Landon (In Safe Hands Book 1)

by S. M. Shade

  “I’d love to.”

  “Do Dare and the other guys have somewhere to go?”

  “We usually just hang out and play cards. Order pizza or something.”

  She turns to me, horrified. “They can’t eat pizza on Thanksgiving! I’ll cook at your house. Tell them to be there.”

  “Is that an order?” My arm snakes around her waist and I lift her into my lap.

  “Yep.”

  “I’m the one who gives the orders around here.”

  She snorts. “In the bedroom maybe.”

  “No maybe about that, sweetheart.”

  “You’re awfully proud of being bossy.”

  “You like it.” A shiver runs through her when my lips brush her ear. I love the way she responds to me. “You love it when I tell you to bend over for me, and when I smack that plump little ass.”

  “Prove it.”

  God, I love this woman. And I spend the next hour proving it before I have to meet the guys back at my house.

  The guys are more than happy to come for Thanksgiving. Dare shocks the shit out of all of us when he announces he’s bringing a woman.

  “Not you too,” Justus says with a grin. “Another one bites the dust.”

  “Shut the fuck up. It’s the woman next door. I’ve told you about her. She’s alone, and it pisses me off.”

  “The girl with the scars on her face?” Jeremy asks.

  Dare glares at him. “Her name is Ayda, and I expect you fuckers to be nice.”

  “When am I not nice?” Jeremy pretends to be offended.

  “Ditching Zoe’s friend Frannie without so much as a text message wasn’t exactly nice,” I remind him.

  “We were just fucking.” He shrugs. “Wait, Frannie’s not coming to Thanksgiving is she?”

  “Relax, chickenshit. She’s going to her family’s.”

  I’ve never really had a real Thanksgiving, with family and friends all gathered around a table, so when the day comes, I’m excited. Zoe shows up early with Ethan and his boyfriend, Colin. Zoe heads right to the kitchen to get started while I show the boys where the X-box is set up in the new game room. I’ve done away with the basement man cave. Being stuck down there kind of killed the fun, but one of the larger guest rooms has been cleaned out and furnished with a sectional and a huge T.V.

  “Can I talk to you a minute?” Ethan asks, as Colin turns on the game.

  “Sure.” I lead him into the hallway. “Is something wrong?” I’ve gotten to know the kid pretty well, and we get along, but he’s never asked to talk to me.

  “Are you going to ask Zoe to marry you?”

  I’m floored by his question, and my hand instantly goes to the diamond ring in my pocket. How the hell did he know? Does Zoe suspect? “How would you feel about it if I did?” Am I seriously asking a seventeen year old kid for permission to marry his sister?

  “How do you feel about her finishing college? And having a career?”

  “What? Of course I want her to finish. Why wouldn’t I?”

  He leans against the wall and brushes his overlong hair from his eyes. “I don’t know. My dad would barely let my mom out of the house without him unless it was to go to church. Zoe has big plans, you know?”

  I look him in the eye. “Ethan, what I want most is for Zoe to be happy and to get everything she wants out of life. I would never hold her back. Besides, if you haven’t noticed, she isn’t exactly a woman who’s going to do what she’s told.”

  Ethan laughs. “That’s true. Push her and she’ll dig in those heels.” He glances down the hall toward my office. “I know what you do. Well, not really, but I’ve heard enough to know you break the law to help people like Colin. Just don’t get her involved, okay? She doesn’t need to get in trouble, or to have some psycho after her for turning him in.”

  “I’d never let that happen. What I do can’t be tracked back to me, and Zoe will never be a part of it. I promise.”

  He nods, and then looks up at me. “Thank you. For what you did for Colin. He’s so much happier. They placed him with a foster family who really cares about him.”

  “You’re welcome. And to answer your first question, yes, tonight I plan to ask Zoe to marry me.”

  I reach out my hand and he shakes it. “Hurt her and I’ll hurt you. I may not be big, but I’ll find a way.”

  “I have no doubt about that, kid. She’s safe with me.”

  “I’m graduating early and have already been accepted at a few colleges. It’s good to know she has someone to watch over her while I’m gone.”

