She groaned, her hands landing on his shoulders.
He was feeling a little devious though, so after he released her nipple with a pop, he met her gaze. “Ready for something new?”
She narrowed her gaze. “What do you have up your sleeve, Bracken?”
He leaned over her, pulled the drawer on the bedside table open, and grabbed one of the vibrators he’d bought. He held up the hot pink dildo, making her giggle.
She covered her eyes with her forearm. “Seriously?”
“What? Are you embarrassed that I bought you a vibrator?”
She nodded. “You’re going to totally corrupt me in less than a day, aren’t you?”
“Yep.” He turned it on to the lowest setting and stroked the tip over her nipple.
She gasped and dropped her arm, squirming to escape the contact. “That’s intense.”
He shook his head. “That’s the lowest setting.”
“There are settings?”
“Yep.” He turned it up and circled the swollen bud, pleased when she arched her chest.
With his foot, he yanked the sheet completely off her body. “Spread your legs for me, baby.”
She set her heel on the mattress and let her knee fall to the side.
He watched her face as he trailed the vibrator down her belly and then ran it along the outside of her folds.
She bit her lip, her eyes on his, wide, full of wonder.
When he slid the flattened tip through her folds and then pressed it against her clit, she released her lip and nearly shot off the bed. He chuckled and nudged his top leg between hers, trapping her against the mattress.
“Holy shit.” She started panting, her hand coming to his wrist as he circled her clit and then pressed against it head-on again. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to remove his hand or make sure he didn’t stop, but it was gorgeous to watch her. He’d never expected to have a woman in his bed who had so little sexual experience that he would have the privilege of introducing her to every new toy and position, watching the wonder on her face every time.
Her fingers tightened on his wrist, and her mouth fell open. He knew she was close already. He slid the dildo down and let a few inches of it enter her pussy.
She writhed against him, but he held her steady with his leg over hers. “Bracken…” Her head lolled back and forth on the pillow. She dug her heels into the mattress and lifted her hips. When she stiffened and stopped breathing, he smiled. A second later, she cried out as her orgasm took over her body.
He eased the vibrations to the side of her clit while she rode the waves, and then he turned it off the moment she shuddered her final release. Oh, yeah. He was totally going to enjoy corrupting her.
Two hours and four orgasms later, he dragged his sexy woman into the kitchen to feed her and fill her with coffee. She said she’d rather stay in bed, but he knew they both needed food and caffeine if they were going to keep up enough strength to continue on their current path.
He was worried she might be sore, but she insisted she wasn’t, and she didn’t wince when she sat on a bar stool wearing nothing but one of his T-shirts.
After sufficiently caffeinating her and filling her with eggs, bacon, and toast, he set his elbows on the counter and met her gaze. “I have a proposition.”
She cocked her head. “What devious plan do you have now? I’m not sure I’ll live through much more all in one day.”
He chuckled. “Not related to sex.”
“Oh.” She pouted. “Bummer.”
He laughed again and leaned forward to kiss her. “This is a more serious proposition.”
“Okay. Lay it on me.”
“Let’s go on a trip.”
Her brows lifted. “Where?”
“Anywhere would be fine, but I was thinking Maine. We could go see my parents and soak in some ocean air. It’s regenerating. You’ll feel like a million bucks after a few days by the ocean.”
He watched her face as she realized what he was suggesting. “That’s kinda far.”
“Yes.”
“We’d have to fly there.”
“Yes.” He reached for her hand. “You wouldn’t be working. Just traveling. I thought it might be a good way to ease yourself back into the air. See how it makes you feel. If you hate it, you’ll know more about your ability to go back to work.”
She chewed on that lower lip, thinking. “Can’t say it’s my first choice. I have a tendency to ignore my problems instead of facing them.” She offered a wan smile.
He squeezed her hand. “There’s a nonstop flight from Dallas to Portland, and then it’s only about an hour drive to my parents’.”
“I don’t know what’s more frightening. Meeting your parents or flying.”
He smiled. “So you face both of them on the same day and knock them off the list. My parents will love you, and they will love me even more for finally bringing home a girlfriend.”
She smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
“What? Girlfriend?”
She nodded.
He kissed her. “Now that I’ve had my mouth on every inch of your body, I think it’s safe to say you’re my girlfriend.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty sure that ship sailed a few weeks ago.”
“Maybe. But now it’s solidified. You’re mine.”
She laughed again. “I can live with that. Being yours, I mean. But the flying… Let me think about it.”
He nodded. “I’ll give you five minutes to wrap your head around it and then we’re buying tickets.”
She rolled her eyes. “Bracken…”
“It’s the only way you’ll be able to face your demons head-on and find out if you can win in a battle with them.”
She sighed. “You don’t need to buy the tickets, you know. I work for an airline.”
He shrugged. He was just glad she hadn’t flat-out refused. The thought of her denying him immediately had concerned him.
“Okay. I’ll do it, but if I end up having a panic attack in the middle of the sky, it’ll be your fault.”
