by K. L. Ramsey
“I don’t know that I need to take a nap, Justin,” she whispered. “It’s just a little headache, probably from rushing around and worrying about Milo,” she said.
“Still,” Justin put her bag in the corner of the room, not giving her any options. “You should try to relax while you can. Once we get to Colorado, we will have meeting after boring meeting,” he said, crossing his eyes. Airi’s giggle filled the cabin and he couldn’t help his own laugh. She had a way of bringing his silly side out; the one he didn’t show to many people. Justin liked who he was when he was around Airi and he hated how he allowed himself to push her away this past week. Every time he thought about picking up her favorite take out for lunch; he’d remind himself of the disastrous way their last lunch ended and changed his mind.
“Alright,” she conceded. “If you don’t mind me having a short rest, I’ll take you up on your offer.” She kicked off her high heels and Justin noticed the way her sexy little toes were painted a cute pink color. Hell, he thought just about everything Airi did was sexy but he loved the fact that she went the extra mile when it came to taking care of herself.
Airi followed his gaze down to her feet and then looked back up at him as if he were crazy. Without her heels, she was so much tinier than he was. He stood at six-three and he was pretty sure she was at least a foot shorter than him. He took a step back from her, not wanting to do what every instinct in his body was telling him to do—reach out to Airi and pull her into his body. Justin didn’t trust himself to keep his hands to himself.
He cleared his throat and pasted his smile back into place. “Take all the time you need,” he said. “Jarrod and I will be working while we fly, so it’s not a big deal.” What he really wanted to do was offer to crawl into bed with her and hold her against his body but he was also sure that would be a bad idea. Having Airi on this trip might have seemed like a good idea earlier that morning but having her within touching distance was wearing down his defenses.
“Thanks, Justin,” she said around a yawn. She rested her hand on his arm and he leaned into her touch. Airi seemed a little unsteady and Justin wrapped his arm around her.
“Woah honey, you alright?” Airi snuggled into his body and he shamelessly sniffed her head, loving how she always smelled like peaches and sunshine. When they first hired her, he would call her into his office for no other reason than when she left, his room would smell like her. Really he was pathetic when it came to anything having to do with Airi but he really didn’t give a fuck.
“I’m just a little woozy,” Airi whispered into his neck. He picked her up, loving the way she felt in his arms pressed up against his body and gently laid her on the bed. “I’m so sorry, Justin.”
“Shh, honey,” he crooned. He helped her get under the covers and made sure she was comfortable. “You just rest. Maybe we should find you a doctor,” he said. Seeing her like this had Justin worried. She was usually so capable and full of energy.
“No,” she insisted. “I’ll be fine. I sometimes get migraines and I took my medicine. I just need to lay down for a few minutes and then I’ll be as good as new,” she promised.
Justin hesitated, “I don’t know,” he said.
“Please, Justin,” she weakly begged. “I am looking forward to this trip,” she whispered. He hated the way Airi looked at him, pleading with him to let her tag along. She looked so young and helpless he sometimes forgot Airi was a twenty-two year old single mother who had the entire world weighing down on her shoulders. Justin knew some of her background and he read the police reports surrounding her sketchy ex. He hated the fact that asshole ever had the chance to lay one finger on Airi or that he was Milo’s father. As far as he knew though, Cole Summers wasn’t a part of Airi or Milo’s lives anymore and he planned on making it his business to keep Airi’s ex far away from them both.
Justin nodded, “Alright, honey. You rest and if you’re not feeling well by the time we land, I’ll have a doctor meet us at the house.” He watched as Airi snuggled under the covers and closed her eyes. He could have stood there and watched her sleep but Jarrod’s arrival had him hurrying from the back bedroom.
“Hey,” Jarrod dropped his bags and nodded in Justin’s direction. He looked more relaxed than he had in weeks and Justin almost felt bad he was hiding a sexy little secret, who had the ability to ramp up his brother’s anxiety in sixty seconds flat in the next room.
