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Section 1
### Chapter 1: Chapter 1
I took deep breaths as I walked across the airport, luggage in tow. I couldn't seem to calm myself down though, as much as I tried. I absolutely hated flying. And an eleven-hour flight to Paris was the last thing I wanted to be doing the day before Christmas Eve. But my mother had begged me to come spend the holidays with her and her new husband. I know that she only invited me out of guilt. I hadn't seen my mother in over five years and she seemed to have no problem leaving me behind after my dad got sick, so the fact that she was inviting me to come see her now really pissed me off. It only took her one year to get remarried and one more to have a kid. She completely cut me and my dad off, acting as if we never existed. But I had no one else. So Paris was my only option. Getting through security was easier than I thought it was going to be and I actually found my gate without much trouble. But even with all this good luck, I still couldn't help but feel uneasy. I had only flown two other times in my life, both for reasons I wish I could've avoided. The first time was for my grandmother's funeral in Florida and the second was for my mother's wedding in Paris to a man that I had never met before, a man that was not my father. So, not only was flying absolutely terrifying, but it also almost always delivered me into an unwanted situation. I knew that this flight wouldn't be any different. I waited to board the flight for about half an hour. I wanted to be early just to be sure I wouldn't miss it. I did not want to have to pay for another flight. Once on the airplane, I couldn't keep my hands from shaking. One of the flight attendants smiled at me as I walked past her and, obviously noticing my nervousness, giving me a reassuring nod. I tried my best to return the smile. I finally made it to my seat, far in the back of the plane. I looked at the man that I would be sitting next to for the next eleven hours and watched as his eyes moved up and down my body, stopping on my chest for a while before meeting my eyes. He smirked. "Well, hello there," he said. Great. Just perfect. "Hi," I muttered. Ignoring the creep, I picked up my carry-on and lifted it above me to put it in the overhead compartment. Noticing that the asshole, who was currently watching me struggle, had put his suitcase in the middle of the compartment, I huffed, trying to move it with one hand as I struggled to shove mine next to it. Just as I had just about gotten it in, I felt hands wrap around my waist, touching the bare skin of my stomach where my shirt had ridden up. Thinking it was the man who had stared at my boobs, I tried to jump away but stopped as the hands tightened and I felt sparks run down my form. I snapped my head to look next to me, feeling my eyes widen as I looked at the man holding me. He was absolutely breathtaking. He was quite large, looking almost comical in this tiny plane. His muscles strained against his black shirt and blue jeans, telling me that he must spend quite a lot of time in the gym. He had chocolate brown hair and dark green eyes that drew me in and a jaw that could cut through paper. His lips were luscious and full and I found myself unconsciously leaning in, imagining what my lips would feel like on his. I heard a sudden deep growl and my eyes went back to meet his to find that he was watching me check him out. My cheeks immediately turned red, but before I had a chance to feel embarrassed, he spoke. "Mine. Mate," he said, his deep, husky voice ringing in my ears. His hands tightened around me as his forehead came down to meet mine and he breathed in deeply. I let my eyes close as I basked in the feeling of his arms around me and the delicious sparks that were running through my body. I didn't even know that it was possible to feel this good. I felt his head move from mine as he nuzzled his nose into my neck. I tilted my head to give him better access and he let out an approving grunt. And then I felt him place a gentle kiss right where my neck and shoulder met. My knees went weak, my entire body going numb as a breathy sound came from my mouth. He smiled against my neck, chuckling and taking all of my weight into his arms as I leaned completely into him to stop myself from falling. I was in absolute heaven. A clearing of a throat snapped me out of my trance and I squeaked and tried to move back, remembering where I was. I had forgotten the hand that was still holding my suitcase in the overhead compartment, as I tried to push the mysterious and incredibly good-looking man away from me. I heard my suitcase sliding towards me and quickly ducked my head, waiting for my head to be smashed by the hard corner of my luggage. But instead, I heard, "Careful, beautiful." I looked up at the man in front of me, who still had one hand possessively resting under my shirt, on the small of my back, his other hand was holding my suitcase above my head. He smiled at me and winked before shoving my bag all the way into the compartment and snapping it closed. The man turned to look at the woman behind him who had been trying to get our attention during our intense moment, but he still kept his hand on my back. The woman looked shocked, clearing her throat a bit. "Sorry, I just need to get to my seat and you guys are blocking the aisle. I didn't mean to interrupt your reunion. You two obviously haven't seen each other in a while." She smiled sweetly. I wanted to correct her, opening my mouth to say that we actually had never met before, but the man holding me beat me to it. "We were just finding our seats. We'll be