A/N: hello readers! this is kind of an early update for this story, but i want to update you all on where I'm at with writing it. so, currently, I have finished 18 chapters. I'm still editing and revising which is why my updates are spaced out. but there are going to be at least 6 more chapters after this one. there may also be a little bonus chapter set a little farther in the future. but there is more to come with this story.

please help a writer out and leave a review of the story thus far. this helps me gage the story and what yall want to read from me. if you leave suggestions, they might even be included in later chapters ;)

alright, sorry about the long update. enjoy this chapter

*RATED M FOR MATURE. YOUVE BEEN WARNED*

15 minutes later, I stand in the foyer of the palace with Maxon and the rest of my family waiting for Mom to show up. She is running behind, which is beyond irritating. I told her to be ready early, but, here we are, just about late for our flight back to her house. I sigh, and lean into Maxon's arm. He kisses my head in a very poor effort to calm my building frustration.

"I swear, we should just leave without her…" I grumble to his arm.

He laughs and kisses my head again. I look up at him, he kisses my forehead as I begin to speak openly about my frustration, "I'm not joking, Maxon. I told her yesterday to make sure that she had all of her stuff ready. I reminded her this morning when she asked me what to wear that she needed to have the majority of her stuff packed because the plane waits for no one. I told everyone after breakfast to just do the finishing touches on packing because all luggage is being sent to her new house. I did everything in my power, but yet she is still late. We should leave without her."

"Darling, relax. She is only…" he checks his wrist watch, " a minute late."

"To be early is to be on time, Maxon…" I mutter.

He laughs again, "You're too cute."

"Don't even push it. I'm not in the mood for this right now." I huff which makes him laugh, again.

"Look," He points out to my mother who is dragging two suitcases and 3 smaller bags along with her, "There she is. No need to worry anymore."

"Sorry I'm late!" She calls to me from across the way.

"Maxon, my love, can go help her with her 14 billion bags so we can get going?" I ask him sweetly.

He nods and kisses my head, "Anything for you."

"Thank you…"

I watched him go off to her and sigh in relief that now she is at least here. I turned to the rest of my family who was waiting patiently for our Mother. Aspen, Officer Ryan, Mary, and Lucy are also tagging along to help out with packing and protection.

"Mary, Lucy, can you lead Kota, James, Kenna, and Astra to their places on the plane?"

They curtsy and nod, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The two of them begin to usher my family out. When they are not even two feet out the door, I hear Kota just about loses his sense of calm when he overhears Mary tell Lucy where they are actually sitting (towards the back of the plane). I sigh, hoping to catch a break from them soon. May and Gerad walk over to me, unintentionally adding onto the stress of today.

"What's up, Kiddos?" I ask whichever of the two will respond.

"Nothing, just waiting for you and Maxon." May shrugs.

Just as she finishes her sentence, Maxon comes up to me, "I set all of her bags down over there with the others."

"Thank you." I kiss his cheek.

"Are we all ready to go?"

I nod. "The rest of the Singers, Officer Leger, and Officer Ryan, we are ready to board. I will give you your seats when you board. Sounds good?"

They all nod. Officer Ryan leads the way for us. I grab onto Maxon's arm because I know that the press will be there. May grabs my other hand, I can feel her excitement as she tugs on me unintentionally. Gerad walks with my mom behind us. Aspen follows closely behind them.

As we exit the palace, I realize that I was 100% correct. Just outside of the doors to the foyer of the palace is completely flooded with the press, trying to take pictures of the royal family in any capacity. My smile begins to hurt my cheeks as we leave. Maxon waves to them for the both of us. May is very excited that she is on camera. She is waving to every camera man/woman and I can't help but smile a little wider thinking about how she loves it so much. We walk for about 5 minutes to get to the plane. Maxon let's May and I on first. My mom follows in with Gerad. Then he boards with the Aspen following behind closely.