Jarrod
“Hi,” Justin smiled. “You ready to hit the road?” Jarrod laughed at the expression their dad used every time he dragged the two of them on one of his famous fishing trips when they were kids. Jarrod tried not to think about their dad but when his brother quoted his corny sayings, he had no choice. Their mother had left them when they were just kids and they were lucky enough to have their father. He took up the slack and became both parents for them and Jarrod was sure he and Justin were the men they were today because of their dad. They owed him everything and he was sure Justin felt the same way.
Justin’s smile turned sad, “Maybe we should make some time for a quick fishing trip while we are at the house this week,” he said. Jarrod nodded. Going out to their Colorado house always felt like going home. It was the house he and Justin spent the most time in with their father. It was their dad’s favorite vacation spot and he ended up buying the house when the twins were teenagers, claiming they needed to spend more time outside and less time in front of the television. They both thought their father demanding to spend time with them was a punishment but now they would both give just about anything to have just ten more minutes with him.
“Yeah,” Jarrod sighed. “We really should spend some time at the river. Dad would have tanned our asses for going out to the house and not picking up a fishing pole.” Justin smiled at the mention of their father and fishing and Jarrod made a mental note to dig out their fishing gear while they were in Colorado. It was time for he and Justin to reconnect and there was no better place or activity to make sure that would happen.
“I’d like that,” Justin agreed. “Now sit your ass down and let’s get this bird in the air.” Jarrod laughed at just how eager his brother was to get on their way. He had to admit he was feeling the same way. Jarrod was looking forward to putting some space between him and their sexy assistant and hopefully gaining some much needed perspective. Although, he was sure he’d need to travel a hell of a lot further than just a few states to do that.
Jarrod sat down in his seat and waved off Justin when he offered him a scotch. He was hoping to hit the ground running and alcohol wasn’t going to help him do that. What he really needed was to get some shuteye but every time he closed his eyes, he saw Airiana’s beautiful face, her smile and even her sexy little giggles assaulted his senses. He knew from experience alcohol only made it worse. The few times he drank while trying to forget how much he wanted Airiana, he found himself making stupid decisions like calling her at home to ask where she put a file. He was sure she thought he was crazy but at the time the lame excuses for calling made sense to him.
He reclined and by the time they were an hour into the flight, he had to admit, he was feeling pretty damn relaxed. His brother, on the other hand, seemed like a barrel of nerves and Jarrod didn’t miss that Justin was on his third scotch.
“You wanna slow down, brother? I know you’re not crazy about flying but you’re acting strange, even for you.” Jarrod shot Justin a look and his worry only seemed to intensify. “I’m starting to worry you are up to something, Justin. You have the same guilty look you used to get, when we were kids,” Jarrod teased. Justin stood and paced, telling Jarrod everything he needed to know—he wasn’t going to like what his brother had to say next.
“You’re right—I might have done something you aren’t going to like,” Justin said, shooting him a sheepish grin.
“What the fuck did you do, Justin?” Jarrod growled.
The bedroom cabin door swung open, as if on cue, and Justin groaned in frustration. “Perfect timing,” he moaned
. Jarrod could tell his brother wasn’t finding anything perfect about the timing of their sexy assistant emerging from their back bedroom.
“Fuck,” Jarrod spat, sending Justin an accusing glare. “You’re right, I’m not going to fucking like what you’ve done,” he agreed. Jarrod’s relaxed, good mood quickly faded.
“Um, I can just go back in the bedroom,” Airiana whispered, turning to go back but it was too late. Jarrod knew she was there. He knew his brother had taken it upon himself to push him to admit something he wasn’t ready to say. Hell, he would probably never be ready to share that he was falling for their assistant. He would never be able to tell either of them she was all he could think about day and night. He’d never admit he wanted her more than he wanted his next breath because Justin felt the same way about her. He could see it in his twin brother’s eyes every time he looked at Airiana and he would never do anything to hurt his brother or his chances with a woman he so obviously wanted.
