13. Taylor
Thirteen
Taylor
I’m a complete mess as I drive away, my heart racing, my mind a foggy haze of replaying what it felt like to have Jake brush his lips against mine. It wasn’t even a kiss, but something about it was far hotter than the random hook ups I’ve come to know.
A person blasts their horn at me as I pull out of the parking lot, startling me back to the present. I almost feel like I need to pull over to put myself back together, but instead, I grab my phone and call Carrie.
“Please tell me you’re calling to describe what Jake’s body looks like naked,” she says, her greeting making me laugh.
“No, but he did sorta kiss me.”
“What do you mean he sorta kissed you? That sounds…”
“Weird,” I respond, finishing her sentence. And while I’m still reeling from the sorta kiss, I’m also questioning what the hell I’m doing. The last time I got involved with someone from work beyond just casually, it ended in a messy divorce.
“So what happened and why are you not hooking up with him now?”
“We were eating ice cream, and things were?—”
Carrie cuts me off. “Wait, you were eating ice cream? Drawing attention to your mouth and you still went home alone? Did you show him a little skin to remind him of being naked?”
“Stop quoting Clueless and making fun of me all in the same breath. This is serious.”
“It’s not serious, Taylor,” Carrie says with finality and firmness. “You’re making it serious when it doesn’t have to be. I think you know he’s different, but you’re scared to admit it.”
“Different from what? And me scared to admit something? Please.”
“Oh, we all know you’re a badass, yes, but when it comes to your heart, that sucker is a well-guarded secret.”
She obviously doesn’t understand that for my own health and sanity, my heart stays locked in my chest now. It only needs to break once for it to hurt, and then when you treat it like shit, sleeping with anyone, you learn to turn off your feelings.
“He’s not Trent,” Carrie finally says, announcing what we’re both thinking.
That name makes me cringe. How could I have been so stupid as to marry him and believe what we had was real. Blowjobs in an airplane cockpit can’t sustain a relationship. Being cheated on kills any respect you have for yourself, and when I finally realized I was just a vehicle to support his journey, I knew it needed to end.
“I know that, but…” I trail off, not even certain what I can say because Jake isn’t Trent, and as much as my head and my heart are screaming his name, I’m still struggling.
“Let me just say one thing. If you keep stringing him along, he’s going to disappear. It’s okay to let someone else be part of your happiness. Trust me, it’s better when you have someone on your side.”
“Fine, fine. I hear you.”
“So you’re driving to his house now then?” she asks, the excitement in her voice is laughable, like she’s living vicariously through me.
“Don’t you have a willing participant at home so you don’t have to wonder about my sex life?”
“First of all, you called me, and second, he’s asleep on the couch. We don’t get out much.”
We’re both laughing, and it feels good, not only to be home but to have someone like Carrie in my life. She’s always been someone who gives it to me straight and reminds me that I don’t have to be the ice queen I’ve turned into. And as her words bounce around in my head, I start to wonder if maybe she’s right.
I arrive at the airport early, as always, but to my surprise, when I walk into the pilots’ lounge at LAX, I can hear Jake’s unique voice booming through the corridor as the sliding doors open.
Just hearing his voice has a smile tugging at my mouth, but I stall out just before entering when I hear my name.
“You’re flying with Taylor Patterson?” a man’s voice asks, and it’s one I don’t recognize. Jake must nod his head because the man continues talking. “Lucky bastard. You’re getting laid today.”
My cheeks begin to burn, fiery hot, and I almost turn and walk away, needing a second to remind myself that whatever this asshole says about me, it’s in the past.
But then I hear Jake’s tone change, a clipped preciseness to it. “Excuse me?”
“You know what they say about her,” the guy responds casually, as if talking shit about a coworker is commonplace and Jake just needs to join in.
“That she’s an amazing pilot? That she runs a flight school for underprivileged girls? That she hasn’t let herself go since taking a job here at Crescent Airways? Can’t say the same about you.”
I walk in just as Jake is giving the guy’s belly a pat, and it makes me chuckle a little. I love the way he so effortlessly responds to people, the way he’s aloof but still packs a punch. He’s so cool you couldn’t even set him on fire, and there’s something so fucking sexy about it.
The conversation dies there, and the pilot with the potbelly and shame written all over his reddened face says nothing more. He just walks past me, his head tipped down, his eyes scanning the room, and looking anywhere but at me.
“Hey,” Jake says, smiling at me as he hands me a cup of coffee. “Two creams, two sugars.” Winking, he motions for us to sit down, his coffee in one hand and our flight release in the other.
“You’re early,” I tell him, chewing on my bottom lip a little as I try to get past the conversation Jake was just having, wondering if he’s going to bring it up.
“I’m trying to impress this girl, and it turns out she likes guys who are on time. But when I say on time, I mean early.”
“I’m sure she’ll be impressed,” I tease back, and he smirks at me. His perfect white teeth gleaming, a small dimple appearing in his cheek, and my stomach flutters for a split second.
“You think she’ll consider kissing me? I’m like a teenage boy, waiting for the moment she lets me get to first base.”
“Well, she might since that sorta kiss left her all hot and bothered last night.”
“Whoa! Hold up one second. Hot and bothered?”
