He thrust his tongue at her quickly, imitating the motions of thrusting into her. She gasped and hit him on the knee again.
“No candy for you,” she said firmly. “You are not behaving properly.”
”Alright,” he said, putting up his hands in surrender. “If I promise to not fondle you in public, not ask if you’re wearing panties, do you promise to let me have sex with you when we get home? Just my fingers,” he thought to clarify as she sputtered, not knowing whether to laugh or hit him again. “I don’t think Jeremy will allow me to have sex with you although I can ask-”
“Dear god, Landon, you’re killing me. Don’t!”
“Just fingers, then. You do have lots of lube-”
“Landon!”
The man batted his eyelashes at her. “I really love hearing you say my name, Regina.”
Regina was thinking to punch him in the nose for real this time when Jeremy returned with a tiny plastic cup and a glass of water. “Acetaminophen,” he said, handing them to Landon. Landon sighed and popped the pill in his mouth then took a swig of the water. “Here’s the prescription.”
Landon took the sheet of paper and frowned at it. “You actually wrote here that I get the week off.”
“Knowing you, you’d be back in your shift tomorrow. This guy doesn’t know how to take it easy,” Jeremy explained to Regina. He sat down in front of Landon again and started cutting a bandage into strips. Then he started cleaning the blood, gently passing a cotton ball soaked in an antiseptic solution over and round his nose carefully. “You have a cut here on the bridge but your nose doesn’t appear to be broken. We’re covering up the little guy to make sure there are no infections.”
Though relieved that Jeremy’s presence was making Landon behave, Regina was still blushing. She tried to distract herself watching Jeremy place the thin strip of bandage on Landon’s nose. Done, he put his instruments away.
“What exactly happened?” Jeremy asked them.
“I was licking her ass, she was ticklish, and that’s how she hit me,” Landon explained before Regina could think of an answer. As her mouth opened, Jeremy squawked.
“What?”
“I was licking, and also biting, her sweet butt. She was ticklish, tried to get me to stop taking more bites out of that heaven, and that’s how I got this,” Landon said, pointed at his nose.
Just then, the curtain door parted and an elderly man in a tailored gray suit with sharp emerald eyes peeked in. Regina paled, hoping to god that the man was a stranger who had just wandered into the wrong room. She gripped the edge of the cart holding the first-aid equipment to keep her balance.
“I heard you were here. Did I hear that right?” The old man demanded to Landon.
“Regina,” Landon said without missing a beat. In fact, the bastard even sounded proud. “Meet my father, Luke Stewart. CEO of Lawrence General. Father, this is my girlfriend, Regina Abbott.”
Luke narrowed his eyes at Regina. She squirmed, feeling like she was the lowest of life forms. “My son was doing exactly what to you?”
“Landon was just joking,” Jeremy tried to say, darting his eyes toward Regina. Landon snorted.
“As you can see, I have a broken nose, Father-” He began when the curtain parted again. He brightened up as a man with dark hair entered. He was in a lab coat and a dark suit. “Brantley!” He sounded excited and gestured at Regina. “Sweetheart, this is my baby brother, the ENT. Brantley, this is Regina. I told you about her.”
“L-Lovely to meet you all,” Regina stammered, grateful that Jeremy was trying to save her from further embarrassment but Landon was once again oblivious. She tried to make her way to the exit. “I should go to the pharmacy-”
“Nonsense, my brother has told me so much about you,” Brantley said, going forward to clasp her hand in both of his. “Oh my. That’s a nice grip you have, Regina. My brother is a very lucky man,” he said in a stage whisper before smiling at Landon.
He responded with a thumbs-up.
Catching on Brantley’s meaning, Regina’s jaw hit the floor. Landon smiled affectionately and with a slight nudge of his finger under her chin, put it back up. She snatched her hand away from Brantley.
“What the hell did you tell your brother about me now?” She hissed at Landon.
“Nothing I didn’t tell Jeremy,” Landon said, with his hand literally on his heart. “I swear.”
“You know, I think Regina should get the medication, they’re quite a lot-” Jeremy tried to say while Luke glowered at Landon.
