Careless(16)

“I hear what you’re saying.” I sigh and glance out of the window. “It’s been almost six years, Willow. He’s changed and so have I. Honestly, I don’t think we’ll get together. I just needed to talk to someone about it. You know, make sense of it all for myself.”

Willow gets up and when I do the same, she gives me a hug.

“You need to get going, or you’ll miss your flight. Just remember that you can talk to me about anything. We might live in different states, but I’ll always be there for you.”

When I pull back, I press a kiss to her cheek.

“Thank you. I really needed this.” We look at each other for a few minutes, and I give her the peace of mind she just gave me.

“I’m going to fix him.”

She nods as her eyes well with tears.

“I believe in you, Leigh.”

We walk out together and give each other one more hug before going our separate ways.





Chapter 9



JAXSON





I make sure I’m on the jet well before Leigh is due to arrive.

“Mr. West,” the stewardess greets me with a clear look of surprise on her face. It doesn’t stop her from checking me out. “We weren’t expecting you. I’m Tia, and I’ll be your stewardess for the flight.” There’s a flirting tone to her words which I choose to ignore.

“It was a last-minute decision.” I glance around the luxurious cabin. “It’s a surprise for Dr. Baxter so I’ll appreciate if you didn’t let her know that I’m onboard. I’ve also brought food which I’d like to be served after we’ve taken off.”

I keep my voice professional and hand her the brown paper bags filled with delicious treats we can snack on and a light white wine. My plan is to get to know Leigh better and to allow her to get to know me. We need to erase the gap between us that formed over the past few years.

I take a seat in the staff area and strap myself in. My heart starts to beat with both anxiety and excitement, thinking that in a few minutes time, I’ll be sitting across from Leigh. She’ll have to give me undivided attention seeing as there’s nowhere she can run to until we land.

I have around six hours to convince her to give us a try.

Once we’ve reached cruising altitude, I remove the seatbelt and make my way to the kitchen.

Finding Tia there, she helps me unpack and plate all the food. She tries to rub up against me every chance she gets, which irritates me to hell and back.

“Could you please prepare the table, Tia?” I ask briskly, handing her a white tablecloth and candles.

“Of course, Mr. West.” Her voice is throaty as if she’s willing to do just about anything I ask of her, including going down on her knees to suck me off.

I peek through the curtain and watch as Leigh stares out of the window. At least I still have the surprise factor on my side.

She’s wearing a pair of black slacks, and a white blouse which fits her frame perfectly, especially her pert breasts. The cold air makes her nipples strain against the material, and I suppress a soft groan while adjusting myself so my hard-on isn’t so damn obvious.

Leigh looks comfortable which I’m happy to see. The less tense she is when we talk, the better my chances will be when I’m pleading my case.

Once Tia is done setting everything up, I slowly pull the curtain aside. Leigh doesn’t notice as I come in and I get to drink in her beauty for a little while longer. When I sit down next to her, her head turns to me and a look of surprise flashes over her face.

“I didn’t know you’d be on this flight,” she says, her beautiful brown eyes still wide.

“I wanted to surprise you,” I admit. I don’t have time to play games with her.

“Me? Why?” She turns her body, so she’s facing me, and I take it as a good sign that she’s not giving me the cold shoulder.

I have to choose my words carefully. I don’t want to scare her away with a sudden declaration of love.

“You’re someone I’d like to get to know better.”

She frowns as if she can’t understand why I’d like to get to know her. It’s actually refreshing. Most of the women I’ve hooked up with always assume it means something more than a casual fling. And then there are the few who feel they have a right to me, and the wealth that comes with working at Indie Ink. Not one of them has ever looked at me without seeing dollar signs.

Leigh’s eyes hold mine for a moment. When she looks at me like that, I know she’s trying to study me, searching for the truth behind my actions.

She glances out the window again, and whispers, “I’m still the same person, Jaxson. All I do is work. I don’t have time for friends.”

