by Layla Hagen
Landon laughed. “I’m not.”
“How can she still be thinking about the meeting?” I hoped that meant she wasn’t in too much pain.
“She’s been preparing for it for a month. It’s a big deal. We talked about it a few times, and I did work at the company years ago, so I know the bare bones.”
“Wow.”
“The meeting will last the entire day, so I can’t make it to lunch. But I’d like to take you out this evening.”
“Landon, you’re going to have a hellish day. You don’t have to take me out.”
“I want to. After the meeting I’ll stop by to see Val, but afterward, if you don’t have plans....”
I shook my head, then realized he couldn’t see me. “No plans.”
“Great. I’ll text you when the meeting ends.”
“All right.”
“That’s settled, then. I’ll see you tonight. I have to go over the briefing for the meeting now.”
“Go get ’em. You’ll knock them off their asses.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Are you wearing cuff links?” I asked, remembering he’d told me he wore those whenever he meant business.
“I am. Went home from the hospital to change.”
“Pffft, you already got the deal in the bag, then. No one can resist cuff links.”
“Ouch! I take back my thanks.” He laughed, and I was so happy I’d managed to cheer him up despite everything going on. “I can’t wait to see you tonight, Maddie.”
Oh, what those words did to me. They awoke butterflies inside me. I might have even swooned a little, though I wouldn’t admit it out loud. I hadn’t realized how much I’d hoped to hear them until now. Adrenaline zipped through me, and I couldn’t keep my emotions in check.
“Back at you.”
After I clicked off, I was grinning like a fool. I didn’t want to get all dreamy and romantic, but I couldn’t help it. I decided to start the day by visiting Val. I realized I didn’t know which hospital she was at, so I texted Landon.
I wanted to see with my own eyes that she was okay, as much as one could be okay with three cracked ribs and a broken leg. I’d bring her a mozzarella and tomato sandwich too. On second thought, I added M&M’s to the mix. As far as mood lifters went, M&M’s were at the top of my list, and I had a feeling Val could use all the mood lifting she could get.
Chapter Sixteen
Landon
It was six o’clock in the evening by the time I left my sister’s office. My right temple was throbbing, my mind spinning. Though I’d called Val periodically during breaks, I headed straight to the hospital to give her a blow-by-blow account of the day and to check on her.
“You look better,” I said.
She was lying in bed, one leg in a cast, her torso bandaged up. Her right side had taken the brunt of the collision.
She smiled. “Oh, yes. Please lay it on thick with the charm. I really need it. I haven’t seen myself in a mirror, but I can’t look better than I feel, and I feel like crap. I’ve already been spoiled with apparently all the goodies money can buy in LA, but my twin’s charm is always welcome.” She pointed to the hospital table next to her. It was buried under mountains of sweets and food. She sighed. “My head feels messed up. Tried to read some e-mails today and nearly got sick.”
The doctors said she had a concussion, which meant she’d be unable to focus on reading for some time, plus she’d get headaches and become tired quicker, but ultimately there would be no permanent damage.
“This is a disaster,” she said.
“It could have been worse,” I said quietly. When Will had called, he’d explained everything in one breath. But in the seconds it took him to add, “It’s not life-threatening” after saying, “A drunk driver hit her car,” my mind had already jumped to the worst-case scenario. I blamed the negativity on having lost so many people already: our parents, Rachel. The thought of losing Val had paralyzed me.
“I know, Landon. We’ve been through enough that I can appreciate I’m alive. But the timing sucks. Not that there’s any good time to be sick, but now with the deal.... Thank you for meeting with them today.” She fiddled with her cover, and I sat on the bed next to her good leg. “They’re going to jump ship. I could hear it in their voices, even if they didn’t say it out loud.”
I’d put her on loudspeaker during a few crucial moments, and I couldn’t lie to my sister.
“I had that impression too. They think your team won’t prioritize the project with you in recovery mode for six weeks.”
“And they’re right. I might be able to work from home once the headache subsides, but it’s not the same thing. A new project requires my presence at the office, to motivate and lead the team. This project was my baby. I was going to oversee the entire development of the line. If I were them, I’d jump ship too.”
She shifted her good leg a little to the right, then back where it was.
“I want to run an idea by you,” I said.
Val stopped in the act of rearranging her leg. “I’m all ears.”
“I could stick around for the next six weeks, get the project rolling, at least until your cast comes off. I know the business inside out. You’ve streamlined many processes, but I’m a fast learner. I think if we bring this offer to the table, it’ll swing things in your favor.”
Val looked too stunned to answer, which was saying something, because nothing stunned her into silence.
“Are you sure?” she asked finally. “Can you take so much time off?”
“I have an acting CEO. He’s gonna have to up his acting. And I won’t be taking time off anymore, just working remotely.”
