Stay with Me

by Jules Bennett

  “Let’s start with a salad and move on from there.”

  He left her standing there wondering how he could be so casual, while he dished out their food. She knew Jax wasn’t one to bring women into his home, not with Piper around. He wasn’t that type of man. Yet he’d been adamant she come here; he’d steamrolled her into it, actually, and now he was pretending this didn’t faze him in the least.

  That man was one outstanding liar.

  Olivia took a seat and sipped on her tea. There was nothing like good sweet tea. She hadn’t had it for a while because she opted for water or wine.

  “So, you do casseroles?” she joked.

  Jax took a seat across from her. “I live in the South, Livie. Casseroles and sweet tea are staples. And fried chicken. Besides, my grandfather was a pretty good cook. I learned from him. Piper is a picky eater, though, so I’ve had to hone my skills.”

  While they ate, Olivia kept the topic neutral. The airport was the common thread that held them together, so she wanted to hash out more details.

  “Melanie believes we’ll hear soon about the grants.” Stuffed, Olivia leaned back in her seat and set her napkin on the table. “We’ve already gotten a list of contractors we’d be interested in getting an estimate from for the renovations.”

  “Zach Monroe.” Jax set his fork down and eyed her across the table. “I won’t argue with you on most of this, but Zach is local, he’s good, and he’s a friend of mine.”

  Olivia wasn’t surprised at Jax’s loyalty to his friends or that he would be so passionate about the process. This was going to be his long after she went back to Atlanta to continue her work. She would be more of a silent partner, whereas Jax would be here day in and day out.

  “Actually, Zach is the first name on our list,” she explained. “We have two others that aren’t local, but—”

  “Zach is the one who will do it.”

  Olivia wanted to argue simply for spite because she hated being told what to do, but she also knew Zach from school and had met up with him again when she and her friends stayed at Bella Vous a few months ago. Zach and his brothers had truly tapped into a gold mine, so she was comfortable with him doing the work.

  “That’s fine,” she conceded. “Anything else you won’t budge on?”

  Jax shook his head. “Not that I can think of. But I’m sure there will be something along the way that we clash over.”

  “I have no doubt.”

  Her cell starting chiming from her purse, which she’d left in the living room. Olivia came to her feet with a sigh.

  “Can’t you let it go to voice mail?” he asked.

  “Never,” she replied as she headed to the front of the house. “Work is always needing something.”

  Now more than ever she wasn’t letting her phone go to voice mail. After that slipup the other morning she had to be on her toes.

  The shrill ring kept echoing through the house as she grabbed her purse and pulled the phone out.

  “Hello?”

  “Olivia, I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

  Oh, no. Just the tone of Steve’s voice coming over the line made her cringe. What on earth did he want and why was he calling her so late?

  She glanced to the large clock overtop Jax’s mantel and realized it wasn’t late at all. If she were in Atlanta, she’d still be in the office . . . even on a Saturday.

  “Actually, I am a little busy,” she replied. If this had been her boss, she would’ve lied, but since her nemesis was asking, she opted for honesty. “What can I do for you?”

  “I was put in charge of the budget meeting for next Friday and I wanted to know if we could count on you to be there.”

  Olivia stilled. Steve was put in charge of the meeting? Nobody but the COO was ever put in charge of that. Surely, he hadn’t already been named. Maybe this was just one way they were continuing the interviewing process? How long was this going to take, because her nerves were about shot.

  “I can be there,” she told him. No way in hell would she miss that meeting and let him gloat all over himself. She was fighting to the death when it came to this promotion.

  “Fantastic.” His tone told her he felt quite the opposite. “The meeting will start promptly at eight. I hope you don’t miss this one.”

  That jab referring to the last meeting wasn’t worth getting worked up about. Steve was a jerk and she refused to let him goad her into a verbal sparring match. She’d show him who was the best man, or woman, for the job.

