Layover (Open Skies Book 1) Page 9

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered, already shuddering at the thought.

  “Wear a skirt or a dress tonight. No panties.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He smiled. “See you at seven.” And then he ended the call.

  She was left staring at the screen, wondering how the hell he’d just hijacked not only her orgasm but her entire day. If she spent the day in nothing but a T-shirt, she wouldn’t be able to get him out of her mind.

  But he knew that.

  He was a devious Dom.

  Chapter 12

  Jason had a hell of a time concentrating the entire day. He’d been shocked by how easily he’d guessed that Libby was masturbating and then how quickly he’d managed to control her orgasm over the phone. Sexy as fuck.

  His dick had been hard all day too, and he’d denied it just as he’d denied her. He couldn’t wait to be inside her later tonight, but in the meantime, he imposed his no-masturbating rule on himself, too.

  After the hot-as-fuck phone sex though, he couldn’t get Libby out of his mind. He really liked her. Even though they’d spent a good portion of their time together so far having sex, his gut told him they were compatible, not just in bed, but in life.

  Granted, he’d thought the same thing once before with Veronica, and she’d burned him and left the scars behind. He’d spent the last three years trying to get on with his life. It didn’t help that Libby had such a strange relationship with her parents, especially her mother. It made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck every time he remembered her telling him about them.

  It’s not the same, he told himself over and over. She’s not Veronica. He’d begun to think he was simply being paranoid, but there were uncanny similarities between the two situations. Every time Jason had suggested meeting Veronica’s parents, she’d blown him off. Libby was doing the same thing. Keeping him a secret. He would not play that game again. He’d been burned before. Not again.

  When Jason knocked on the door to Libby’s townhouse at seven, a cute blonde answered. He recognized her from Trent and Destiny’s wedding. She smiled shyly and backed up to let him in. Her pale cheeks turned red. She licked her lips several times. “Libby will be right down. She’s just finding her shoes.”

  “Good. Christa, right?”

  She tucked a lock of pale blond hair behind her ear and nodded. “Yes. We met at the rehearsal dinner.” She backed up toward the couch. “Come on in.”

  He followed her, glancing around at their townhouse. Their condo was two-stories with the kitchen and living room downstairs and probably two bedrooms upstairs. “I remember.” He smiled at her. Damn, she’s shy. “So, you live here with Libby?”

  “Yes. I moved in after Destiny moved out. The rent is better than the place I was renting on my own.” She pointed at the kitchen counter where he noticed three narrow vases, each containing a single rose. “The roses are very romantic. I wish someone would send me roses.”

  He frowned. Did she think he sent them to Libby? “I didn’t send roses.” He stepped closer to the counter and stared at them. “What made you think they were from me? Didn’t they have a card?”

  “Uh…no. You didn’t send them?”

  Footsteps made Jason lift his gaze to find Libby descending the stairs on the other side of the living room. She was holding a pair of heels in her hand as she rushed toward him. “Sorry. Couldn’t find my shoes.” She held them up.

  “No worries.” He lifted a brow at her, wondering why she was so flustered.

  “Uh, Libby,” Christa said, “Jason says he didn’t send the roses.”

  Libby’s eyes widened. “Seriously?” She shifted her gaze toward the vases.

  “No.” He shook his head. There was no reason to be pissed. Especially since she had no idea who sent them. But his chest tightened, and he hoped to God there was nothing to read into it.

  “Yikes.” Christa winced.

  Libby bit into her bottom lip and eased past him to touch one of the roses as if that would give her answers. “That’s beyond weird.”

  “When did they come?” he asked.

  “Saturday morning after I ran into you Friday night. Monday morning before I left for work. And this morning after I spoke to you. I just assumed…” Her voice trailed off.

  “That’s a lot of attention from a mysterious admirer,” he pointed out, not wanting to sound accusatory. This isn’t her fault.

  “Maybe they’re from your date Friday night?” Christa suggested.

