Before Him Comes Me (3 page)

A light mist makes the air feel cooler and she trembles, eyes
still on the ground in front of her. She sees him remove his suit coat then
feels it put over her shoulders. Her years of training betray her and her gaze wanders
towards his face. With all of her strength, Zara slowly drags her eyes back down
his body until they find their way to where they belong on the steps ahead of
her.

“Zara, this is the first step of you experiencing life on
your own terms. Please… trust me.”

Inside the plane, it is impossible for Zara to continue
looking at the ground. When her heels hit the plush carpet, he wraps his arms
around her to prevent her from falling. She leans into his chest taking in the
interior of the plane.

“Wow,” Zara exclaims in awe, stiffening as the word comes
out.

“I was wondering what it would take to get you to start
talking. Unfortunately, the plane is my dad’s corporate plane but now you have given
me a goal.”

He chuckles as he walks her past four seats grouped
together. Through a doorway, he points to the first set of seats on the
right-hand side. They are nothing like the group of seats located at the plane’s
entrance. In this section, they are three times wider and covered in caramel colored
leather. There is also a long couch of the same caramel leather accented with a
coffee table. Opposite the couch are two more deluxe seats. Beyond the couch is
a closed door.

Zara slips into the closest of the plush seats. She watches in
wonder as he gathers her dress and tucks it around her as much as he can. Inhaling
his scent, she is reminded of sun-touched water just as a summer breeze blows
by. It is the smell of happiness playing in water.

A seatbelt is snapped in place and pulled to a snug fit.
Zara feels him staring at her before he steps back.

Although there is a seat next to hers, he sits in one
directly across from her. With a sigh, Zara returns her eyes to the carpet in
front of her. Now is not the time for her to continue her exploration of the
plane. With him seated across from her, Zara must remember her training and
keep her eyes cast down.

Zara tenses at a small jolt as the plane begins to move. She
can feel him watching her and senses her best efforts to mask her fear may not be
enough.

“Little One, is this the first time you have flown?”

Keeping her eyes on the puffiness of her dress, Zara nods
with the slightest response.

“Zara, please look at me.”

Zara’s body stiffens at the request. Slowly raising her eyes
off her dress, they move up his body. Her gaze travels up his stomach to his
chest. Without his suit coat, she gets to examine the body that she was just
leaning against as they entered the plane. Her heart begins racing with the
anticipation of looking into his eyes once more as she catalogs every inch of
him for future analysis.

In the ceremonial hall, his eyes were light brown, but in
this light they appear brown with flecks of green. His brown hair is still
slicked back but she sees evidence that he has run his hands through it since
they stood in the circle together.

Finding him smiling at her has an unexpected effect on her
body. The shivers that she felt when he touched her hand to help her stand and
when his hand found its way to the small of her back are small compared to the
body shivers she gets looking into his eyes now.

He leans forward, resting his hands on his knees. He is close
enough to touch her dress if he extended his fingers. She keeps staring into
his eyes, becoming lost for the first time in her entire life.

A blush infuses her cheeks as Zara rips her eyes from his
and returns them to her dress. Taking a steadying breath, she allows her eyes
to take the journey once more up his body to his face. As she reaches his smile,
the plane lifts off the ground and with a gasp, Zara grips the seat’s armrests.

“Zara, breathe. Little One, this is the beginning of a
wonderful adventure for you. I told you in the Circle that I am going to take
care of you, and that includes ensuring that you arrive at our destination
safely.”

The further the plane gets off the ground, the tighter Zara’s
hold becomes. Thoughts of her mother’s extreme fear of flying flood Zara’s mind.

Calmly, he begins to speak at a volume she has to strain to
hear.

“John. John Garrett.”

The brilliant smile that spreads across his face makes Zara
instantly forget the fact that she could crash to the ground and die at any
second. The smile is not the tight-lipped one he flashed at her earlier. It is
a smile that would make his cheeks hurt if it went on too long. It is a smile
that Zara feels all the way to her toes.

“If the ceremony would have been completed tonight, you
would be wearing my collar. I would be your Dom. Your husband. But you are not
wearing my collar. Therefore, the tradition of calling me Dom or Sir does not
fit our situation. My name is John Garrett Dawson. In the world, I am known as
John but my family and very close friends all call me Garrett. I would like you
to call me Garrett.”