  “I’ll take care of her.”

  Ethan returns to the game room after our little talk, and I head to the kitchen to find Zoe. She looks so cute, covered in flour, her hair up in a bun on the crown of her head. She rarely wears her hair up and my lips can’t resist the creamy skin of her long neck. “Mmm,” she hums. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”

  “Who says I can’t finish?” My hands roam down to her ass.

  Laughing, she steps away. “Everyone will be here.” As if her words triggered it, the front door opens and the guys tromp in.

  Justus enters the kitchen first and places a twelve pack of beer on the counter. “Hey Zoe, what are you making?”

  “Right now, noodles.”

  “You make your own noodles?”

  “On Thanksgiving I do.”

  “Please tell me there’s pumpkin pie,” Jeremy says, slinging an arm around Zoe’s neck. She slaps her palm on his chest, leaving a handprint of powder. “Cooling in the fridge and don’t you dare touch it.”

  Jeremy raises his hands and backs away.

  “Is he starting shit already?” Dare asks, leading a thin woman by the hand. This must be Ayda. Her gaze is wary, but she forces a smile as she’s introduced to everyone. Dare told us she has burn scars and of course we’d never ask about them, but I can’t help but feel sorry for her. One side of her face is perfectly normal with smooth pale skin, but half of her other cheek is marred with scars like wrinkled paper from her jawline to her hairline.

  “All right! Everyone with a penis, out!” Zoe demands when Dare’s elbow knocks a bowl into the floor. “Stay and chat, Ayda, if you’d like to get away from these brutes for a bit.”

  “Brutes?” I grab her waist. “I’m a brute?”

  Giggling, she nods. “Yes, go grunt in front of the T.V. with the other savages.”

  “Then get to cooking, woman.” I smack her ass and she flings a handful of flour at me.

  Jeremy grabs my arm and drags me toward the door. “Come on before she changes her mind and we have to eat pizza again.”

  “This isn’t over!” I call over my shoulder, and she grins.

  “Not even close!” she agrees.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Zoe

  A loud burp rings out across the room. “Six,” Ethan announces.

  “Six!” Landon protests. “That was an eight at least.”

  Ethan lets out a long belch. “No, that was an eight.”

  Yeah, guys are gross. Ayda smiles and shakes her head at me when Dare joins the competition.

  “You’re all disgusting,” I announce, flopping on the couch between Landon and Justus. Everyone is stuffed full of turkey and lying around the living room.

  “But you love us anyway,” Landon says, dropping a kiss on my lips.

  “That was fucking delicious,” Justus says. “Please tell me you’re going to cook on Christmas?”

  “We’ll see.”

  Landon excuses himself and disappears down the hall. Justus heads to the kitchen and reappears with another slice of pumpkin pie. “Oh my god, how can you still eat?” I groan, feeling like I could pop.

  “He’s a never ending pit,” Jeremy complains. “If I ate like him, I’d be fat as hell.”

  “It’s just like a woman to say that,” Justus mumbles, stuffing his face.

  “Stripper.”

  “Ass-licker.”

  Landon’s reappearance sile
nces their argument. Especially since he’s now dressed in a three piece suit and holding a bouquet of roses. He offers me his hand, and I take it, getting up to stand in front of him. “What’s this about?”

  As soon as I take the flowers, he drops to one knee. “Love. This is about love,” he replies, and produces a ring box from behind his back.

  My heart comes to a standstill and I don’t think I take a breath for at least a minute. “Landon,” I whisper.

  “Zoe Page, I didn’t realize what was really missing in my life until I met you. I don’t need the sun when you light up my days. You’re my sunlight. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

  It’s so quiet I can hear the fast hard beat of my heart. I didn’t see this coming, but I know it’s what I want. We haven’t been together long, but I can’t imagine my life without him. His ocean eyes gaze up at me with equal amounts of hope and fear, but I can’t seem to make my voice work.

  “Well, don’t leave him hanging, Zo!” Ethan calls, making everyone laugh.