“This is what you do on your weekends, son? Picking up some random woman and doing those things to her behind?”
Regina wished for the ground to swallow her up. Did the entire Stewart family had no filter system? She felt as if she were just watching one catastrophe from the other unfold in slow motion and there wasn’t anything that could be done.
Brantley looked surprised and intrigued. Looking at Landon’s broken nose, he asked, “Holy shit, brother. What have you been doing? And to her ass? Did I hear that right?”
“Hold on. Father, I’d like you to know that Regina is not just some random woman. She’s my girlfriend. We met recently and I think she’s awesome, as Jeremy and Brantley will tell you-” Landon started to say before Jeremy sniggered.
“What will be awesome is if she really breaks your nose this time,” he said. He shook his head at Regina. “You seem a good person and I’m so sorry.”
“What the hell are you apologizing to her for?” Luke demanded. “Landon is the city’s most eligible bachelor.”
“Before I was rudely interrupted,” Landon said loudly, holding on to Regina’s hand tightly as she tried to hit the exit again. “I want to make clear that Regina is my girlfriend. And yes, we were having sex. Well, I was having sex with her orally. Hence, the injury.”
“Landon, come on, will you not?” Regina wailed, snapping out of her reverie.
“Oh, please, you didn’t have to tell us that,” Brantley snorted, waving his hand. “You’re wearing her robe and her t-shirt’s inside-out plus her shoes are mismatched. Of course, we all know you both lost your clothes at some point and it wasn’t because someone had a gun on you. Well, maybe, Regina did-”
“Oh my god, you too?” Regina squealed at Brantley, her eyes wild.
“Sweetheart, you should not be embarrassed that I was licking your ass. She’s delightfully ticklish back there,” Landon announced to their audience with delight. Regina’s eyes nearly ate up half her face.
“Landon. Be quiet.”
“Yes, this is too much information. I’m Sorry that I asked,” This, Jeremy told Regina sincerely.
“The only way to give an injury the proper treatment is to know every exact detail leading to it,” Landon pointed out.
Brantley looked at Regina sympathetically. “Well, maybe not this instance, brother. Unless it’s just you and your doctor. Not...us.”
“I’m not embarrassed I broke my nose from licking and biting Regina’s ass.” Landon smiled dreamily. “She smells really nice back there. Did you know that, sweetheart? And it’s as firm as the ass of a three-year-old.” He nudged her on the shoulder. “Believe me, sweetheart.”
“Why is my son acting more idiotic than usual?” Luke demanded to Jeremy.
“I swear I only gave him a mild dose of painkillers,” Jeremy said defensively. He glared at Landon. “You into toddlers, Landon?”
“What?” Landon frowned and shook his head. The curtain opened again, this time admitting Katie. “Of course not. I’m not a pervert. I only meant to say that Regina has a very firm ass.”
“Landon!” Regina, Jeremy, and Brantley protested while Katie grinned. Looking at Landon’s nose, she said, “Well, look at that. It’s not broken. I was beginning to think Gina has serious buns of steel.”
“I swear I would do anything for lightning to strike me right here. Right here,” Regina muttered under her breath. “Landon, maybe now you should, you know, pipe down-”
“Kissi
ng, biting and licking,” Landon answered Katie with a proud grin. “She smells like apples back there.”
Katie wrinkled her nose. “Landon. I’d rather not know.”
Landon suddenly snapped his fingers. “Ah. I know. Regina has the ass of a twelve-year-old.”
Katie looked at Regina in confusion. “What’s going on? Is he high?”
Luke looked like he wanted to hit Landon. “Are you telling us you’re attracted to underaged girls?”
“What? No. I mean, of course not, Father,” Landon said clearing his throat. He turned to Regina. “I swear I’m not strange.”
“What do you call what you’re doing?” She demanded.
“Maybe instead of comparing your ass to other things that now, come to think of it, are very disturbing, I should just describe it as it is. It has the gentlest curve, stolen from a moon’s crescent, unyielding as steel yet tastes like apples in the spring.” Landon had that dreamy look on his face again. Regina narrowed her eyes at Jeremy.
“You gave him too much. What the hell was that?” She demanded.
