Page 23 of Beautiful Desire

I’m cut off as Gia and Fabi return to their seats, a pink blush and guilty grin evident on Gia’s face. At least one of us is getting some, I suppose.

“It’s good to see you two talking,” Gia announces, sitting opposite me.

I hit her with a deadpan look, and if I could right now, I would kill her.

Without even letting me get a word in, Dom speaks up. “Yes, I was actually just about to tell Elle how I can’t wait to get to know her more these next couple of days.”

What the hell?

“Aw, Dom, that’s so sweet.” A sparkle twinkles in her eye as we stare at one another.

Wait ‘til I get my hands on her once this plane lands.

“Yeah,” I grit out in a reply, trying my best to keep my tone cool and even.

Two flight attendants arrive with lunch. One is a beautiful busty female with auburn hair, who procrastinates for as long as she can by Dom’s side, and the longer she lingers “checking everything is okay,”the more I feel my temper rise.

Why the hell does Gia even allow Fabi to have female flight attendants anyway?

I sit mostly in silence as we eat, while Gia tells Fabi and Dom how excited she is to explore Italy. Their wedding isn’t for another three days, so we still have some time to do a little sightseeing first. However, time spent by the pool with a cocktail for company sounds much more appealing in my eyes.

As the time passes, I notice Dom becoming quieter. His attention flits between his phone and the window on the far side of the aisle where Luigi sits. He seems to be texting frantically when he’s not lost in thought. His left knee has also started bouncing up and down, something he wasn’t doing before.

“So, have you ever been to Italy before?” I ask, deciding I should at least try to make a little effort over the next couple of days, but mainly to try to take his mind off whatever is bothering him, so he’ll stop bouncing his goddamn leg.

“Yes,” he says curtly.

His answer both surprises and intrigues me.

“Oh, really? Do you come here often?” A small, girly giggle slips out as the words come out of my mouth like some sort of cheesy pickup line.

“It’s been a long time,” he replies in a short, clipped tone, barely able to keep his focus off his phone while frantically typing.

The atmosphere in the cabin has taken a rather noticeable dip. Sensing the change, Fabi presses the bell, and the flirty flight attendant from earlier quickly arrives at Dom’s side.

“Yes, sir?” she asks, talking to Fabi, yet finding it hard to keep her attention off Dom.

I look at her uniform and spy the name Courtney written on her badge. Fabi asks her to take away the almost-empty plates and to bring out dessert, along with some champagne.

I’m going to need a hell of a lot of champagne if I have to sit here and watchCourtneydrool over Dom for the rest of the flight. A few minutes later, our trays have been cleared and plates with a trio of miniature desserts are placed in front of us, along with champagne flutes that have been filled.

For the past hour, and with each passing minute, I’ve noticed Dom become more and more withdrawn. Unfortunately, his left leg has barely stopped bouncing and the deep frown line I noticed earlier has remained firmly in place.

Suddenly, Courtney is by his side again with a bottle of scotch and two small-cut glass tumblers. She hands a glass to Fabi and a glass to Dom before filling them.

Screw this bitch.

I lift my hand and place it on his arm, trying to ignore the heat running through me from our contact. “You know, if you don’t like flying, you can always hold my hand.”

I flutter my eyelashes at Dom, and Fabi starts to cough. I can feel Gia’s eyes burning a hole in the side of my head in shock. Ignoring their reactions, I try to control my own as I look up at Courtney. Her perky smile quickly falls, and a look of disbelief takes over before she schools her features.

“Can I get you anything else?” she asks once she’s finished pouring the guys their scotch.

I plaster a fake smile on my face while Gia and I order drinks.

“So, do you not like flying or...”

He cuts off my question before I can finish asking.

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