Stay with Me

by Jules Bennett

  There was no good way to get closure. She’d simply have to endure it and hopefully she’d be somewhat unscathed on the other side.

  “You’re going to get that promotion,” Jade assured her. She slid her barstool back and headed for the mixer. After surveying the bottles, she started making her own concoction. “That ass you work with isn’t fit to be COO of Stennett Enterprises.”

  “The choice is obvious,” Melanie agreed. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m your friend. I mean, I am, but I firmly believe you work harder and you are much more dedicated to your job.”

  Wasn’t that the truth? She didn’t recall the last real date she had been on and now she’d been set up by a toddler.

  Olivia appreciated her own cheering section—she just wished she was as confident as they were. Examining her red nails, Olivia figured she might as well polish her toes the same shade.

  She lifted her knee and propped her foot on the edge of her seat. “Well, they must see something in him or we wouldn’t both be in the running.”

  “It’s ridiculous and insulting that they even compare the two of you,” Jade fumed. “He asked me out and when I turned him down, he attempted to tarnish my business. It didn’t work, but he’s such an arrogant jerk, he doesn’t even deserve the position even if he was qualified.”

  Olivia had been with the company longer than Steve, but he’d brought in more business than she had. In her defense, he’d gotten sneaky when he’d pulled clients away from other agencies. Olivia didn’t believe in being deceitful. She’d gotten this far in her career without being ruthless or flat-out lying. She worked her ass off, put in way more hours than Steve ever thought about, and had a legitimate love for the business and their clients. Steve basically loved himself and anything wearing a skirt.

  “Are you still dodging the date question?” Melanie asked, raising her brows.

  Olivia shrugged. “I don’t know anything else. We didn’t set a place, so for all I know we’ll have takeout food in the hangar office.”

  “Or maybe he’ll fly you somewhere fancy for a nice dinner,” Melanie retorted with a wide grin.

  “You’re a hopeless romantic even after all you’ve been through,” Jade stated as she added more ice to the mixer.

  Melanie pulled her hair back and smoothed it all over one shoulder. “I have to be. I refuse to believe what I had was a typical marriage. I still feel that there’s someone out there for me.”

  Jade threw Olivia a glance over Melanie’s head. They both were too cynical and definitely not on the same page as Melanie when it came to men. Olivia and Jade were busy with their careers, proving they deserved their places and working toward higher goals. Even if they had time for men, they both had their reasons for not wanting to get into that.

  Melanie, though, she was still on the lookout for Mr. Right. She wasn’t one of those desperate women, though. She didn’t hang on every word a man said just because he gave her attention, but she was hopeful. Maybe that’s what made her so sweet, despite the fact her jerk of an ex continued to randomly rear his ugly head just to get under her skin.

  “Well, I doubt there’s someone for me,” Olivia stated. “I’m not even looking anyway. My eyes are on this COO position and nothing else.”

  The knock on the front door had all three women jerking toward the front of the house.

  “Expecting someone?” Jade asked, looking between her friends.

  Olivia came to her feet and glanced down to her yoga pants and tank. Not what she’d normally greet guests wearing, because she prided herself on being classy and professional like her mother raised her, but her friends’ outfits weren’t faring much better.

  “I’ll get it,” she stated as she swayed. “Wow. How much alcohol did we have?”

  “Not enough if you’re worried about it,” Jade laughed.

  Now the doorbell rang through the house and Olivia placed a hand on the narrow hall leading toward the entryway. With the porch lights illuminating the sidelights and etched glass door, she could make out the shape of a man. She had to assume it was a man from the broad shoulders.

  As she got closer, she recognized those shoulders. She cringed when arousal curled low in her belly. She didn’t want to be turned on . . . she couldn’t afford to be.

  What was he doing here? Did he think he could just drop by unannounced? Was this his game plan? To catch her off guard?

  “Who is it?” Melanie asked from behind her.

  Olivia glanced over her shoulder to see her two friends at the other end of the hallway, huddled together as if there were some serial killer who went around ringing doorbells before he chose his victims.

  This was Haven. Their crime rate was pretty much nonexistent.

  “It’s Jackson,” she whispered.

  “I know you’re in there.”

  Jackson’s voice mocked her and she ignored Jade’s laugh behind her. The spiteful side of her wanted to completely ignore him and go back into the kitchen with her friends. But the female in her wanted her to open that door and see the glorious man standing on the other side. Even if he was on the opposite side of what she wanted, she couldn’t deny he was absolutely a joy to admire.

  Olivia flicked the lock and jerked the door open. “Jackson. What are you doing here?”

  “Jax,” he corrected.

  Those dark eyes raked over her and she trembled. Damn it. She didn’t want to tremble from just one look. He hadn’t even touched her and . . .

  No. She refused to even entertain such thoughts. She’d been given a visual lick by sexy men before, no big deal.

  But something about the way Jackson looked at her had her realizing nobody had actually looked at her who’d made her feel as if he was literally touching her. How the hell did he do that? If she could tingle from just one of his intense stares, what would happen if he ever actually touched her?

  No. No touching allowed.

  “What do you want?” she repeated.

