2. Lila
CHAPTER TWO
Lila
Jaxon Reed was trouble.
I knew it from the moment he leaned a little too close, his cologne—warm cedarwood and something smoky—curling into my senses like it was meant to distract me.
I had promised myself this flight would be uneventful. Quiet. A time to think, regroup, and brace myself for the mess waiting on the other side.
But Jaxon had other plans.
“You’ve got that look again,” he murmured.
“What look?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended, but my pulse betrayed me, quickening under his gaze.
“That faraway, ‘I’m carrying the weight of the world’ look.” He tilted his head, his eyes searching mine. “You should let it go for a bit. Whatever it is, it can wait until you’re back on solid ground. You keep getting that look. Every time we stop talking…”
I turned toward him, ready to fire back with something clever, but the words stuck in my throat.
He was closer now—he had been getting increasingly closer over the last hour or so, his body angled toward me—and I couldn’t help but notice the way his shirt stretched over his broad shoulders.
His grin was gone, replaced by a quiet intensity that stole the air right out of my lungs.
“Easier said than done,” I muttered, trying to sound unaffected.
“Maybe,” he said, his voice a little rougher, “but you deserve a break, Lila. Some time to just be .”
My breath hitched.
It wasn’t the words themselves… it was the way he said them, like he wasn’t just trying to flirt but actually meant it. Like he could see the cracks I was trying so hard to hide.
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, his hand brushed against mine where it rested on the armrest. It was subtle, like he hadn’t meant to do it, but it sent a spark through me all the same.
And then, just like that, the air between us shifted.
The playful banter that had carried us through the last hour dissolved, replaced by something heavier.
More dangerous.
He leaned in, his eyes locking onto mine, and I felt my pulse race.
“Jaxon,” I said, my voice barely a whisper, “what are you doing?”
His lips quirked into a small, almost self-deprecating smile. “Honestly? I don’t know.”
But he didn’t move away.
Instead, he brought his hand up, brushing a stray piece of hair from my face, his fingers lingering just long enough to make my skin tingle.
“Is this too much?” he asked, his voice soft now, almost hesitant.
I should have said yes.
I should have leaned back, created some space between us, reminded both of us that we were strangers on a plane and that this was ridiculous.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I shook my head, my heart pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it.
And then he kissed me.
It wasn’t rushed or demanding. It was soft at first, like he was giving me the chance to pull away if I wanted to.
But I didn’t.
My hands moved on their own, one gripping the armrest between us and the other curling into the fabric of his shirt.
He took that as encouragement, deepening the kiss, his lips pressing firmly against mine in a way that made my head spin.
I forgot where we were, forgot the turbulence of my life and the fact that this was a very bad idea.
The thing was, he was making me forget that I had been jilted and robbed, that I had given up everything at home in Medford and now would have to come back with my tail between my legs.
Sure, I wasn’t the kind of girl who hooked up with a guy on a plane, but I also wasn’t the kind of girl whose supposed boyfriend stole all her money and absconded with it.
If I had to choose which kind of girl I wanted to be, a girl who took a risk on a plane or a girl who was foolish enough to let a boyfriend steal from her and lie to her, I was going to select the former.
All I could think about was the way his mouth moved against mine, the way his hand cupped the side of my face like I was something precious.
Jaxon’s lips continued to move against mine with a hunger that stole every coherent thought from my mind.
One hand cupped the back of my neck, keeping me close, while the other hand rested lightly on my thigh—just enough pressure to send a thrill through me but not enough to satisfy the ache building in my core.
“You’re something else, Lila,” he murmured against my lips, his voice low and rough. “I can’t seem to get enough of you.”
The teasing edge in his tone made my heart race. His thumb brushed the sensitive skin just above my knee, and I felt like my body was one spark away from catching fire.
“You’re trouble, Jaxon,” I managed to breathe out, though my voice betrayed the fact that I didn’t really mean it.
“Maybe,” he said, his blue eyes glinting with mischief as he pulled back just enough to look at me, “but you don’t seem like you’re running away.”
I swallowed hard, the challenge in his gaze making it impossible to look away. He leaned in again, his lips grazing the corner of my mouth before trailing a line of soft kisses along my jaw, then down to the sensitive spot just below my ear.
A shiver ran through me, and I let out a small gasp that only seemed to spur him on.
“Come with me,” he whispered, his breath warm against my skin.
“Where?” My voice came out barely audible, though I already knew the answer.
His lips curved into a wicked smile against my neck. “Somewhere a little more… private.”
He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, his hand sliding up to entwine his fingers with mine. His grip was firm but not forceful, giving me the choice.
My mind was screaming at me to stop.
This is crazy. You don’t even know him. You’re on a plane, for God’s sake.
But my heart—or maybe just the part of me that was tired of feeling like I was nothing—kept me from pulling away.
It had been so long since I’d felt wanted. Since someone had looked at me the way Jaxon was looking at me now, like I was the only person in the world. Not an afterthought. Not a mistake. Just… me.
I could blame it on a lot of things. The exhaustion. The sadness. The way life had gutted me and left me hollow, desperate for anything to fill the void. But deep down, I knew the truth.
I wanted this.
Him .
I wanted to forget, even just for a moment, how small and broken I felt. I wanted to pretend I wasn’t the woman who’d been conned and humiliated, the woman who’d lost everything.
I wanted to be someone else… someone bold and confident, someone who took risks and lived for herself instead of always trying to prove her worth to people who didn’t care.
And, dammit, I wanted to feel good.
For once, I wanted to stop punishing myself for being so stupid and just let myself enjoy something.
