Three Wicked Days (11 page)

Within seconds, Jordan opened the door, a concerned look wrinkling his brow.

“Kay? What’s wrong?”

Her lower lip began to tremble, and she lost control, throwing herself into Jordan’s
arms. He held her tight, letting her cry out her pain as he moved her inside and shut
the door behind them.

“Oh, sweetie. What? Tell me what happened? Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head, her tears leaving wet marks on his T-shirt.

“He didn’t hurt you or you can’t tell me what happened?”

“He didn’t hurt me,” she mumbled. “I just…”

“Say no more.” He sighed and pulled her onto the bed with him.

Settling on his back, he held her against his side. Her whole body shook with sobs.
Why did she let herself do this? She should never have slept with him. She should
have kept her distance. Now she didn’t know what the hell she was going to do. She
still had to work with him.

“What am I going to do, Jordan?” she sobbed.

“What do you want to do?”

“That’s beside the point.”

“No it’s not. Do you love him?”

She nodded, swallowing back another sob.

“Honey, then what are you doing here?”

“I don’t want to end up like my mom.”

Jordan was quiet for a moment as his fingers slowly combed through her hair.

“Steve’s not like your dad.”

“No. He’s worse. You know his reputation as well as I do.”

“I’m not sure everything we’ve heard is true. One of the other flight attendants was
telling me the other day that the girl that started all those rumors was making them
up.”

“Why would she do that?”

“She was mad because Steve wasn’t interested in her. Apparently, she jumped in bed
with him thinking she could keep him once she had him there.”

“That’s not helping, Jordan,” she admonished. Of course she couldn’t keep him there.
Steve wasn’t the serious relationship type.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and then kissed her forehead. “Try to get some sleep. Things
will look better in the morning. I promise.”

* * * *

Steve awoke the next morning to an empty bed. With a sigh, he placed his hand on the
cold spot where Kayla should be, but wasn’t. It felt wrong with her not here. As though
something was missing. Hopefully, she’d just gone to her room for a change of clothes.

Grabbing the receiver, he dialed her room number, then waited impatiently for her
to answer. When she didn’t, he hung it up with a frown. He had a bad feeling, but
couldn't put his finger on what.

On instinct, he dialed Jordan’s room.

“Yello,” Jordan answered.

“Hey, Jordan. It’s Steve. Kayla there?”

There was a slight pause before Jordan spoke, and Steve’s gut clenched. “You just
missed her, man. I’m sorry.”

“Is she heading back to her room?”

“No. She checked out.”

Steve bolted upright. “She what? Our flight doesn’t leave for another three hours.”
Again another moment of silence and Steve growled, “Jordan.”

Jordan sighed. “She’s going to kill me for this. She got one of the other flight attendants
that arrived yesterday to switch flights with her. She’s taking the early flight home,
then called in sick for the rest of the paring.”

“Son of a bitch.”

Getting shot in the chest couldn’t have hurt nearly as bad as this did. What the hell
was she doing? Didn’t she feel what was between them?

“You’re not going to let her get away with this, are you, Steve?” Jordan asked.

Steve could just see the cheeky grin on his face. “Hell no.”

“Good.”

* * * *

Kayla walked into her apartment and sagged against the closed door. She’d kept her
tears at bay for as long as she could, but the second she’d slipped into her car at
the employee lot of Miami International Airport, she’d completely lost it. She’d cried
all the way home, mentally kicking herself for getting involved with Steve in the
first place.

The phone rang, making her jump. She glared at it, then waited for the answering machine
to pick up.

After the beep, Jordan’s voice came through the speaker, and she breathed a sigh of
relief. “Hey, Kay. You there yet? Come on, girlfriend, pick up.”

With a sigh, she grabbed the receiver and hit the talk button. “Hey, Jordan. I’m here.”

“You all right?”

His voice was full of concern, and she smiled. Jordan had always been there for her
since day one. He was her rock.

“I’ll be okay. Where are you calling me from?”

He chuckled. “From the plane. It’s costing me a fortune too, so I’m making it quick.
Don’t leave. I’ll be home soon.”

“All right.”

“I mean it, Kay. Don’t go anywhere. Not even the store. Whatever we need we’ll pick
it up later.”

