Nonstop (Open Skies #3) - Becca Jameson Page 0,21

did chase the ghosts back into the corner.

Chapter 8

Bracken did not go back to sleep. He paced his house until morning, hating that he’d dropped Bex off and gone home. He hadn’t had a choice. No way would he deny her the request. But he hated it all the same. She obviously had unresolved issues, and he suspected they stemmed from something other than the airline incident three weeks ago.

Who the hell was Jenny? He doubted Bex realized she’d mentioned Jenny two times during her rant. Whoever she was, something about her haunted Bex.

Maybe part of her reluctance to have sex was tied to her nightmares. If she slept over and had one, she’d have to explain. If this happened to her often, she might not be inclined to share it with someone else. Did her friends know? Perhaps not. Bex hadn’t woken up screaming. More of a gasp. Like she wasn’t getting enough oxygen. She’d even held her throat.

He hated that she was hurting. He hated that she’d insisted on going home to suffer alone. He hated that he couldn’t hold her and find a way to make it better.

He pulled out his computer in the morning, thinking to distract himself with a little work, but he couldn’t concentrate and glanced at his phone, hoping she would call, about two hundred times. Finally, at lunch, he gave up and drove to her condo.

No one answered. Shayla could very well be on a flight today.

Bracken got back in his car and called Bex from his cell. No answer. He texted her next. No response. Her car was out front, so he knew she was most likely inside, but she was either dead asleep, in the shower, or didn’t want to talk to him.

He didn’t want to leave, so he waited. He sent several more texts. Nothing. Fuck.

Eventually, he drove away. He considered getting Shayla’s number from one of the other women who were dating his friends, but that would break a confidence. After the way Bex had reacted to thinking any of her friends might find out she was a virgin, he didn’t think she would appreciate him calling around to hunt her down, alerting everyone to the fact that she was holed up in her room.

He forced himself to give her time. If she was embarrassed and needed space, he could give her that. For a while. Not forever.

Shit.

Bex spent several hours under her covers, not sleeping, just worrying. When she finally got up, she forced herself to take a shower and find something to eat. Luckily Shayla was at work. She had no idea Bex had come home in the middle of the night.

Bex was impressed that Bracken waited until noon to show up at her door. She ignored him, never leaving her bedroom. He started calling and texting shortly afterward, and she could see him sitting in his car out front for a long time before he gave up and drove away.

She couldn’t face him. Not now. Maybe not ever.

After years of marginally living life, everything was blowing up in her face. Fucking human trafficker. It was like a trigger had been pulled, dragging her past back to haunt her in full-force.

Granted, she had no business dating anyone in the first place. She knew better. She’d known for years that she would never let herself get close to a man. But then Bracken had shown up and turned her inside out.

She sighed as she sat on the edge of her bed and then dropped back onto her side and curled up into a ball once more. Last night had been amazing. He’d been so gentle with her, and he’d brought her to a place she’d never believed existed.

Perhaps she would have been better off never knowing that kind of pleasure because now she would miss it. She would never be able to forget the euphoria she felt when her body gave in as her first orgasm swept through her. Total bliss. The best feeling in the world.

She groaned. Chances of her ever experiencing that again were slim. Except that wasn’t true. Now that she knew better, she could do it to herself. She could get one of those vibrators he spoke about. All her friends had them. She could too. Someday. Maybe.

Right now, she didn’t care. All she cared about was getting out of this relationship with Bracken so she could go back to focusing on surviving.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Fuck.