  He flashed that devilish grin and propped an arm on the screen door, which only drew her attention to his perfectly flexed bicep. “I’m picking you up for our date.”

  Chapter Four

  There was something to be said for such a striking woman who demanded control—and then stealing said control from her.

  Jax waited patiently while Olivia gathered her thoughts. She clearly hadn’t been expecting him to show up at her door, which is precisely why he was here.

  Jax hadn’t wanted to set a specific time for their so-called date, a point he still needed to discuss with Piper. She was a sneaky one, and he was a bit proud of how quickly she’d manipulated Olivia. But still, he needed to talk with her about something deeper than her weaving this date.

  Was his daughter already wanting a mommy? He had hoped they wouldn’t have to have such a difficult conversation for a while. Now that she was in preschool she was seeing more kids with their moms and he should have realized sooner that this would be coming.

  He’d delicately explained that her mommy had to go away and couldn’t stay in Haven. He’d even lied and said she loved Piper very much, but sometimes people just had to go away. In truth, Jax had forced her to sign over her rights. If she didn’t want to be here now, he didn’t want to risk her coming back later and claiming Piper. The fact she signed over without too much of a fight proved exactly what type of woman she was.

  Piper deserved better.

  “I-I’m sorry,” Olivia stuttered, blinking. “Date? It’s late. Where’s Piper?”

  “She actually is staying all night with our neighbor. This is her second sleepover there.”

  “Who’s your neighbor?” she asked, crossing her arms over a perfectly fitted tank. Damn it. Why did her curves have to look even sexier outside of those stuffy, rich-girl clothes?

  With her hair down and loose curls lying over her shoulders, her leggings, and tank, she looked almost human . . . not at all like the business shark trying to steal his only source of income and future.


  “An elderly lady who watches Piper for me sometimes. She has a granddaughter the same age and she was staying all night. They asked if Piper wanted to come over to make cookies and watch movies.”

  And that’s all that needed to be mentioned for Piper to run and grab her favorite stuffed horse and pillow. She’d changed into her pajamas with unicorns, shoved her ladybug rain boots on, and promptly clomped out the back door with a wave of the hand. She was growing up on him, which he was proud of, but she could at least act like she’d miss him.

  Jax dropped his arm from the door and shrugged. “I figured this was as good a time as any since I’m not busy.”

  Two women came down the hallway behind Olivia. Jax recognized Jade instantly. That woman was striking, she hadn’t changed one bit, but she’d never done a thing for Jax. Even though she’d been older, too, when he was a preteen, nobody held a candle to Olivia Daniels.

  Mercy, he was an idiot for allowing those juvenile thoughts to resurface.

  “Jade, nice to see you. I’m not sure you remember me.”

  The redhead offered him a wide smile he was sure she’d used to trap many men into her web. “I do remember you. You’ve changed quite a bit since I saw you last.”

  That seemed to be the consensus of people who hadn’t seen him since he was an awkward teen and hadn’t weighed more than a buck fifty.

  Turning his attention toward the blonde, he nodded. “I’m Jax.”

  “Melanie,” she greeted with a shy smile.

  This one seemed quite different from the outspoken Jade and the uppity Olivia. A beautiful trio, that much was for sure. If those three strutted down the streets of Haven, there would definitely be talk.

  “Nice to meet you,” he replied. “You ladies don’t mind if I steal Livie, do you?”

  Jade’s smile turned into a smirk as she nudged her friend. “We don’t mind at all. We weren’t doing much of anything anyway.”

  Olivia’s eyes widened as she stared back at him. “You can’t possibly think I’m going on a date right now. I’m not dressed—”

  “What you have on will be fine.” More than fine because at least now he felt they were somewhat on the same level. He couldn’t deal with her in those stuffy clothes, anyway. “We’re not going far.”

  Olivia rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. “Jackson—”

  “Go,” Melanie urged. “Jade and I are fine.”

  Jax waited for Livie to come up with another excuse, but she legitimately seemed at a loss for words. Maybe this wouldn’t be as difficult as he first thought. Clearly, his plan of catching her off guard was brilliant. Now, if he could just keep this momentum going. He wasn’t going to put much effort into this fight for the simple fact he didn’t have to. He refused to sell, so there wasn’t much she could do.

  But he was going to hear her out because he was a gentleman and respected women. Livie was wasting her time, though.

  “You may want to put shoes on,” Jax stated, pointing down to her bare feet with the brightest shade of red on her toes. He would’ve pegged her for more of a French manicure type, something classy and simple. The red was a nice surprise and sexy as hell.

  “I’ll meet you wherever we’re going,” she replied, crossing her arms in defiance.

  Adorable how she thought she could act like a child. He was quite used to that sort of behavior, so again, he had the edge here.

  “That wouldn’t be much of a date, would it?” he countered.

  Livie turned back to her friends and Melanie held her hands out. “No argument from me. I’d love if a hot guy came and forced me on a date.”

  Oh, he liked this new friend already. She could be a useful ally. Jade remained silent, which pleased him. At least her friends weren’t slamming the door in his face. They clearly wanted her to go, which spoke volumes about how lackluster her social life was. Apparently, they felt she needed to get out—or they thought she could persuade him into agreeing to a sale.

