05

I didn't understand what he wanted to say. Then I leaned closer to him, breathing in his heavenly scent.

"That's right," he said. "I am here, and you are safe. Nothing bad will happen to you. Let's create the most incredible life together. I will never let you go again."

"What did he just say?" I wondered.

But for now, he continued, "You need rest." I looked at him. His eyes were still black.

"Sleep."

And my world went dark.

---

Rary

I woke up with a sense of movement. I was vaguely aware that someone was unfastening my seatbelt, and then I was lifted up. I opened my eyes.

Vidário placed me on his lap, so my knees fell on each side of him. He touched my head to his chest and wrapped his arms around me again.

Suddenly, I remembered I was on a plane, and my heart raced once again. How long had I been sleeping? I tried to lean back to look at Vidário, but he only tightened his grip on me.

"Nuh-uh. Not so fast. you are not going anywhere," he said quietly. He kissed my forehead. "Go back to sleep, Rary."

Once again, I turned off like a light.

I dreamed of hands moving along my back and waist, playing with my hair, massaging my hips. I dreamed of sweet lips landing on my ear, nose, and forehead. I dreamed of playing in fireworks and then watching as they traveled up and down my body, finally exploding in my chest, leaving a warm glow around my heart.

But mainly, I dreamed of his forest-green eyes.

When I woke up for the second time, the only thing I realized was that I felt warm and at peace. Everything seemed so... right. I delved deeper into that warmth and focused on the little fireworks that continued traveling up and down my back. It was amazing. I sighed deeply.

And suddenly, my sigh was echoed by another person, and I felt a kiss on my forehead. My eyes opened. Where was I?

I looked up and saw Vidário. He had one arm around me, one hand stroking up and down my back and playing with my hair. The other hand held a cell phone, sending a text message to someone.

His face frowned as he concentrated. Oh my God. I was on his lap.

My back straightened, and his eyes suddenly locked onto mine. He smiled.

"Good day, beautiful."

He really liked affectionate nicknames. I moved to get up from him, but he grabbed my hips.

"Where do you think you are going?"

I remembered him putting me on his lap. I looked at him fixedly.

"Why am I on your lap?" He shrugged.

"You kept moving towards me in your sleep, trying to put your face in my neck and whimpering. So when the seatbelt sign turned off, I brought you to where you wanted to be."

I felt the blood drain from my face as I imagined myself crawling towards him during my sleep; it immediately rushed back to my cheeks when I remembered his lips on my neck.

Guessing where my head was going, he said, "No, it doesn't bother me." He smiled.

Smiled!

I snorted and tried to free myself, attempting to return to my seat.

"You can stay here. Seriously, it is all good," he said.

"No, really, it is not," I said, finally escaping his grip. I breathed a sigh of relief when I slipped back into my seat. I was ashamed beyond belief.

"Why am I being so strange in front of the first person I've been attracted to in years? I feel very... Normally, I have personal limits. I do not know what's wrong with me today."

He dismissed my words, saying it was no big deal.

"How long did I sleep?" I asked, trying to change the subject. He checked the clock.

"Close to eight hours."

I sighed.

"I slept for eight hours?"

He nodded, a smile growing on his face.

"You let me sleep on you for eight hours?" I asked, completely mortified. He nodded again.

"Oh my God." I hid my face in my hands.

"To help," he said, "I fell asleep too. It was the best sleep of my life."

I looked at his smiling face and narrowed my eyes.

"You know, when you switched places with the guy who was supposed to be next to me, I was very relieved. But maybe it would have been better to sit next to the creepy guy who was staring at my breasts. Maybe I wouldn't have crawled into your lap in my sleep."

It was meant to be a funny joke, but when I looked at Vidário, I realized that he didn't understand it that way.

His eyes were back to black, his jaw clenched, and veins were bulging from his neck and forehead. He looked dangerous.

"Oh my God. Are you okay?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he closed his eyes, gripping the sides of the chair tightly and breathing deeply.

I started to get concerned. I didn't know exactly what was happening, but for some reason, I wanted Vidário to be okay. I wanted to comfort him.

"Can I do anything?" He still didn't say anything.

"Vidário?" I tried again.

When I said his name, his eyes fixed on mine, and the darkness scared me. A rumble came from deep in his chest as he grabbed my nape and brought my face closer to his.

He pressed his nose into my neck and started to breathe deeply. His entire body was shaking.

"I adore when you say my name," I heard him say. His voice sounded deeper now, harsher—very different from the tenderness from before.

He tilted back, looked into my eyes, and I knew I should have been scared by how black his eyes were. I mean, he looked possessed.

"Stay here," he said darkly. "do not move."