“What? It’s just over-the-counter acetaminophen!”
“Tylenol,” Brantley explained.
“Well, whatever it is, flush it out of him! Get him water!” Regina cried out.
“I’m on it,” Katie said, diving out of the room. Jeremy frowned and fished out a penlight from his pocket. Landon kissed Regina soundly on the cheek.
“Woman of my dreams, you,” he said happily. “I’ll be the happiest man alive to just have you and bacon for the rest of my life.”
“God, did Landon get this high from one hit?” Brantley asked Jeremy as he aimed it toward Landon’s eyes. Landon winced and turned away.
“I’m fine. I’m just high on love for Regina,” he declared, wrapping his arms around her waist. When Jeremy started pulling out his stethoscope, he complained, “My heart beat’s fine.”
“Let me be the judge of that,” Jeremy said, pressing it on his chest and listening. “Deep breath, please. Another one.”
“Is my speech slurred? Did my pupils constrict or dilate when you put a light to them?” Landon demanded as Katie returned with two cans of soda. Regina hurriedly untabbed one and gave it to him.
“Drink this,” she told him.
“No, don’t give him a soda. Only water. He’s not showing any symptoms but I know for a fact this is not Landon’s normal behavior,” Jeremy said, puzzled as he put the stethoscope away.
“You mean he’s not an overly descriptive asshole?” Regina said, taking a swig from the soda herself. She had been feeling faint since Landon started telling everyone the exact circumstances behind his injury. ”That I didn’t know.”
“Hey, sweetheart,” he protested. “That hurts.”
“Well, I’m not sorry. You just really embarrassed me. I don’t care if you spent close to an hour with tampons up your nose. I told you what you could have said. I didn’t ask you to lie. Discretion is all I asked for.”
Seeing that she was visibly upset, Landon was immediately contrite. “Could you give us the room?”
Katie reached for the curtain. “Let’s go, guys. Regina, I’ll wait for you.”
Brantley patted Regina on the hand. “It’s nice to meet you, really, Regina,” he assured her. His eyes followed Katie leaving the room. “I know it’s not the right place to ask, but would you mind putting in a good word for me for your lovely friend?” He stepped back when she glowered at him. “Well, when you’re feeling friendlier. Should it happen, you know. Really nice meeting you. And believe me, my brother has it bad for you.”
And he scrambled out. Luke gave Regina a strange look before the corner of his lip suddenly quirked, revealing a dimple very similar to Landon’s. Then he was out.
“I think we should half the dose of the painkillers, just to be safe,” Jeremy muttered, scribbling a fresh prescription on his pad and passing it to Regina. “He’s not showing any symptoms of a high but believe me, Landon isn’t vulgar. Well, not normally this vulgar.”
He gave her an apologetic smile and scrambled out of the room.
Alone, Regina stood up from the bed and crossed her arms. Her sapphire eyes were brilliant pools of hurt and disappointment.
“Landon, I know we haven’t known each other for long. When it’s you and me, fine, be as crude and as vulgar. I hate to admit it, but I like it about you. But not when your father’s around. Your brother. Your best friend. My best friend. I’m not embarrassed about what we did. But you had no right to tell people intimate details about us.”
Getting the words out were doing little to her distress. Landon stared at her, looking even more pained.
“I am sorry. You’re right. I’m vulgar. I like it about myself too. Still, I should not have embarrassed you like that. There’s no excuse for my behavior.” He got up from the bed and went to her, taking her hands. “Instead of telling people how much I enjoyed being with you despite what happened, I should have told you, instead. I am sorry,” he repeated. “But, if you can understand, I’ve never felt anything like this for anyone.”’
She looked at him, biting her lip. “It’s different with you too,” she admitted.
It wasn’t wild times with him, but things were certainly unpredictable. He was as infuriating as he was sweet, sincere as he was crude, funny, intelligent, sincere, and he looked like a god. He was a lot of good things in one hell of a package. A gift she never thought to have the right to even want, let alone imagine for herself. Despite the likes of him farthest from her mind, in the few days that they had known each other, he had become a part of her in ways she couldn’t wait to find out how and why.
