Take Me Higher
Author's Notes: First off, can we have a moment of silence for Pan Am? It's ridiculous how sad I am now that it's been officially cancelled. I miss it sooo much already. Secondly, this is a continuation of my other story, Cut Straight to the Heart, but it's not necessary to read that first. You could read them as a set of one shots if you'd like as this is basically pure fluff. I apologize for how long-winded this became since there's no real plot, just some of the things we never got to see.
"Coffee, gentlemen?" Their eyes locked, hers twinkling with mischief. Dean tried to hide the smirk that threatened to appear.
"Sure. Thank you Colette," said Ted.
"Thank you," said Sanjeev taking one of the cups from the tray she held out to him.
Colette turned to Dean, "Captain?"
"Uh, I think I'm alright. Thank you," he said amused at this whole situation. This was their first flight together since they had become a couple and all he wanted to do was touch her.
"D'accord." And now she was just teasing him, she knew how he couldn't resist her when she spoke French.
"Let me know if you boys need anything. Unfortunately, I drew the short straw and I'm on cockpit duty today," she said smiling. She turned to leave with Dean's eyes following her out.
All the flirting they had been doing was just the buildup to something incredible, something Dean had never felt before, not even with Bridget. He thought he had been in love with Bridget, enough to make her his wife, but now he wasn't quite sure. What he did know, however, was the fact that when Colette was around all he wanted to do was be with her, so this platonic friendship that they put on for the crew was proving to be difficult to say the least. He wanted everyone to know they were together.
Ted interrupted his thoughts, "You like her, don't you? Well, of course you do. That's been obvious for awhile, but I mean you really like her. A whole lot."
"What?" He was genuinely shocked, maybe the crew already knew about him and Colette. Or at least they had some idea. He didn't think he had been that obvious.
"Come on, you light up like a Christmas tree whenever she's around. Everyone sees it, even Sanjeev. Right, Sanjeev?"
"He's right you know, but falling for another stewardess... I guess I understand though... that accent... that wiggle... and I've heard the French are great in b..."
"Sanjeev! That's enough! That's enough from the both of you actually," he boomed. Sure, Colette was fantastic in bed, but he didn't need Ted and Sanjeev to know that.
The cockpit fell silent, but he could still feel their eyes on him and after a few minutes he couldn't take much more of it.
"I think I'll have some coffee after all," he said, leaving Ted and Sanjeev to pilot the plane.
Colette was at the back of the Clipper Majestic when she felt a pair of strong hands on her hips. In any other case she would have been alarmed, but she had some idea of who it was.
"Captain," she said never turning to face him.
"How did you know?" Dean whispered in her ear. He pulled her close so that her back met his body and he sighed into her hair.
"I know your touch," she answered. His hands were strong, but caring. They made her feel safe.
"Good...I've missed you." Colette smiled to herself at his words, but continued cleaning out the whiskey glass she had in her hand and made no move to turn around. She knew if she did she wouldn't be able to resist him.
"Dean," it was the first time she had called him by his name since boarding, "we've spent the entire week together and you know the trouble we'll be in if someone catches us."
"Come on, you know the girls won't tell, and neither would Ted and Sanjeev. Heck, they already know how much I like you."
"What? Why would they know that?" Colette asked, finally turning around.
Dean grinned, his hands still on her hips, "Don't worry I didn't tell them anything. I guess it's just difficult for me to hide how I feel about you."
He was so sweet to her that sometimes she wasn't quite sure she knew what to do with his affection. She had grown quite accustomed to being cautious and guarded. She sighed, looking into his deep blue eyes.
He smiled tenderly at her as if sensing her hesitation. His hands landed on either side of her face, his thumbs brushing across her rose tinted cheeks. He leaned in slowly for a kiss, stopping a hair's breadth away from touching his lips to hers waiting for the protest that he knew was coming.
"Dean..." she whispered weakly in objection.
"I love the way you say my name."
When nothing more came from Colette, he pushed their lips together the remaining distance. The kiss was tentative at first, but soon escalated into something heated with Dean's tongue seeking entrance to her mouth.
Minutes had passed when Colette finally pulled away, resting her forehead against his. She had to stop things before they went too far, at least with a plane full of passengers. She smiled against his lips at the thought.
"I know what you're going to say and you're right. As always." She laughed at his words. "We can't do this here. As exciting as the idea of making love to you on this plane is, there are just too many people around."
It seemed he had the same idea she did.
"Well I could always join you on one of your pre-flight checks," she purred seductively, her French accent thicker than usual.
Dean was stunned, he stood there mouth agape. Had Colette just propositioned him with sex on the Clipper Majestic? The images that filled his mind at that moment were enough to drive any man wild.
