by Blair Grey
“Well, you’re breaking out for some reason,” Anne said. “Looks like an allergic reaction to me.” She was on her feet in seconds, all businesslike, and if I’d been in a better frame of mind, I would have been impressed by how calm she seemed.
She got me to my feet as well, tugging me toward the door. “We have to get you back to the pharmacy,” she said. “I can give you some medicine there. It’s a lot closer than the hospital, and you won’t have to wait.”
I nodded, hardly in a position to argue. When we got back to the pharmacy, she immediately flicked on the lights in the back room and started searching for the medicine that I would need. “Here it is,” she finally said, as I sat there trying not to choke on my own tongue.
I couldn’t have been more grateful to have her there with me. I could only imagine what it would be like to go through this, have an allergy attack, on my own for the first time. I wouldn’t know what the hell was happening. And I could have died if I didn’t figure it out quickly.
Or worse, what if I had Braxton there with me? He would probably just try to convince me that it was some sort of STD and that I deserved it. That seemed about right.
Anne had leaped into action, though. Now, she rolled up my sleeve. “This is going to sting a little,” she warned me, before injecting the medicine into my body.
Within minutes, I started to feel more normal again. My tongue decreased in size, to the point where I could breathe again. It was only when I took that first sweet breath of air that I realized I’d had spots dancing around the edges of my vision since arriving in the pharmacy. It wasn’t actually all that dark in here. I just hadn’t been getting enough oxygen.
Things really could have been bad if it weren’t for Anne.
“Thank you,” I said, as soon as I could.
“I’ve seen allergy attacks before but, jeez, Landon. You really scared me,” Anne said, shaking her head. And sure enough, despite the calmness of her demeanor, I could see that she was a little paler than normal and there was the faintest tremble to her hands.
I hated to think that I had done that. That I was the reason she was so scared. But then again, it wasn’t like I had done it on purpose.
I slid off the counter and slowly pulled her into my arms. “All better now,” I murmured into her hair.
“Was that the first time you’ve ever had an allergy attack like that?” Anne asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t even know what it would have been. I’ve had plenty of shellfish before and never had a problem.”
“We should probably run a full panel,” Anne said.
“But not tonight,” I said firmly. “I promise I’ll get it all tested as soon as possible, but I think I’ll just stick to safe foods for the foreseeable future.”
“Probably a good call,” Anne said. She paused. “So should we go back to the restaurant?” she asked.
“To be honest, there’s something that I’d rather do,” I told her. I expected her to protest as I lifted her up and set her down on the counter, stepping in between her legs. But it seemed like she was on the same page as me.
She leaned down, her fingers cupping my cheeks, her lips desperately seeking mine. It felt like forever since we had last kissed, forever since last Friday night. Even though it had only been a week. But there was more to it than that. I guess a near-death experience will really get a man going. All that adrenaline or whatever.
All I knew was that I physically could not pull myself away from Anne just then. And it seemed like she felt exactly the same way. Her fingers tugged at my shirt, trying to rid me of the material. I let her strip it off me and run her hands along my pecs and shoulders. We dove into another kiss.
I had intended to just have a nice almost-date with her tonight. I hadn’t even really planned on taking her home. I wanted to see how things were going to play out.
But as her legs wrapped around my waist while she sat there on the pharmacy’s back counter, I definitely wasn’t complaining.
20
Anne
On a list of the least professional things that I had ever done, this definitely ranked high on the list. Coming back to the pharmacy after-hours to give someone medication was one thing. Coming back to the pharmacy after-hours and having sex in the back room? That was another thing entirely.
When we first started making out, I couldn’t seem to shut my mind off. This was worse than anything that Donald had ever done by a long shot. At least he only got women’s phone numbers while he was on the clock. He never actually had sex with them here in the building.
That I knew of anyway.
This was more than just getting asked out to dinner during working hours, while there were customers around who could hear. And part of my mind insisted that someone was going to find us. I hadn’t turned the lights on in the front room, but what if someone saw the glow back here and came to investigate? The front door was unlocked.
Or what if for some reason we needed to hand the security footage over to the police at some point? What if they saw us going at it? I was pretty sure we weren’t doing anything illegal, but maybe this violated the cleanliness code or something.
I’d have to be extra careful to re-sanitize this whole room first thing on Monday morning. Which was a pity since I had just finished giving it a deep cleaning today.
But as Landon continued to kiss me, I suddenly remembered what he had said before, about how he was going to have to find some way to get me to quit thinking so hard. And just like that, I became totally tuned in to what he was doing to my body. My thoughts and worries all receded, until it was just us, Landon and me. The only people who mattered in the world.
My entire being narrowed in to focus on what he was doing to me, the way he was playing his fingers across my skin beneath my shirt, the way his mouth worked against mine. He sucked lightly at my tongue and grazed my lower lip with his teeth. My whole body was on fire, and there was nothing more that I wanted than to stoke those flames even higher.
I stripped off my T-shirt, dropping it to the side on the floor. I quickly followed it with my bra.