“I will assume all blame.” He jumped down from his barstool and pulled her against him, his hand sliding down to her butt and giving it a squeeze. “You can do this. I know you can. And I’ll be right next to you. You don’t even have to serve drinks. Just sit like a princess and let someone else serve you.”
She drew in a deep breath. “Okay. I think Shayla sometimes works that flight. Let me ask her. It might be nice to know someone on the plane.”
“Even better.” Bracken just hoped to heaven this idea didn’t backfire on him. He thought she was stronger than she believed herself to be, but he could be proven wrong. In which case he would end up kicking himself for the entire week.
Chapter 19
On Friday night, Shayla insisted on hosting a girl’s night at their condo. Bex had hardly been home in days, and she hadn’t seen her friends all together in one place in forever.
A part of her irrationally hated the idea of leaving Bracken for the evening. She had a nearly unhealthy bubble with him. He understood her and what she was going through. He was supportive. She wasn’t fond of the idea of stepping out of their cocoon.
Bracken thought it would be good for her though, and she knew he was right, but somehow, she felt like a different person than the one her friends thought they knew. She’d changed.
As soon as they had all arrived and taken their seats around the living room, Christa sighed. “I hope I remember how to be a flight attendant tomorrow,” she joked.
Libby laughed. “Oh, right. Your first day back. You’ll be fine. It’s like riding a bike.”
“Yeah, well it seems like I’ve been off work far longer than six weeks.”
Nerves caused Bex to fidget where she sat on one of the armchairs. She needed to talk to her friends and tell them what was going on in her life. She wasn’t used to being the center of attention though. When she was with them, she was never the focus because she
didn’t date often nor did she share life dramas.
Christa smiled at her. “When is your first flight? I don’t think I’ve asked you what your schedule is yet.”
Bex cleared her throat. “I’m not going back yet. I extended my leave a few more weeks. In fact, I’m actually going to Maine with Bracken tomorrow for a week.”
Silence filled the room for a few moments, and then Shayla clapped her hands together. “That’s so exciting. I figured things were getting pretty serious with you two since I never see you anymore,” she teased.
Libby giggled and leaned forward from her spot on the couch. “Oh my God. Details, woman. I didn’t realize things were that serious.”
“Me neither,” Christa added. She shifted her attention to Shayla. “You never mentioned that Bex wasn’t around much.”
Shayla shrugged. “Not my story to tell.” She turned toward Bex and spoke softly. “I’m really happy for you though. You look…different somehow.”
Bex could feel her cheeks heating and she couldn’t keep from smiling. “Yeah. Bracken’s…he’s…”
“You’re in love with him,” Christa blurted out.
Bex’s face grew warmer. “Maybe…” She gave them a shy smile. This was out of her comfort zone. Everyone was looking at her.
Christa’s smile warmed. “Well, I think you guys look cute together. I’m glad it’s working out. He’s so nice. And laid back too. I bet he never raises his voice.”
Bex chuckled. “It’s true. Even when he’s in a fistfight.”
“Fist fight?” they all shouted at once.
“Yeah. We might have run into a guy I dated a few times and Bracken might have punched the guy in the jaw.”
“What?” Christa’s eyes were so wide.
Shayla’s and Libby’s jaws were hanging open.
“If you tell me he was defending your honor, I’ll swoon,” Shayla said.
Bex giggled. “He totally was.”
Shayla dramatically leaned back in her seat, tossing an arm over her forehead.
Bex wanted to share more with her friends. It was time for her to stop keeping everything buried. The more she opened up, the easier it would be to move on in life. Dr. Rawlins had encouraged her to communicate more with her friends. She drew in a slow breath, wringing her fingers together. “The truth is that I suffered a traumatic experience in high school, and the incident on the plane brought back memories I thought I’d buried. I’m working through shit. Bracken is helping me. But that’s why I’m not ready to go back to work.”
Libby was the first to respond. “I’m so sorry, Bex. You know we’re all here for you if you need us.”
Christa and Shayla nodded their agreement.
Bex forced a smile, glad they didn’t demand more information. It was hard enough for her to open up as much as she had. She wasn’t ready to rehash the entire experience from high school. She was still raw from doing it the first time. Maybe someday it would be easier to talk about, but not yet.
“I’m glad you’re taking some time to get away for a week,” Shayla said.
Bex looked at her. “We’re on your flight to Portland tomorrow.”
“Oh good. Raeann is working that flight with me. We’ll take excellent care of you. I bet we can get you in first class. I don’t think it’s a full flight.”
“Not gonna lie. I’m freaked out about flying again. Bracken thinks it will be a great way to see how nervous I get.”
“Well, think of it this way,” Shayla said, “statistically nothing bad can happen. You’ve already paid your dues to the flight gods.”
Chapter 20
Bex had never been so nervous in her life as she took her seat on the plane next to Bracken the next morning.
Six weeks. It had been six weeks since she’d stepped foot on a plane. She could technically have gone back to work today. She’d deferred her return without actually quitting her job.
Bracken was right. She needed to do this. If she could at least be a passenger on a plane, maybe she could manage to return to work.
