She couldn’t imagine how they were going to make it to Saturday without having sex. But it was only three days away.
Chapter 12
Shayla couldn’t help herself. She needed to set her eyes on Renee Delgado. So, she texted Heather and asked her what section of the airport Renee worked in.
On Friday, when Shayla returned from her flight, instead of rushing out to her car to get back to Jake, she wandered toward Renee’s presumed post and got lucky.
She easily located her based on Heather’s description—long, thick, curly, brown hair in a tight high ponytail. Slender. Five eight. Not shocking since both Shayla and Heather were of similar height and build. Renee could have been Heather’s sister. Shayla varied from both of them only in that her hair was straight and she was half Asian.
Obviously, Hawke had a “type.”
Renee was standing at her station at the entrance to the security checkpoint talking to another employee. Shayla watched her for a moment, wondering if she should approach, and then got lucky. Suddenly, Renee handed her clipboard off to the other woman and turned to walk away.
Score. Shayla hoped she was either on break or getting off her shift. She wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
She had to jog a few steps, while pulling her suitcase, to catch up, but when she reached her, she cleared her throat. “Renee?”
The woman turned around. “Yes?” Her expression was curious, as if she were trying to remember where she knew Shayla from.
“I’m Shayla Cosman. You don’t know me. I was hoping we could talk.”
Her brow furrowed. “About what?”
No sense beating around the bush. “Hawke Richman.”
Renee’s eyes widened and she swallowed before glancing both ways as if Shayla had just uttered a state secret. Understandable. She stared at Shayla for several seconds. “That’s a loaded topic.”
“I know.”
Renee licked her lips. “I’m only going to agree to this because I’m curious how on earth you have associated me with Hawke.”
Shayla nodded. “I’ll explain.”
Renee looked around and then pointed at a coffee shop.
Shayla followed her and ordered an iced latte while Renee ordered black coffee. She waited until they were seated in a corner before she faced Renee and started talking. “I know you dated Hawke a few years ago.”
“How did you hear this?”
“From the woman who dated him before you.”
Renee looked down at her mug and ran her finger around the rim. “Heather Kotter.”
“Yes.”
Renee lifted her gaze. “I assume you’re the next flavor of the year?”
“Yes.” Shayla let out a breath.
“Man’s an asshole. Dump him fast.”
“Already did. It’s been three months.”
Renee cringed. “Let me guess. He hasn’t found his next victim yet.”
“Correct.”
Her cringe turned into a sympathetic sigh. “That’s the hard part. Waiting for him to find someone else to harass.”
“So he harassed you too after you broke up with him?”
“Yes. For months. There must be at least one person between you and me because it ended about a year ago.”
Shayla sighed, her shoulders dropping. She rubbed her temples to ease the tension. What a mess. “Did you tell anyone?”
“No. Not even my family. I was too embarrassed.”
“Me too. And what good would it do? I told Heather, even if we found twenty women, no one would believe us over him. That isn’t the kind of world we live in.”
“Exactly. So I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell anyone. I’m finally pulling my life back together. I’m not mentally healthy enough to endure the public scrutiny.”
Shayla nodded. “I won’t say a word. Heather won’t either. She agrees with us.”
“I hate feeling that way. What if he really hurts someone and I didn’t say anything? But I can’t let myself worry about other people right now. I just don’t have it in me.”
Shayla reached over and gave Renee’s hand a squeeze. “You’re not alone. That matters a lot. We can swap phone numbers. Call me if you ever need someone to dump on. I have learned since meeting Heather that it helps to not feel as isolated anymore. For a while, I worried I was crazy.”
Renee squeezed Heather’s hand in return and smiled. “You’ll get through this. I did. He’ll find someone else soon.”
Shayla signed. “I’m not sure my current boyfriend is going to let this go.” It felt weird using the word boyfriend to describe Jake, but it also felt kind of right.
Renee laughed. “I’m glad you’ve found someone else. Why does he care so much?”
Shayla shrugged. “He’s kind of macho. The alpha type, I guess. He can’t stand the idea of any woman being abused. I think he’d like to nail Hawke to the wall for some other infraction just to put the asshole in his place, but so far Hawke is squeaky clean.”
“That sucks.”
“Except…” Shayla grinned conspiratorially. “He’s married.”
“What?” Renee nearly shouted.
Shayla nodded. “I think he keeps that detail very quiet. Jake discovered it by accident. He has two kids too.”
“No shit? I bet his wife would love to hear about all the women he keeps on the side.”
“Right? Though I worry that she’s abused too, perhaps even worse than any of us. We got out. She’s been with him for years.”
Renee cringed. “He’s probably gaslighting her.”
“I agree.”
Renee drew in a long breath and looked at her phone. “Shit. I gotta go. Told my mom I would come by for dinner after I got off. She’s probably wondering where I am.”
Shayla scribbled her number on a piece of paper and handed it to Renee. “Call me if you want.”
“I’ll text you now so you’ll have my number too. And let me know if anything happens. Even though I don’t have the balls to come forward, I would sleep better at night if I knew that asshole couldn’t hurt anyone else.”