Always direct. I don’t think she has it in her to lie.

“Have a late lunch with me, Doc. When the plane lands, and you still feel the same, I promise to let it go.”

Her eyes dart to me. “Just lunch?”

“Just lunch.”

“Okay,” she whispers.

I get up and taking her hand, I walk her over to the table. I wait until she’s seated before I take the seat next to her. She glances at the empty seats across from us before looking back to me. I ignore the silent question, and with a nod in Tia’s direction, I give her the sign to bring out the platter.

Tia places the platter in the middle of the table before she opens the wine. She pours some into crystal glasses before she disappears back into the kitchen, giving us privacy.

Leigh looks at the food and smiles teasingly. “What would you have done with the food if I had refused?”

“Most likely eat it all. I’m a comfort eater.”

She lets out a soft chuckle. Her delicate fingers wrap around the stem of the wine glass, and she takes a small sip. Her tongue darts out, and she licks her lips. Placing the glass back on the table, her hand returns to her lap.

I decide to get the apology out of the way. We have to move past what happened that night in order for us to start something new.

I place my hand over hers and before she can pull away, I tighten my fingers around hers. Her eyes dart to mine, and even though she’s uncomfortable, she doesn’t look away.

“I’m sorry, Doc. I shouldn’t have left you that night.”

Her lips part and the look in her eyes sharpen as if she’s about to shut me down.

“Please let me say this,” I whisper urgently.

I expect her to look away, or to tell me to go to hell, but instead, she nods.

I let out a sigh of relief. That’s one win for me.

“I’m not going to apologize for making love to you.”

Her eyes soften until they look bruised, and I hate that she’s still hurting.

“Just before you got to my place, my mom had called Logan. I refuse to take any of her calls. She… let’s just say she wasn’t the best mother. Every time she calls…” I shake my head and take a deep breath to control the anger that’s always threatening to rise to the surface when I think of that woman. “I can’t think of her and not get angry.”

Leigh’s body relaxes into the chair as she places her other hand over the back of mine.

Thank God. She’s listening to me.

“I was drowning in anger when you got there. Then I saw how upset you were and fuck… I swear I could feel your pain. If we had just hate-fucked, I would definitely be on my knees right now, begging your forgiveness for making a shitty situation so much worse. But what happened between us that night—you were my first in so many ways.”

She tilts her head and gives me a look which clearly says she thinks I’m talking shit.

“Willow told me about the screw crew list, Jaxson. I was definitely not your first.”

I turn my body towards her and placing my left arm on the table, I lean closer to her. The sweet scent of her perfume makes me inhale deeper.

Fuck, I’ve missed the smell of her.

“You’re the only woman I’ve kissed, Doc.”

I let the information sink in and watch her lips part on a silent gasp.

“Why?” she whispers.

“You’re different from any other woman I’ve ever met. With you, it felt right.”

“You’re also the only woman I’ve made love to. Every time I try with someone else, I see you. I’ve tried and… I can’t.”

Hurt flickers in her eyes when she says, “You’ve tried?”

This part of the conversation sucks. Fuck, I wish I could just skip it.

“I’ve tried and failed quite a few times.”

She lets out a shaky breath. “What does that have to do with me?”

My eyes trail over her face, taking in her soft skin and those eyes… fuck, those eyes. I can see my future in them.

“Everything. It has everything to do with you, and that’s why I want to get to know you.”

She shakes her head and looks down at our joined hands.

“It was just sex, Jaxson.”

I take hold of her chin and turn her face back to mine.

“You’re not a liar, Doc. We both know it wasn’t just sex.”

When she doesn’t admit it, I let go of her chin and move my hand to her neck. I brush my fingers over her sensitive skin and watch as goosebumps appear.

I wait her out as she reacts to my touch. I need to hear it from her.

“It’s nothing but a physical reaction. It doesn’t mean anything,” she argues.