The fact that Shayla and Raeann were working this flight helped immensely. At least Bex knew two flight attendants on the plane. She also had some Xanax in case she started to panic.
She chose the aisle, thinking this way she could get up and stretch her legs if she needed to move around. They were in the first row too, so really it wouldn’t have mattered. There were only two seats. Bracken was at the window. Plenty of legroom. Less reason to panic or feel claustrophobic.
Bracken was holding her hand. She was gripping his tightly. As the flight filled with people, Bex worked hard not to watch every single passenger with scrutiny. She felt like she was judging them. Could one of them be another human trafficker?
She took deep breaths, tapping her feet while staring at them. Every once in a while, someone would bump her and she’d stiffen.
Bracken cupped her face and urged her to look at him. He leaned in close, bumping his head against hers. “I’ve got you.”
She nodded. “I know.” Nothing about her reaction to flying was rational. It just was. She was more likely to get struck by lightning than end up on another flight with a human trafficker.
She wondered if there was an air marshal on board and started looking around in a new panic. There was no way to tell of course. Air marshals didn’t wear anything that made them stand out. Shayla would know, but Bex wasn’t going to ask her. She’d rather not be aware.
Bracken rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “Let’s talk about something.”
She nodded. “Yes. Good idea. Tell me about your parents’ place.”
He smiled. “Well, it’s on the water. The back of the house is all windows, so no matter where you are in the kitchen or living room or even the master bedroom, you can see the water. The backyard is open all the way to the edge of the ocean. It’s an inlet, so there aren’t really waves. Peaceful. My parents have lobster traps, which they can ride out to on their small fishing boat.”
“Sounds amazing. And what about your parents? What are they like?” Will they like me?
“Bill and Joan are their names. They’re relaxed and easygoing, especially now that they’ve retired. My dad spends a lot of time fishing or playing golf if the weather is nice. My mom does a lot of quilting. She has an entire room dedicated to her projects. Apparently, quilts have to be stretched out and take up a lot of space.”
“I bet they’re beautiful.”
He nodded. “They are. I’m sure she’ll show you dozens of them.” He grinned. “She also belongs to a bridge club with a bunch of local ladies.”
“When was the last time you visited?”
“It’s been six months. I usually try to go twice a year. They start hounding me if I don’t.” He tipped his head to one side. “I’ll warn you. I’ve never brought a woman home before. They’re going to assume that we’re extremely serious. My mom nearly came through the phone with glee when I told her about you. They might have china picked out and an assortment of baby clothes. My mother had resigned herself to never getting any grandkids, so she’s already put the cart before the horse.”
Bex swallowed. “Oh my.” Kids? Bex wasn’t at all sure she could ever have kids. She’d rarely thought about it. She hadn’t expected to have sex or a boyfriend, so kids had never been on her radar. She thought back to the afternoon she’d sat down at the park a few weeks ago and shivered.
“Yeah. My mom has called me ten times since I told her we were coming. She has asked me a dozen questions about you so that she can make a good impression.”
“Yikes. What have you told her?” This distraction was working. She was focusing on Bracken instead of the passengers.
“Let’s see. When I told her your age, I’m pretty sure she went out and bought a crib and a stroller.”
Bex nearly choked. “That’s overboard. Now you’re making me nervous.”
“Just warning you.”
She frowned at him. “Do you want kids?”
<
br /> He shrugged. “Like I said, never expected to have them because I never met anyone I would want to have them with. And, I’m—”
“If you say you’re old one more time, I’m going to hurt you.”
He chuckled.
“I’m not sure I’m mother material,” she pointed out. How did they end up in such a deep discussion?
He frowned. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I’m afraid I’d be overprotective. I would never let them leave the house so no one would hurt them. Then they would resent me and hate me.”
She had to give him credit for not laughing at her. His brow was furrowed. He took her seriously. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “You’d be an amazing mom, and don’t forget kids have two parents. If we ever had a kid, I’d temper your overprotection.”
She shuddered and shook off the thought. It was far more than she could handle right now. She needed to redirect the conversation. “What else did your mom say?”
“She wanted to know if you had any allergies. What your hobbies are. If you like board games. If you were fancy…”
“Fancy?”
He chuckled. “Dressy, I guess. I told her you were pretty casual.” He gave her hand another squeeze. “They will love you.”
It was time for the flight to take off, and Bex sucked in a breath as the door was shut and Shayla stepped into the aisle to start the safety demonstration.
Bex drew in deep breaths. Lots of them. Trying to calm herself. She was aware that she was squeezing Bracken’s hand too tightly, but he didn’t say a word. He leaned in close to her so that his biceps lined up with hers. “Easy peasy,” he murmured. “Nonstop flight. In a few hours, we’ll be on the ground in Maine.”
She nodded, not meeting his gaze. She put all her concentration on breathing exercises, ones that didn’t seem to be working.
She stiffened as the plane took off and remained that way for so long that her neck started hurting. She kept her gaze straight ahead on a random spot on the floor, trying to talk herself into believing everything would be okay.
Nonstop (Open Skies Book 3) Page 12