  “Eddie?” Libby turned back around. “That seems so unlikely. When he dropped me off, I gave him no indication I was interested in seeing him again. He hasn’t tried to contact me, either.”

  Jason could feel his brow furrowing. He’d been in the Army, specifically with Delta Forces, long enough to scrutinize things in the civilian world with an irrationally doubtful eye. They’re just roses, Hatch. Not a bomb.

  “Do you know what florist they’re coming from?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I haven’t paid attention.”

  “If you get another one, get the delivery driver’s card. I’ll go in and find out who’s ordering them.”

  Libby swallowed. “You think it’s a big deal?”

  He lifted a brow. “I don’t really care if it’s a big deal or not. I’m not fond of some guy sending roses to the woman I’m dating.” If he sounded cocky, he didn’t care.

  Libby smiled and reached out to wrap her small hand around his biceps. “I’ll find out,” she murmured before lifting onto her toes and kissing him briefly on the lips.

  He blew out a breath as he cupped her face and held her gaze. He needed to shake off the uneasy feeling about her admirer and enjoy their evening.

  Finally, Libby leaned down to put her heels on, and then she righted herself, blowing out a breath and smoothing her palms on her dress. She was breathtaking. The dress was white and fit snugly across her breasts and waist. It flared out over her butt, the looser material hanging halfway down her thighs.

  She turned to Christa. “Not sure when I’ll be back.”

  Christa smirked as she nodded. “Shocking.”

  Jason was slightly surprised at her snarky reaction since she’d barely managed to make eye contact with him. He stared at her for a second, wondering what Kraft might think of her. The man loved natural blondes. That was a fact. He might have even danced with her at the wedding reception. But Jason hadn’t been paying close attention to anyone but Libby.

  Christa continued. “I work early tomorrow, so I’ll see you in a few days probably.”

  “’Kay.” Libby leaned in and kissed her friend on the cheek. Afterward, she grabbed her small purse and a white sweater from the couch and met Jason’s gaze.

  “Ready?”

  “Yep.”

  He glanced back at the roses before following her across the room. After stepping outside, he set a hand on the small of her back. When they reached his SUV, he opened the door and then gave her two seconds of struggling to climb into his car before he reached for her waist.

  “Don’t you dare.” She shot him a glare.

  He lifted his hands. “My bad.”

  She found her footing and climbed into the seat. When she met his gaze, she winced. “Sorry. I have a thing about letting people help me. I’m self-conscious about my size.”

  “Noted. Won’t happen again. In public anyway.” He smiled, hoping she would soften at his suggestion.

  “Deal. If you want to lift me up to toss me onto your bed, that’s fine. But I’m feisty otherwise.”

  He leaned in, cupped her face, and kissed her briefly on the lips. “I’m pretty sure my dick is harder now.” He wasn’t kidding. As he shut her door and rounded the hood, he adjusted his cock. Her determination turned him on.

  After sitting in his seat and starting the SUV he turned to face her again. “You seem nervous. Are you worried about the roses?”

  She sighed. “No. I just hung up with my mother. She can be very frustrating.”
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  He tried to hide his internal flinch. “Ah. Right. Did she try to set you up with another guy?” he joked.

  “It’s not funny. That’s her life’s mission.”

  “Why don’t you just tell her you’re seeing someone?”

  Libby squirmed. “Not yet.” She didn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she smoothed her skirt down over her thighs.

  Jason stared at her for a few seconds, his fingers stiffening on the steering wheel. He didn’t like this arrangement. It made him uncomfortable. How long could he push his concerns to the back of his mind? Surely this situation was nothing like what had happened with Veronica, he reminded himself. No way could the same thing happen to him twice.

  Jason had one insecurity. Veronica had capitalized on it and made him feel like a complete fool. He would never let that happen again. Not for any woman.

  Libby finally turned to face him. “I’m sorry. I know it’s petty. But my mom is formidable. I don’t want to rock the boat. Not this soon in our relationship. Can you please let it go for now?”