“Stay,” Jarrod ordered and Airiana stopped in her tracks. He felt like an ass for frightening her and the way she was watching him, he definitely had. “I’m sorry, Airiana. I don’t mean to scare you. It’s not you I’m upset with but my brother for making a decision without consulting me.” He shot Justin another glance, letting him know they were going to have a nice long talk later when they landed and could be alone.
“I did what I had to do, Jarrod. You weren’t going to listen to reason and left me no choice. All you had to do was be honest with me and Airi, and we could have avoided all of this.” Justin crossed the small cabin to stand next to Airiana and Jarrod almost swallowed his tongue when she willingly let his brother pull her into his arms.
“How are you feeling, honey?” Justin whispered. Airiana leaned into Justin’s body and Jarrod felt an irrational wave of jealousy. He needed to remember Airiana wasn’t his and would never be. He had no claim on her and if his brother wanted to assert his hold on Airiana, he had every right.
“Much better, thank you,” she said. “I’m so sorry if my being here has caused any problems,” she whispered. Justin pulled her in for a hug and Jarrod had to look away. It was almost too much, watching the two of them together and not being the one touching Airiana.
“Not your fault, honey,” Justin said.
“No,” Jarrod agreed. “This isn’t your fault, Airiana. My brother should have told me he planned on bringing a date to our business meeting. I would have made separate accommodations had I known.”
“I’m not his date,” Airiana stuttered. “I’m here as your assistant—both of yours,” she motioned between the two of them.
“I don’t need an assistant for this trip,” Jarrod grumbled. He knew he sounded like a raging ass but he didn’t care until he saw the hurt in Airiana’s eyes. He wanted to take back his hateful tone and the way he denied he didn’t need her.
“I thought we could work a few things out,” Justin spat. “You don’t need to be an asshole to Airi just because you were caught off guard.” His brother was right, he was treating Airiana badly and that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Jarrod wanted to go to her and touch her the way she was allowing Justin to but he didn’t make a move towards the two of them. He needed to remember he wasn’t a part of whatever Justin and their assistant had going on. And, from the looks of it, they had something happening between them. It was what Jarrod told himself he wanted—Justin and Airiana together. Hell, he had convinced himself his twin brother would be better suited for Airiana and Milo. He’d make a better surrogate father and a hell of a better boyfriend. Jarrod wasn’t boyfriend material and playing with someone as young and naive as Airiana wouldn’t be fair to her or to her son. She needed stability and care and those were two things he couldn’t give her. She deserved love and Jarrod wasn’t the right man for the job. He wasn’t a fall in love kind of guy and he never would be.
“I know exactly what you hoped to work out between the three of us, Justin,” Jarrod accused. He hated the way Airiana gasped and the way she leaned into Justin’s body for comfort. His brother was all too willing to wrap a protective arm around their assistant, as if she needed protecting from him.
“I’m sorry, Airiana,” Jarrod said. “I thought I made myself perfectly clear last week, though.” Airiana’s eyes flared with anger and he was happy to see something besides hurt staring back at him. Jarrod could deal with her anger so much easier than knowing he had hurt her.
Airiana took a step towards him and God, he wanted to take a step back but he wasn’t a coward and he certainly wouldn’t hide from his assistant. He meant what he said and there would be no backing down, no matter how angry Airiana looked.
“Yes Jarrod, you made yourself perfectly clear last week. You don’t want me. In fact I believe your exact argument involved something to the effect of me being too young for the two of you and your worry over the fact that I could run to human resources.” Airiana shook her head at him, as if disgusted by the whole memory and she took his breath away, she was so fucking beautiful.
“Yes,” he agreed. He didn’t miss the knowing smirk on his brother’s face and he wanted to tell him to cut it the fuck out. The last thing Jarrod needed was Justin pushing Airiana in his direction because Lord help him, he’d want to catch her.
“I don’t know what I have done to give you the impression I’m even interested in you, Jarrod. Either of you,” she turned to face Justin. His brother’s smirk quickly disappeared and was replaced with hurt. Jarrod hated to see his brother’s disappointment and he wanted to stop Airiana. He wanted to tell her it was alright for her to want Justin because his brother was a great guy and deserved to find someone to make him happy. Jarrod had seen firsthand that Airiana was someone who might fit the bill for him.