He tried her patience, sometimes. Right now, she was angry and embarrassed. Rightly so. But he never made her terrible for feeling like this. Since Landon, confusion, and uncertainty hardly played into her life, despite not knowing what to expect from him next. A strange paradox.
“What do we do now?” Landon asked. He nodded at the closed curtains. “They’re quiet now but trust me, they know how to use their ears.”
“I fancy a cinnamon roll. The hospital cafeteria makes a surprisingly decent one. Would you care to join me?” Brantley suddenly said loudly.
“Katie,” Katie told him, practically shouting. “Yes. I would like a roll too.”
Landon and Regina waited for the familiar shuffle of feet walking away.
“So, we should leave now,” Brantley continued to say.
Regina covered her mouth. “They’re hopeless,” she whispered.
“Stay and you will hear us,” Landon warned them. As Regina reddened, and there were the unmistakable sounds of footsteps in a rush and bodies colliding, he grimaced and asked, “Too much?”
She shook her head. “I think this time they deserved it. Oh, Landon,” she threw her arms around him and he hugged her tightly. “You’re the sweetest, sexy weirdo.”
“Weirdo. I’m not the one with a mayonnaise on the ass fetish,” he said, patting her on the butt loudly. As she laughed, he whispered in her ear, “Regina. You really are the best sex I’ve had. I’d be the biggest fool to let you go.”
She sighed and kissed him on the cheek before pulling away from him a little to look in his eyes. She smiled at him shyly and glanced at the bandage on his nose. “I don’t want to be the bitch who walks out on the man injured for liking her body way too much.”
“Like? I love every inch of you. Everything about you.” He said firmly. Regina stared at him, startled. He looked surprised too and he turned pink. It was cute.
“Ah...maybe we should hit the cafeteria and get some lunch,” he said, clearing his throat. He put an arm around her waist and pushed the curtain out of the way. “It’s Saturday. They have apple pie.”
“You sent me apple pie the day after I saw you for the treatment,” Regina said carefully as they walked out of the ward.
“I sure did.”
Feeling her cheek burn, she said hastily, “You also compared me to apples.
”
Landon grinned. “Well, isn’t it obvious, sweetheart? Apples are my favorite. And I hit the jackpot meeting you and your apple-red cheeks,” he said, pinching one gently, “and finding out that you taste and smell like them too. I didn’t just remember the cute star freckles near your vagina, Regina. Your vagina tastes like the sweetest apples too.”
“Oh, god,” she groaned, bursting into a most unladylike guffaw. Landon scratched his head at her.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” she gasped. “But I beg you, Landon, never tell people about that. Or I’ll break your legs.”
He smirked and kissed her. “Consider me warned.”
Chapter Eight
Two years later
Lily was an exclusive restaurant located on the top floor of The Phoenix Tower, the highest building in the city. Its three-hundred-sixty-degree view of Lawrence at night had sent many of its diners oohing and aahing, but the price of a meal may also be another factor.
Regina was not worried. After heading the I.B. department of the Lawrence headquarters of Tennyson Intelligence Agency, she was promoted to be the director of the cybersecurity division recently. The need to celebrate was urgent. Landon was taking her away for a long weekend next week to celebrate. But there was another celebration they should have made earlier but had been unable to: Landon’s birthday.
Because of his work, they had to delay the celebration until tonight. Regina was eager to flex her new influence in the city by securing a reservation at Lily, and ensuring her credit card bill was paid. She talked to Landon about bringing him to dinner there, knowing that he was dying to try the coq au vin that the food world was raving about. When she suggested celebrating his birthday there, he was ecstatic. It was really sweet. Despite his success and money, Landon Stewart still appreciated the littlest things in life. The small tray of succulents she had given him a while back was still on his coffee table- and alive. She got kisses all over when she brought him a basket of his favorite creamy cheeses.
He also had no problem when she asked to take charge of his birthday celebration. He was traditional in that he always insisted on picking up the tab when they ate out but for his birthday, he just smiled and wouldn’t stop talking about how because she was paying for dinner, he was going to put out big. He wanted a joint celebration of their birthdays but she insisted that the night only be his.
Aftercare: Second Chance Romance Page 10
