by Jacy Braegan
Silence reigns between us for a few moments on the phone. It lasts long enough I pull the headset from my ear to look at the screen to make sure the call hasn’t dropped. Resting the phone back against my ear, mumbling voices away from the phone hit me before his voice teases my senses again. “That would be perfect. Pick me up at my house in fifteen?”
Slipping on my shoes after moving from the bed to my desk, I grab my wallet and keys and shove them into my pocket. I’m already moving out of the door before I answer. “Absolutely. I’m leaving now. See you when I get there.”
“See you then.”
A soft beep tells me he’s hung up, so I slide my phone into my pocket as I unlock the Jeep to hop in. As he comes outside his house to wait on me, I’m pulling up the driveway. He opens the passenger door and tosses a simple black leather bag into the backseat with a laptop bag. Both are small enough to carry on, so it doesn’t look like he’s planning on checking anything in. It’s just a two-night trip, anyway. “Hey there, hot stuff.”
We have the same idea to lean in and kiss over the console, making us laugh at ourselves. I set the Jeep into motion and head towards Will Rogers Airport. It’s the only major airport in the Oklahoma City metro area, so I don’t need directions. Thankfully, we don’t live that far from it, so he has plenty of time to make it through security to his gate. “So, where are you headed?”
He leans back in the seat, looking far more comfortable than he had his first trip in my Jeep. I’m glad he’s getting used to riding in it with me. His head turns to face me with a soft smile on his lips. “Jacksonville, Florida. There’s a big beachwear company there that we’re pitching to. My boss really wants their business, so we’re going to them instead of them coming to us.”
I nod my head in understanding. I may work in development, but I’ve worked with advertising agencies several times, so I’m familiar with how they handle big clients. The agency sending him out of town for the account means they think they have the account, and it will be worth a lot to the agency. Lacing our fingers together as we drive, I lift his hand to my lips to brush a kiss against his fingers. I can’t not touch him when he’s this close. “Well, I wish you lots of success, so you can return faster to me.”
His laughter teases my ears, and I want to cling to his hand and ask him not to go. Yes, it’s irrational, but there’s this fear that if I let go of his hand to let him board that plane, then I’ll never see or hear from him again. Inside me, that fifteen-year-old boy waiting for his best friend still lives. Damn, I did wait forever it seems like, and I know I would continue to wait.
Pulling up to the curb of the drop-off zone, my eyes fall to the shirt of his I’m still wearing that has the Tasmanian devil on the front. He isn’t getting this back. I want to keep it and so I shall. My eyes raise to his as he tugs on my hand. He has a slight frown on his face as he eyes me. “You okay, Aidan?”
Shaking off my fear, my face cracks into a smile. “Yeah, I’m just going to miss you.”
His frown turns upside down as he leans over toward me. “I’m going to miss you, too. It’s just two sleeps and we’ll be together again.”
Any words I might’ve spoken in return disappear as his lips meet mine. The kiss is sweet and filled with longing before he pulls back to grab his stuff. “I’ll text you my arrival time, so you can pick me up. See you Friday, Aidan.”
I nod as he hops out and shuts the door. I don’t give a shit that the person behind me honks a moment later. My attention focuses on watching my man disappear into the airport. A soft sigh escapes my lips as the only words in my head are the plea: please come home to me.
* * *
The entire time Jayson is out of town, I throw myself hardcore into my work. Clay is working his ass off at the restaurant, and the moping around missing Jayson has gotten old faster than hell. When in doubt, work. Falling into old habits and worrying myself to death aren’t options. Depression never really goes away. A person learns to live with it and ways to cope. Work is one of my coping mechanisms.
Friday afternoon finds me waiting at the front of Will Rogers airport with everyone else watching for passengers to arrive. My eyes search the crowds of people heading for baggage claim before they come to rest on that beautiful man of mine. The breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding slips from me in a whoosh. Relief at seeing him floods my senses as excitement takes over the fear that had been plaguing me for days.
