Love Squared

by A. E. Neal

  "Thanks, Trace. See you tomorrow," Quinn said.

  Will's black SUV wasn't parked at the curb when she exited the Beckett Building, nor was Jaysen's car. She shrugged it off, knowing she'd practically ignored him all day. She pulled out her phone as she headed to the bus stop and noticed it had recently been loaded with new music. Jaysen's music. She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Of course he did," under her breath.

  The first song to play was by Lily Allen. It was the same song she'd heard in Jaysen's car the night before and she suddenly felt guilty for being such a bitch to him that morning.

  "Ugh," she groaned. "Damn it, Jaysen." She pulled up a new text to him as she walked.

  Thank you for the music. I'm sorry for the way I acted this morning. I'm on my way home now. Call you later, OK?

  Almost instantly, her phone chimed.

  In a meeting. I'll call you later. Please be careful.

  He was beginning to show signs of becoming the over protective boyfriend and it worried her. She wondered if his actions had anything to do with their encounter with Nick that morning. She knew the two men didn't see eye to eye, but she had also reassured Jaysen that Nick was only her friend. He was just her friend, right?

  At a quarter after eight, Quinn still hadn't heard from Jaysen, so she put her pajamas on and snuggled up on the couch and turned on a movie.

  Chapter 25

  The ringing of Quinn's phone jolted her awake. She rubbed her eyes and grabbed it from the coffee table.

  "Hello?" she asked in a groggy voice.

  "Quinn?"

  "Yeah."

  "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

  "Uh, yeah. Sorta. Who is this?"

  "Will."

  "Oh. Hey, Will. Why are you calling me so late?" she asked as she glanced at the clock on her TV. Two forty-three in the morning. "Or early, I guess I should say."

  "I apologize. Mr. Beckett has asked me to pick you up in twenty minutes. I don't have any details as of yet, but he would like you to pack an overnight bag."

  "So that's it? I'm just supposed to jump when he says jump and be at his beckon call?"

  "Yes. I'll be outside your apartment in twenty." The called ended and Quinn sat there staring at her phone, confused and shocked.

  "How dare he? What the fuck?" she cursed under her breath, then tossed the phone on the coffee table.

  She ran her fingers through her knotted hair, trying to decide what she should do. After waging her options, she finally got up, padded into her room and pulled an overnight bag out of her closet. She unzipped it, tossed a few pairs of her sexy panties, a bra, a pair of leggings, pajamas, a v-neck sweater and her toiletry bag inside before zipping it up. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and secured it with an elastic band, then shrugged out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans and a vintage Rolling Stones t-shirt. She glanced at herself in the mirror, deciding Jaysen better have had a good reason for dragging her out of bed in the middle of the night.

  She lugged her bag into the dining room, gathered her ragged purse from the table, and tossed her phone into the side pocket before heading downstairs.

  As promised, Will stood outside the black SUV, holding the door open as she approached. He took her bag as she slid inside, over the heated leather seats and waited for Will to explain what the hell was going on.

  Will got into the driver's seat, closing the door behind him and adjusted the rear view mirror.

  "You gonna tell me what the hell is going on?" Quinn asked.

  "Mr. Beckett has asked me to bring you to the airport. I apologize for not having any other details than that."

  "The airport?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

  Will nodded as the SUV pulled away from the curb.

  "Super. I'm being kidnapped. By my own boyfriend," she muttered under her breath.

  Thirty minutes later they arrived at Centennial Airport. It was still pitch black outside, not a star in the sky and as the SUV pulled onto the runway, Quinn spotted a small jet parked in front of them; the lights on the wings blinked and the cockpit was illuminated.

  "No fucking way," she whispered.

  The SUV came to a stop, Will hopped out, grabbed her bag from the back and opened her door, holding his hand out to her. Quinn took his hand and stepped out onto the runway.

  "Right this way, Miss Langley," Will offered with a hand gesture towards the plane.

  "Seriously?" she asked him.

  "Yes."

