I had never been in a tornado or a hurricane or any other natural disaster. But I had watched enough of the Weather Channel to know that I had a better chance of surviving one of those than the storm called Jenna Swallow that had swept into my life one rainy night three months ago.
I didn't blame her, but Danny, my fiancé of four months at the time. He wasn't my first boyfriend, so I was used to breakups. But usually you'd think someone who had gotten down on one knee on the front stoop to my brownstone—the same place we'd had our first kiss—and professed to love me "to eternity and back" if I would be his wife, wouldn't wake up one day and change his mind.
Blame probably wasn't even the best word. I should be thanking Danny, actually. If he hadn't been such an ass, I would never have stumbled upon Maggie's Lounge and my old classmate Jenna. Or broken my hand punching Danny. Or embraced my hidden lesbian side.
I sighed and glanced to my right. Jenna slept peacefully, her head on her shoulder, a tiny pillow wedged beneath her soft cheek. Two small, white cords draped over her chest, rising and falling with her even breaths. They led to a black iPod cupped loosely in her hands on her lap.
Those hands... I groaned softly. I had come to know them quite intimately. How little I had known what her world consisted of. What five little fingers could really do.
Tease. Please. Torture. Comfort.
I moved my gaze to the left, out the oval window of the plane to the night sky. Somewhere below was the Atlantic Ocean. Behind us, Chicago. Before us, Tuscany.
I closed my eyes to dam the threatening well of emotion building inside. This was supposed to be my honeymoon. Danny had rented the villa as his present to me. Two weeks, just him and I celebrating the beginning of our lives together. Wedded bliss.
Bullshit.
Jenna moaned and I turned to her. She was smiling up at me. "Hey, beautiful."
I returned her smile, pushing away the thoughts of what should have been. "Hey, yourself."
"What time is it?" She tugged at her ear buds and started to sit up.
"No, relax." I patted her hand and she laid back again. "We're still over the ocean. Sleep."
"Yes, dear." Her smirk made me giggle.
"From what I've been told, we won't be sleeping much on this trip." I blushed when she lifted my hand to her lips.
"Your source was correct. You should get some sleep, too."
"Yes, dear."
She giggled this time. It was a low but musical sound that gave me happy goosebumps. She leaned forward a little. "How are you doing?"
I wiggled the fingers on my left hand. "A little achy, but otherwise pretty good. I hope the doc was wrong when he said I might have long-lasting side effects. In any case, I could use a massage later. They really help."
"Of course, Kat. And when you've fully recovered in a few months, I'll teach you how to do them to me. Giving them is just as pleasing as receiving."
I raised my eyebrows. I could hardly believe anything—besides sex—was better than getting one of Jenna's erotic massages. They were that good.
"There, that will give you something to dream about. Now, sleep, Kat."
I closed my eyes and let the hum of the engines, the soft hissing of the air conditioning, and the subtle rocking of the plane lull me to dreamland. It didn't hurt that Jenna laced her fingers through mine and held our hands between us, her thumb lightly stroking my skin.
###
I found myself following Jenna around like a lost puppy dog, much like I had the night I ran into her at Maggie's Lounge...and practically every day ever since. I had never been out of the country. My passport had broken her cherry on this trip. I had no idea what I was doing or where to go. Thank God Jenna did.
I knew we had landed in Paris where we needed to catch our connecting flight that would take us to Florence. From there, we had to take a train to Grosetto, where our villa was. We had an hour layover, and I spent most of it staring out the windows on either side of the terminal, wishing we had more time.
I was in Paris. Paris, France. And I was stuck in a damn airport!
"Am I going to have to tie you down?" Jenna laughed from her seat where she casually sat with her legs crossed, a magazine spread open on her lap, a cup of coffee in one hand.
I gasped and stopped pacing. We had not tried that yet, but she had hinted at it several times. Maybe...
"Kat? Are you okay?"
I stuck out my lower lip. "Couldn't we have come sooner? Maybe stayed a couple of days at least? It's Paris! If I had only known..."
She smiled and stood, the magazine plopping to the ground. She finished her drink, tossed the cup into the nearby trash can, and put her hands on my shoulders. By the firm line of her mouth, I felt like a child being chastised for my whining.
"Kat, shh." She kissed me, right on the lips.
I jerked back involuntarily and glanced around. Then I blushed and hung my head. Nope, not a child now. More like a teenager who'd been caught fooling around.
Her grip tightened. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I don't think you're ready for displays of affection in public. But you need to settle down. I have everything taken care of."
I blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Paris is on the way home, too. I wouldn't let you miss it, sweetie. There was no time beforehand with the villa's reservations and our work schedules."
I kissed her then. Soundly. Her cheeks were warm beneath my palms when I cupped her face, holding her to me. When I started to jump up and down, though, she wrapped her arms around me and grounded me with a deep sigh.
"Now, be a good girl and sit your butt down before you drive everyone insane. We should be boarding soon."