Jayson must have felt my eyes on him, or my presence, because his head raises, and he searches for me. The biggest smile I’ve ever seen comes to his face as he rushes toward me. I spread my arms wide to take him in as he moves close. My eyes drift shut as my arms wrap tight around his waist. His empty hand wraps around my neck just as tightly as he buries his face into my skin. We stand there wrapped up around each other for a few moments, reveling in each other’s presence as if he’d left for ages rather than just a mere forty-eight hours.
Jayson pulls back some before leaning up to place a chaste kiss upon my lips. That so isn’t working for me. Pulling him in tighter, my lips press against his fully, giving him a proper welcoming kiss, not giving a damn about any rude glares or words that might come our way. I missed the hell out of my boyfriend, so they can all just shove it. Finally, I let him up for air, and his cheeks flush a rosy pink. His words draw a soft laugh from me. “Miss me that much, did you?”
I bob my head in a comically large nod. “Of course, I did. In fact, you’re never allowed to leave like that again. I forbid it.”
He tries to give me a stern glare, but my big grin steals his thunder. Shaking his head at me, he slips his hand free of my neck. “Come on, baby. Take me home. I’m dying to curl up with you and relax.”
Oh, we’re going to relax all right. He need not know the surprise in store for him. Leaving the temporary parking lot, the trip to his house is as quick as possible without scaring him. Small talk about his trip fills the space until we pull up to his house. “Home sweet home. I’m not a fan of flying.”
“Me either, really. Probably why I don’t go on too many trips unless they’re road trips. We should plan one for later this summer if you have the vacation time. Maybe go see some of our old family spots we loved so much.”
He gets out of the Jeep, letting me grab his bags from him. The sweet smile aimed at me is the nicest reward as we head up the front steps to his house. He lets us in and as soon as the front door shuts behind us, his bags drop as I pull his back against my front. Bending my head down to nip the lobe of his ear, my hand steals around his waist to the button on his pants. His soft gasp of surprise reaches my ears as my whisper teases him, “You have no fucking idea how much I missed you, Jayson.”
His shiver vibrates against my form as the button pops open on his jeans. He nods as if to agree. “Oh, I have an idea.”
His words trail off as my hand slides down under his boxers to grab hold of the semi that’s forming. A groan of pleasure slips past those lips I want to bruise with my own. My hand slowly strokes from the base to the tip of his cock as it hardens. The wall of the entryway looks like a great place to take that ass that has been tormenting my dreams the past two nights.
Just as my body presses him against that wall, his phone rings in his pocket and vibrates against the back of my hand. With a husky command, I nuzzle his ear again. “Don’t answer it…”
He groans disappointedly with a shake of his head, glancing at me over his shoulder. His phone grows louder as he pulls it out of his pocket. “It’s probably my boss. He said he’d call after I got home, and he knows what time my flight landed.”
He never looks at his phone as he presses back into me. My eyes close as my face buries into his neck to take a deep breath of his scent. His voice rumbles through his throat as he answers while my hand continues to tug at his dick. Somehow, that man does his best not to sound as turned on as he is. “Hello?”
Mere seconds pass before his entire body stiffens with tension and the hard-on fully def
lates in my hand. I lift my head with a frown forming on my face as shock fills his voice. “What the hell do you want?”
This does not sound good, not at all. My hand slides from his pants to let him pull away and stalk into the living room.
Chapter 22
Jayson
Bosses are the ultimate cock-block. I’m so enjoying the feel of Aidan toying with me that I don’t want to give it up. Not wanting to lose my job, too, answering my ringing phone in case it’s my boss is a must. Sure, looking at the caller ID before answering is a good idea, but the man with his arms around me has my complete and total attention. “Hello?”
My attention quickly diverts from Aidan when a deep tone slips into my ear, a tone I know well. “Hey sweet thing, I’ve missed you.”
My entire body stiffens as rage shoots through my veins. No way in fucking hell is that asshole calling me now. Of course, he would. Blake lived to screw with my head, and I’ve only recently realized it. The shock that rolls through me reflects in my voice. “What the hell do you want?”
