by Marie York
My heart raced as the phone rang.
Then it immediately sunk as the voice on the other end wasn’t the silky, smooth hum I expected, but a recording informing me the number had been disconnected.
I tossed my phone on the counter, and went to throw the piece of paper away, but then thought better of it.
With a half-hearted smile I folded it once, and stashed it inside my wallet, as a reminder of the man that went from fantasy to reality and back to fantasy in a matter of a single night.
Chapter 9
Present Day
I hated to fly, but considering my best friend was getting married, I pushed the fear aside and boarded a plane for Grand Rapids, Michigan. It had been two years since Dee moved to Lansing and only my second time going to see her and Cole.
Thankfully for technology, we could still have our Sunday movie nights, but it just wasn’t the same. I couldn’t wait to be in the same state with her again. It had been far too long.
The flight attendant and pilot offered me a smile as I stepped onto the plane. I took a minute to evaluate the pilot. He had a wedding ring on and didn’t look depressed or stressed out. That was a good sign and gave me a little peace of mind as I took my seat.
My palms clammed up as soon as I snapped my seatbelt into place. I tugged on the excess material, making it as tight as possible, fully aware that if the plane went down, the seatbelt would do nothing to help.
A guy stopped at my row and nodded to the seat beside me. I was already strapped in, but unbuckled to let him through. As soon as he was situated, I yanked my seatbelt back on.
Fear clogged my throat, and I tried to swallow the lump, but it only made it bigger. It was only an hour and a half flight—I ran on the treadmill longer than that. It was three episodes of Sex and the City, not even close to a marathon.
The plane started to move, and I gripped my seat. I focused on the flight attendant who was giving a rundown of safety procedures. She looked calm. If she wasn’t worried then I shouldn’t be worried, but I had no control over it. When she held the oxygen mask to her face and slid it on with a smile, I was convinced she was a freaking lunatic and looked away.
I closed my eyes and tried to think of something less terrifying. Puppies and rainbows and… sex. Nope, that wasn’t helping because it only made me realize I had stumbled into a dry spell and it’d been ages since I had an orgasm.
There was no way this plane was going down. Not while I was in the middle of my biggest dry spell ever. I took a deep breath and pushed myself into the softness of the chair. I was fine for about three minutes then the speed increased, the plane shot up and my heart slammed against my chest.
I tried to breathe but couldn’t get air in my lungs. I was having a heart attack. This was it, the way I was going to go out. Death by fear of flying. I forced air down my throat. I wasn’t going out like this. I wasn’t going to die on a plane that was perfectly safe. I closed my eyes, and reminded myself over and over again that in an hour and a half I would be back on the ground.
The plane jolted and any calm the sane side of my brain was trying to bring me was lost. I couldn’t do this. At least not alone. I needed something or someone to ground me.
“Would you mind?” I pointed to the hand of the guy beside me. He was pretty attractive even if I wasn’t a fan of the man bun, but his hand was big and strong looking, and I just needed something to squeeze to keep my mind off my thrashing heart before I convinced myself it would break through the layers of muscle, bone and skin.
He was all too quick to accept my offer, but I didn’t care, I slid my small hand into his and held on for dear life. The horny sex-depraved girl inside of me hoped there would be some sort of instant spark when our skin made contact like there always was in the movies. We’d go in the bathroom and spend the rest of the flight joining the mile-high club. Unfortunately, I felt nothing.
“I take it you don’t fly much,” he said, but all I could manage was a curt shake of the head. “You get used to it. I was never a fan, but now I’m on a plane more than in a car. It’s really not that bad. Besides, flying is safer.”
“Yes, but at least in a car I’m on the ground and not dangling thirty-thousand feet in the air,” I said finally able to get words past the bulging lump in my throat.
He laughed and rubbed at the light brown stubble on his chin. “Where you heading to?” he asked, and I had a feeling he was trying to distract me, for which I was eternally grateful, but doubtful it would work.
“Same as you, I assume. Michigan.”
“What’s in Michigan?”
“My best friend. She’s getting married and I’m the maid of honor.”
We leveled out and the seatbelt light blinked off. I released my grip from the poor guy’s hand and relaxed into my seat.
The blonde flight attendant made her way down the aisle and I watched her like a hawk. She seemed calm and collected and it helped slightly, but what I really wanted was for her to hurry up with the alcohol cart.
She finally made it to our row and offered a kind smile. “Can I get you a drink?”
I didn’t hesitate. “A glass of white wine would be fabulous.”
“Absolutely and you, sir?” she asked my man bun seatmate.
“I’ll have what she’s having.” A man who drinks white wine. Interesting. Most guys I knew drank beer or hard liquor like Jack Daniel’s. Jaxon Reed popped into my mind like he had done many times in the last two years. It was impossible to think of the amber liquid without remembering that night together.
My inner thighs trembled at the thought, heat filled my body and I happily took my wine from the flight attendant. I didn’t hesitate, taking a large sip.
“Not a fan of flying?” she asked.