  He nodded. Inside his head, warning bells were going off. More like sirens. But he forced them to quiet down. “For now. Not forever. But for now.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jason inhaled a deep breath and slowly let it out, chasing away his demons. Finally, he put the car in reverse and backed out of the spot. “How do you feel about Chinese food?”

  She smiled. “Love it.”

  “Good. I found this amazing restaurant near my house. It’s small and family-owned, and the food is excellent.”

  She perked up. “Perfect.”

  Chapter 13

  Libby felt like a total bitch as they drove to the restaurant. Her mother had her completely flustered. She’d put off calling her all day, but when the woman started texting several times, she’d finally relented and answered. She’d regretted the choice in seconds.

  “Libby. Finally. I’ve been trying to reach you. Why do you never answer your mother?” she’d whined. And then before Libby had been able to respond, “How was your date with Eddie? He seemed like such a nice guy when I met him.” Maria Garcia had had a one-track mind tonight. She’d gone on and on, wanting every detail about Libby’s date with Eddie. Libby had held her tongue and given her mother few details. It was none of her damn business.

  Libby had put her off, knowing how pushy her mother could be. She’d told her she was too busy to think about dating. She had a lot of flights scheduled for this month because a few flight attendants were out sick. It was a lie, but she’d needed to come up with something.

  The entire time she’d been thinking about Jason and his insistence that she would not date other men. She understood. Perfectly. Of course, he wouldn’t want her to date other people. The two of them had skipped casual and gone straight to extremely intimate.

  But Libby had never had to juggle a secret boyfriend against her mother’s constant string of blind dates. This situation was new, and it made Libby uncomfortable.

  On top of everything else, Libby knew she’d pissed Jason off with her refusal to confront her mother. He didn’t like it. They’d ridden to the restaurant mostly in silence. It wasn’t until he parked and came around to open her door that he met her gaze again and smiled. His ire was gone. “You look amazing, by the way. I don’t think I told you that.”

  Her cheeks heated. “Thank you. You look damn good yourself.” He did. He was wearing black slacks and a black button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up. He’d shaved recently, and he smelled fantastic.

  He filled the entire car door with his frame while he waited for her to remove her seatbelt, and then his hand landed on her thigh. Her breath hitched when he slid his fingers under her dress and eased them up between her legs. When he reached her sex, he nudged her thighs apart and stroked through her folds. “Good girl.” He removed his hand far too soon and then sucked her arousal from his fingers.

  She watched him, her heart racing at how damn hot this was. Fuck dinner. She would rather just go back to his place and have more wild kinky sex. They were good at that. So far, she couldn’t be sure how good they were at dating. After the way he’d just teased her, and considering the promising look in his eyes, she imagined she would be squirming in her seat all through dinner.

  Jason stepped back, offering her no assistance exiting his SUV, which earned him brownie points. The fact that he set his hand on the small of her back on the way into the restaurant pleased her even more.

  After they were seated and had placed their order, he finally seemed to relax.

  Libby blew out a breath. “I’m sorry I let my mother get to me earlier. I know it frustrates you.” That much was obvious.

  Jason sighed. “I’m confused is all. Why do you let your mother bother you so much? You’re obviously self-sufficient and in control in most other aspects of your life. Why let her push you around?”

  Libby nodded as she glanced down at the table, trying to figure out how to answer the burning question she herself didn’t fully understand. “She’s always been bossy. My entire life. She’s a matriarch. Even my father lets her run the show. She dictated a lot of what everyone in the house did while I was growing up. At some point, I knew I wanted something different for myself when I moved out on my own.”

  “And did you accomplish that?”

  “Yes. I worked my ass off to put myself through college even though I had no idea at the time what I wanted to do with my life. I coveted that degree mostly because my mother thought it was frivolous and unnecessary. She refused to pay for it.”

  Jason frowned. “You paid for everything on your own?”