  Besides, she didn’t care what he thought. All she cared about was her boss and his opinion. He’d actually been understanding the other day when she’d missed the conference call, and a sliver of her felt guilty for lying about her absence.

  Steve was nothing but an annoyance and he better start treating her with respect . . . considering she’d be one of his bosses soon.

  Olivia hung up without telling him bye. All manners and common sense went out the window when she had to talk to Steve. He was a smarmy jerk. There simply weren’t enough negative adjectives to describe him. It wasn’t that he was bad at his job—he wasn’t a terrible accountant. But his inability to play well with others made her want to pull her hair out at times.

  “Everything okay?”

  Olivia realized she’d been clutching her phone and staring at the clock. She pulled in a breath, but that did nothing to calm her nerves. She wanted to be in Atlanta right now. She wanted to march into the office and . . . damn it, do something. Anything to make her boss realize that she could handle her personal life and the promotion.

  She spun around and the look on Jax’s face stopped her. With his dark brows drawn in, his square jaw set, he looked so serious, so . . . concerned. It was unusual to have someone other than Melanie or Jade look at her in such a way. Olivia wasn’t quite sure what to do because when she was upset or angry, her friends either made her a drink or they went on a run to pound out frustrations.

  “That wasn’t work on a Saturday,” he stated, clearly knowing it was. “You realize that’s not normal.”

  Livie brushed her hair back from her face and gripped her phone at her side. “I’m in the middle of a promotion process and I’m clawing my way to the top. Nothing about this is normal, but apparently, I have to be at a meeting next week so my archrival doesn’t steal this out from under me. It’s mine.”

  Jax had the audacity to smirk. “He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”

  “Oh, he knows.” Olivia turned to put her phone back in her purse. When she faced Jax once again, he was full-on smiling. “But he’s about to realize that I can fight just as dirty.”

  “Did you know you sound even sexier when you’re fired up?” He took one step toward her, then another, all while keeping his eyes on her. “Just like that day you came barging into the hangar angry over the fact I wasn’t going to bow down and just sell the place.”

  “I didn’t march,” she corrected, tipping her head back as he closed the gap between them. “If I recall, you came out to me and put your hands all over my ass.”

  “You started to fall.”

  That naughty grin nearly melted the clothes right off her body. “No, you made me lose my balance, then you put your greasy hands on me. By the way, where’s my suit?”

  “It’s here.” He reached up, smoothing his knuckles over her cheek before gliding his thumb over her bottom lip. “Your shoes are here, too. Makes me wonder what you’ll leave for me tonight.”

  Every breath she took, she simply inhaled more of that masculine scent she’d come to appreciate. The stubble on his jaw used to irritate her because she was so used to cleanly shaven men in suits. But there was something to be said for a man with a little scruff and a well-worn pair of jeans.

  “Who said I was staying?” she countered, her voice betraying her as she got all breathy.

  Why was it when she was with him she didn’t recognize herself? Jax made her turn into a completely different woman. When they were together, she wanted t
o see him succeed with the airport, she wanted to learn more about his life, she forgot about work—unless she received untimely calls—and she craved like never before. Craved his touch, his sultry glances, his snarky comments.

  Damn it. She should’ve worn her nice underwear.

  “I’m not even answering that rhetorical question.” Jax took a step back and sighed. “You ready for dessert?”

  Olivia narrowed her eyes and tipped her head. “Dessert that you made?”

  His rich laughter filled the living room. “Yes, dessert I made. I tried something new, but it has chocolate so I figure you’d be happy.”

  “You’re speaking my language.” Olivia gestured toward the kitchen. “Let’s go.”

  When she started to head that way, Jax stepped in her path. Without touching her anywhere else, he leaned down and captured her lips. He completely consumed her, causing her toes to curl in her kitten heels and tingles to shoot through her from head to toe. And he only touched her mouth.

  Perhaps she was so affected because she knew exactly what he could do with those hands once they got on her body. A moan escaped her, but just as she was about to give in and wrap her arms around him, Jax released her lips and turned toward the kitchen.