I vaguely register Aidan’s hand slipping from the open waistband of my pants as I stalk into the living room with Blake speaking in my ear. “I know you’re still angry with me, but it’s what I had to do, sweet pea. I want to make it up to you though.”
I pace back and forth in my living room, seething in anger at his words. God, the man is insufferable. How had I ever believed I was in love with this jackass? I’d been so fucking stupid. And make it up to me? What in Sam hell was he talking about?! “Wait, slow down. What do you mean?”
My voice still holds shock as I try to calm myself down. I feel Aidan’s presence as he enters my vision and meets my eyes. No doubt he can see the anger and pain that fill my blue depths, and he holds a hand out to me. I slip my hand into his to cling to it as if it’s my lifeline. “I want to take you out to dinner tomorrow night, sweet pea. We need to discuss our future. A lot has happened between us and to go forward, it’s best we see each other in person.”
Confusion crosses my face as Blake’s words sink in. He still thinks we’re together and have a future? I don’t know what he’s smoking, but I know how he’ll react if I turn him down over the phone. He’d show up and throw a royal fit about my new boyfriend being here and me “cheating on him.” Fuck my life. It truly can’t get any worse. A sigh slips from me with resignation filling my voice, “Fine. Send me where and when. I’ll meet you there.”
I can almost hear the pout on his face as he speaks. It used to be so adorable, but now, that mental image just annoys the piss out of me. “I’ll pick you up, like old times.”
I shake my head even though he can’t see it. I’m glad that Aidan is letting me handle this and hasn’t said a word. Explaining the new guy isn’t a task I wanted right now. I need time to figure out how best to explain it to Blake so he’ll leave us alone. “No, I’ll meet you and that’s not up for discussion.”
“Fine. Sorry. I’ll play by your rules, for now. You know how it’ll be afterwards.”
My eyes roll at his words. Yeah, I know how it will be. He doesn’t, but I do. “Fine. See you tomorrow. Bye, Blake.”
I quickly hang up the phone before he can draw me into more conversation and look at my gorgeous boyfriend. The angry look on his face catches me off guard till I realize I’d spoken Blake’s name and given away who the caller was. I open my mouth to explain when he speaks first, “You’re meeting with Blake?”
My grip tightens on his hand as he tries to let go. Fear ratchets through me as I step closer to him, my pleading eyes meeting his angry ones. “Please, Aidan, you have to understand. I have to see him in person to explain this.”
Aidan jerks his hand from mine as those brown eyes flare with angry fire. He rarely raises his voice, so it’s a shock to my system when he does so now. “Explain what?! He has no business knowing anything about you after what he did. None, Jayson. He left you high and dry on your fucking wedding day!”
The loud, anger-filled words make me flinch inside. It’s an instinctive reaction after years of living with my alcoholic father ranting and raving like he had. I reach both of my hands out in supplication to Aidan. He has to understand. “He thinks we’re still together. Blake’s the controlling type. Everything I did, he controlled. In his mind, this? This is cheating on him. He thinks we ‘took a break’. He won’t accept anything I tell him over the phone. He’ll think I’m making up a story to get out of some punishment. The man suffers pure delusion.”
Another sigh leaves me as I sink down onto the couch with my head in my hands. Seeing how disappointed Aidan is in me now that he knows how my relationship with Blake had been isn’t something I can handle right now. There’s nothing but silence to meet my words. Inside, that light that had been burning so bright just moments ago starts to flicker and die, almost going out completely. Why did I have to lose him now?
“Then why not just ignore him? He’ll go away if he doesn’t get what he wants.”
Aidan’s voice has dropped closer to his normal level, but that doesn’t help me raise my head to look at him. Shaking my head in answer, the beige carpet of my living room holds my attention through my fingers. “No. He’d just show up and harass us repeatedly. I need to nip this in the bud and show him how serious I am.”