She grinned for the first time in several hours. “I could use a bottle of vodka and
a quart of orange juice.”

“Way ahead of you. Check the fridge. But don’t get so drunk you can’t walk. It makes
you too sick.”

“Got it. Just slightly, wobbly drunk. No problem.”

“Don’t drink too much, Kay. I don’t want you drinking in your depressed state alone.
Okay?”

“Okay. I’ll behave. I’m going to take a bath. I’ll see you when you get here.”

“All right. Bye, babe.”

“Bye.”

* * * *

Jordan flipped Steve’s phone closed and handed it back to him. Steve glanced at him
over his shoulder, adjusting the cockpit headset before his lips.

“She’s home?” Steve asked.

“Yeah. And you owe me for this one. She’s going to be one pissed off chica.”

The corner of Steve’s lips quirked in amusement. “Yeah, but she’s so damn hot when
she’s pissed.”

With a smirk, Jordan slapped Steve on the shoulder. “You’ll think hot when she’s giving
you what for.”

“At least she’ll be talking to me.”

Jordan nodded his head with a grin then left the cockpit, leaving Steve to work out
a plan of attack.

* * * *

Parking his truck in the parking lot of Biscayne Bay’s most exclusive condo complex,
Steve took a look around with a whistle. Wow. Jordan had warned him ahead of time
where she lived. Her dad hated Miami and had bought the upscale condo for Kayla so
she would feel safe, and he would feel more relieved. He’d even been thrilled when
she’d taken Jordan as a roommate after he’d broken up with his last boyfriend; the
whole man-in-the-house thing and all, as Jordan had explained. Kayla’s father may
have been a lousy husband, but he was definitely a doting dad.

He and Jordan had exchanged keys so Steve could go to the condo and surprise Kayla.
He was determined to make her see there was more to them than just a three day fling.

With a nod to the doorman, he stepped into the lobby. Bright crystal chandeliers hung
from the ceilings, their light reflecting on the gray Italian tile floor. Numerous
conversation areas lay scattered around the oversized room. Large windows to the back
gave an unobstructed view of the beach and ocean of Biscayne Bay.

Glancing around, he quickly found the elevator. With a swipe of the card Jordan had
given him, he hit the number twelve then waited impatiently for the elevator to open
on Kayla’s floor.

For the first time in his life, he was a nervous wreck. What if she really didn’t
feel the same way he did? What if he was about to make a huge fool of himself? Steeling
his spine, he determined that it was worth the risk. He would do whatever it took
to have Kayla.

With a soft ding, the elevator door slid open and Steve stepped off onto floor twelve.
Turning to his right, he headed down the hall. If his sense of direction was right,
Kayla’s condo faced the beach. From the twelfth floor, she would have one hell of
a view.

Steve stopped outside her condo door and listened for any movement on the other side.
There was no sound at all, so he reached out to turn the handle. Unlocked. As quietly
as possible, he opened the door, then stepped inside.

Wow.

The condo was bright, with lots of sunshine pouring in the open sliding glass doors.
They led to a balcony that overlooked the ocean. About thirty plants of varying size
decorated the outdoor room. The living room was oversized, with a hallway to the left,
which Steve assumed led to the two bedrooms, and the kitchen and dining area to his
right. It was nice, but small, which was probably just right for Kayla.

Taking a deep breath, he shut the door, the loud bang echoing through the quiet home.

“Jordan?” Kayla’s voice carried from down the hall. “Is that you?”

She rounded the corner, and Steve sucked in a breath. She had just come from a bath,
her hair was damp and hung enticingly around her ears. Her skin was flushed pink beneath
the blue, satin robe and his heart clenched in his chest. In her hand was a glass
of juice, which she dropped on the floor the second she saw him. Glass shattered across
the tile.

“Steve?” she murmured.

“You ran out on me this morning.”

Her mouth opened and closed, her face flushing an even deeper shade of pink. “How
did you get in here?”

He held up his hand and showed her the security card. “Jordan.”

“Damn.”

She started to walk away, but Steve held up a hand, stopping her. “Don’t move. There’s
glass everywhere.”

