by SJ McCoy
That had Jack giving her his sad puppy dog eyes before pulling her against him. He'd never quite been able to ditch the last remnants of gnawing jealousy when she was around Ben. He knew it was stupid, but he just couldn't shift it. “You have all my attention, baby. And I wasn't spying. It was you that told me they were out there, and you that wouldn't let me go say hi.”
Emma laughed as she snuggled in his arms. “Because I don't want you scaring Smoke off, and because we told Laura we'd leave her in peace!”
“I wouldn't scare him off!” Jack feigned innocence.
Emma just gave him a knowing look.
“I'm surprised you're being like this,” said Ben. “I mean I know you're Mr. Protective and everything, but it's Smoke, you know him. He's been a friend since college, hasn't he?
Jack nodded. “Yes, he is my friend.” He gave Ben a dark look. “And I do know him.”
Ben raised his eyebrows questioningly, obviously surprised.
“Oh, ignore him,” said Emma. “You know what he's like.”
Jack hugged her to him. “Yeah, but baby, you don't know what Smoke's like.”
A little crease appeared between her brows. Dammit! He shouldn't have said that! He forced a laugh. “Sorry. You're right. Ignore me. I'll tell you what though. I need to go to the office for a couple of hours tomorrow, do you want to come to the city?”
“I can't. You know that.”
Jack did know that. She was going to see her Gramps. Truth was he didn't really want her along, and he didn't really need to go to the office either. What he did need to do was have a talk with Smoke.
Chapter Five
Laura opened her eyes. She was too warm. The sun was streaming in through the windows. That wasn't what was making her so warm though. Smoke was wrapped around her, his face relaxed in sleep, his head resting on her shoulder. His arm was tight around her waist, holding her close. One of his legs was wrapped around both of hers. She smiled and nestled against him. He felt so good—warm, but good. He was so big he made her feel small—not something she was used to. She liked it. He most definitely wasn't her usual type. Dale had been more like her, her height, her build, slender. When he'd tried to wrap himself around her in any way, even putting an arm around her shoulders, she'd felt suffocated, needed to escape. Which was weird—shouldn't she feel like that with Smoke? He was so much bigger than her. His arm lay heavy across her middle, holding her close, but she didn't want to escape.
She trailed her fingers along his muscular forearm. It didn't feel like too much, or too close. If anything she wanted be to even closer. She wanted him. What was really weird was that she didn't want to wake him up and take him, ride him as she knew she could. What she really wanted was for him to wake up and take her. Out on the trail yesterday, she'd willingly have done whatever he wanted. Last night, when they'd come back after dinner, he'd sidestepped the competition over who was taking the lead by asking her to do whatever she wanted with him. And she had. Out on the deck. On the sofa in the moonlight.
Now though, now she wanted him to do as he pleased with her. Her body was fully awake, coming more alive by the moment at the thought of him pinning her down, spreading her legs with his knees and taking her—because he wanted her.
She touched the light stubble on his cheek. He was so gorgeous. The corner of his mouth curved up. She smiled, not sure now if he was still sleeping or not. She ran her hand over his chest and on down over hard abs. Oh, he was awake alright. He was huge, hot and hard in her hand. He opened his eyes and smiled his lazy smile. “Are you taking me while I'm sleeping now?”
She shook her head. Hoping he would see in her eyes what she really wanted. Understanding spread across his face. His expression softened and he gave a small nod as he propped himself up on his elbow. With his other arm he drew her towards him so that her upper body was underneath him. Her whole body was wide awake now, screaming for him. Yes. This. He put a hand to her shoulder and pinned her to the bed as he lowered his lips to hers. He explored her mouth, slowly, possessively. His hand strayed down to her breast, closing over it. Oh, this was so good, so different. He wedged his knee between her thighs and spread them, shifting his weight on to her. She made a quick decision.
“Are you clean?”
He stopped, looking puzzled for a moment. Then understanding and delight dawned on his face.
“I am. Regular check just done. You?”
She nodded, not quite believing she was doing this, but wanting it too much to take the sensible route.