Adam would give me hell, but I didn’t care. I’d thought about this nonstop since I realized Val’s deal would be slipping through her hands. I was needed here more than in San Jose.
“Landon, are you sure?”
“Yes. We can call Livingston right now and make the offer.”
She nodded vigorously, then winced. I whipped my phone out and dialed Livingston’s number, putting him on loudspeaker. The conversation lasted less than five minutes. He bought it hook, line, and sinker.
“I’d hug you right now, but I can’t,” Val said after the line went static. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’re my hero.”
She reached with her left arm to the cornucopia of sweets, taking a bag of M&M’s from its midst. Then she narrowed her eyes at me, as if she just realized something.
“Wait a minute. Is your heroic decision one hundred percent about me? Or does Maddie have something to do with it?”
I grinned, stealing some M&M’s. “Does it make me less of a hero if I answer yes to the second question?”
Val threw her head back, laughing, then winced, touching her ribs. “I knew it. Oh, Landon, what am I going to do with you?”
“I’m a grown man, munchkin. Don’t need your blessing.”
“Just as good. I’m not in the habit of dishing blessings. Kicks in the ass, on the other hand... I’ll start right away with those once my leg’s out of the cast.”
“Good to know.”
“I’d throw a pillow at you if I could move.” That was Val’s way of expressing her joy—and it had annoyed the hell out of me for as long as I could remember.
“I’d help you move, but can’t, since the pillow would be aimed at me. Conflict of interests and all that.”
“You big oaf. I’m so happy for you. I thought something was going on, but I didn’t want to raise my hopes up too much. Just... be careful, okay? You two still have separate lives at the end of the day.”
My smile fell. “I know.”
“Did you talk to Maddie about this? Does she know you’re staying longer?”
“No, but I’m meeting her after I leave here.”
“Last night, did you two—”
“I’m not discussing my sex life with you, sister.”
Val grinned like a Cheshire cat, holding up the
M&M’s bag. “I’ll take that admission. She brought me these this morning. Had this glow about her, kept smiling. Now I know why. And you should go. You’ve gone above and beyond your brotherly duty for today. Go have some fun.”
“You sure I can’t do anything else?”
“I’m sure. And Jace texted me to say he’ll be dropping by. I bet he’ll be here within ten minutes.”
I kissed Val’s forehead, then let myself out of the room. Knowing I was the reason for Maddie’s smile made me happy. My thoughts had drifted to her so often today that I phased out of the meeting a few times.
I ran into Jace at the end of the corridor, which was deserted otherwise.
“Landon, hey! How did the meeting go? Val was stressed about it.”
“It went about as good as it could have gone without her there. I’ve decided to stay in LA until her cast comes off, oversee the project for her.”
“You’ve.... You can do that? With the whole partnership going on in San Jose?”
“I’ll manage. And I’ll see about arranging for her to be comfortable at home. She’ll need help moving, so maybe a live-in nurse—”
“I’m going to handle that, Landon. There’s no stopping you when you go into doing-shit mode.” He gave me a shit-eating grin. “Take a breather. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. Focus on the business, leave the rest to us. Now, elevator’s behind me. Get in before you start discussing the details with me.”
I grinned back, because he was right. We had a lot of details to go through, but we could deal with all that in the morning. Right now, I needed to see Maddie.
Chapter Seventeen
Maddie
I looked in the mirror for the millionth time, wondering if my outfit was appropriate. Landon had texted me earlier, saying he’d come straight to my house after he visited Val. Considering I had no idea what the plan was for the evening, I’d opted for a dark green top, which fit me snugly with straps crisscrossing on my upper back, and a black skirt that flowed to my knees.
When I heard a car pull in front of my house, I hurried to the entrance, skidded on the tiles, and lost my balance, nearly pelting headfirst into the front door. Whoops.
Straightening up, I pushed my hair out of my face and opened the door. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as I took Landon in.
Sweet heavens.
His suit had to be custom-made. There was no other way it could fit him so perfectly over his shoulders and muscular arms yet be tapered at the waist.
He’d meant it when he’d said the suits he wore over the past week were business casual. This... this wasn’t casual. He looked one hundred percent the CEO he was, and one thousand percent handsome. Landon had dressed to impress. And while I knew he’d put the suit on for the meeting and not for me, well... count me impressed.
It wasn’t his suit that spurred butterflies in my stomach, though, nor his smile. He was carrying a bouquet of orange lilies and roses.
“I didn’t know what your favorite flowers were, but these looked beautiful.”
When I took them from him, my fingertips brushed his nails, but the small contact was enough to make my skin tingle.
“Are you going to invite me in?” A lazy smile spread on his face.
“Yeah, of course. Come in. I’ll put these in a vase. Thank you so much. They’re gorgeous.”