out of your way in a second." His voice was so smooth and reassuring. The woman nodded appreciatively. I went to move away, looking forward to getting out of this awkward situation, but the man just tightened his hold on me. He leaned down. "Not so fast," he whispered in my ear. "You're not getting away that easily." He looked at the creeper that was going to be sitting next to me on the flight. "Move," he said to him. He sat there and gawked at us for a second, obviously witnessing the entire meeting that just took place. It made me very uncomfortable to think that he had been watching us. "What?" he asked. "Move," the good-looking man repeated. "I'm sitting there." "I'm sorry? I'm not moving. This is my seat." The man holding me growled lowly. "Here, take mine." He handed the man his ticket. "It's first-class," he said, watching the man look over the ticket with a raised eyebrow. "Now, move ," he said very slowly, almost threateningly, as if he was daring the man to question his orders again. The man looked at us one more time before he got up and quickly grabbed his bag, moving past in a hurry without making eye contact. I watched, completely flabbergasted. What the hell just happened? This was turning out to be a very strange day. "Go on, gorgeous," the guy said, gently pushing me to the seat next to the window, following closely behind me. I sat down and watched the man sit down next to me. I wasn't sure what to say, still a little shocked and embarrassed about what just happened. "Um, sorry about earlier," I muttered, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. For some reason, I really wanted this guy to like me. "I don't usually go around touching strangers like that, I promise." I laughed nervously. Not hearing him respond, I cleared my throat. Okay... "So why did you give up your first-class ticket to sit all the way back here?" I suddenly felt a hand take hold of my chin and turn my head. My eyes met his and his hand moved to cup my cheek. "Because I wanted to be by you," he said huskily. His thumb was running over my cheekbone as he examined every inch of my face. "Wow, how did I get so lucky?" I leaned back, not sure how to respond to that. I must've heard him wrong. "Sorry, what did you say?" He just smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it, beautiful." He leaned towards me, leaning his upper body on the armrest between us. We were extremely close for two strangers. "I'm Grayson. What's your name?" Almost as if I were in a daze, I heard myself say, "Belle." His smile widened. "Belle," he said to himself. "My Belle." His eyes were so pretty. I couldn't help but stare into them. "Uh-huh..." I said, not truly understanding what I was saying. He laughed, a wholehearted laugh. Did I say something funny? "Our bond is strong, I can tell." Was it just me, or did nothing he said make any sense? "What? Our bond?" I asked. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it." I was once again snapped out of my daze that he seemed to keep putting me in when a baby behind us let out a loud scream. I jumped back, immediately realizing just how close I was to the man. I could feel his breath on my face. I laughed nervously and placed my hands in my lap, trying not to look as awkward as I felt. This extremely good-looking stranger probably thought I was a nut job. "So business or pleasure?" he asked.
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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2
"What?" I looked at him once again. "Are you going to Paris for business or pleasure?" he asked again. Oh, right. I had almost completely forgotten where I was. My nerves picked up again, remembering that the flight was surely going to take off any minute. "Oh, um, neither, I guess. I'm going to visit my mother and her husband." I must've been making a face because Grayson asked, "And you're not happy to see your mother and her husband?" I shook my head. "No, not since she left me and my sick father to run off to Paris and marry her rich lover," I heard myself saying. I paused. I can't believe I just said that. I had never told anyone about my mother and now I had just told a complete stranger about her. I looked at him. He had a pensive look on his face. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. I promise I'm not that crazy person on the plane who shares her entire life story with the stranger sitting next to her." Grayson looked deeply into my eyes almost as if he were looking for something and then he grabbed the armrest between us and moved it so it was no longer a barrier. I watched his movements closely. "Um... What are you doing?" "Shh..." Grayson said. Then he grabbed my hips that were already angled towards him and tugged me so that my knees were touching his. The delicious sparks started to trail up and down my body again as his hand found its way under my shirt and on to the small of my back where his thumb created soothing circles. I let out a breathy sound from the back of my throat. His other hand went up to cup my face. "You don't have to worry about a thing now," Grayson whispered. "I'm going to take care of you." He leaned down so that his lips were touching my ear. "You're mine." I leaned back a bit so I could see his eyes. "What do you mean?" He smirked. "I mean..." His thumb touched my lower lip. I gasped. "Everything," he kissed my eyelid, "about," he kissed my other eye, "you," the top of my nose, "is mine." Finally, his lips met mine. My eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of his lips on mine. It was absolutely euphoric, like fireworks and explosions. My hands went up on to his shoulders and squeezed. His