Focusing on the crystals in the skirt of her dress, Zara
gives the slightest nod.

“Little One, I would like you to look at me. You have
beautiful eyes and I would like to spend some time looking in them. Please.”

Wide-eyed, Zara looks in his eyes. Tilting his head, he
watches her eyes move from his eyes to his lips. Zara blushes again as she sees
his knowing smile spread wider across his face. Not wanting to disappoint him,
she locks onto his stare.

“That is so much better. We need to–”

A loud bell interrupts his sentence and startles Zara. Looking
around, it hits her again that she is in an airplane. Once more, panic hits and
Zara white knuckles the arms of her seat.

Garrett unbuckles his seatbelt and moves to the seat next to
her, speaking softly. “That is the all clear sound from the pilot. No need to
worry. It notifies us that we are able to move around the plane.”

Lifting his hand to cover hers, he gently works to loosen
her grip on the arms of the seat. “Zara, I need for you to trust me. I take
your safety very seriously and I would not put you in any danger. I have flown
hundreds of times and have never had one problem. Please, trust me.”

He releases her hand to unbuckle her seatbelt. Standing, he
extends his hand and waits for Zara to accept it. Hesitantly, she slides her
hand into his and allows him to assist her up. Trembling, she cautiously steps to
the back of the plane.

He opens the door to reveal a full-sized bedroom. Walking
through the threshold, he gently tugs Zara inside. The trembling becomes
full-body shaking. With eyes the size of saucers, Zara stares at the bed.

“Zara, take a deep breath,” he says with a firmness that she
had not yet experienced. “Do. It. Now.”

Looking at the ground directly in front of her, Zara takes a
deep breath. The command re-centers her, bringing back all the years of
training. Two more deep breaths and Zara feels a calm settle inside.

“Yes, breathe, Little One. No need to worry, this is not our
time,” he says in a much softer tone.

Taking Zara’s other hand into his, he watches as she again
attempts a deep breath. With her hands squeezed lightly, Zara looks up to find
warmth in his eyes.

A small smile crosses his face as his eyes slowly travel the
length of her body. Casually, his eyes rejoin hers and Zara feels a new type of
heat come up from her belly to spread over her entire body. A tremble reveals
the calm she felt a moment ago has been replaced with an entirely different
nervousness.

“Although you look lovely, I would like for you to get out of
this dress,” he states while maintaining the hold on both of Zara’s hands as
she tries to pull away.

“Through that door is a bathroom with a shower. I am sorry
there is no bathtub. I would very much like for you to take a relaxing shower. You
will find an outfit has been placed in the bottom drawer of the cabinet for
you. I will be out on the couch if you need anything. If you wish to lie down following
your shower, please do so. I will wake you before we land so that I can get you
safely buckled. If you would rather come back out and talk, that is fine too.”

As he finishes speaking, he releases her hands and walks toward
the door. He begins to close the door and pauses.

“I am very glad you decided to come with me tonight.”

Then he shuts the door… leaving her alone. Zara sits on one
of the two chairs facing the bed, her mind racing.

What have I done? What is going to happen to me?

She touches her neck.

No collar.

Her entire life had been in preparation for this night. There
was never a question as to what her life would hold. Zara was to be a collared
married woman tonight.

As her hands return to her lap, she contemplates how her
father intended to hand her over to the Dom whom he and the King Council had
selected to be her mate. Zara’s responsibility, her only expected contribution,
was to produce the next line to ensure the continuation of the community. Every
hour of preparation, all the years of training, now seemed useless.

Once again, uncertainty and self-doubt find their way into Zara’s
thoughts. Questions begin bouncing around inside her head.

Why didn’t he want to complete the Ceremony and become my Dom? Why
is he taking me to college? Where will I live? Will I be able to do this?

Tears gather in her eyes for the second time tonight.

A knock on the door brings Zara back. Unable to push
anything out of her mouth that resembled words, she sits in silence staring at
the door.

“Zara?”

