Page 65 of Bind Me

A brunette air hostess in a tight dress pauses at our row of two seats, her eyes locked on me, completely overlooking Sasha. She leans in, a flirtatious smile playing on her lips.

“Excuse me, sir, is there anything else I can bring you? A pillow, whiskey, snacks?”

I can feel Sasha’s fiery gaze burning into the side of my face, and I can’t resist playing up the conversation a bit. I grin at the hostess.

“Thanks. I might take you up on some snacks.”

Her eyelashes flutter. “Of course, sir. I’ll be right back.”

As she saunters off, I lower my attention to Sasha, whose cheeks are flushed red with fury. I can barely contain my laughter.

“Don’t worry,” I whisper, leaning closer to her. “I only have eyes for you. You are my beautiful mermaid. No other female even compares.”

“Oh, you think I care?” She pulls her shoulders back. “I’m not even that much into you.” She shifts in her seat, seemingly accidentally elbowing me in the arm. Then she gives me a death glare that could freeze hell over.

I chuckle, leaning back. “Oh, I see. So, then you won’t mind if I go chase down the brunette into the back and rip that skirt off?”

Her face turns white, her eyes blazing with fire. “You do that, and I’ll slit your throat.”

I laugh, absolutely adoring her to pieces. “There you are, my fierce little mermaid. Don’t pretend you don’t care for me when I know you’re obsessed.”

She tries to maintain her angry facade but ends up laughing.

The hostess returns with an armful of snacks. She beams at me, offering the selection. “Here you go, sir.”

I take the snacks, lowering my gaze to Sasha. “Thank you. These are for my wife.”

Sasha smirks at me, collecting the snacks, though not as greedily as Chowder, who’s half hanging out of the bag.

The hostess blinks in surprise, glancing between Sasha and me. “Oh, of course. Enjoy your snacks.”

As she walks away, I lean in closer to Sasha. “See? Only for you.”

She rolls her eyes but can’t hide her smile. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you love it,” I tease.

We settle back into our seats, the plane’s turbulence shaking me so hard I’m back to gripping those armrests, my knuckles turning white.

Sasha leans in against my arm. “Hey, my dad once told me about a trick on how to deal with fear. Want to try?”

I give her a wary look. “I’m not afraid, but what did he say?”

“Close your eyes,” she instructs, and reluctantly, I follow her instructions. “Now, take a deep inhale. Imagine you’re in your favorite place, somewhere you feel completely at ease. Focus on the sounds, the smells, the feeling of being there.”

“That’s easy. My favorite place to be is between your thighs,” I state proudly.

She gasps, and I grin, already picturing her blushing.

“Well, thanks, because now everyone on the plane knows that, too,” she murmurs.

Unable to stop smiling, I shift to my second favorite place—the ocean. Water rippling and swaying against me, the crashing sound filling the air, salty air in my lungs. The image keeps vanishing each time the plane bumps about, but I bring it back.

After a few moments of failing, I crack open my eyes to come face-to-face with Chowder. He’s in Sasha’s arms, leaning toward me, staring me in the face. Chowder’s so close his whiskers are tickling my nose.

“Fuck! Personal space!”

Sasha laughs at us.

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