I usher everyone in around me, except for Maxon since he doesn't need to be assigned a seat. May takes a seat by the window in front of Kota. Gerad plops down next to May, which is where I was going to put him. My mom sits next to Kota because of the empty space. They are all spot on with their seating.

"Is everyone here, situated?" They all nod to me. "Alright. Maxon and I will be in the front with this door closed. If you need it, the bathrooms are behind you through that little hallway. We may pop back to use the bathrooms, but we might not because we have our own. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask Lucy, who will be back here with you, along with Officer Leger."

Aspen stands in the doorway to their area of the plane. He nods his head as I finally leave. Mary follows me out and Aspen closes the door to the private seats for the King and Queen. I basically collapse into the cozy, first class style, chairs. I take off the tiara and set it on the coffee table with the raised edge, next to his crown. Maxon sits across from me, thoroughly amused at my exhaustion from dealing with my chaotic family. He must never have to deal with this since he's an only child. He looks like he is going to say something snarky, so I figure I stop him while he's ahead.

"Don't even…" I warn.

"I didn't say anything at all, my Dear."

"Maxon..."

He laughs, "I'm just joking, Darling. I know how you feel about that name, don't worry. Come here, you need a Maxon hug."

I got up from my seat to join him because he's right. I do need a Maxon hug. I sit on his lap sideways, mainly to remain modest. My arms wrap securely around his neck as he folds his arms around my midsection. I snuggle into his neck, breathing in his faint cologne.

"I know it's stressful, but you handle it so well." He whispers into my ear, kissing the top of it with a feather like kiss.

I don't know what triggers my reaction, maybe hormones that are following up from the wedding or maybe because the King of Illea, my husband, complimented me on how I handle stress. I'm not sure, but, for whatever reason, I start crying. He notices instantly, "Oh no, don't cry. Please don't cry, Darling. I'm still not confident with my abilities when it comes to crying women..."

He isn't joking, but still I manage a tense and stiff laugh, "I know. I'm sorry. I just… It's just… Kota pisses me off and my mother isn't timely when she needs to be. I'm a little stressed out right now with my family and you and being this great queen for our country and the party and I... I just… I just want everything to be calm for a minute. You know?"

"Sweetheart, we both know the royal life isn't calm. That's why I gave you time, remember? That's why I'm not throwing everything on you. I know it's stressful and I know it can be hard. It's going to be especially rough the first year or so because the press needs to make sure we can produce an heir to the throne."

"I know. We will be fine in the heir-production department if my family just leaves me alone for a moment. That way it can be you and me, and only you and me…" I tell him, half joking.

His laugh belows throughout our private cabin. I pull away from him and wipe my eyes to make sure my mascara isn't trailing down my cheeks and then onto his shirt. I gaze into his eyes. I notice how the brown swirls into a golden honey color with ease. It's mesmerizing and I love it. I love him.

I kiss his nose and return back to my seat. Just as I was doing that, the ding for seat belts came on and I knew to sit down and buckle up because take off was going to be rather rough. Our captain, Captain Jack Dare, came in to give Maxon and I a run-down of how the flight will work and safety precautions even though we both have flown before.

He bows when he enters, "Your Majesties, I am Captain Jack Dare, and it is an honor to have you both on my plane today. So, we will taxi around the runway for about 15 to 20 minutes. This will allow us to get into position for take off and give every aboard a moment to prepare for take off. Then, we will begin the process to take off and get up into the air safely. I will make an announcement when we reach our cruising altitude for the duration of the flight. Once that happens, you will be free to roam around the cabin until you hear the ding of the seatbelt light come on. This could come on for turbulence or storms or when we arrive in Carolina. If something were to happen, oxygen masks will drop from above you and there are orange life preservers underneath it. Slip the life preserver over your head and take the black strap and click it in. Pull on the extra string to tighten that. The oxygen mask just slips over your nose and mouth. Pull the white stap over your head to secure it, and you should be all set for that. If you have any questions at all, please let me know, and I'll be happy to answer."

"I think we'll be alright. Thank you Captain Dare." I tell him.

