braeton’s text.
“Braeton says we better appreciate him defeating the headache of death to get coffee and pick us up.” I chuckled at our friend’s dramatics.
“Tell him no one forced him to imbibe to the point of intoxication, but we definitely appreciate the coffees.” Adam teased as he climbed into the shower.
Thirty minutes later, we were showered and headed out the door to throw our pre-packed bags into Drew’s trunk. Tickets in hand, the sweet fragrance of hot coffee filling the car, and giddy smiles plastered on our faces, we settled in for the short drive to the Indianapolis International Airport.
When we arrived, we had to decide if Braeton and Drew were walking us in or dropping us off.
“We can park and take the shuttle and wait with you guys until your flight,” Braeton suggested.
“There’s no reason for that. You’d have to pay for parking, and you can’t go through security, so it would be silly to go in.” Adam reasoned. “Just drop us off and we’ll head in and get the whole process started.”
The guys agreed that Adam’s plan made more sense, so we pulled up to the passenger drop-off zone. With our carry-on bags hefted from the trunk, we gave quick hugs and said our thanks before waving Braeton and Drew off.
“Don’t forget to pick us up!” I called. “I’m excited for the trip, but I sure as heck don’t want to be stuck at the airport.”
Laughing and waving, we headed into the airport to begin our journey.
Chapter 5
Adam
We breezed through check-in and security and found ourselves seated comfortably at our gate with an hour to spare.
“The lines would have been outrageous if we’d been pushing it on time,” Kyle laughed.
“Isn’t that the way it always is?” I bumped his shoulder.
“I’m glad it’s not snowing. I worried about the weather causing delays, but it looks like most of the flights are on time.” Kyle watched the incoming and outgoing flights listed on the board.
“Surprised the plane isn’t out there yet.” I nod
ded out the window where I expected to see our plane sitting.
Kyle glanced toward the window, but only agreed somewhat absentmindedly as he continued to reorganize the boarding passes and other paperwork.
Knowing organizing calmed Kyle, I left him to his therapeutic paper shuffling and walked to the little coffee stand. I browsed the breakfast items and decided we could split a gigantic muffin and another coffee. We’d rushed enough at home to completely space breakfast, and my stomach had started to protest.
Meandering back to where Kyle had finalized his stack of papers, I found my attention drawn out the window again as a crew of trucks and workers maneuvered a plane in the distance. Wondering if that monster was our intended mode of transportation, I wandered back to share the muffin and coffee with Kyle.
More people had congregated at our gate awaiting the boarding call. I enjoyed people-watching and wondered briefly where each passenger was headed on their journey. Back to a New York home? To far off lands after a changeover in New York? Visiting, like Kyle and me?
“Why is the plane not already out there? It should have been there by now,” a man grumbled to his wife.
“All I know is that this flight better not get delayed,” the woman groused back.
I reached for Kyle’s hand, and we smiled at each other through the haze of our newly wedded bliss. Tension? Frustration? Grumbling and grousing? Nope. Not here, not with us.
Around that same time, two attendants arrived at the gate and began to set up the ticket desk.
“Looks like it’s almost go-time,” I gestured toward the desk with a nod of my head.
Kyle smiled in anxious agreement.
Five minutes later, we noticed extra airline personnel gathering around the ticket desk, speaking in hushed tones and throwing side glances to the gate area filled with waiting passengers..
Within moments, two employees manned the computers and began clicking the keys with precision and proficiency, while another picked up the ringing phone to listen to whatever was being said on the other end.
Three things happened almost simultaneously as the throng of eager passengers waited to board the flight. A courageous young man, with a nametag stating his name was Jamie, punched buttons on the desk phone to turn it into a speaker. The petite blonde female next to him moved swiftly to place a sign in front of the loading door, effectively blocking our way to the non-existent plane. And lastly, the red words on the incoming/outgoing flights sign blinked off momentarily.
As the words DELAYED appeared on the sign, I heard Jamie politely announce, “Ladies and gentlemen, Flight Three Twenty-Seven to JFK has been delayed. For questions regarding the status of this flight and your options, please form two lines at the desk and Mona and I are happy to be of service.” Jamie squared his shoulders as he replaced the phone on its cradle and jutted his chin in a silent show of preparedness.
He may not have felt confident, but he gave the air of ready to take on several grumpy passengers and smile the whole time.
Kyle and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. The scenario was one of those where if I didn’t laugh, I’d cry.
I knew Kyle was very close to that fine line between laughter and tears, so I spoke up, “Well, looks like we should wait until the line dies down, and then figure out our options.”
Thirty minutes later, we’d gathered enough information from our fellow disgruntled passengers to determine our original plane had been forced to make an emergency landing for an unknown reason and wouldn’t be available to make the flight for several hours. The airline had attempted to bring in another plane, but it had failed preflight inspections.
After I spoke to the person at the ticket desk, I realized we had only two options. Wait until the original plane arrived, or take a flight out late the next day assuming it wasn’t overbooked.
“Aren’t there any other airlines you can get us on?” I pleaded with the agent.
“No, sir, I’m very sorry. It’s New Year’s Eve weekend. Every flight is booked, especially those headed to New York.” Mona offered a sympathetic smile.
Kyle and I walked away to discuss our options.