I giggle and shake my head, standing up. I take my coffee and head toward the door without acknowledging his question. I like this game we have going on, this playful banter and harmless flirting. It reminds me of a time when starting a relationship was fun and it wasn’t just about how quickly I could hop in the sack with someone, totally free of any feelings. Sleeping around had its time and place, but there’s something to be said for pining after someone and the intensity of the wait.
Jake jogs up behind me, his hand slipping around my elbow as he slows me down and with his lips brushing my cheek, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin of my neck, he says, “If you think that kiss got you hot, you should see what I can do with my tongue.”
And even though my heart is racing and between my thighs suddenly feels like someone lit it on fire, I lean in and murmur back, “ You should see what I can do with my tongue.”
Jake lets out a hard breath; his hands plunging into his pockets as he shifts around a little, making me laugh.
We check in with our dispatcher, check the weather and get everything ready for departure. Both of us are back to being totally professional. Despite this, I’m finding it hard to concentrate; Jake’s flirting has me reeling and almost desperate to say fuck it and throw myself at him.
When we finally reach our cruising altitude and we’ve checked our path and location over the Pacific Ocean, I look over at Jake and ask, “So care to tell me how you ended up on my flight?”
“You sure you don’t like a little mystery in your life?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Jake laughs out loud, and I smile at him, even though my answer was short and clipped.
“Most women would love it if a guy systematically rearranged his schedule and called in favors and finagled things just so he could be with her.” He shrugs his shoulders, cocking an eyebrow at me as if he’s looking for me to swoon, but even he knows that won’t happen.
“I’m not most women.”
“Oh, and you have no idea how fucking hot that is.”
Even though I know I won’t have a lot of time in Honolulu, only one full day, since we’re arriving in the afternoon today and flying out early two days later, I’ve booked myself at this secluded hotel up on the North Shore. It’s quiet and peaceful, and it will give me some time to just relax.
I’m now sitting here wondering how to handle this because it’s obvious Jake went out of his way to be with me. I don’t owe him anything, and in the past, I would feel like I did. I would feel like I should sleep with him in exchange for his somewhat creepy stalker-like behavior. But he’s smooth like a forehead after Botox, and he makes me laugh.
“Do you have plans after we land?” I ask, knowing what I’m about to do is a risk.
“Nope. Up until yesterday, I was on a flight to Vancouver, so this is a bit of a change.”
“Well, I’m gonna go jump off some cliffs and then drink a bunch of Mai Tais on the beach. Care to join me?”
“Holy shit. Did the elusive Taylor Patterson just invite me to hang out with her? No bets, no wagers, no gimmicks?”
“No, but if you keep giving me shit, I’m totally taking back my offer. And if we learned anything from the last time, it’s that I can kick your ass in a race.”
“I learned that you’re sneaky and that you laugh at other people’s misfortunes.”
“You falling off that treadmill was clumsiness not misfortune.” I give him a little nudge with my elbow, and I feel my cheeks start to hurt from all the smiling.
Five hours later, we’ve landed, cleared the plane and now find ourselves in the lobby of the stunning White Sand Bay hotel overlooking the Pacific. I have no idea if they have another room available and when I invited him, I knew there was a possibility I’d end up sharing a room with him. That’s where things could get complicated.
But he doesn’t even have that expectation, just walks right up to the next available check-in attendant and asks to book a room for a night or two. Luckily, we don’t have to cross that awkward bridge since the hotel happens to have another room. But something far more awkward happens as we both stand waiting to check-in.
I gasp out loud when I see him, shirtless in the lobby with a tiny woman in a bikini that looks like it was made for a toddler.
Trent.
My fucking ex-husband.
“Taylor?” he says, as I attempt to act like I don’t see him, hauling my bag and myself in the opposite direction, but he calls my name again. This time his voice is loud, and despite the noise in the lobby, it rings out.
“That tool over there is calling your name,” Jake says, walking up and stopping next to me. The nervousness I feel is overwhelming and I’m sure it’s written all over my flushed face, but Jake calling Trent a tool kind of makes things a little better.
“That’s my ex.”
“Oh, this should be good.” He gives me a wink and slips his hand into mine, giving me a little tug so I start walking.
“What are you doing here?” Trent asks, his tone rude and insinuating, and his posture standoffish. “Did you follow me here? Did you look at my route?”
“You can’t be serious right now. No, Trent, don’t flatter yourself.”
We stand silent, looking at each other, but neither of us speaks, and it’s Jake who cuts through the silence.
“Hey, mate. I’m Jake Campbell, a friend of Taylor’s. You here with your…daughter?” Jake motions to the woman standing next to Trent, who in Jake’s snarky defense, does look like she could be eighteen. I bite down hard on my bottom lip to stifle the laugh caused by Jake’s snide comment.
“No, this is my girlfriend, Camilla,” he quips back, obviously growing annoyed, but I’m sure this is not the first time he’s gotten that type of response to her. “I see you found yourself a new boy toy though.”
I link my arm with Jake’s, looking up at him, I smirk, an unspoken moment passing between us. “He’s no boy, if you know what I mean, but it wasn’t too hard to top you.” I wrinkle my nose up and shoot Trent a faux sympathetic look. “Enjoy your trip. I did see that they have childcare if you need a break from playing daddy.”
I quickly walk away, hitting the bank of elevators and obsessively pressing the button for the door.
“What the hell was that?” Jake asks, but there’s some humor to his question and a small smile on his face.
“It was petty, that’s what it was.”
“He had it coming. He came at you first.”