He bows, "It was my pleasure."

He then goes through the door to where my family sits and closes it behind him. I assume he is giving them the same speech he gave us. Maxon looks around for a moment. He, then, relaxes into the back of his chair. I've never seen him sit so casually before.

"Are you all good, Maxon?" I ask since he seemed concerned for a moment before he just untensed his body.

"I was wondering why my wife was sitting across from me instead of in the lovely and comfortable chair right next to me."

I sigh, a small chuckle coming from my lips. I unbuckle and go to sit next to him. I see why he wanted me over here with him the second I sat down. It's because the arm shifts up and we can use it like a couch, just like in the movie theater.

"Much better…" He sighs.

I laugh, laying down and facing up with my head on his lap. I look up at him and he looks down at me. I can't help but smile at his sweet face. His fingers absentmindedly run through the red locks that are spewed across him and his seat.

"You are adorable, my America."

"As are you, my Maxon" I giggle a little when I finish speaking.

"I wish I could see you like this more often." He whispers mostly to himself, but I hear it anyway.

I bite my lip nervously, heat filling my cheeks slightly. It makes him smirk at the realization that I overhear his out-loud thought, "This fun America is much better than the crying America I saw not even 35 minutes ago."

"This America only comes out when my mother isn't around to see how 'improper I'm behaving in front of the King.'"

He laughs again. I choose to remain laying on Maxon for the duration of the time it takes Captain Dare to speak to my family and the guards and maids on the flight. He makes his way back through to the cabin, and I sit up hastily. He notices my shifting without issues.

"Please leave your seat belts on at this time, Your Majesties."

"Of course. Thank you." Maxon says.

I buckle up and then leave my head on Maxon's shoulder. I don't know how, but I start to drift off into comfortable sleep as the plane takes off and leaves Angeles for Carolina.

Maxon must have adjusted me while I napped on his shoulder. When I woke up, I was facing outward from the seats without my seatbelt on, and his strong arms were wrapped securely around me. I nuzzle into him more. A sigh of contentment escapes my lips, and startles Maxon awake.

"What is it? What's wrong? Are you alright?" His head pops up from the seat to peer over me.

"I'm okay. I was just getting comfortable, again. Sorry."

"Oh," he yawns and lays back down on our little couch, "You knocked out hard."

"I guess you did, too, if you're sleeping like that." I chuckle

He chuckles along too, "I guess I did, yea."

I sit up, which he follows my actions. "Did you rest well, my Queen?"

I yawn and stretch, "I did. It was very comfortable. Thank you for being comfortable to sleep on."

"Anything for you, America."

"Mary!" I called out.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" She curtsies to the side of our little area.

"How much longer is it until we arrive in Carolina?"

"Maybe another 2 hours or so, Your Majesty. We've been flying for 3 hours."

"Alright, thank you."

She curtsies once again, and leaves us alone. I snuggle into Maxon's arm and shoulder, much like I did before I fell asleep. He wraps his arm around my shoulder, his other arm meeting in front of me to hug my body close to him. I feel his lips kiss my head without much pressure. It makes me move closer to him. My arms hug around his torso, my grip on his shirt and body tightening around him.

"I have an idea that might make the next hour or so pass by…" He suggested against my head. I almost didn't hear him because of how quietly he said it.

I pop my head up to look at him, "What was that?"

"I think I might have an idea that might make the next hour or so pass by, if you're interested…"

"What will this idea entail…?"

"You, me, and the bathroom over that way. Oh, and you would be leaving behind some clothing." He winks at me.

"You mean…" I gulp, "In the bathroom on a flight with my family on it."

"I know what you're thinking, trust me, I do. Those bathrooms are mostly soundproof. As long as you don't scream too loudly, we should be fine. If worse comes to worst, I'll leave first and take care of it before you even have to show your face in this cabin."

I contemplate what he suggests. It would be nice to relax before being in Carolina. But Mary is out here with Officer Ryan, and I don't care what he says. There is no way I'd be able to contain my moans of overwhelming pleasure when he-

"So?"