Landon groaned, seeing me bare in front of him like that. His mouth found my nipples, nibbling at first one and then the other, his tongue swirling around my flushed and sensitive skin. He pulled me off the cool countertop and into his arms, and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist to help support my weight. Not that it seemed to be any sort of issue for him. I felt strong and secure, here in his arms.
We continued to make out for what seemed like forever, until I couldn’t help squirming with the need for something more. Finally, Landon set me down, his fingers immediately finding the button of my jeans and undoing both that and my fly. He pushed my jeans and panties off in one go, letting them drop to the floor. Then, he followed suit with his own bottoms.
Soon, we stood there naked, staring at each other, in the back room of the pharmacy. I giggled, suddenly feeling nervous. “How do you want—”
The end of my question was swallowed by Landon’s lips on mine, renewing the earlier kiss with even more urgency this time. I was distantly aware of the tearing of a foil packet, of his hands in between our bodies, fumbling a condom over his length once more.
This time, when he lifted me up, there was nothing between our bodies. His member pushed insistently at my entrance, and I reached down in between us, while Landon supported my weight, so that I could shift his length into perfect position. I sank down on him, taking him fully inside.
Landon groaned, and for a moment, we just sat there like that, both reveling in the feeling of his stiff cock inside of me. He lifted me just a little, but it was enough. I slid back down onto him, gravity aiding the thrust. He stabbed at some bundle of nerves inside of me as my clit dragged against his skin. I wasn’t going to last long like this, that was for sure.
I locked my heels behind his back, trying to find my own leverage to work against him. I wanted the thrusts harder, faster. I needed to feel him punching
into that sweet spot over and over again. We rocked against each other, each thrust more coordinated than the last until I was breathless with how badly I needed to cum.
Abruptly, Landon lifted me off his length and set my feet on the floor, turning me around so that I was facing the countertops. He bent me over, directing my hands to push against the edge of the counter, giving me the leverage I needed to control the thrusts the way that I craved.
He plunged into me again, taking me by surprise, and I barely kept from screaming out his name, almost forgetting that we were in a very public place. Indeed, the only thing muffling the sound was the hand that I pressed against my mouth. But that hand soon found its way down to my hip, my fingers twisted with Landon’s as I used the other hand to keep me upright against the countertops.
I was so close, I was almost there, I couldn’t possibly give him anything else. I gasped, my toes curling against the linoleum, my back arching as he plundered my needy hole. I came with the rush of an oncoming train, my whole body shaking as pleasure jolted through me in wave after brilliant wave. I was barely aware of him coming as well, his body slumping against mine, his arms grabbing tight to the countertop to keep from toppling us both to the floor.
Finally, he pulled away, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. I could feel my heartbeat finally start to steady, but it still felt as though I had just run a marathon. The things he did to my body, I just couldn’t explain.
And who would have thought that I would enjoy being defiled in the back room of my pharmacy so goddamned much? I blushed, reminded suddenly of our surroundings. Then, I shivered, my feet chilled against the cool tiles underfoot.
Landon bent down and scooped up my shirt and bra, handing them over to me. We dressed in silence, neither looking at the other. But when we were done, I couldn’t help moving into the circle of Landon’s arms.
I wasn’t usually much of a cuddler, but this had been a big one. A real doozy of a fucking. And I craved that same feeling that I’d had earlier in the night. That feeling of safety, cradled against his chest.
Fortunately, Landon seemed all too ready to comply. He held me for a few long moments, while I got my body back under my control. He stroked my back and rocked me gently. When it became clear that I was ready to pull away from him, he lightly kissed my forehead and took a step back. “You okay?” he asked.
“I’m the one who should be asking you that.” I laughed. “You had this massive allergic reaction, I shot you up with meds, and then we had sex. I don’t think that’s the way things are supposed to work.”
Landon laughed. “Well, if nothing else, at least it got the blood flowing,” he said, winking at me.
That sent a little shiver through my core. And I was forced to face the truth. I was rapidly starting to develop feelings for Landon. I couldn’t seem to help it. No matter that I was trying my best to keep him at arm’s length. He seemed determined to wiggle his way right through my best defenses. As though they were never there at all.
And what was worse, I didn’t really want to stop him. Something told me that he was a good guy. A little mysterious, sure. I still couldn’t for the life of me figure out why he and his brother had chosen to settle here in Sarasota. But I trusted him in ways that I probably shouldn’t, given how little we really knew about each other.
“Come home with me,” I said suddenly, surprising myself with the words.
Landon gave me a wary look, but then he grinned and shook his head. “If you’re looking for round two, I’m afraid my little man is out of commission, probably for the rest of the night,” he admitted. “That really took something out of me. I just want to go home and sleep right now.”
I flushed crimson. “That wasn’t what I was suggesting,” I said, even though I’d definitely been thinking about it last time when I’d had him over at my place. But this time, I just wanted him. There. With me. Maybe another little cuddle session. I didn’t know how to ask for that, though.