  She followed Will to the staircase leading to the private jet. He stopped, allowing her to go first, then followed behind her.

  Once she reached the top of the stairs, she gasped as she saw the interior of the plane. Overstuffed, white leather seats on one side of the aircraft and a matching leather sofa along the length of the other. Atop the small table, separating the two chairs that faced each other was a bucket of ice, champagne, two glasses and a platter full of chocolate covered fruit.

  Quinn was greeted by a young woman, with long legs, short auburn hair and matching red lipstick.

  "Good morning, Miss Langley. My name is Dawn. I'll be your flight attendant today. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask," Dawn said in an overly sweet voice that made Quinn's teeth ache.

  "Where's Jaysen?" she asked, glancing at Dawn, then Will.

  "Mr. Beckett will be joining us shortly. Please make yourself comfortable. Can I get you something to drink?" Dawn asked.

  She glanced back at Will, once again, who just shrugged and smiled.

  "Water, please," Quinn replied, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

  Will gave a quick wave, then disappeared from the plane. Worry washed over Quinn as she sat in silence, waiting to find out why she was woken up at the ass crack of dawn and currently sitting on the most elegant airplane she'd ever seen.

  Dawn returned with a bottle of sparkling water, a glass with ice and a slice of lemon. She filled the glass, then set it on the table in front of Quinn.

  "Like I said, sweetie, if you need anything at all, just let me know."

  Quinn nodded. "Thank you."

  As Dawn returned to the galley in the back of the airplane, Quinn sat, nervously twiddling her thumbs and fidgeting in her seat. A small flat panel screen across from her turned on and the Beckett & Associates signature logo lit up the area around her. Soft music began to play and it reminded her of the one and only time she'd ever flown first class.

  On Trenton's very first tour with the band, he had brought her along for the last leg of the trip, which included Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. They'd drank too much champagne on the flight from LA to Seattle and ended up joining the mile high club in the first-class lavatory. Quinn laughed to herself at the thought. They were so happy then, she had never seen his dark side at that point, nor had he ever led on that he might have had a problem with drugs. She shrugged back into her seat and took a sip of the sparkling water.

  As she sat there, she reminisced about all the good times she and Trenton had had, but she knew deep in her gut, the good always came with the bad. And Trenton Valentine was as bad as they got. She was grateful when Dawn interrupted her thoughts to let her know Jaysen would be arriving any minute.

  Quinn stood up and nervously wandered the aircraft, peeking out the windows on either side, checking the bathroom, which was huge in comparison to any airline she'd ever flown, she fiddled with the flat-screen TV, turning the volume up and down, then took her seat once again, crossing her legs.

  After what had seemed like decades later, Jaysen appeared at the front of the plane wearing a pair of khaki pants and a black, long-sleeved button down shirt. He stopped to speak with the captain briefly before his gaze caught Quinn's and she melted all over again. Her heart raced in her chest as he neared her.

  "Hello, Quinn," Jaysen said, taking her hand in his, then pulling her from her seat and into his arms. "I'm so sorry for what happened yesterday. Please forgive me for being jealous?"

  She was right. He had
been jealous of Nick, although she couldn't figure out exactly why.

  "You're forgiven." She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed him in. She had actually missed the way she felt against his muscular chest and it had only been less than twenty-four hours. "I'm sorry too," she whispered into his neck.

  "I've missed you, little girl."

  "Mmmhmm. Me too."

  He kissed the top of her head as she relaxed in his arms.

  "We need to take our seats. The captain thinks we can make it in time for sunrise," he whispered into her hair.

  She released him and stepped back to catch her breath. "And where might we be going, Mr. Cryptic?"

  He chuckled, motioning her to sit and as she did, he took the seat across from her.

  Dawn was at his side immediately. "Mr. Beckett, such a pleasure to have you on our flight this morning. Would you care for something to drink?"

  Quinn gagged inwardly at Dawn's subtle hint.

  "Thank you, Dawn. I think we're okay for now," he replied, plucking the champagne bottle from the ice bucket and poured two glasses.