I hesitated for only a heartbeat before nodding, my pulse pounding as his grin widened.
Jaxon rose smoothly to his feet, tugging me gently with him. He glanced around the cabin, his expression impossibly calm, as though we weren’t about to do something entirely reckless.
“Follow my lead,” he said, and his low, steady voice contrasted dramatically with the chaos running through my veins.
I trailed behind him as he led me down the narrow aisle, the hum of the plane’s engines and the occasional chatter of passengers blending into background noise.
My heart thudded in my chest, with equal parts excitement and nerves as we neared the small restroom.
When he stopped in front of the door, he turned to me, his gaze locking onto mine. His expression softened for a moment, as if silently asking one last time if I was sure.
I nodded again, my breath catching as his hand slid to the small of my back, guiding me inside.
The door clicked shut behind us, and the close quarters only seemed to amplify the heat between us.
“You’re full of surprises, Lila.” Jaxon spoke in a low rumble as he leaned back against the door, his eyes drinking me in.
“You’re one to talk,” I shot back, though my voice wavered slightly.
He chuckled, his grin taking on that familiar wicked edge as he reached for me, pulling me flush against him.
His lips captured mine once more, and all thoughts of the cramped space and the absurdity of what we were doing vanished.
The way he kissed me was electric, every touch, every movement deliberate and charged with intent. His hands roamed, teasing and exploring, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.
The sterile brightness of the airplane restroom felt out of place with the heat building between us, but it didn’t matter. The second the door clicked shut and Jaxon turned the lock, the rest of the world disappeared.
His hands found my waist immediately, pulling me toward him as his lips crashed into mine with unrestrained hunger. My back pressed against the wall, the hard contrast sending a thrill through me as his body pinned me there.
“Lila,” he murmured against my lips, his voice rough and desperate. “You’re driving me insane.”
I tugged at the collar of his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer.
“You’re the one who started this,” I shot back, though my breathlessness undercut my attempt at teasing.
He smirked, his hands sliding down to grip my hips, fingers digging into me just enough to leave me gasping. “And I intend to finish it.”
His mouth moved down my neck, his kisses alternating between soft and demanding, each one leaving a burning trail in its wake.
I tangled my hands in his hair, tugging just enough to earn a low growl from him that sent shivers through me.
“God, you’re trouble,” I whispered, my voice shaking as his hands slid beneath the hem of my shirt, his fingertips grazing my bare skin. The sensation was electric, and I arched into him, silently begging for more.
His lips returned to mine, his kiss deeper this time, more possessive, as if he couldn’t get enough of me.
One of his hands traveled up my side, tracing slow, deliberate lines that made my pulse race. The other anchored me to him, his grip firm and grounding despite the chaos building between us.
“We don’t have much time,” he murmured, his breath hot against my ear. “But I can’t stop. Not now.”
I dragged my tongue along my bottom lip as my mouth flooded with saliva and desperation to taste this incredible man. “Then don’t.”
But it was me who threw caution to the wind, who took things up another notch. My trembling fingers slid down to the zipper on his jeans, and I pulled him free.
I could feel the gratitude vibrating through his entire body as I held him between my fingers.
He was so hard, so ready, so eager to be inside of me already. But he wasn’t going to get that yet. I was eager to feel him pushed between my lips, and that had to take priority.
This wasn’t like me. Not at all.
But maybe that was the point.
I slipped down, my knees hitting the floor. There wasn’t much room; I was cramped between him and the wall, but that was exactly where I needed to be.
“Mm, you have no idea how good you look right now,” I murmured, allowing my breath to tickle down his length.
He shuddered violently, which I loved. I adored seeing him crumble like that and knowing it was because of me.
“You are so fucking sexy. Jaxon. And absolutely massive.”
As his eyes snapped down to look at me with surprise crossing his face, I immediately stripped all the air from his lungs by taking him in my mouth and pushing him all the way to the back of my throat.
God, he tasted so fucking good. And I immediately wanted more.
“Oh shit, Lila…”
As I dragged my lips delicately up and down his length, twirling my tongue around him, his hands knotted up in my hair.
He wasn’t guiding my movements, though. He was just enjoying everything that I was doing to him, which only made me hungrier for him. I wanted to taste him until he exploded…
“Fuck, I want you…”
I wasn’t about to give him what he wanted because I was enjoying myself too much, but he yanked away from me and held his soaking wet cock between his fingers.
The deep desire in his eyes was too much for me. I couldn’t resist him.
Plus, there was a deep throbbing in my panties that wanted him as well.
Not that I had much of a choice.
Jaxon took complete control of my body by grabbing me by the hips and yanking me toward him until our bodies might as well have been one.
He took all the air from my body and had my heart hammering like crazy against my ribcage. It pounded so loudly that he had to hear it.
He brought that delicious, thick, throbbing erection of his toward me and slipped my underwear to one side.
This man needed me, and he needed to have me right now—and fucking hell, I needed him too.
“Shit. Jaxon!”
The first thrust deep inside of me wasn’t careful or gentle. It was filled with passion that had me spinning wildly and seeing stars right away.
I gripped my hands around his shoulders to hold myself in place so I could feel every inch of him as he thrust deeply into me once more.
“Fucking hell, Jaxon…”
The pleasure came for me quickly.
It seemed like he had only been buried deep within me for a moment before the heat took control of me and my whole body transformed to jelly.
Each thrust had me steaming toward the station by the second, and I couldn’t wait to reach it.
I was on the knife’s edge, about to lose it at long last…
Oh god, the pleasure absolutely screamed through my body. It was more intense than any orgasm that I had ever experienced before, and I honestly didn’t want it to end.