“I will.”
Chapter 13
Jake spun around from where he stood at the stove when Shayla walked in. He’d been worried about her but didn’t want to seem overbearing by calling her. “Hey. How was work?”
“Fine. I found Renee Delgado and met her for coffee after work. That’s why I’m so late. Sorry. I should have texted you. When I decided to hunt her down, I was expecting to simply get a visual. Turned out she was just getting off her shift, so we talked for a while.”
Jake leaned against the counter. This relationship he had with Shayla was the weirdest one of his life. On the one hand, they often acted like an established couple, coming in from work, sharing about their day. On the other hand, they didn’t touch. Which in a way made them more like an old married couple. Not a newly formed unit.
The urge to reach out and pull her into his arms, kiss her senseless, and let dinner burn while he stripped her down and fucked her on the table was strong. It had grown stronger by the hour since her striptease the other night.
Now that he’d seen her fucking amazing body, he wanted to smooth his hands all over her skin. Feel her. Taste her. Inhale her scent until it was embedded in him.
“Did she add anything we didn’t already know?” he asked, restraining himself as Shayla removed her shoes and hopped onto a bar stool. As usual, he found her uniform sexy. Or maybe he was simply growing desperate.
“Not really. Same thing happened to her. She believes there must have been at least one woman between us because he stopped harassing her about a year ago.”
Jake nodded slowly. “Did she know he was married?”
“Nope.”
“Then he definitely keeps that under wraps. How many times did he text you today?”
“Three, but I didn’t read them.” She reached into her purse, grabbed her phone, and handed it to Jake.
He opened it, scanned the texts, and
closed it. “Nothing new. That’s good. As long as he’s not escalating.” The words he’d read made him cringe even today, but he didn’t flinch outwardly. No need to upset Shayla.
She glanced over his shoulder and drew in a slow breath. “Smells good. You’re spoiling me. What are you cooking?”
“Spaghetti. Nothing fancy. Don’t start thinking I can cook. You’ve only been here a week. It’s more of a bait and switch. I’m running out of my specialties.” He wiggled his brows.
She chuckled. “Noted. And just for the record, you didn’t have to lure me in with your cooking. I’m a sure thing. I’d be happy to call it a week, skip dinner, and try out your mattress.”
Jake groaned. “The number of ways I’m going to punish you tomorrow for tormenting me all week is growing by the hour, sweetheart.”
“Ooh. I’m intrigued. How about we end the charade tonight instead? It’s just twelve hours.”
“Nope.”
“Why not?” She slid from the stool and started unbuttoning her blouse as she sauntered toward him.
“Not a chance.” He shuffled down the counter and rounded to the other side of the island out of self-preservation. “Go change.” He pointed toward the hallway.
She continued to strip, slowly easing each button through its hole. When she pushed her bottom lip out in a fake pout, his cock jumped.
“Shayla…” he warned. “We are not having sex tonight. If I let you talk me into it, I’d never hear the end of it for the rest of our lives. It would become the naughty dinner-table talk in front of all of our friends. You’d never let me live it down.” He smiled at her but he knew he was right. He altered his voice to imitate a future Shayla. “Remember that time when we were dating and you couldn’t go a whole week without sex?”
She giggled. “But it’s been so very much fun trying to tempt you.”
“Well, that’s not how it’s going to end. It’s going to end with you tied to my bed tomorrow, spread eagle, while I torment you for hours as payback for teasing me all week.”
She shivered. He could see the goosebumps that rose on her arms from the other side of the island. “Promises, promises.”
Before he could respond, she spun around and skipped from the room. It took him a full minute to shake visions of her from his mind enough to return to the stove and stir the sauce. If he lived through the night without jumping her bones, it would be a miracle.
Tomorrow, she was going to pay, he mused with a smile. And she was going to love every second of it.
While she was gone, he finished dinner and set the table. He was relieved when she walked back into the room in a tank top and shorts. Granted, since the woman never wore a bra around him, he could see her amazing tits perfectly well through the thin material, but at least she wasn’t naked. He wouldn’t have put it past her to show up buck-naked, slide onto a chair, and act like nothing was amiss.
He filled her plate with spaghetti and salad and then his own.
“This is delicious,” she said after she took a bite. “You’re spoiling me.”
“Like I said, it’s a bait and switch. Don’t fall for it.”
“You shouldn’t advertise yourself like that. It’s not the best way to convince a woman to go out with you,” she teased.
“Do you need convincing?” He lifted a brow.
“Nope. Like I said, I’m a sure thing.” She smiled as she tossed his own words back. “Maybe change your game plan up for the next girlfriend though.”
He paused, his fork midway to his mouth. His gaze went to hers. “Are you already trying to get rid of me? We haven’t even had sex yet.”
She chuckled. “No. Just being realistic.”
He set his fork down on the plate, the bite forgotten. “Realistic?”
“No big deal. I’m just making small talk.” Another shrug, but she didn’t meet his gaze.
“I don’t think you and I are on the same page here.”
“Why do you say that?” she asked, taking a sip of wine.