  And he whistled.

  Seriously? He could kiss her in a way that made her achy all over and simply walk away so nonchalantly?

  That whistle, though. He often did that when he was finished and now it was getting on her nerves. He was revving her up, ready to feed her chocolate, and acted as if nothing had happened.

  A man didn’t go to this much trouble if he didn’t care. Which made things even more difficult for Olivia to grasp or make sense of. If he cared, and she was starting to care, where did that leave them?

  Was this a relationship? What on earth would happen if they fell for each other? He would never leave Haven and she’d worked too hard in Atlanta to be pulled away.

  Olivia rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. There was no reason to try to hash all of this out in her mind. All she could do was live in the moment and just enjoy what they had going on . . . even if she was terrified of the outcome.

  * * *

  Jax poked the stick through another marshmallow and extended it over the fire.

  “You’re going to make me fat,” Livie complained. “First dinner, which was amazing, then that Death by Chocolate Layer Cake, now s’mores.”

  He watched the flames lick the edge of the marshmallow as he rotated the stick. “Dessert was hours ago and you’re not going to get fat. You’re sexy no matter what.”

  What was it with her and weight? Did she really worry that much about appearance? As far as he was concerned, she looked better now than when she’d been eighteen and slenderer. Now she was all woman with curves in exactly the right places. He could definitely verify how much he appreciated those curves now that he’d had hands-on experience.

  A raindrop hit the back of his hand, then another. Within seconds, rain poured from the sky, drenching them both. Jax dropped the stick and grabbed the sack with the candy bars, crackers, and marshmallows. When he glanced to Livie, he was stunned to see her with her head tipped back, arms wide, getting absolutely soaked.

  “Come on,” he yelled over the instant downpour.

  “I love the rain.” She turned in a circle. “It’s so refreshing.”

  Refreshing? He was drenched and only getting more so by the second. How did someone so structured and refined and . . . well, uptight, get so excited about becoming the proverbial drowned rat?

  A rumble of thunder and flash of lightning in the distance had him grabbing her outstretched arm and heading toward the back door. He ushered her in ahead of him and quickly closed the door behind him.

  Jax dropped the dripping sack onto the bench of the utility room. “Get your clothes off.”

  She swiped at her damp face and stared at him. “Is that your foreplay?”

  Jax peeled his wet shirt over his head and dropped it with a sloppy smack onto the bench. “Yeah, it is. Get them off.”

  Her eyes zeroed in on his chest. Arousal speared through him at the hunger in her eyes. Added to that, she looked like some sort of wet goddess with her hair slicked back from her face, her white sleeveless button-up molded to her breasts. The “ugly” bra she’d claimed she had on didn’t look so boring right now. The white outline only alluded to what lay beneath . . . and he knew exactly what she was hiding behind her clothes.

  “You’ve got one second before I remove them myself.”

  That damn defiant chin tipped up as she propped her hands on her hips. “Maybe that’s what I’m waiting for.”

  She was going to be the death of him. Jax took a step forward, keeping his eyes locked on hers. Droplets settled on her dark lashes, making her seem like some sort of magical vixen and making him crazy with desire and wanting to wax some poetry . . . if he knew how. That wasn’t him, but Livie didn’t seem too concerned with pretty words at this point.

  He gripped the vee of her shirt and ripped it apart, sending buttons flying all over the small room.

  “That’s a shirt and a suit you owe me,” she laughed. “I’m expensive.”

  “I’ll give you my credit card.”

  Jax jerked her pants down, taking her plain white panties with it. As she stepped out of her wet clothes, he made work of wrestling his jeans down. As she stood before him completely naked, he truly wished he had the willpower to take his time and enjoy the moment . . . later, he vowed. Right now, he wanted her. It was that simple and that urgent.

  There was no time to move to a horizontal surface. Jax gripped her around the waist and spun her until her back hit the wall just beside the door. Her legs instantly circled his waist, her ankles locking behind his back.