  “Mostly. My father slipped me money as often as he could, but I worked a lot of hours waiting tables to cover most of my expenses. I’m proud of my accomplishment, and I have a nice diploma from UT Dallas to show for it, but along the way, I met Christa and Destiny through mutual friends and grew more interested in becoming a flight attendant.”

  “Nothing wrong with that. I hear it’s decent money.”

  She shrugged. “It’s okay. More importantly, it allows me to travel a lot. I get to see so many places, and being out of town often keeps my mother off my back.”

  The waitress arrived with their meals. After she wandered away, Jason spoke again. “You can’t live your entire life letting her dictate your every move.” His expression was one of concern, probably more for himself than her. Understandable. What did it say about her that she let her mother get under her skin?

  “I know,” she murmured. “Christa tells me the same thing often. And I get it. I’m just not ready to confront her.”

  “Look, I’m trying to understand. Not going to lie; it bothers me. On the other hand, we haven’t been seeing each other very long. If I’m reading you correctly, you’re thinking why rock that boat for no good reason. It makes sense that you’d rather wait until we’ve known each other longer before you talk to your parents. I’ll give you that. Not forever, but for now.”

  “Thank you. You said exactly what I’m thinking. Can we just see where things go for a while?”

  “Absolutely.” He gave her one of his gorgeous smiles and then speared a piece of broccoli from his beef broccoli.

  She took a bite of her chicken fried rice and then sipped her iced tea. “How has work been?”

  “Good. Busy. Jake has more jobs coming in than we can cover. It can sometimes be feast or famine when running a consulting firm, but considering how fast technology is changing, I don’t see computer programming dying off any time in my life.”

  “True.”

  “I got together with several of the guys from work Tuesday night. Poker night. Kraft’s house.”

  “That’s cool. Do you do that every Tuesday?”

  “Not always. Random days. Four guys from work. Me, Kraft, Sweets, and Tank.” He sounded animated as he spoke of his coworkers.

  “Trent mentioned them to me once when he came to see Destiny. You explained Kraft’s name to me, but what�
��s the origin story for the others?” She smiled, lifting a brow.

  “Tank is actually my boss. I told you about him. His real name is Jake Robinson. His nickname is self-explanatory. Big guy. Broad. Tall. Muscular. Sweets, on the other hand, that’s a funny story. The guy’s idea of unwinding includes making delicious pastries, cakes, and any other dessert you can think of. He’s hilarious when he puts on an apron and pulls out the flour. Apparently, his team gave him shit until they realized they wouldn’t get to devour his sweets if they didn’t stop making fun of him. After that, the name began to hold great reverence.”

  Libby laughed. “And these guys all work with you?”

  “Yep. Jake snagged each of us when we got out of the army. Kraft and I were on the same Delta Team.”

  “Wow. Impressive. I didn’t realize you’d been on a special forces team.”

  He shrugged. “No big deal. I’m not sure why I even mentioned it.”

  “It is a big deal. You must have done some incredibly dangerous things over the years.”

  He shrugged again and then winked at her. “It’s in the past.”

  “Got it. What’s Sweets’ real name?” She’d rather not burn these nicknames into her mind. It was too confusing.

  “Bracken Turner. Great guy.”

  She shot him a cocky grin. “Are they single?” she asked.

  He lifted a brow, smirking. “Why? One dominant military guy isn’t enough for you?”

  She chuckled. “Asking for a friend. Several of them, actually.”

  He laughed. “I don’t think you can use that phrase when you really mean it. But yes. They’re single. It’s tough dating while serving in the military. Lots of women think it’s romantic—you included—but it’s hard to build a relationship and even harder to keep it going.”

  “Yeah, I’m guilty of thinking it would be romantic. Little did I know it would knock me on my ass.” She smiled.

  He set his fork down, leaned over the table, and cupped her face. “I love knowing I knocked you on your ass. I also love that I ran into you again now that I’m more available. Am I still attractive to you now that I’m not active?” he teased.