Two seconds ago, I would have absolutely agreed, but the minute Jaxon popped into my mind, I’d completely forgotten about my fear. The alcohol now was to forget about the mysterious man who never felt the need to reach out to me since he gave me the best sex of my life.
Once the flight attendant moved to the next row, I continued the conversation with man bun, if anything to forget Jaxon Reed.
“What about you? Business or pleasure?” I took a sip of wine, letting the coolness soothe my throat.
“I wish I could say pleasure, but sadly business.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m in advertising.”
“Really. My degree is in marketing, but trying to find a job is almost impossible. Most places want two-years-experience, but how am I supposed to get experience if I can’t get a job.”
The plane bounced a little, and I downed the rest of my wine in one sip.
“You look like you need this more than me.” He handed me his still full cup.
“You don’t drink wine, do you?”
He smiled and it was…charming. “No. I figured you might need another.”
“That was sweet of you. Thank you.”
“No problem. So how long ago did you graduate?”
I instantly felt like the biggest failure on the planet. “Two years ago. I had an internship that I thought could turn into something, but after a summer of getting people their coffee and making copies, it went nowhere.”
Our conversation stayed on the current job market, and before I knew it, we had safely landed. My heart had stopped pounding out of control twenty minutes into the flight, and I had completely forgotten about the fear clawing up my throat.
“Thank you… I’m sorry I didn’t get your name.”
“Max.”
I smiled. “I’m Lyla.”
“Well, Lyla, it has been an absolute pleasure.”
We got off the flight and went our separate ways. I scanned the crowds of people looking for Dee’s beautiful black hair or for Cole’s thick-framed glasses.
My heart skipped a beat when my eyes landed on the last person I ever thought I’d see again.
I almost pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming about Jaxon Reed like
I had so many times since our night together. Maybe that second glass of wine wasn’t a good idea.
Unable to believe my eyes, I blinked. When they popped back open, expecting him to be gone, his hot, intense gaze found mine, and I was staring back at my one and only one-night stand.
Chapter 10
It had been two very long years since I’d seen that beautiful face, and whether it was time or longing, he somehow looked even better. Delicious visions of our night together assaulted my mind. His lips burning hot, violent trails up my neck. His strong hand on my stomach, pushing me into the mattress while he brought me to the edge. The way we stared into each other’s eyes as he drove us both over that edge.
His eyes were just as dark as I remembered, but his features were more chiseled and defined. The gorgeous hair I yanked on when he gave me the best orgasm of my life looked like it had been just recently trimmed. My fingers twitched desperately wanting to run through the soft strands again.
And that orgasm. That mind-numbing, body tingling, out of this world orgasm that I had never experienced before, and not again since, was the reason for my current dry spell. It was like getting a taste of the most delicious food and being told you would never taste it again. The cravings were insatiable. The desire to seek it out was always there.
Heat ravaged my body just thinking about that night. Now with him mere feet away—the being I’d been craving for so long—it took all I had not to run up to him, grab him by his gorgeous face and push him up against the nearest wall.
He made his way toward me and my heart thrashed against my chest like it was anticipating take-off again. Everything around me blurred except for the man that I couldn’t take my eyes off of.
Max appeared in front of me with a sheepish smile and blocked my view. “When you get back from Michigan give me a call.” He handed me his business card, and I went to talk, but my vocal cords were still frozen in shock by the man getting closer. I took the card and smiled.
I was about to say I would call when Jaxon’s strong hand snaked around my waist, sending a scorching surge of heat straight to my core. He pulled me tight against his hard body and every delicious memory exploded in my mind, turning me into a ravenous beast that craved more.
“Baby, I’ve missed you so much.” His lips, so dangerously close I could almost taste them, and then I did. He crushed his mouth to mine, spreading the ripples of heat through my entire body.
My duffle fell from my arm as I lost myself to the unyielding passion.
His tongue swiped at my crease. The pure pleasure overrode any confusion and I parted my lips, needing the slick feel of his tongue against mine. I met him thrust for thrust, absorbing every toe-curling caress. It wasn’t enough. It never was when it came to Jaxon Reed, my sexual fantasy come to life.
I lost my fingers in his hair and yanked on the soft strands just as I wanted to do only seconds before. A moan sounded in his throat and he quickly pulled away, leaving me desperate for more and suddenly aware that we were very much in public.
“Jax.” Jaxon held his hand out to Max and realization settled in. If Jaxon was a dog, he’d be trying to hump Max right now to show his dominance. Unbelievable. I hadn’t heard from the guy since that night and now here he was acting like he had a claim on me.
Poor Max shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. On the plane Max looked like a big strong guy, but now standing here his height and width was completely overpowered by Jaxon’s.
“Max,” he managed and held his hand out. He pointed to the card in my hand. “We’re in the same line of business. Thought, I’d give her my card.”
“How kind.” Jaxon rested his arm on my shoulder and I ignored the shudder that simple movement caused. I gave him a hard nudge to his side, but his hold on me didn’t waiver.