Her eyes widened as she stared at the mess around her feet. Steve walked over and
picked her up in his arms. “Hey. What are you doing?”

He frowned. “You’re barefoot. What did you want me to do, leave you there?”

“No, but…” She squirmed, causing him to almost lose his hold on her.

“Be still, Kay. I’d hate to drop you on that adorable ass.”

She froze and stared at him, her eyes wary and uncertain. He stopped by the sliding
glass door, the breeze from outside causing goose bumps to rise on her flesh and the
soft waves of hair by her ears to blow gently.

“Why did you leave, Kayla?”

“I um…” She swallowed. “You know why. We agreed to keep it only there. Please let
me down.”

Reluctantly, Steve set her on her feet. She immediately stepped back, putting some
distance between them. In pure male stubbornness, Steve stepped toward her, closing
that distance once again. Her eyes widened and the thin material of her robe stretched
tight across her nipples at her deep intake of breath.

“There’s more to us than just three days in Jamaica, Kayla.”

She shook her head and backed against the glass door. “The sex was great but—”

“No buts.” He shifted, pinning her, his hands resting on the door above her head.
“Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me you don’t feel anything for me?”

She glanced up at him pleadingly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “No. But
I can’t do this.” She shoved at his chest, pushing him away.

He watched helplessly as she turned and walked away from him.

*

Kayla’s heart was breaking. She wanted to say yes, but just couldn’t. With a determined
stride, Kayla headed toward the hall, but stopped when she remembered the glass. “Damn,”
she sighed.

“I love you, Kayla.”

His voice had been so quiet, she wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. Turning to
face him, she gripped her hands in front of her, the pounding of her heart echoing
in her ears. “What?”

“I love you.”

She was sure she stared at him like a complete idiot. She wanted to jump for joy,
shout from the rooftops, but her fears kept her grounded and determined. “You love
me?”

His lips quirked adorably. “Yes.”

Slowly he began to move toward her. She wanted to run but her feet remained rooted
to the spot. Oh, God. She loved him so much, but she didn’t want to end up lonely
and dumped on like her mother.

“I’m not your dad, Kayla, and you’re not your mother. We can make this work.” When
she remained silent, he continued. “We can work our schedules so that we fly together.
Think of all the overnights that we’ll have to talk and hold each other.” His gaze
held hers captive as he moved closer, invading her space. “Make love.”

The thought of making love to him again sent her hormones into overdrive. The man
knew exactly what to do to make her body come alive.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I know.” He cupped her cheeks and the warmth of his palms seeped into her flesh.
“I’m scared, too. I’ve never been in love before. Not like this.”

“But you’re a pilot. I always swore I’d never get involved with a pilot.”

“I am what I am, Kayla. I’ve wanted to be a pilot my whole life. I love my job—”

“And I would never ask you to leave it.”

“I would for you.”

That shocked her. He would leave the career he worked so hard for, spent thousands
of dollars on, for her? No. She would never let him do that. “I would never want you
to stop flying. But…” She swallowed down a lump. “I want a husband who will be there,
and kids. I want kids.”

“Oh, God. Kayla. So do I. Lots of little girls that look just like you.”

He leaned closer, his lips just inches from hers. His warm breath fanned her face,
and she inhaled his minty scent. “I know we can make this work, Kay. I love you. Give
me the chance to prove I’m not what the rumors claim me to be. That I can be the husband
you need.”

She smiled. Pleasure at those softly spoken, three little words skimmed through her
and tightened her chest. He loved her. “I love you, too. I’m willing to try. I want
this to work so bad.”

“So do I, baby.”

His mouth slanted across hers, softly sipping at her lips, gentle little nips that
sent her heart racing wildly.

Kayla placed her hands against the warmth of Steve’s hard chest and gripped at the
soft, cotton fabric of his shirt. Parting her lips, she moaned as he slipped his tongue
inside, invading her mouth with a gentleness that almost brought her to her knees.

His hands tugged at her belt, loosening it so that the robe fell open, exposing her
heated flesh to his touch. And he touched her everywhere—her stomach, her breasts,
then behind her to the small of her back and ass. His fingers skimmed lightly over
her, making her desperate for a more intimate touch.