  No doubt they’d all sat around and discussed this situation in depth and Olivia had been given advice and encouragement to go after what she wanted.

  “Fine.” Livie turned toward the left side of the door and slid on a pair of flip-flops before facing him once again. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Jax held a hand over his heart. “I’m crushed you’re in a hurry to get this over with.”

  Livie let out an unladylike growl as she marched past him. Jax flashed a grin at Jade and Melanie, who weren’t even trying to hold back their laughter.

  “Don’t wait up,” he told them.

  Livie whirled around on the steps. “We won’t be that long.”

  Ignoring her protest, he bound down the narrow concrete steps and headed toward his truck. He opened the passenger door and gestured for her to get in.

  She plopped into the passenger seat and jerked her seat belt. “Don’t take this date too seriously, Romeo.”

  “Oh, I’m just pushing your buttons because you’re too easy to irritate.”

  Another growl escaped her as he closed the door. He gave her friends a mock salute as they stood on the porch and waved. Jax wasn’t sure if this plan was brilliant or one of his more idiotic moves, but he was about to find out.

  * * *

  “What are we doing here?”

  Olivia had no idea what to expect, but she didn’t think they’d end up at the airport. Jackson’s lights slashed across the darkness, landing on one of the old hangars.

  “Our date. I figured this was the best place.”

  He was up to something, she just knew it. Whatever it was, she’d be ready. He’d caught her off guard once; she needed to be on her toes from here on out.

  Once Jax killed the engine, Olivia opened her door. The creaky old truck needed some serious oil on those hinges, but that wasn’t her problem. She slammed the door and set off toward the hangar.

  Surprisingly, Jackson followed without one snarky comment. Once inside, she flicked the overhead lights, and once again that old Cessna sat proudly in front of her. Years of memories flooded her and Olivia already knew what angle Jackson was working.

  She had to remain strong.

  Jackson headed to the plane and started walking around doing an inspection . . . an inspection that one usually did preflight.

  “No,” she stated firmly. “Nice try.”

  Without missing a beat, he opened the tiny door and climbed in. With his booted foot dangling out, he grabbed the preflight checklist from the pocket of the door. He flicked controls on the panel, watched the wings tip, and moved on to the rest of the panel. Any seasoned pilot still always went through the routine of the preflight, but she wasn’t having any part of this.

  “Flying at night has always been my favorite,” he stated, as if they were having a normal conversation. “Maybe it comes from my years in the Air Force, or maybe I just enjoy the peaceful time and the beauty of the lights below.”

  Olivia found herself crossing the space between them as he spoke. There was a different tone to his voice when he talked about flying. He came across almost nostalgic . . . laced with love. Definitely love. Still, she couldn’t get in that plane and keep control over all the swirling emotions.

  After a moment, Jackson hopped out of the plane and hit the switch for the bay door. The loud groaning of the track filled the space and the warm summer air swept in as the door lifted. He attached the tow and pulled the plane out and onto the pavement.

  Damn it. Olivia knew if she wanted to talk to him, she’d have to get in that plane.

  First, though, she had to take a deep, calming breath. The last time she’d been in that plane her father had insisted she fly and he ride as the passenger. They’d talked about nothing, really, and Olivia remembered being irritated because she’d wanted to go to a bonfire with friends, but she’d ended up letting guilt make her decision.

  That was the last time she’d been in this Cessna, the last time she’d piloted. She hadn’t given flying much thought since sh
e’d left Haven; she’d tried to push that portion of her life behind her. But here she stood, literally face-to-face with her past when all she wanted to do was leave.

  How had she gone so askew from her original plans?

  “You want to fly?” Jackson asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

  Olivia shook her head, holding her hands up. “Oh, no. I haven’t flown since I was seventeen.”

  That devilish grin flashed her way once again. Why did he have to ooze charm and sex appeal? It wasn’t fair that her adversary could make her tingle from across the room. Nor was it fair that someone who was so awkward years ago looked like he’d stepped out of a calendar photo shoot.

  She had to work damn hard to attempt to stay on top of her weight, her wrinkles, her dark circles beneath her eyes. Jackson probably just slid out of bed and into his perfectly form-fitted jeans and tees and left the house. No regimen needed when you looked that good.

  “I’d say you’d remember the second you got the controls in your hands.” He closed the space between them and nodded toward the plane over his shoulder. “Come on. Aren’t you just a bit curious to see how she still flies?”

  A sliver of curiosity had crept up, but she had the willpower to ignore the unwanted emotion.

  “I thought we were going to talk about this sale.” There, she just needed to steer the topic back to the reason she was here. “We can do that just as easy in the office.”

  “Probably so, but I never get to just fly at night for my enjoyment.” He leaned in closer, keeping that dark, mesmerizing gaze locked onto hers. “Fly with me, Livie. You won’t regret it.”

  Oh, he could tempt the last piece of chocolate cake away from hungry women at a packed Weight Watchers meeting. He was too charming for his own good, and she truly needed to keep reminding herself she was here for one purpose . . . and it wasn’t to get swept into his web.