Page 59 of Come Fly with Me

“Seriously?” Jake’s chin tips downward, his eyebrows going up in surprise.

“Seriously, like seriously, I got it for that much less, or seriously someone died in here?”

“Both.”

“She was old and died of natural causes, but it was a total disaster. One of her children had the entire place renovated about three years ago with the hopes of moving in once her mother passed away. But she was one of three kids and there was a war over the townhouse.”

“What kind of war?”

“The one who wanted to live here didn’t want to buy her siblings out. Eventually, it went to court, and they were ordered to remove all personal effects and sell the house with all the furniture.”

“This furniture?” A disgusted look appears on Jake’s face because even he’s creeped out by being in a dead person’s house.

“Nah. It was old lady furniture. Think velvet couches with birds on them and shit.” I shake my head and continue. “So basically, once word got around that someone had died in the house, no one wanted it.”

“I kinda understand, but I think I could get over it really quickly.”

“People in L.A. can be weird, and there’s all that talk of bad vibes and juju. But I didn’t care. It had sat on the market for almost a year, and I came in and offered way under the asking price. By that point, her kids hated each other, and all they wanted was their cut.”

“And you got this amazing house out of their selfishness.”

“Yep, and so to combat that bad juju or whatever, I fill my house with roses.”

“Well, here’s to Rose and your kick arse house,” Jake says, holding up a bottle of water he pulled from the fridge, and it makes me laugh. Everything about him is casually cocky, and I love it.

We finish up breakfast and with a comfortable silence floating between us, I ask, “Do you wanna christen the walk-in shower?”

With a devious smile on his face, Jake stands up, grabbing me from the chair. He tosses me over his shoulder and heads up the stairs.

Twenty

Jake

“I can’t believe you have to leave soon,” I say, watching as she packs her small suitcase, dressed only in her bra and panties after our long, hot shower this morning.

Taylor smirks at me. “You gonna miss me, Jake Campbell?”

I chuckle. “You know I am,” I reply, winking at her.

She smiles as she stops her packing, twisting strands of her long hair around her fingers as she walks toward me. “I can’t believe you aren’t coming with me,” she says quietly, as she stops by the side of the bed where I’m sitting, a towel still wrapped around my waist.

“God, I wish I was,” I murmur, sliding a hand around her thighs and pulling her closer. My hands move to her hips, thumbs brushing against her hip bones as I lean in and press a kiss to her bare stomach.

“It feels weird to fly without you now,” she says quietly, her hand smoothing my wet hair back.

I look up, a smile on my face. “You going to miss me too, Captain?”

Taylor nods, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth as she looks down at me.

My smile widens, even as my heart thuds in my chest. How is it possible that I’ve already fallen so hard for this woman?

“Call me when you land, we’ll have phone sex. It won’t be the same as the real thing, but I can still be pretty smooth over the phone.”

Taylor laughs, her hand brushing across my cheek. “Okay,” she says. “Sounds good. When are you back in L.A.?”

I slide my hands around to her arse, pulling her between my legs. “A week from tomorrow,” I tell her. “You?”

“I get in the day before you.”

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