  The connection from my brain to my mouth finally re-engages and I nearly shout, “Yes.” He’s on his feet in half a second and I’m in his arms, being kissed like he’ll never get another chance while everyone hoots and cheers.

  All the guys hug me. “Welcome to the family, honey. I’m happy for you,” Justus says, grinning at Landon. “And you too, raisin.”

  “Raisin?” I question.

  Landon scoffs. “A grape that shrivels in the sun.”

  I smack Justus on the chest. “That’s mean.”

  “He calls me a stripper!”

  “You are!”

  “I’m an exotic dancer,” he replies, crossing his arms, a smirk on his face.

  Landon pulls me into his lap. “Let it go, baby. He’s jealous because he isn’t as good looking as I am.”

  For the next hour or so, we just sit around and talk. It does feel like a family, and I realize how happy I am to be a part of it. To be with people who aren’t judging me or my brother, whose affections won’t be dependent on whether or not we agree with their beliefs. Just hanging out with them, I can feel how much they care for one another, and I want to be a part of that.

  I guess now I am.

  Landon tries to get us to stay the night, but I need to get the boys back, and I have a paper I need to work on tomorrow, so we leave a little after nine. After I drop Colin off at his new foster family’s house, we head home.

  We’re up early the next morning to drop the apartment keys off at the manager’s office. I’ve never been so glad to leave a place behind. Well, maybe that’s not true. When we get to the parking lot, Ethan asks, “Can I drive?”

  He has his permit and has had a few driver’s education classes, so I don’t see why not. Traffic is pretty light this time of day. I’m surprised how quickly he’s learned when we make our way through downtown. His acceleration is smooth and he doesn’t hit the brakes too hard. He’s a bit overly cautious, if anything, and I won’t complain about that. At least I don’t have to worry about him on the road.

  “How do you feel about me marrying Landon?” I ask.

  “I gave him my permission,” he laughs.

  I don’t get a chance to respond before the world is jerked sharply to the right. The sound of shattering glass is nearly drowned out by the squeal of crumpling metal. Everything stops. My ears are buzzing and there’s some kind of powder in my mouth. Fear fills me. Is it from my teeth? Did something crush my teeth? My eyes burn when I open them, but at least the confusion clears. It’s from the airbag. We must’ve hit something.

  Ethan is slumped in the driver’s seat, blood trickling from his nose, covered in the same fine powder. “Ethan? Ethan? Wake up. Oh god.” I manage to undo his seatbelt just as an unfamiliar face appears at his smashed window.

  “Don’t move him, Miss. I’ve called the paramedics. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I think so. He won’t wake up.” I can hear the hysteria in my voice. Maybe Ethan heard me too because he groans and his eyes flutter open.

  “Zo?”

  “Yeah, buddy. I’m here. We were in an accident.”

  He runs his arm across his face, smearing the blood and wincing as his wrist glances off his nose. “Shit. Zo, your new car. I’m so sorry. I didn’t see anyone and…”

  “Shh. The hell with the car. I didn’t see anyone either. Are you okay? What hurts?”

  He methodically moves both feet, legs, arms, and wrists before turning to me. “I can move everything. My head hurts and my nose is throbbing. I think the seatbelt bruised my chest. What about you? Your lip is bleeding.”

  “Yeah, from the airbag. I feel okay, though.”

  A young man opens Ethan’s door and introduces himself as a paramedic while an older lady does the same for me. I step out of the car and let her check me over, but alarm grips me when I see them remove Ethan on a board. The lady paramedic lays a hand on my shoulder. “It’s just a precaution because he has a bit of neck pain. It’s probably whiplash, but we have to be safe. Is there someone I can call for you?”

  I open my mouth to ask her to call Landon, but quickly think better of it. It’s daylight. He can’t come. He’ll send Dare and I don’t think that’s necessary. “I’ll call a friend when we get to the hospital.”

  They put Ethan in the ambulance, and I climb in behind him. “Are you okay?” I ask, trying to stay out of the paramedic’s way. Riding in an ambulance is surprisingly bumpy.

  “This board sucks, but yeah.”