  He handed a glass to Quinn and she frowned. "Don't you think it's a little early to start drinking?"

  Jaysen shot her a wicked smile and took a sip. "Consider this a vacation. From now until Sunday night, you and I are officially on vacation," he said raising his glass.

  "Are you going to tell me where we're going or do I have to guess?"

  He lowered his arm, set the glass to the side and leaned forward, closing the space between them. She continued to frown as he inched closer. "Hmm. I think a little guessing game is in order then."

  She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest then leaned back into her seat. "I hate guessing games. Actually, for the record, I hate games. Period. Please just tell me where we're going, Jaysen."

  "Or what?"

  "Or, I'll have to get physical and beat it out of you. I don't know. Just tell me."

  Jaysen threw his head back and laughed. "I'd love to see that."

  "Ugh," she groaned and moved her gaze from him to with window beside her.

  She saw him give her a knowing glance out of the corner of her eye. "Damn it. I'm supposed to be mad at you. But I can't when you're looking at me like that."

  "Like what," he said, flashing her his wounded puppy dog look.

  "That." She pointed. "That look right there. How am I supposed to stay mad at you when you look like I just ran over your dog?"

  "I don't own a dog."

  "Whatever. You know what I meant."

  He laughed again and although Quinn wanted to be angry with him for what he'd done. She couldn't. Not even a little bit. She huffed again and shifted in her seat.

  "Alright. You win," he said, mocking defeat. "Do you really want to know where I'm taking you?"

  "No. It's too late now. I don't care anymore," she said, peering out the window as the plane took off.

  "Oh, now who's being stubborn?"

  "I don't care. I really don't, so don't tell me." She ruffled up her jacket and put it between her head and the window. "Wake me when we land. I'd hate to be a frigid bitch later on, since someone kidnapped me against my will in the middle of the night."

  Jaysen laughed again. "Against your will? Somehow I doubt that. Will didn't say anything about having to physically subdue you in order to get you out of your house. He informed me that you were here by choice. So, that either makes Will a liar or..."

  Quinn held her hand up. "Fine. I'm here on my own accord. Happy now?"

  He flashed his dimpled grin. "Yes. Very much so. Now, will you please give me that coat? I'll have Dawn get you a pillow as soon as we're in the air."

  She lifted her head, pulled the ball of fabric out and tossed it at him.

  Chapter 26

  Quinn had slept most of the flight, whereas, Jaysen conducted business on his laptop, made phone calls and most of all, watched her sleep. He'd never seen such peace in one person in all his life. He was plagued with nightmares, sleepless nights and more stress than any normal person could handle, yet, he wished for one moment, he could share Quinn's peaceful rest.

  When Dawn announced they would be landing soon, Jaysen tucked away his computer and knelt in front of Quinn's chair. He placed a gentle hand to her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear, then kissed her lips softly.

  "Quinn, sweetheart. Time to wake up," he whispered.

  She stirred in her seat, rubbed her eyes and smiled when she saw him kneeling there.

  "Hey. Are we there?" she asked groggily.

  "Almost," he replied, kissing her again.

  She responded by opening her mouth slightly, allowing his tongue to trace her lips.

  "Mmm. I think I'm going to enjoy waking up like this," she moaned against his lips.

  "Is that so?"

  Her eyelids fluttered open as she nodded and smiled.

  Behind them, Dawn cleared her throat causing Jaysen to rise to his feet. "Excuse me, sir. I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but the captain wanted me to let you know that we might hit some turbulence on our final decent. He suggested you take your seats and buckle up."

  "Thank you, Dawn," Jaysen replied and took the seat across from Quinn.

  When Dawn returned to the galley, Jaysen caught Quinn pouting and reached across the small table for her hands.

  "What's that look for?"

  "She has impeccable timing is all," Quinn stated as her bottom lip jutted out further.

  Jaysen laughed at her subtle gesture and took her hands into his, leaning forward to kiss her knuckles. "I promise, we'll have plenty of time together. Alone."