The risk is much lower than the reward, that's for sure. I hold out my hand to accept his offer. His eyes grow to the size of saucers as he grabs it eagerly.

"Ah ah, but, you come out here to make sure that there are no weird looks my way before I leave that bathroom. Understand?"

He nods. I allow him to pull me up and then drag me into the bathroom. We get weird looks from Mary and Officer Ryan, but they go back to talking as soon as we pass by. He opens the door for me. I allow myself to slip in, already trying to find the light switch so we can get started. I'm still searching for the stupid switch on the wall when he comes in and pulls the door closed and locking it. I squeal when I'm left in the dark. Maxon found it before I did.

"Are you alright?" The concern surrounds his voice like a comforting blanket.

I nod, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… not the biggest fan of the dark and not knowing where I am."

He chuckles. "Relax, America. You're with me, everything is alright."

I take a few deep breaths, nodding along to what he is saying. His arms envelope me with warmth and feel safe again.

I pull away, "So, how do we wanna do this…?"

"Same way we did in my office." He suggests matter-of-factly. I guess he expected this to be common knowledge between us.

I throw my hands up in surrender. "Alright."

He pulls his pants and underwear down. He is already hard. He sits on the closed lid of the airplane's toilet with his bottom half completely bare. It takes more effort for me to peel off the cardigan, then slide the dress down enough for me to shimmy out of it. I leave my shoes and bralette on, but take off the underwear. I straddle him to the best of my abilities, my arms slung around his shoulders to support myself. I look at his face as he maneuvers himself to my entrance. He looks in my eyes, as if to tell me that it's okay to ease myself down. I sit down slowly onto him. I bite my lip to stop the moan I wish to release. We both make eye contact one more time just as reassurance before I begin to do anything else. I move up and down slowly. Maxon grips his hands hard into my hips. I know I will most likely have bruises along my hips and ass by the end of this. I eventually pick up the pace, still suppressing the sounds that I wish to make. I lean my head on his shoulder, biting into him to stop myself even more. If I didn't, I'm sure I would be screaming out. He attacks my neck, trying anything to get me close because I know he is getting closer. His hands rub around my ass from my hips, trailing back every so often, but mostly gripping and pulling on my butt. I take one of my hands away from him to rub my clit as I keep riding him. The stimulation from me circling my clit to the rhythm of our movements and his large cock are just about to send me over the edge.

"Maxon… oh… Maxon..." I whisper into his ear.

"Fuck, America… God damn it…" He moans softly into my ear.

I bit into his shoulder more. I feel myself tightening around him, the wave is just about there. Then, the wave of ecstasy claims my body, and my body shakes violently through the orgasm. I feel his release inside me. I stop bouncing and allow myself to relax over him. I unclench my jaw from his skin. I kissed his shoulder where my teeth left an indent. I kissed his neck and up his jaw to his ear. I kissed his cheek, back to his lips.

The whole time he is whispering praise into my ear, "America… you are amazing and beautiful. I love you so much. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you so much."

"I love you, too." I kiss his lips one more time.

We only take a second to collectively catch our breaths. Once I do, I peel myself away from him. My red hair sticks to my face and back, where the sweat accumulated from our activities. I begin to find and pull my underwear and dress on. He is already dressed by the time the sleeves of my dress are over my arms.

He kisses me, "I'll go take care of them out there now. You stay in here as long as you need, alright, my love?"

I nod. He exits quickly. I fix my hair, trying to make myself look the same way I did before I came in here with him. I'm not sure what exactly he means by taking care of them now. I guess I don't really care as long as I don't get weird looks when I exit. I slip on my cardigan, even though I'm still relatively warm. I feel almost weak in my legs, and they won't stop shaking. I pop my head out the door and call for Mary. She quickly makes her way over to me.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Do you, uhm, maybe know why, uhm, my legs, might be, uhm, really shaky, right now?"