“I really appreciate it,” I said to Max. “I’ll definitely be in touch.”
“Well, Max,” Jaxon said. “It was nice meeting you, but if you’ll excuse us, we have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Do we now?” I asked. Jaxon smirked and kissed the top of my head like we had some sort of inside joke. Which was damn near impossible since he’d been MIA for two freaking years.
“Of course,” Max said. “You’re a lucky guy.”
“I know.”
Oh hell no! He had got to be kidding me.
Before I could say anything else, Max offered a nod and disappeared into the crowd.
Jaxon’s hold on me loosened and I pulled away from his hold on me, spinning toward him . “What was that for?” I demanded.
“To get that dude to fuck off.”
“You used tongue,” I blurted out, remembering every slick caress—wanting to pull his mouth back to mine and run my hands along his body, rediscovering each and every one of his hard ridges. Ugh! No. He had no right to kiss me like that especially while I was talking to another guy. He didn’t have any claim on me, even if I never stopped thinking about him since our night together.
“From what I remember that’s the way you like it.”
My pussy clenched at the memory of how much I did like it. How every stroke had me desperate for more. How it felt as he dragged that sensual mouth across my thigh and back to my clit, sending waves of ecstasy through my entire body.
Jaxon shrugged. “Besides, I had to make it believable. You’re welcome.”
“Maybe I liked that guy.” I didn’t, at least not romantically, there was no spark, and I was sort of glad Jaxon got him to take off, but still… what if I did like him? Jaxon had no right to just come in and totally pussy block me like that.
“You didn’t.”
My hands planted on my hips and I narrowed my eyes. “And how would you know?” He knew nothing about me. Not then and definitely not now.
“Because you were too busy staring at me.”
I bit my lip, trying to hide the sheer embarrassment. I was totally staring at him like an animal in heat, but I was afraid he would vanish. He walked out of my life once and never looked back. I was scared if I looked away, he would do it again. Now he was here in front of me, I had questions and I didn’t need him disappearing before I got answers.
I just had no idea how to ask him why he didn’t care to see me after all this time. Then again, he was here now, and what we shared was a one-night stand, so really, I had no right to ask any questions. Except one.
“Where’s Dee or Cole?” I asked. “They told me they were going to pick me up.”
“They had a few last-minute errands to run, so I volunteered.”
“That was very generous of you.”
“They’ve been busy. I figured it was one less thing they had to worry about.”
His words hit me like a swift punch to the gut. I secretly hoped his reason was fueled a little more by his personal desire to see me, especially after that kiss. I guess our tryst was more memorable to me than it was to him and that kiss was him just being a dick.
“Here, let me get that for you.” He reached for my duffle bag and I glared at his hand.
“We can stand here wasting time while you give me bitch face or you can just give me the damn bag. You know you want to.”
“And how do you know that? Maybe I like carrying my own bag.”
“For one it’s causing your entire body to shift from the weight.”
Fine, for a carry-on it weighed a ton. Only half a pound shy of the maximum capacity.
Without argument, I handed it off. Our fingers touched, turning my already ignited desire into a blazing inferno. I swallowed down my urges and ignored my treacherous body. There were more important things to focus on. I had questions. Starting with where the hell had he been for the last two years. After our night together, I panicked and left, but when I finally realized I wanted more, that I wanted him, he was gone. He took off without even a goodbye, instead leaving me with the keys to his apartment.
Who did that? Yes, I wanted more, yes, we had amazing sex, but we still didn’t know each other all t
hat well. We were essentially strangers who worked on a few projects together and happened to have shared the most intimate parts of ourselves physically. The fact that he left me his keys, saving my ass, still boggled my mind, no matter how grateful I was.
A part of me hoped he’d come back. He had left but he also knew where he could find me. So many restless nights spent thinking about what I would do if he’d ever showed up on the doorstep. Opening the door to that dark intense gaze and that sinister smirk… the thoughts usually turned X-rated pretty quickly.
Even Cole, his best friend, had no idea where he had been. Or if he had, he never told me. Not that’d I asked him. I’d just brought Jaxon up every few months to Dee to see if she had heard anything.
I think about the phone call I made after finding his note to me, and the heart-shattering feeling when it only rang once before I was told the number was disconnected.
“Is this everything?” he asked, bringing me out of the past and back to the present.
“No, I checked a bag too.”
“Women,” he muttered before stalking toward baggage claim.
I laughed as a rush of nostalgia slammed into me.
His dark eyebrows turned inward as I tried to keep pace with him. “What’s so damn funny?” he asked.
“That was the Jaxon I remember.”
He came to a stop at the baggage claim, eyes raking over me, leaving a fiery trail of heat everywhere his gaze wandered. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You with your one-word responses. Seriously, all through senior seminar, I didn’t think you knew how to form sentences.” I don’t know why I brought up the past, but it was common ground and for me they were pleasant memories. A time when I counted down the minutes until I got to see him, because just being in a room with him was electrifying.
He shrugged. “Never had much to say. Besides you’d never shut up.”