  Relief makes me chuckle. He sounds like himself, not like he’s in a lot of pain. We arrive at the hospital and Ethan is whisked off for x-rays while I’m taken to an exam room. Other than a split lip and some bumps and bruises, I’m okay. They release me, but tell me to stay put until an officer comes to speak with me. “Where’s my brother?”

  “They just finished his x-rays. He has some bruising, a cracked rib, and mild whiplash. He’ll be fine. It was good you were both wearing seatbelts. I notice you don’t have an emergency contact on file with us?”

  “Yeah, I don’t have any family. Just Ethan.”

  “I’m her emergency contact.” I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Landon. Dressed in yellow from head to toe in an uncomfortable looking suit. It’s not quite as bulky as a bio-hazard suit, but is complete with a hood and tinted face mask.

  The nurse takes a step back as Landon continues. “She’s my fiancée.”

  “Are you…do you have a contagious illness?” she asks.

  “No.” Landon explains his condition, and the nurse smiles at him.

  “You can give the receptionist at the front desk your contact information before you leave.” She turns to me. “I’ll go check on your brother. You should both be able to leave soon.”

  “Thank you,” I reply absently. I still can’t believe he’s here. He hates that damn suit. “How did you know we were here?”

  “Ethan called. He said he knew you wouldn’t.”

  “Because we’re okay. You didn’t need to come.”

  “He told me that too.” His cloth clad fingers run lightly over my split lip. “Just bumps and bruises?”

  “Yeah, we were lucky. I have no idea what happened.”

  “You look terrible,” he says, his eyes dark.

  Laughing, I sweep my eyes down his body. “Yellow isn’t exactly your color.”

  Finally, a smile lights up his face. “I know. I look like a Teletubby. Now you know why I never wear it.”

  “But you wore it for me,” I murmur.

  “It was an emergency.”

  “Does that mean you won’t wear it in the bedroom, so we can play spaceman seduces the scientist?”

  “Nothing about this is sexy,” he laughs, shaking his head.

  “Zoe Page?” A uniformed officer enters, notepad in hand. “I need to ask you a few questions. Do you know what happened?” Landon’s hand slips into mine.

  “My brother was driving. He only h
as a permit, but I don’t think this is his fault. He wasn’t speeding or anything. I never saw the car coming and…I really don’t know what happened. We have up to date car insurance and everything.” Please don’t let Ethan be in trouble for this.

  “It wasn’t your brother’s fault, ma’am. We have multiple witnesses that saw the other motorist cross from the oncoming lane and hit you. I’m not surprised you didn’t see it, he was traveling well over the limit.”

  “Was he drunk?” Given the dangerous tone of Landon’s voice, I’m surprised the officer answers him.

  “Yes, sir. The fault is all his. Once he’s patched up here, we’ll be charging him.” The officer hands me a paper. “This is where your car has been towed. In my opinion, it’s probably totaled. You’ll want to contact your insurance company.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ll be in touch if we have any more questions.”

  Landon is glaring at the door after the officer leaves. I know what he’s thinking. “Let it go. I know he’s here and you’re pissed, but I want you with me, not locked up for choking a drunk.”

  His shoulders relax a bit and he wraps his arms around me. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Is it hot in that suit?”

  “Stifling,” he laughs.

  Ethan walks in accompanied by a nurse carrying yet more paperwork. “I’m so sorry about the car, Zo. I swear I didn’t see him.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. The asshole was drunk and crossed into our lane. I didn’t see him either. There’s nothing you could’ve done. And the car is insured. We’ll get another one.”

  The nurse hands me a pain prescription for Ethan, and has me sign a few papers. Finally, we can leave.

  It’s mid-afternoon and the sun beats down, reflecting off the cars in the parking lot. Why couldn’t it at least be cloudy today? “Does that suit fully protect you?” Ethan asks, climbing stiffly into the backseat of Landon’s car.

  “Not a hundred percent, but it helps,” Landon replies, crossing the road to a drive through pharmacy.

  My head whips around. “You’re still going to have skin damage?” I demand.

  “Maybe a little. Nothing noticeable. Don’t worry.”