“If you’ll recall, the reason I didn’t want to sleep with you the first night we got together is because I’m pretty damn interested in you and I didn’t want to start off our relationship with sex. I wanted to give it a bit of a foundation first. I was thinking long-term here, Shayla.”
She bit into her bottom lip and then released it. “Okay. I didn’t mean to sound flippant. I’m just not used to men having any thought past their next good lay.”
He winced. “Besides Hawke, it sounds like you’ve dated some real assholes.” His concern was rising. It suddenly didn’t seem like she wanted what he was asking for. What he’d been imagining for them for a week.
She cringed. “You make it sound like I’m a horrible judge of character.”
He rubbed his face. “Sorry. That didn’t come out right. I didn’t mean to imply anything of the sort. I know you’re a strong woman who doesn’t ordinarily get stepped on. You can’t even count that asshole Hawke because you left him.” Shit. This was going poorly.
She met his gaze. “Look, I know I act all tough and put together, but the reality is I’ve never actually had a serious boyfriend before. I even referred to you as my boyfriend today when I was talking to Renee. I was startled when the word slid off my tongue. I’ve dated guys. Hooked up. But no one has asked me for more, so I’m a little surprised about the way you look at this.”
His heart was beating fast. “I’m asking you for more, Shayla.”
She nodded. “Okay. I hear you. I’m not even opposed to the idea. But forgive me for not fully wrapping my head around what that means or trusting it entirely.”
He forced himself to remain calm. She wasn’t rejecting him. She was simply guarding her heart. “What it means is that I think about you when I’m not with you. I miss you when we’re not together. I want you in my bed. I’m not going to share you. And yes, I believe this is something that will last long-term.” Hopefully, he wasn’t scaring her. How had it not occurred to him that she wasn’t fully grasping his intentions?
“Okay. I can work with that. Be patient with me though.”
He didn’t like this conversation. It felt like she was withdrawing from him which was so contrary to their week of flirting; and hell, they’d even shared an incredibly intimate masturbation session. It didn’t get more intimate than that. Did she think it was just sex?
“Am I rushing you, Shayla?”
She shook her head. “No. Don’t forget I’m the nympho who has been trying to get you to sleep with me all week. You’re the chivalrous one.”
“Yeah, but that’s sex. I hope you didn’t spend the whole week thinking all I wanted you for was sex?” He swallowed. “Or, more importantly, I hope sex wasn’t all you wanted from me.” When did he get all sensitive and caring? Oh right, last Saturday when he realized Shayla wasn’t just a pretty woman. She was someone he wanted to build something with. That was why he hadn’t slept with her in the first place.
“Of course not. I’m just…a little off-balance is all.”
Jake’s head was spinning. The air in the room had gone from playful to thick. Had she seriously thought he was just a player who intended to fuck her a few times and then move on?
Jesus, he really liked her. He’d intentionally forced himself to keep his hands off her this entire week so that she would know he was serious. So that their relationship wouldn’t be based on sex or start from sex. What he’d learned was that he liked her more than he’d expected. And he’d already expected that he wouldn’t want to let her go.
And now she was pulling back. Because she didn’t feel the same way about him? Or because, as she implied, she had no experience with men giving a fuck about her?
That last idea was sad. He could also fix that.
“So, you’ve never had a boyfriend?”
She picked up her fork and pushed her pasta around. “Not a serious one.”
“May I ask why?” He was starting to worry she didn’t want one.
She sig
hed. “Never met anyone worthy of the title.”
“No pressure or anything,” he teased, hoping to lighten the mood.
At least she smiled.
“Listen, I didn’t realize you were confused about my intentions. I was serious last week when I said I wanted us to get to know each other this week before we jumped into bed. Not because I didn’t want to sleep with you but because I did. If that makes any sense.”
She nodded slightly. “I know you said that, but I guess I thought you were trying to be nice because I had so much on my plate and I was still dealing with Hawke. Who wants to date a woman with that kind of baggage?”
“Me?”
She smiled again. “Okay.”
“We’ve basically been on like seven dates. Every night since last Saturday. I think seven dates is a record for not sleeping with a woman. I sort of thought I was proving to you that this is important to me. I didn’t realize you took it differently.”
“Honestly, it’s not that I took it differently exactly. It’s just that I stuffed your words in the back of my brain because they didn’t make much sense to me.”
Jake stared at her. He felt bad for her in a way. She really had dated some assholes, though he wasn’t about to point that out again. Either that or she had commitment issues.
Chapter 14
As far as Shayla was concerned, this evening wasn’t going well. How had things veered so far off-course? Maybe because you acted like an idiot and insulted the man sitting across from you?
She had heard what he’d said last Saturday. Every word. Somehow she hadn’t taken him quite as seriously as he’d intended. He wanted a commitment from her, and he was willing to commit himself. And, damn, she wasn’t opposed to that at all. It sounded nice. She was simply startled and therefore botching it miserably.
If she thought about it, the reason she’d ignored his chivalrous decision to not have sex for a week was more out of self-preservation than anything else. She refused to think things could progress to something permanent with him.
Standby (Open Skies Book 4) Page 8