Layover (Open Skies #1) - Becca Jameson

Prologue

“That one,” Libby whispered as she set her elbows on the high-top table where the two women stood and leaned in closer to Christa, her breath hitching.

Christa glanced at Libby and then followed her line of sight. “The tall one?”

“They’re all tall. You think it’s a requirement or something?” she joked, sitting up straighter. “Maybe there’s a height requirement for men who enter the military.”

Christa rolled her pale blue eyes and tucked a lock of blond hair behind her ear. “There is no height requirement for the military.”

Libby shot her a goofy glance. “I was kidding.”

“You’re not wrong though. It seems like all of Trent’s friends are tall. And built. And…do these guys ever eat junk food?”

The man Libby had her sights on glanced their direction. When he turned his body, she licked her lips. He had on khaki dress pants, a pale-blue, button-down shirt, and loafers. Casual but stylish. Like the rest of the wedding party at Destiny and Trent’s rehearsal dinner.

Libby smiled at him. And then she melted a bit when he returned the smile.

Christa jerked her gaze downward and muttered, “Shit. He caught us ogling.”

“Ogling? We’re downright staring, and I don’t care if he did catch us. Me in particular. I hope he’s single.”

Christa lifted her gaze back to face Libby. Her cheeks were pink, which happened often considering how pale Christa’s skin was and how easily she embarrassed. “Does it even matter? If all you care about is a one-night stand with one of these guys, what difference does it make if he’s single or not?”

Libby gasped in mock horror. “I’m not stealing some other woman’s man.” Destiny, one of her best friends and the star of this weekend, hadn’t mentioned any of her fiancé Trent’s friends being married or even in serious relationships. So Libby wasn’t too worried. She was on a mission. Her goal for the night was to choose a willing, handsome, buff guy and then flirt mercilessly with him.

Tomorrow night was when she intended to strike, after the wedding itself. Tonight would be too obvious in this more intimate gathering in the reserved room at the back of an Italian restaurant. Besides, it would be awkward tomorrow if she slept with one of the groomsmen and then had to face him at the wedding.

She was pretty sure the man she’d singled out who was now glancing at her yet again was named Jason Nixon. It was nearly impossible to keep up with any one of Trent’s friends’ names since half the time he called them by their last name, and the other half of the time he referred to them by their team nickname. But she’d heard them refer to this tall, broad, breath of fresh air as Hatch.

“I don’t know how you can possibly set your mind to having sex with a stranger before you’ve even met him,” Christa continued, her voice low, her eyes darting around as if the mention of the word sex might cause eyebrows to rise.

“Girl, do you have any idea what kind of men I’ve dated? I’m twenty-eight years old. My mother has set me up with half the Guatemalan men anywhere close to my age in a thirty-mile radius. Every one of them has been a failure.”

Christa giggled. “Your mom is persistent.”

“That’s an understatement. She doesn’t seem to grasp that since I was born and raised in Dallas, I spent my life exposed to a far more diverse culture than she’s from.” Libby glanced at Christa. “The guys she sets me up with are always cocky and macho. They may act perfectly polite when they’re around my parents, but as soon as we’re alone it’s like they puff out their chests and start some sort of mating dance.” Libby shuddered at the reminder.

Christa laughed harder. “Don’t forget, I’ve been with you on a few double dates. I’ve seen this mating dance in action. Your description is hilarious but spot-on.”

Libby sighed as she glanced again at Jason. “I want to know what it feels like to be with a man who’s more interested in me than himself. That guy…” She nodded once again toward the man who’d grabbed her attention, “…makes me squirm. I like the way he smiles at me. It doesn’t hurt that he’s rock hard, muscular, and tall.” Libby sighed dramatically.

“Not gonna lie. He looks pretty cocky himself.”

Libby shook her head. “No. It’s different. He looks confident. Alpha, but not in a macho sort of way,” she mused. “I’ve always had a bit of