“And you're on birth control?”
She nodded again as all the muscles in her belly, and lower, tightened deliciously.
He grinned and shifted so his body was covering hers. He supported his weight on his elbows and smiled down at her. “Are you sure about this?”
She smiled back. She was damned sure—she couldn't remember ever wanting anything more than she wanted this, wanted him in this moment.
“You're not going to try to escape?” He raised an eyebrow. “That could be fun—for both of us.”
She brought a hand up to his chest and pushed. “Actually, I changed my mind.”
He caught her hand and pinned it to the bed with a grin. She wriggled underneath him, deliberately tormenting him to see what he'd do. He was right—this could be fun!
He caught her other hand, pinning it down and spreading her legs. He was going to take her. Her whole body was on fire, begging him, needing him to do just that.
At that moment Smoke's phone rang. He frowned and let go of her hands. Springing from the bed, he picked it up and walked from the room.
“This is Smoke.”
Laura lay staring after him, her breath coming slow and shallow. What the...? He couldn't have just let it ring? Her heart was still racing, she was aching with need for him, and he answered the god-damned phone? She closed her eyes and blew out a short sigh. Damn him! They'd been so close. She got up from the bed. She'd wanted him to take her because he wanted to. Because he couldn't resist, couldn't stop himself. But apparently answering the phone had been more important to him. He couldn't want her that much. She went in the bathroom and started running the shower.
“...Sure thing, Jack. I'll see you over there.”
Jack? Ooh, she could throttle her cousin right now!
Smoke appeared in the doorway, looking apologetic. “Where we were—can we take a rain check on that very moment?” He smiled, but his cockiness wasn't quite on full beam.
She shook her head. “Wherever we were. We're not there anymore.”
“I'm sorry, Laura.” He stepped towards her. “It was Jack's ring tone. I had to get it.”
Damn Jack! Throttle him? In this moment, Laura could quite happily castrate him!
Smoke was coming closer, his presence invading her senses. He was smiling, knowing the effect he was having on her.
It seemed she could forgive his gorgeous naked body anything. “I'll forgive you this once.” She raised an eyebrow. “As long as you'll make it up to me, right now.”
He looked pained. “I have to go. I've got to get Papa Charlie ready.”
She wasn't going to be rebuffed twice—once for her cousin, once for a plane. No way. She stepped towards him, smiling now, reaching for his still impressive erection. “Let's deal with this before you go, shall we?” She closed her fingers around him and watched his eyes close as he let out a low moan. “There, see. Work can wait.”
At that his eyes opened and he stepped out of her reach, face set. “No, Laura. Work can't wait.” He grabbed his clothes from the bedroom and stalked out. Laura stared after him, open-mouthed. She heard the deck door slide open and then slam to.
“Well, screw you!” she said.
***
Smoke sat in the cockpit, running through his pre-flight checks. What a disaster this morning had turned into. Laura had been so mad at him. Not as mad as he'd been at Jack. What a sense of timing that guy had! He took a deep, calming breath. Maybe it was for the best? H
e was breaking all his own rules with Laura. Where would they be now if Jack hadn't interrupted? Hiking yesterday, dinner last night. Sleeping the whole night with her? No. That wasn't what he needed to be doing. It wasn't part of the game. And this morning? That hadn't even been the game. That was honest to goodness want and need. She'd wanted him badly, and he'd needed her. But if they had? What then? There'd be nowhere left to go after that. It'd be game over. He checked the cabin then ran back down the steps and over the tarmac to the FBO. Jack should be here in ten minutes. And perhaps Smoke should be thanking instead of cursing him.
Rochelle was at the desk this morning. “Hey, Smoke. Have you got everything you need?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Rochelle. My passenger should be here any minute and we're filed for ten thirty. I expect we'll back late afternoon and I'll need refueling then.”
Rochelle smiled at that. “Thanks, Smoke.”
He nodded. He tried to manage his fuel so that he could buy it here in Summer Lake. It was slightly more expensive than at the big airports, but at least here he knew he was helping a family stay in business. “I need to catch up with you about the hangar fees, too.”