She laughed, taking a hold of his chin and shutting his mouth for him. She tried to push a final kiss onto his lips, but he had lost all train of rational thought and in one swift motion he had her pinned against the galley oven. He deepened the kiss, his mouth wide against hers.
Her own resolve quickly disappeared with the way his hands had found her rear end and was using it as leverage to pull her closer to him. She was weak to his touch, his frantic kisses. She loved feeling needed by him. Her arms quickly wrapped around his neck in an attempt to both hold herself up and bring him even closer. She could feel him hard against her thigh and she had to hold back a whimper at the feeling.
Dean wrenched his mouth away for some much needed air, but it wasn't long before his lips made their way to her long, slender neck. He pushed away the collar of her uniform to start at the base and make his way up.
"I want you, Colette. Right here, right now," he whispered into her ear, his voice low and gravelly with lust.
A strangled moan escaped this time and she hoped no one had heard. She grabbed his head bringing his mouth back to hers. Passengers and crew be damned.
He had undone the first two buttons of her jacket and she was tugging slightly on his perfectly coifed hair when their fervent kisses were interrupted by the click-clack of heels.
Colette heard it first.
"Do you hear that?" she asked against his lips.
"What?" he said, only taking a fraction of a step away from her. His hands made no movement to release her, in fact they seemed to hold her in place.
The curtain to the galley slid open. Dean jumped back, finally dropping his hands from Colette and grabbing a clipboard to hide the obvious tent in his pants. Colette was quick to straighten up her jacket. She stepped away from Dean but had nowhere to go, she was trapped between the oven and the wall.
"Dean."
He coughed, trying to rid his voice of the huskiness before spinning around to face the interruption.
"Kate."
"What are you doing back here?" she asked, but it was only a formality.
She had some idea as to why he was at the back of the plane. There was some sort of gravitational pull over Dean that managed to have him at Colette's side no matter the scenario, be it a Pan Am soiree or on the rare occasion the crew would go out together. It came to be only recently, but it was hard at work. If Kate was correct it started on the way to Paris a few months ago when Colette had said her taxi had gotten a flat and there Dean was to the rescue with his car.
"Oh, I was just getting some coffee," he said smoothing out his ruffled hair.
"One of us girls could have gotten that for you."
"Yes, but I wanted to stretch my legs."
"Oh...alright."
A silence fell over the trio. Kate cleared her throat.
"Umm, well I'll get a fresh pot ready for you, Dean," Colette finally offered.
"Uhh, thank you, I'm just going to use the uh- bathroom. Ladies," he said, handing Colette the clipboard and giving her a look that said, 'that was close'.
He twisted his body in order to keep his back to Kate as he slid into the bathroom located beside the galley.
Kate waited until Dean was fully in and had shut the door before whispering to Colette, "Did I just interrupt something between the two of you?"
Colette busied herself by starting the coffee.
"No, of course not," she tried to laugh at the idea, "why do you ask?"
"Well, for one you are looking a little flushed."
"It is a little warm on the plane today."
"Right...you know you can confide in me, Colette. You'd be surprised to know how well I can keep a secret."
"Kate, I really don't know what you mean," her voice unwavering.
"Ok, I won't bring it up again, but I've seen the way you two look at each other. And there's no doubt in my mind that Dean cares about you and not just as a friend. You're more difficult to read, but I'm positive you care about him as well," she placed a comforting hand on Colette's arm and continued, "and all I'm trying to say is if something is going on I'm happy for you."
She smiled at Colette and gave her arm a slight squeeze before grabbing a bottle of red wine and heading out.
Colette sighed. She had wanted to tell Kate, but her relationship with Dean was so new. What if things didn't work out between them?
"Hey," she was brought out of her thoughts by Dean's voice, "everything ok?"
"Of course," she said putting on a smile, "you?"
"I'm alright, nothing a splash of cold water couldn't fix. Among other things."
She laughed, shaking her head, "I promise I'll make it up to you after dinner in Athens."
"I'm holding you to that," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist, burying his face in her neck.
It seemed like only seconds had passed as they stood there in silence, their bodies pressed together when they hit a patch of turbulence and the plane bounced slightly, jostling them from the moment.
"Alright," Dean sighed, taking Colette's hands in his, "I've got a plane to fly and I've already left Ted and Sanjeev alone for too long as it is."
"Mhmm," she murmured.
"I'll see you in Greece, alright?" He pushed a soft kiss to her temple and before she had a chance to respond he was gone.
She was leaning against the doorway of the galley watching his retreating figure when Kate caught her staring. She was quick to occupy herself with a bald, burly passenger who had been trying to get her attention.
How was she supposed to spend any time with Dean when she was trying to avoid the careful eyes of the other crew members?