She giggles for a moment, "Your Majesty, did you just do the dirty with the king?"

I sigh and look at my toes to hide any sort of redness that is appearing on my face. I look back up at her and nod, "Yes… that's why I'm concerned. This," I reference down to my legs, "has never happened before."

"Your Majesty, this is what I call after-shock."

"Which is…?"

"Mind my language, but it is the release of tension after you, uhm, climax, Your Majesty."

My cheeks flush instantly. I nod, "Very well then. Thank you, Mary."

"Anytime, Your Majesty." She curtsies and leaves.

I close the door and collapse against it. I can't hope that in a few minutes this after shock will go away. I will not sit in here until it does, either. I am going to have to make it work. I make any final adjustments to my appearance before I decide I am ready to leave.

I take my final moment and push the door open. As I step out, I pray that no one can tell I feel as if my legs are going to give out from under me. I go about my walk, trying not to seem guilty of anything. My confidence boosts up. Confidence in what? I have no clue, but I am living off of this energy as I go to sit down next to Maxon. Officer Ryan doesn't look my way. I don't catch Mary's glances to check on me, but I do feel them. I ignore it for now. I guess I put up this secure wall of sorts for nothing. I sigh as I take a seat next to Maxon. My legs start to quiver and I have to cross them tightly to keep them from shaking off of my body. I hope Maxon doesn't notice the effect he can have on me from that amazing orgasm.

"I have to say I'm rather impressed."

"Why is that?" I question.

"You seem to get embarrassed by more… risky things. Like when we got caught after I told you I was going to propose."

"Well that was a matter of people assuming we were breaking the law by having sex before we were married."

"Ah… I see." He drops it and looks around the cabin for a moment. His attention is drawn back to me, but more importantly, to my body that is being tensed in every way, shape, and form possible to stop my legs jittering around, "Are you okay, Darling?"

"Yea… I, uhm, I just… I'm… shaky, for some reason…" I uncross my legs and let them flail about in front of me. Maxon watches as my legs tremble and he can't see to connect the dots, so I help him out. "Don't worry, uhm it's, uhm, normal… it's, uhm, during sex… specifically during that amazing, mind-blowing, and very much-needed orgasm that you gave me… uhm, tension builds… and after that euphoric orgasm… the tension releases, uhm, elsewhere… and, uhm, for some women, and I guess, myself included… it can be in the form of, uhm, quivers…"

His eyes narrow down at me as I talk, but soon he raises his eyebrows to widen his expression. "So I did that to you?"

I nod, but immediately regret it when he hoops and hollers about his achievement over his wife. The overly familiar emotion of embarrassment floods my system. I duck my head, wishing to vanish.

"Please stop it. Oh my God, please stop. Please stop. Just stop cheering. Please stop cheering. Oh my God, please stop." I plead to myself. But I know he won't until the jittering in my legs stop. I don't foresee a time when they will.

He kisses my head. I turn to look at him with the smallest amount of fury in my eyes, "I'm glad you take pride in making me shake like I'm having a seizure and effectively alerting the whole entire plane about it, too."

"I'm sorry. I just didn't know that something like that could happen because of me."

"Calm your ego. It only requires an orgasm. It doesn't have to be because of you. I could have done this to myself."

"Don't bruise my ego!"

"Don't take pride in my bodily functions!"

"Fine…" He groans.

I kiss his cheek, "Good. I love you."

"I love you, too." He kisses me back.

"On the bright side, we only have another hour or so until we land…"

"Cuddle?"

I nod. We put the armrest back up on the chair. He lays down first and I follow suit. His arm wraps firmly around my waist. I layer my hand over his and nuzzle myself into him more. I tuck my head under his chin, and feel him plant a kiss on my head. I start to drift off. My eyelids start to feel heavy. I noticed that my legs are finally relaxed after our fun. I can tell my breathing is slowing and I know that I'm definitely going to pass out for the rest of the flight.

"Sweet dreams, America. I love you." he whispers into my hair as sleep takes me.