Opening the door, Garrett finds Zara sitting in the chair
looking at him. He takes two steps and kneels in front of her. The brilliant
smile falters as he stares at her and sees a tear escape from each eye. Ashamed,
she lowers her gaze but she feels his thumbs brush her eyelashes as he wipes
them away. Sliding his hands on top of hers and gently forcing them apart, he
moves his thumbs slowly over the tops of hers.

“Little One, I know there is a lot going on inside your
brain right now. I am confident you have questions about your future, and I want
to help you by answering anything I can. We will discuss everything, but first
I want you out of your pretty dress. I want you to shower and change into some
comfortable clothes.”

The motion over Zara’s skin soothes her in a way that disrupts
her balance. She starts to pull her hands from his but he tightens his hold.

“No, Little One, don’t pull away. Allow me to comfort you. Allow
me to show you that everything will work out.”

“Thank you.” Zara finds her voice.

With a quick nod, Garrett stands in front of her and takes a
step back. “You have twenty minutes to shower and join me on the couch.”

Standing, Zara finds her balance and walks to the bathroom without
hesitation in her stride.

Wow!

An overwhelming smell of roses conjoins with the beauty of
the room and accosts Zara’s senses. Standing just inside the doorway, she takes
a moment to admire it. Behind the curve of glass doors, she sees shelves have
been stocked with products. A glass sink with a cabinet below is right next to
the shower. A small table with several small drawers stands to the right of the
sink and hosts a glass vase brimming with elegant white roses.

Remembering her instructions, Zara begins unbuttoning each
of the little buttons along the side of her dress. Taking a deep breath, she
bends over in relief when the last button is undone. Her fingers brush over the
area that has just been freed and feel indentions in her skin. Fighting the
layers of the skirt, Zara slowly lifts it over her head and carefully hangs it by
its hidden loops on the inside of the bodice.

Closing her eyes, Zara bunches up her toes in relief after
removing her shoes. She slowly slides her bra off and works her panties down
her legs. Naked, she reaches into the shower and turns it on to warm up. Closing
the door, she steps in front of the mirror above the sink.

She quickly removes the hairpins that have held her hair in
place since early afternoon. Zara runs her fingers through the heavily sprayed
hair to do a final check for hairpins. She pauses to take in the moment. As her
hair cascades down her back, her eyes rest on her bare neck.

No collar.

Remembering the time limit for her use of the bathroom, she
opens the shower door and steps inside. The spray of warm water on her skin sends
the tension gripping Zara’s shoulders down the drain with the water.

Once Zara’s hair becomes saturated, she reaches for the
products on the shelf. With surprised delight, she reaches for the same brand
of shampoo she uses at home. Her smile wilts as she remembers that was her parents’
home and no longer a place for her to call home.

Closing her eyes, Zara begins lathering shampoo into her
hair. Rinsing the suds from her hair, she grabs the conditioner, shaking her
head in wonder at the fact that both the shampoo and conditioner are the same
brands she favors. The smell of peppermint and roses engulfs her as she rinses
the conditioner out of her hair and soaps her body. With a final quick rinse,
Zara turns off the shower and wraps herself in a warm, fluffy towel.

Stepping to the table of roses she opens a drawer and finds
a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss. In the next drawer, Zara finds a
comb designed for long wet hair. Beside the comb, she finds the leave-in
conditioner her mother always instructed her to use.

Curiously, she picks up the toothbrush and toothpaste. Like
the Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap, both are brands she uses. She lays them on
the edge of the sink. Bending to open the bottom drawer, she covers her mouth
to silence the gasp. Zara pulls out her favorite pink fleece pullover and her
old black yoga pants. Squeezing her eyes tight, she hugs them to her
towel-covered chest.

After a couple deep breaths, Zara reaches for the other
items in the cabinet. She discovers her pink bra and matching panties, her warm
fuzzy socks and her old pink running shoes. Excitement courses through her as
she dresses.

Finishing with the toothbrush, Zara places it into a travel
holder also found in the drawer and returns it and the toothpaste to the first
drawer. With a last hug of appreciation of being dressed in her own clothes,
Zara neatly hangs the wet towel, grabs her comb and leave-in conditioner and
heads back to the bedroom.