Landon was shaking his head again, anyway. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I know what you said before. That this isn’t a relationship. You don’t have to take me home with you just because I took you out to dinner.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” I said impatiently. I tried a different tack. “If the medicine wears off and you start having an allergic reaction again, I want to make sure I’m there,” I told him. “Just to make sure you’re okay.”
“I don’t think there’s going to be any issues,” Landon said. “I actually feel one hundred percent at the moment. Better than that even.” He winked at me, but I was having a hard time finding anything funny about this.
Instead, it felt like he was trying to gently remind me of what I had been saying all along. I couldn’t get in over my head in this. This wasn’t a relationship.
I was beginning to regret ever having said that to him.
Did he want a relationship? Now, it didn’t seem so. But I also knew that he was being careful to stay inside the parameters of the non-relationship that I had set. Letting me make the moves, at least most of the time. Making sure that I was comfortable with everything that we did.
And if this were just a friendship, then we would go home right now, to our separate beds. That was just the way things were. But what if I didn’t want that? What if the idea of my empty, lonely, cold bed made me feel incredibly sad? Like I might be better off sleeping down on the couch instead? But it would be a lonely couch in a lonely home, really no better than the bed, my mind insisted snidely.
I wanted to repeat what I had said before. Come home with me. But even though half of me was sure that if I said it again, he would realize the depth of my feelings and agree; there was another part of me that knew I couldn’t handle his rejection again. I might start crying, and that would ruin all of this.
Landon lightly stroked my cheek. “Hey, don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll see you again. I promise. Soon.”
I gave him a smile, hoping he couldn’t tell how watery it was. Then, I exhaled a deep breath. “Good,” I told him. I looked around the room. “I guess I’d better re-sanitize this place, though. No time like the present.”
Landon frowned at me. “Can I stay and help?” he asked.
“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “I know those allergy meds are probably going to make you feel pretty woozy. You’d better get yourself home before you pass out.”
Actually, I should probably take him home. Make sure that he got in safe. But suggesting that was just as bad as suggesting he come home with me. And he had made it clear that he didn’t want to do that. Because this wasn’t a relationship.
I swallowed hard, accepting one last, tight hug from him. I heard the bells over the door sound with his departure. Then, I started pulling out the cleaning supplies, hoping this might at least take my mind off Landon and my loneliness. At least a little bit.
But instead, thoughts of him continued to fill my mind.
21
Landon
To say that I hated the way that Anne and I had left things was the understatement of the century. I kept trying to give her her space. Trying not to push her too much. I could tell that she was nervous. That she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted out of this. Out of us. But at the same time, I just couldn’t seem to keep my hands off of her. And she seemed to feel the same way about me.
I didn’t understand her. And I think that only made me want her more.
“You were out pretty late again last night, weren’t you?” Braxton asked on Saturday over lunch. He smirked at me like he knew exactly what I had been doing. “The pharmacist again?”
I shrugged and didn’t bother answering. The truth was, I wasn’t sure how to talk about something like this with Braxton. Not only was I sure that he wouldn’t be able to relate, given his lack of relationship experience or the desire to have a relationship, but there was also that warning that he had given me before.
As soon as this job with the Mambas was done, he and
I would be leaving Sarasota, returning back home to Las Cruces. What was the point of starting something with some girl here, knowing that I was just going to be leaving again?
The trouble was, I hadn’t gone into this thinking that I was starting something. I hadn’t really been thinking at all.
Maybe Anne was having the same problem. Maybe she hadn’t been thinking when we started this either, and now the reality of it all was catching up to her, just like it was starting to catch up to me. Or maybe we were both just overthinking things. Maybe we should just give in to the incredible chemistry between us, lose ourselves in each other, and quit worrying about the consequences. I could only imagine what it could be like if she would just quit running away from me after we’d had sex together. If she’d let me hold her, if she’d let me take her again, over and over, for the rest of the night.
Or maybe I should just stop thinking about all of this, for now, and concentrate on lunch with Braxton. Otherwise, I wasn’t going to have to tell him anything about my feelings for Anne. He was my twin, and he was sure to sense my inner turmoil. A lifetime of learning each other’s body language.
Sure enough, Braxton was frowning at me. “Sounds like you’re getting pretty close to that girl,” he said, and I could tell that he was trying his best to keep his anger in check. He shook his head. “Landon, we don’t live here.”
“I know that,” I said gruffly, wishing he would just drop it.
“Well, what the hell do you think she’s going to do, pick up and move to New Mexico after knowing you for just a few weeks?” Braxton said. Then, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me. “You’re not purposefully drawing out this thing with the Mambas just so we have more time here, are you?”
“Of course not!” I snapped. “Ray gave us a job. I’m doing my best.”
“Okay,” Braxton said, but I could tell that he wasn’t totally convinced. What, did he think I had let those three guys go just so I could spend more time with Anne? He was insane. I just didn’t want to get us killed by blowing through that red light, or did he not remember that stupid car chase?