“Whenever. I know you're good for it.” Her eyes lit up as a man appeared in the doorway beside her.
“Smoke! How you doing, man?”
Smoke grinned and went to shake the other pilot’s hand. “Jason! I'm good, thanks. And you? How long are you back for?”
“I've just had a couple of days. I'm leaving this afternoon. The Seoul run again.”
“Yeah,” Rochelle was smiling at Jason. “Just a couple of days. I have to make the most of him while I've got him.”
Smoke laughed. “I'll leave you to it then. My guy's here.” Jack's truck was pulling into the parking lot.
“I won't see you before I leave, but talk to Rochelle will you?” said Jason. “We've got a couple of ideas we want to run by you.”
Smoke nodded as Jason pulled her into the office in the back. He smiled, knowing full well what they were up to. Jason was a lucky guy. He and Rochelle had been married for years, had a couple of kids, and she still lit up whenever she talked about him. Practically glowed whenever he was home. She was so proud of him. He flew for a big corporation based out of San Jose. Their executives traveled to Korea a lot and Jason was gone most of the time. He seemed to have hit the jackpot. He had the freedom to fly and a woman who loved him when he was home. She supported his career, didn't try to ground him like most women did once they hooked a pilot. But then she knew the deal. She'd grown up in the world of general aviation. Her family had run the airport since it was nothing more than a grass strip on their land.
Smoke shook his head as he went to meet Jack. Rochelle was rarer than a winning lottery ticket.
He met Jack at the doors. “All ready to go whenever you are, boss.”
“Great.” Jack handed him a cup of coffee. “Thought you might need one. I know I do.”
“Thanks.” Smoke took a sip, straight cappuccino with two extra shots. Just as he liked it. Sometimes he appreciated Jack's attention to detail.
“I'm all set if you're ready,” said Jack.
Smoke led the way to the door and swiped his pass.
Jack looked over at the desk. “Is there no one around today?”
“Rochelle's in the back. Something came up that she had to take care of.” It made Smoke smile that she was obviously so eager to make the most of every moment with Jason. In his experience, women were more likely to ruin the time they could spend with a guy by sulking and whining about the times he couldn't be there.
Once Jack was settled, Smoke pulled the steps up and secured the door. “Is everything okay at the office?” he asked. Jack rarely went to the city anymore, and when he did he usually booked it and grumbled about it at least a week in advance.
Jack gave him a funny look. “Yeah, no problems there. What are your plans for the day?”
Plans? As if Jack had given him time to make any! He raised an eyebrow at his friend, sensing some kind of tension, but not understanding it. “I figure I'll stop by and clear the apartment. It shouldn't take long. I already brought most of my stuff up here. After that I'll just hang at the airport and wait for you. You got any idea what time you'll be done?” Smoke was starting to think that maybe, if Jack didn't take too long, he could get back in time to persuade Laura that she didn't need to stay mad at him. Despite all the reasons not to, he really wanted to finish what they'd started this morning.
“I won't be long,” said Jack. There was still that odd tension about him.
“What's your deal, Jack?” They knew each other too well, and had done for too long for this kind of shit. Smoke was starting to think he wasn't the only one who had Laura on his mind, but he wanted to hear it from Jack.
“I think you know what my deal is. And I'll be honest, I don't even need to go to the office.”
“Oh, for fuck's sake!” Smoke was pissed. “So what the hell are we doing?”
Jack shrugged. “Let's go anyway. I can check in with Lexi while you go collect your stuff. I'll meet you at that place near the airport for lunch, yeah?”
Smoke nodded. “You're the boss.”
Jack had settled in one of the big club seats, which was unusual. But then Smoke didn't think he wanted him sitting up front today.