As Aidan steps up before me, my courage finally builds up enough to allow me to raise my head to look at him. “I can handle him. You’ve given me the strength to stand up to him and his attitude.”
He sits beside me and reaches out to pull me into his arms. Falling against him with little grace, my fingers clutch his shirt. I hold tight to him as my face buries into his neck. “I don’t like this, Jayson. Not one tiny bit. Do you want me to go with you?”
I shake my head before sighing against the warmth of his skin. His neck muffles my words, but I’m not ready to lean away from him yet. “No, that wouldn’t be a good idea. It would just antagonize him before I’ve put the record straight where he’s concerned.”
He grips the back of my nape to pull my head away from his neck so our eyes meet. There’s a determined look in his as he stares at me for a moment. He nods finally before speaking, “Fine, but promise me you’ll come home to me.”
Home. Hell yes, I’m coming home to him. There’s no doubt in my mind about that one, so it’s a promise that’s easy to make and keep. I nod slowly and hold his gaze. “I promise. Now, take me to my room and make it where when I meet him tomorrow night, I can still feel you inside me.”
My words have the desired effect as the heated look flares to life and replaces the determination. A wolfish grin curls on his lips at the challenge indicating his acceptance. His hands grab my ass as he stands with me dangling from his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist as he begins toward my room. “Now that, I can certainly do.”
And he did, all night long.
* * *
Blake always ate at the same steakhouse. It’d been where he’d taken me on our first date, and it’s where he’d chosen for us to meet tonight. After parking my car, my eyes catch sight of him standing outside looking down at his watch before scanning the parking lot. Dread at the upcoming encounter curls around my heart, but the visage of my boyfriend slips into my head and his face steels my spine.
Blake’s gaze registers my car as I slide out. My ass is pleasantly sore from last night’s sexual romps with Aidan. He’d taken my challenge to the limit. If that man had rode my ass any harder, I wouldn’t be able to walk. Maybe that’s what he was trying to do to keep me from meeting with my ex-fiancé.
Approaching Blake, our eyes meet. He raises a brow, and it hits me that in the past, it was my tendency to not meet his gaze so head-on. I’d not seen all those warning signs. Perhaps living with my alcoholic father had made me blind to all the ways Blake had sought to control me. My father’s cruel words about my worthlessness repeated in my head then as it always had when I’d been with Blake. It’s like another light shining on all the faults that had plagued the rela
tionship. God, how blind I’d been. I dip my head into a nod before speaking, “Blake. Shall we go in?”
His arms reach to pull me into a hug leaving me trying to side-step it. My attitude must have tipped him off to my decision to avoid his hug as he adjusts his reach and pulls me against his body. He frowns when he pulls back as he notices that I didn’t greet him with the tight hug I always had. “No hug?”
Glad he’d pulled away some, I withdraw my body from his grasp as I shake my head in answer. “No. We need to talk, so let’s get started. No sense in drawing this out.”
Worry enters that familiar gaze. Good, it should worry him. He better hope that being in public is enough to keep me from starting a huge scene if he doesn’t take my words for the truth they are. Leaving him standing there in silence, I make my way into the restaurant. He can follow behind me for a change. He approaches the hostess and speaks in low tones to her. Apparently, he’d set up a reservation as the hostess whisks us to a table marked reserved. There’s a bottle of wine already cooling, despite him knowing I won’t touch a drop. Can he have forgotten that already?
Before he can pull a chair out for me, I settle into the chair facing the front doors. The more I do for myself with him, the more I realize he’d treated me like a china doll, like a woman of old who was too weak to do anything on her own. That thought steels my spine once more as I turn to look at him as he takes his own seat. He meets my eyes with his frown still in place. “I ordered when I made the reservation, so we can talk now.”
Fuck, he’s arrogant. How had I let him control me so completely? That it’s only for a little while tonight has me inhaling a deep breath. No sense in disturbing the kitchen staff when I don’t plan on eating. “I’m not really hungry. Our conversation shouldn’t take that long.”