shoulders were huge and muscular. I let out a soft moan. I felt him smirk against my lips and I paused for a second. No, no smirking. Smirking meant that he might stop kissing me and I really didn't want that to happen. I went up on my knees, never taking my lips from his and pushed my chest into his, basking in the sparks that came wherever my body met his. My hands went up into his hair and tugged his face closer to mine. He groaned in approval. I suddenly felt his hands squeeze my hips tightly, then lift me onto his lap. My knees went on either side of him, straddling him and I pushed my chest against his as his tongue suddenly plunged into my mouth. His hands kneaded my hips and then went up grip my waist under my shirt, both his thumbs touching the underwire of my bra. Oh, my God, was it getting hot in here? Someone cleared their throat next to us. Like a light switch went off in my brain, I suddenly realized what we were doing. I jerked myself back, but Grayson tightened his grip on me, keeping me firmly placed on his lap. I looked at the flight attendant who was standing next to us. "Sorry, Miss, but I'm gonna have to ask you to go back to your seat and put on your seatbelt. The flight is about to take off." I nodded my head quickly, feeling my face turning bright red. I scrambled to get off Grayson's lap and, thankfully, he let me go this time. I sat down in my seat and quickly strapped on my seatbelt. The flight attendant watched as Grayson put on his seatbelt as well. She nodded and walked away. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God," I said to myself. I placed my hands on my face to try to cool down my burning cheeks. "I can't believe I just did that. What is wrong with me?" I couldn't even bring myself to look at Grayson out of pure embarrassment. I had pressed my chest into his, I had basically crawled into his lap like some companion begging for him to get into my panties. "Hey, hey, hey," I heard Grayson said. "What's wrong?" He touched my arm. I jerked back, ignoring how much I wanted to keep his hands on me. "Don't touch me," I snapped. Grayson made a startling growling noise in the back of his throat. I looked at him only to see that he had an extremely intense look on his face. His jaw was clenched and his breathing was deep, his chest rising up and down quickly. And, oh yeah, his eyes were pitch black. The pupils, irises, and the whites of his eyes were all completely black. I gasped and scrambled backward, putting my back against the wall behind me. "Oh, my God. Your eyes." His eyes widened and then snapped closed. He took a deep breath and when his eyes opened again, they were back to normal. I was going insane. That was the only logical explanation. The death of my father and the fear of seeing my mother again were finally getting to me. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just... you can't tell me not to touch you." My heart started beating faster. Or maybe he was insane. "What do you mean?" He leaned forward, and intense look in his eyes. "Oh, baby girl, have you forgotten already?" His hand clasped on my knee and rubbed up and down my leg. "You're mine, remember?" My blood began to boil. That was the third time that he had called me his property. Who did this guy think he was? Sure, he was extremely good looking and I had basically thrown myself on him and I was extremely attracted to him, but that doesn't mean I belonged to him. I was my own person. I belonged to no one. I especially didn't belong to some man that I had just met and who obviously knew no personal boundaries. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind but stopped when I felt the plane suddenly begin to move. I must've completely missed the part where they explained where all the exits were and how to buckle your seatbelt. But it was probably for the best. That just would've made me more nervous. I felt my heart start to jump out of my chest and my hands begin to shake. I grabbed onto to Grayson's hand that was still clamped onto my leg and squeezed my eyes shut. I tried taking deep breaths to calm myself down, but they came out more like quick, gasping pants. Oh, my God, was I hyperventilating? "Belle," I heard Grayson say. "Belle, baby, what's wrong?" I felt his hand come up to grip my shoulder. I shook my head frantically, not able to find my voice. I was afraid that if I spoke, I would start to cry. "Belle," Grayson's voice said to me. It came out calmer this time. "Look at me, Belle. I need you to look at me, gorgeous. Let me see those beautiful blue eyes." I just shook my head again. The plane jumped as it began to lift off the ground. I let out a whimper and pushed myself further against the wall. "Belle, I swear to God, if you don't look at me right now, I will kiss you again and who knows where that will lead." Had he really just said that? I was basically about to have a heart attack and he was threatening to kiss me. My eyes opened. Grayson's face was about a foot away from mine. He smiled. "There are those beautiful eyes." My breathing slowed a bit. He was so unbelievably beautiful. How could someone possibly be so good-looking? And charming, and sweet, and comforting, and such an amazing kisser... The plane suddenly shook again, harder this time than the last and the passengers around us gasped. The pilot's voice could be heard as he apologized for the turbulence, saying that the weather seemed to be a little more serious than they had originally anticipated. I quickly looked out my window only to see that it was pouring rain and the sky was filled with lightning. "Oh, my God, this is how I'm going to die," I said. My entire