Standby (Open Skies Book 4) by Becca Jameson (popular e readers .TXT) 📕

he accept no for an answer. A lump formed in his throat at the thought of what she’d been going through alone.

Chapter 4

Shayla was shaking. She hated that she was revealing so much to Jake. She had no idea if she could really trust him, but the man had a way of dragging information out of her that she was unable to resist.

She was exhausted from carrying the burden on her own, and now that she knew Hawke was spreading lies about her, the stakes were getting higher. She was no longer sure he would let her go at all. He might badger her until he destroyed her. She was losing her grip.

“I never should have fallen for his stupid charm and gone out with him in the first place. Dating people you work with is a horrible idea. I’m paying the price for my bad decisions.”

“Shayla… Sweetheart, you can’t take responsibility for the fact that this guy is a fucking asshole. You’re being gaslighted. You’re not even with him anymore and you’ve convinced yourself his bad behavior is your fault.”

She sighed. He was right. Intellectually she knew it, but it was still hard to remind herself. All she could do right now was beat herself up for ever going out with the asshole in the first place. She should have said no. He’d asked her half a dozen times before she fell for his charm.

Until recently she’d frequently been on one of Hawke’s flights, and she suspected he’d had a hand in that. He’d often flirted with her. Eventually, when they’d been in the same hotel on an overnight, she’d fallen for his charm. Dinner with the crew had led to drinks alone in the bar. Drinks had led to flirting. Flirting had led to his hotel room where she’d let him fuck her.

Maybe the first night had been okay, but after that, it had gone downhill. Hawke was a selfish lover. He liked to take without giving. He was often pushy about it too. He fancied himself some kind of Dom, but he had no concept of the term. He was just a bossy dick who thought women should worship the ground he walked on because he was some bigwig pilot. As if he were a god. He most certainly was not.

Shayla wasn’t too pleased with herself after the first night they’d slept together, but he hadn’t shown his true colors yet, so she’d done it again. And again. By the fourth time, she’d felt used. And then he’d started getting mean.

“Hey…” Jake’s soft voice wafted across the room, yanking her out of her musing.

She realized she was silently crying.

“Come here, sweetheart.”

She shook her head and took a deep breath. If she let him touch her, she would really end up crying. The last thing she wanted was his pity.

“Shayla, come here.” His voice was still soft, but firmer.

She had no idea why but she untangled her legs, set her mug on the coffee table, and went to him. She dropped onto the sofa next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Jake wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Shh,” he soothed. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

More tears fell. She couldn’t stop them. It felt good to have told someone at least part of what she was going through. She’d spent months keeping it to herself, not wanting anyone to know what a fool she was.

She felt stupid. There was no other way to put it.

“It’s not your fault, Shayla.”

She slouched. “Of course it is. I never should have gone out with him. It was unprofessional. I’m paying the price for my bad judgment.”

He lifted her chin and met her gaze. “That’s bullshit. You’re not responsible for anything that asshole did or said or continues to do or say. He’s a pencil dick.”

She giggled, wiping the tears away. “You’re not wrong.” The man was pretty reasonably sized on the outside, but he hadn’t had the biggest cock she’d ever seen. Not that it mattered. Normally she wouldn’t care or point such a thing out. But since he was a fucking asshole…

“Okay, now, how about if you go take a shower and get dressed, and then I’ll take you out to lunch.”

She smiled at him. “Do I smell?” she teased, shaking off the sadness.

He laughed. “Not at all. But if you don’t get out of here and put on real clothes with a bra, I’m going to end up flattening you against the couch with my hands all over your body, and I bet that’s not how you prefer our first date to go down.” He glanced down at her thin T-shirt and raised his brows to prove his point.

Her nipples stiffened. Half of her suddenly wished he would make good on his threat instead of her dashing upstairs. At least he might erase some of the crappy memories with his amazing body and a cock that was surely bigger than Hawke’s. She might not be in any state of mind to date, but a booty call with Jake would do wonders for her self-esteem.

“Shayla,” he warned. He pointed at the stairs.

She scrambled out of his embrace and took the stairs two at a time.

What the hell was she doing? She turned on the shower and stripped out of her clothes while it heated. Jake Robinson was downstairs. In her condo. Finally.

She hadn’t known he was coming, so she’d spent the last hour with him looking far less than her best. Messy bun. Not enough clothes. Crying. Spilling her sob story.

She groaned as she stepped under the spray of water and reached for the soap. Her entire body had reacted to Jake’s touch. The feel of his hands on her after more than a year of wondering was beyond amazing.

He was confident and very alpha. Perhaps that should unnerve her after what happened with Hawke, but it didn’t. The two had nothing in common. Less than nothing.

She didn’t doubt Jake was dominant, but not