  “I’m clean,” he muttered against her neck. Damn, she smelled so amazing. A mix of her perfume and the fresh raindrops. “There’s protection in my bedroom. We can go there—”

  “I’m clean, too,” she panted as she arched against him. “I’m on the pill.”

  Nothing else needed to be said at that point. He was way beyond words, anyway. With one easy thrust, he joined their bodies. Jax stilled, torn between wanting to make this hard and fast to give in to his need or taking just a moment to relish in the fact Livie was wrapped all around him. She panted, threading her fingers through his hair as she captured his lips.

  Her urgency had him jerking his hips as he gripped a handful of her soaking wet hair and tipped her head to the side. Jax broke the kiss to slide his lips down her neck and back up to that sensitive spot behind her ear.

  “Jax.”

  The way she groaned his name only added to his desire for her. She pumped her hips faster, matching his own urgency. Jax slid his hand up over the swell of the side of her breasts, causing her to cry out even more.

  Livie’s fingernails bit into his shoulders as she jerked faster. Her entire body tightened around his and Jax watched her; he couldn’t tear his eyes away even if he tried. Livie’s mouth opened wide, her eyes squeezed shut, and the random rain droplets on her skin were absolutely breathtaking.

  Olivia Daniels in total abandon was the sexiest sight he’d ever seen in his life. And soon he’d take her upstairs, lay her out on his bed, and do this all over again.

  The more she jerked, the more difficult it was for him to hold back. The moment her body started to settle, he let himself go. Jax dropped his head to the crook in her neck, tightened his grip on her hair, and held her body firmly in place with his own as he let every bit of passion overtake him.

  In the distance, her cell starting ringing, but Jax completely ignored it, as did she. He kept his head down even when his body stopped trembling. The last thing he wanted to do was look up and have her witness exactly what was in his eyes. He knew this was more than sex and if she saw him right now, she’d know it too.

  Jax didn’t want to freak her out, he wanted to just enjoy their time together . . . because the clock was ticking.


  Her cell started ringing again.

  “If that’s your coworker again, I’ll kill him myself and you won’t have to worry about him getting the promotion.”

  Livie laughed as she untangled her legs. “I can’t imagine that’s him, but someone apparently needs me.”

  He eased away, instantly feeling the damp chill to his skin. Having Livie draped all over him was all he’d wanted, and having her in his life was becoming all too comfortable.

  Wearing nothing but those delicious curves, Livie raced through his house toward her phone. Jax gathered up all the clothes and tossed them into the dryer. He’d let her borrow one of his shirts—after they made use of the warm shower and his bed. Hell, did she even need clothes? It was such a shame to cover up such perfection.

  Jax locked the back door just as another rumble of thunder nearly shook his house. A pop-up storm, perfect for what he had in mind. If she loved the rain, then he’d open his bedroom windows and let the sound of the storm surround them.

  Just as he stepped out of the utility room, Livie came back down the hall. She’d draped the throw from the couch around her shoulders, clutching it between her breasts as if modesty had a place here now.

  “That was Jade.”

  Jax froze. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” she reassured him. “But the storm is a little scary for Piper so Jade wanted to know if she could bring her home.”

  “Yes,” he said without thinking twice. “I can go get her so Jade doesn’t have to come out. Call her back.”

  Livie’s soft smile warmed him. With her hair in utter disarray, her face void of most makeup, and her wearing nothing but a grin and a blanket, he felt himself falling and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to stop it.

  “I already told her to bring Piper.”

  Yeah, there he went slipping down that slope again. He was quickly stumbling headfirst in love with this woman. The fact she didn’t ask him, but put Piper’s needs ahead of their plans spoke volumes for the type of woman she was . . . perhaps the type of mother she would be one day.

  No. He wasn’t thinking along those lines. He’d gotten tangled up once with a woman who wanted something bigger out of life than what Haven, or a family, had to offer. Jax’s eyes were wide open this time around . . . unfortunately, so was his heart.