“Hey, what did I do?” Justin protested.
“You stopped being my friend,” Airiana accused. “You stopped showing up to my desk with lunch or to even ask how I was doing. For the last week I’ve contemplated what to do about you both and my position with your company. I don’t want to stay where I’m not wanted,” she all but whispered. It gutted Jarrod to hear her say she thought about leaving them. He could see the disappointment on Justin’s face and he knew if they didn’t get their shit together, losing Airiana was a very real prospect.
“You can’t leave us,” Jarrod worried. “We need you, Airiana.”
Justin nodded his head in agreement. “He’s right, honey. I’m an ass for shutting you out like I did this past week. I was just so confused and it seemed like the right thing. I don’t want to hurt you, Airi,” Justin admitted.
“You won’t hurt me, Justin. I know my place and I know my ‘feelings’ for the two of you have no room in my position as your assistant.” Airiana made air quotes around the word “feelings” and Jarrod was pretty sure it was one of the cutest things she had ever done.
“So, are you admitting you have feelings for us, Airiana?” Jarrod asked. He knew better than to ask her that question but he had to know her answer.
She seemed to take forever to make up her mind about whether or not she was going to answer him. Jarrod took a step towards her at the same time Justin did. Airiana was almost sandwiched between their two big bodies and he could feel the electricity humming through the cabin of the plane. He wasn’t a fool. Jarrod knew there was an undeniable attraction between Airiana and them but he also knew acting on it might just change everything between them. He didn’t want to jeopardize his relationship with his brother if he fucked this up with Airiana and losing her was out of the question. Airiana was damn good at her job and messing things up with her wasn’t an option, especially now that he knew she was considering leaving them.
“Um,” she squeaked. Justin smiled and cocked an eyebrow at him, looking over Airiana’s head as she fidgeted in place. Jarrod seemed to understand his brother’s unspoken question and he wanted to tell him he was in. He knew that doing so would mean he’d be accepting the ways they could all be hurt when whatever
this was between them ended.
“Come on, man,” Justin begged. “Don’t be a fucking coward. Take a chance—she’s worth it.” Airiana looked between the two of them, seeming confused by the one-sided conversation they were having. The two of them were always able to communicate with just a simple look and that used to drive their father crazy.
“I’m not really sure what is happening here,” she whispered. “But I’d like to be clued in.” She put her hands on her hips and looked every bit the part of hot, sexy mother. Justin barked out his laugh and turned Airiana to face him. He didn’t give her anytime to protest or even think for that matter. His brother hauled her up against his body and sealed his mouth over hers and all Jarrod could do was stand there like a voyeur, watching the two of them, hoping like hell she’d give him a turn. Yeah, Airiana was wearing down his resistance and from the way she was letting Justin kiss her, it was only a matter of time before she found her way in between the two of them.
Airiana
Justin licked and nipped his way into her mouth and Airi couldn’t help her breathy little moans. He tasted like heaven and a part of her knew she could easily get lost in Justin Grayson. If she was being completely honest with herself, she had already lost a piece of her heart to him after all their lunches and playful banter. He was so easy to fall for, unlike his brother. She broke their kiss and looked back to where Jarrod was watching the two of them. From the look he had on his handsome face he was turned on by the whole scene but Airi knew from experience getting him to admit to that would be damn near impossible. Jarrod had turned her away every chance he got and she was betting now would be no exception.
The two men had effectively sandwiched her body between both of theirs and she felt so slight in the middle of them. She could feel the heat pouring off their bodies and the hum of their desire filling the plane’s cabin, almost as if it was tangible. Airi wanted them both but she worried if Jarrod turned her away this would all end, here and now. Justin seemed to only be on board with everything she wanted if Jarrod agreed to play. He was so quiet Airi worried Jarrod would turn her away, leaving her needy and aching for them both.