  Quinn smiled knowingly. "Promise?"

  Jaysen nodded, releasing her hands, then buckling his seat belt.

  The small jet began its final decent and as Quinn peered out the window, she noticed the powdery white, snow laden mountainside.

  She glanced up at Jaysen, giddy as a school girl, practically jumping in her seat. "Wow. It's beautiful."

  "So, I guess it's not a secret anymore."

  "What? No. I have no idea where we are actually."

  "Well, little girl, you are in for a treat then." A dimpled smirk crept across his face as he watched Quinn try to figure out where he'd taken her.

  "How long have we been flying?"

  "Oh, I don't know. Maybe two hours. Why do you ask?"

  "Just trying to do the math," she said as she tapped a finger to her head.

  * * *

  Once the jet landed, Quinn and Jaysen were greeted with chilly air as the door opened. Quinn closed her eyes briefly to breath it in.

  Jaysen took her hand in his and led her down the stairs of the aircraft and towards a limousine driver, who didn't look to be older than twenty, put their bags into the trunk, then opened the door for Quinn and Jaysen.

  "Mawnin', Mr. Beckett," he said with a slight southern drawl as he nodded at Jaysen.

  "Morning, Boone. It's nice to see you again. How are Val and the kids?"

  "Awl, we good. She's fixin' to have our fourth in a day er two."

  "Congratulations. Please, give her my love."

  "Yes, sir. Will do. Ya'll ready?" Boone asked as he gestured to Quinn as he held the door open.

  "Thank you, Boone," she said, smiling at him as she slid into the air conditioned car.

  Jaysen followed behind her. Boone closed the door as Jaysen leaned over to Quinn a gave her a light kiss on her cheek. "Have an idea of where we are yet?"

  "I have an idea, but I still don't know for sure."

  The answer she'd been looking for was finally revealed as the limousine pulled off the tarmac and out of the tiny regional airport.

  Quinn turned to Jaysen and smiled. "Wyoming?"

  "Ever been to Jackson Hole?"

  "No. Never. It's so beautiful here, I had no idea."

  "We're not quite there yet, we still have a short of drive ahead of us."

  "Now, you're killing me," she scoffed as she playfully punched his arm and he pulled
her against him.

  She leaned into his shoulder, glancing up at him as he gazed out the window. "Jaysen?" she asked carefully.

  He dropped his gaze to hers. "Yes?"

  "Have you ever brought a girl here before?"

  "Why would you ask that?"

  "I'm just curious. You know, the-hot-guy-average-girl-random-vacation-thing is sort of odd. I mean, I don't know if this is something you do with all your girlfriends, but I guess I just sorta thought..." Quinn's voice trailed off as she struggled to find the words she really wanted to say.

  Jaysen turned towards her and took her hands in his. "Look at me."

  Quinn shrugged, then through her lashes, she peered up at him, noting the smile he wore.

  "I've never brought anyone here nor have I ever had a reason to before now."

  "So, what you're really trying to say is..." Quinn's words were cut off as Jaysen covered her mouth with his.

  His hands cupped her jaw, pulling her into his lap so she was straddling him. Jaysen's kiss grew deeper, harder and needy. He wove his fingers in her hair as his tongue explored her mouth like he'd never tasted her before.

  He couldn't believe Quinn had already brought him to his knees, he wanted nothing more than to strip her bare and taste her sweet pussy as she came for him over and over. His cock was straining against his pants and Quinn knew it. She glanced over her shoulder at Boone, who was lost in thought or just ignoring them altogether, which she was thankful for. She returned to Jaysen's mouth, kissing him as hard as he'd done before as she unbuckled his pants, reached inside, gripped his length with her palm and worked her thumb over his sensitive tip.

  "God damn, girl. You know what you're asking for when you do that, right? Fuck," he growled into her neck as she pumped him harder.

  "Yes and I can't wait," she said excitedly as she withdrew her hand from his pants, leaving him panting and wanting her more than ever.