“It sucks to be stuck, this close to home, but calling Braeton and Drew to come get us doesn’t make sense because we need to be here when the plane finally arrives. And leaving late tomorrow, if that’s even possible, would completely screw up our plans.” Kyle frowned, clearly agitated with a situation out of our control.
“Yep, makes the most sense to wait it out and take the flight when the first plane gets here,” I agreed. “The situation isn’t ideal, but it’s better than the alternative. We’ll call the hotel and let them know we’ll be late. Let Braeton and Drew know what’s going on. And then we can make the best of a sucky situation by exploring the airport.” I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.
Kyle smiled slightly.
“Hey, cheer up, it’s not the end of the world.”.
The frown returned along with a small pout, “I know. I just wanted everything to be perfect.”
“We’re married. We’re heading to New York for our honeymoon. So, we’ll be a little late.” I shrugged. “The trip will still be perfect because we’re together,” I assured him.
“You’re right. Okay, I’ll call the hotel and you call Braeton and Drew.” Kyle leaned in to kiss me. “After the calls, we’ll map out our plan of attack to conquer the Indianapolis International Airport.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him. I knew he was upset, and truthfully, so was I. But, we’d vowed to support each other in good times and in bad. Sure, I would rather be heading to our destination right then and there, but hanging out with the love of my life in the interim wasn’t a half-bad deal.
Chapter 6
Kyle
After speaking to two separate employees at the hotel in New York, I was assured we could check-in late. I hung up and turned to find Adam laughing at something Braeton or Drew was saying on the phone. He promised to text them once we knew more information before he said goodbye.
“What’s so funny?” I nudged Adam.
“Braeton was saying we jinxed ourselves by talking about getting stuck in the airport.” Adam smiled.
“Well, if that’s true, I guess our discussion last night about tension and frustration was also a jinx,” I said.
“Maybe, but we’re not going to let this delay get to us. Come on, let’s roam and explore. I’m guessing we have quite a while until the plane gets here. We’ll come back in a bit and ask if they have an ETA.” Adam hefted his carry-on to his shoulder, and I readjusted mine.
I pressed a kiss against his chin, and accepted his soft kiss on my lips.
“Let’s go.” Adam wagged his brows with his words.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. We were stuck in an airport for an undetermined amount of time, but he made it seem like we were preparing for our next big adventure. It was one of the many things I loved about him. Without Adam, I would have likely been bitchy and pouty, but his positive outlook made me smile and feel blessed that we were at least stuck together.
We walked the entire length of Concourse A, checking out each and every shop, investigating the destination of each gate with an outgoing flight, and grabbing another coffee to share.
By the time we returned to the ticket desk, we were informed by the agents of the plane’s expected time of arrival. It had been delayed in leaving the airport where it had originally landed due to bad weather. Our predicted departure time was almost twelve hours from the time we were supposed to fly out, but it was better than waiting until the next day.
“Let’s hit Concourse B. We’ll explore then grab some lunch. I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll be ready for a nap by that point.” Adam reached for my hand as we started toward Concourse B.
Along the way, we checked out the varied works of art decorating the airport. I had never really thought about it, but the Indianapolis International Airport was really quite aesthetically pleasing.
The artwork was a beautiful addition to the ambiance. I mean, it wasn’t like I’d chosen to hang out there, but since we were stuck, having pretty things to look at was nice.
Concourse B was decidedly less busy than Concourse A, which allowed more time to mosey through the shops. By the time we decided to grab lunch, we were in the less crowded area so the lines weren’t as long.
Adam grabbed a monstrous deli sandwich at Shapiro’s, and I picked up some soup and a small pizza at Wolfgang Puck’s. We met at a deserted gate at the end of the concourse and spread our food out on the floor.
“It may not be ideal, but this is pretty cozy.” Adam split the sandwich and placed half on my plastic plate.
“You’re right, I mean, what guy doesn’t want to share a picnic with the love of his life?” I smiled in agreement as I laid two of the four pieces of pizza on Adam’s plate.
We took turns sipping spoonfuls of the soup. Chatting over bites of pizza and eating one of the best deli sandwiches I’d ever had, we spent almost an hour savoring our lunch and each other.
“Hey, I’m going to go throw this away. You save our spot here and I’ll be back.” I gathered up our trash.
“Yeah, because it looks like the throngs of people are going to overtake us at any second.” Adam rolled his eyes and we both laughed because the gate was completely empty. We hadn’t even seen an airport employee walk through to empty trash or run a sweeper.
I made my way to a trash can to deposit our garbage, and then popped into one of the shops to make a quick purchase. We likely could have done without, but the items were practical and we could use them as souvenirs of our time stuck in the airport.
I made the quick jaunt back to Adam and smiled to myself as I found him lounging against the wall, earbuds in, eyes closed.
Sliding down the wall next to him, I grabbed his hand. “Hey there, feel like a nap?” I produced the travel blanket and pillow I’d purchased.
“Definitely.” Adam immediately situated the pillow and unrolled the blanket. Laying us both on our sides, he curled into my body from behind. He put our carry-on bags in the space between his legs and the wall. We shared the pillow, and Adam spread the blanket over us. Before pulling me close to his chest, he handed me one of the earbuds.