body was shaking. The plane shook again, as there was a crashing roar of thunder outside. I let out a terrified shriek as tears started pouring out of my eyes. "Belle, baby, come here," Grayson said frantically. I looked at him and saw that he was holding out his arm, wanting me to lean on him. "What?" I asked shakily. "N-n-no!" Something gripped my hand tighter. I looked down to see that I was holding his hand with both of mine. I quickly let go and pushed it away from me. Why was I so touchy with this dude? He ran a hand through his hair as he watched me panic. He looked pained. "C'mon, Belle, don't make me do this. I promised I would never do this to my mate." I grasped onto the wall behind me, hoping that it would stabilize my shaking body. "Do what?" I asked. But then, there was a loud, thunderous, lightning bolt that I swear actually hit the plane because everything shook and there were people screaming and bags falling from the overhead compartments. I screamed bloody murder and covered my face with my hands. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God," I sobbed. This was my literal worst nightmare. "Belle," Grayson said. His voice was clearer than before and suddenly all other noises faded away. "Look at me." Not being able to control my movements, I removed my hands from my face and looked at Grayson. His eyes were black again. But, this time, it wasn't scary. This time, it was almost comforting. "Come. Here," he said slowly. I couldn't control myself. I nodded my head and practically delve into his chest, going as far as my seatbelt would let me. I wrapped my arms around his middle and gripped his shirt in my fists. He wrapped his arms around me too, lifting my shirt so that his bare skin was touching my back and stomach. "What are you doing?" I asked, shivering from the feeling of his skin against mine. I felt him rub his nose against my hair. "I'm sorry, I know this must be weird for you. It's just that the more skin to skin contact we have, the calmer you will feel." He removed my arms from around him and, for a moment, I felt extremely disappointed but then lifted his shirt as well, being sure to put my arms back on his bare skin after he was done. I could feel his abs under my arms. "See? Better, right? Touching me is helping." I felt him kiss the top of my head. Of course, he was right. I could feel my heart rate slowing down and my nerves starting to calm. "How is this happening?" I asked. I was so overwhelmingly confused. What was happening? Before he could answer, there was another burst of thunder. I whimpered and pushed my face into his chest, nuzzling in as far as I could go. His arms tightened around me and his hands began to massage into my back. "Shh, baby girl. Relax for me..." He whispered, his mouth touching my ear. I felt my shoulders slowly release their tension. His voice was so smooth, so comforting, like magic. I would do anything he told me to do as long as I got to keep hearing his voice. "There we go. That's what I like to see." More thunder pounded in my ears like a beating drum. I pressed my face deeper into his chest and gasped. "Nuh-uh," he said. "None of that." His lips pressed to my ear, leaving a kiss. "Pay attention to my voice. All you can hear is my voice, baby." He kissed down my neck. He was right. All other noises faded away. There were no more crying babies, no more yelling passengers, no more pounding thunder, no more pitter patters of the rain outside. It was just him and me. "All you can hear is my voice. Isn't that right?" I nodded my head. All I could hear was his voice. "Good. Now, slow your breathing." My breathing went from quick, gasping breaths to slow, deep sighs. "Good girl." His lips kept moving down my neck. "Don't be scared. I've got you. I'll take care of you." His kisses felt like magic. His voice was like magic. Everything about him was magic. I wasn't on a plane anymore. I wasn't anywhere anymore. It was just me and Grayson and his arms around me, his lips on my skin. I was completely calm. And then his lips found a certain spot on my neck that made fire travel all throughout my body. I gasped. Grayson smiled against my skin. "Hmm..." he murmured. He began sucking on the spot, his tongue running over my skin, leaving tingles that went all the way down to my toes. His fingers were digging into my sides and I felt a certain feeling building up inside me, a feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time. My entire body shuddered and I moved my head to the side to give him better access. His deep chuckle vibrated through my body. "Hm, like that, do we?" he whispered against my skin. I couldn't even respond. It felt like I was on drugs. Everything was moving so slowly. I let out a deep breath that sounded more like a whine because he had stopped kissing me. I didn't know exactly what I wanted, but I needed something more. Something that, for some reason, I knew Grayson could provide. I moved my head over some more, hoping that he would keep kissing me. He sighed. "I know, beautiful. I know. But not here. Not now." He placed one more peck on the spot. "But I promise, I will make you mine. Soon." I had no idea what he meant. So I just moved closer to him, breathing in his heavenly scent. What kind of cologne did he use? "That's right," he said. "I'm here and you're safe. Nothing bad is ever going to happen to you again. We're going to create the most amazing life together. I'm never letting you go." What did he just say? "But for now," he said, "you need to rest." I looked up at him. His eyes were still black. "Sleep." And my world went dark.
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