***
At one o'clock Smoke sat in the burger joint across the road from the airport. He was agitated. He knew Jack was going to warn him off Laura, and he understood why. He'd be doing the same in Jack's position. But Smoke had been thinking about it while he'd collected the few things he still had in the Santa Monica apartment, and he wasn't willing to back off. Even though, after this morning, that might not be his choice to make. She'd been ready to give in to him, even been ready to go back there after he'd left her high and dry. But she'd been madder than a scalded cat when he left. Maybe this little chat with Jack was a pointless exercise. He pursed his lips. But no matter what Jack said, no matter what Laura might say, no matter even what the better part of himself knew to be the wise thing to do, there was a stubborn little voice in his head that wasn't about to quit.
He nodded as Jack came in and made his way over to the booth where Smoke was sitting. He slid in opposite Smoke and gave him a rueful grin. This morning's tension was gone. This was the Jack of old, his college buddy, his partner in many ways.
“Sorry, bro. I feel like an asshole, but she's my little bitty baby cousin.”
Smoke laughed, glad to release the last of his own tension. “She's no little bitty baby anything, Benson! She's a fine woman who knows her own mind and can hold her own with anyone, if you ask me.”
Jack nodded, “Yeah, she can that.”
“So what's the problem? I mean, I know I wouldn't want a guy like me around my sister, but Laura's nobody's fool.”
Jack sighed, but said nothing as the waitress came to take their order. She smiled at Smoke and leaned a little too close as she refilled his water. “You were right, Smokey. Your friend is handsome, but I'd still rather have you. Maybe we could bring him along for Ashley?”
Smoke shook his head at her. “Leave it, Vicky.”
She put a hand on his shoulder. “I'll wear you down one day, Smokey.” She turned her smile on Jack. “I know what Smokey wants, how about you, handsome?”
Jack laughed. “I'll take the Swiss burger, thanks, with everything but pickles.”
“Coming right up.” She walked away, her backside swaying with every step.
Jack watched her go then looked back at Smoke. “That's more your style. Why not stick with something like that? Nice and easy.”
Smoke frowned. “Maybe I've had enough of nice and easy?” As he said it he realized it might be true. Yeah, Vicky was hot, blonde and curvy, wanting and willing, and Jack was right, she was more his style, but looking at her now, she did nothing for him. He wanted the tall, slender, blue-eyed, dark-haired challenge that was Laura. “You know damned well Laura can take care of herse
lf. What are you worried about?”
“Honestly?” Jack was always straight up honest, when he asked permission first it usually meant he was about to slam home a particularly hard truth.
Smoke nodded warily, not knowing what to expect, but knowing that he wasn't going to like it. “Yeah, your honesty is always useful—if mostly painful, too.”
Jack shrugged, “The truth is like that, bro. It can be a bitch.”
“Go on then, lay it on me.”
“Honestly, I'm as concerned about you as I am about her.”
Now that was unexpected. “Why?”
“Because last night Em and I were at the Boathouse for a beer and I saw the two of you having dinner. Alright, I didn't just see you, I sat there and watched you for a while. And do you want to know what I saw? I saw my old buddy, Smoke, Mr. Fuck 'em and Forget 'em, go through a whole range of emotions as my little bitty baby cousin talked. I saw Mr. Don't Care start to care. And I saw my closed off, men-are-as-disposable-as-vibrators cousin start to open up. She poured something out to you and you didn't turn and run. You didn't even lighten it with a joke and a laugh. You reassured her. You took her hand and you took her home.” Jack gave him a meaningful look. “And it scared the shit out of me—for both of you. I know you and I know her. I've helped patch both of you back together over the years. I know where both of your flaws and your weaknesses lie and I'm scared that if you try to bring them all together, it might just shatter you both.”
Smoke just stared at him for a long time, not knowing what to say—or what to think.
Vicky returned with their food. Looking at their faces she simply said, “Enjoy, boys,” as she slid the plates onto the table and left.
“But I don't let women get to me,” said Smoke eventually.
“That's what I thought ’til I saw you with Laura last night. You can't tell me she's not getting to you?”
Maybe he couldn't, but he wasn't about to admit that she was either—especially not to himself. Jack let him mull it over while they ate in silence.
“What's her story anyway?” he asked when his burger was gone.