My voice sounded strange even to my own ears. A little high-pitched, but also gruff. I busied myself finding a vase, which took some time, because I was too scatterbrained to focus. When I finally did find it and held it up under the running faucet, I felt Landon come up behind me.
“Maddie, did I read this wrong? Do you not want me here?”
In the time it took me to inhale, he moved his hand from the edge of the sink to my waist, as if he couldn’t help touching me, even though he wasn’t sure if he should.
“No, no, I want you here. I do.” I placed the vase on the counter, arranged the bouquet in it. Only then did I turn around to face him. I didn’t like the creases on his forehead, much less that I’d put them there.
“I’m sorry. It’s just... been a while since I received flowers. They make me feel special.”
He studied me, bringing a hand to my face, caressing my cheek with the back of his fingers.
“You are special to me, Maddie. It’s been a while since I bought flowers, but I wanted to do this for you. I want so many things with you. Buy you flowers, take you out, make you laugh.”
His words reached so deep inside me, I knew they’d take root there and I wouldn’t be able to forget them after he left. But I didn’t care about that. All I cared about was right now. A little bit of time with Landon was better than no time with Landon.
“I like the sound of that,” I whispered. He was close enough for me to smell his body wash. I touched my nose to his Adam’s apple, and his grip on my waist tightened. He smelled so good. I wanted to lick every morsel of skin I could find. But I pulled away, hungering even more for his words. His scent and general sexiness were a feast for my senses. But his words went straight to my heart, and I wanted more.
“I went to see Val after the meeting.”
“How is she?”
He smiled. “Enjoying your M&M’s. Thanks for stopping by to visit her.”
I smiled back. “I thought I’d make myself useful. How did the meeting go?”
“So-so.”
I feigned shock. “The cuff links failed you? Well, if it’s any consolation, they totally work on me. Both my knees are Jell-O, and it’s entirely their fault.”
They were sterling silver with some sort of black pattern in the center. And damn they were potent.
His smile widened, transforming his entire expression. “All their doing, huh? I don’t get any credit?”
“Maybe a tiny bit.”
In demonstration, I held my thumb and forefinger so close to each other they almost touched.
Landon set his hands at my side, trapping me. Our noses were in sniffing distance. Our mouths in kissing distance. And still he didn’t kiss me.
“You were saying about the meeting?” I prompted when the tension was so thick, I felt my nipples pebble.
“They weren’t happy to hear about Val. Not out of concern for her well-being, but because she wouldn’t be able to oversee the project herself. I offered to manage it myself until Val feels better. It’ll probably take a month to six weeks until she can resume her normal activities.”
“You’re not leaving next week anymore?”
I felt the change in him before he pulled away. His jaw went rigid.
“You sound disappointed.”
I had the social skills of a doorknob when I was surprised or nervous. “Of course I’m not disappointed. I’m happy you’re staying longer. You just took me by surprise. That’s a really nice thing you’re doing for your sister.” Nice was putting it mildly. I didn’t know anyone who’d do that. I looked at Landon with renewed admiration. “What did Val say?”
The corners of his lips twitched. “That I’m her hero. Then went on to question said heroism, wondering if she’s the only reason I’m staying.”
Does he mean what I think he means?
“What did you tell her?”
I rested my hands behind my back, flicking my thumbs against the counter.
“That those sounds you made last night might have swayed my decision too,” he said.
“You did not tell her that!”
Launching forward, I made to pinch his stomach, but he caught my wrist. I brought my other hand forward. Rookie mistake! He trapped that one too. Cuffing both my wrists in one hand, he brought them above my head, pinning them against the cabinet.
I sucked in a breath as Landon’s gaze settled on my lips. He skimmed his free hand under my top, slipped it under my bra. He drew his thumb languidly on the underside of my breast until my whole back arched. When he flicked the thumb over my nipple, I went up to my toes, desperate for his mouth. We kissed until we were both out
of breath.
My kitchen had never seen such erotic action. I almost expected the legs of the wooden table to buckle under the weight of the sexual tension. My legs certainly felt like they’d give way any moment.
He let go of my hands, cupping my face with both hands, thumbs resting on my cheeks, fingers splayed on my neck. He was holding me like I was precious to him. So much energy coursed through me that I couldn’t stay put. I kept fidgeting.
“I have one rule, Landon. You’re not allowed to make me fall in love with you.”
“You have nothing to worry about.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple dipping low in his throat. “I don’t think I know how to do love anymore.”
“We’re safe, then.”
“Are we?” He smiled. “With you, I want things I haven’t allowed myself to want in years, Maddie.”
I traced the contour of his jaw, wondering if I should keep quiet, but decided not to. “What do you mean, you haven’t allowed yourself to want things?”
His eyes grew sad. “Recovering after Rachel died wasn’t easy. I felt lost and vulnerable, and for a long time, I figured it was safer not to get too close to anyone. It was safer not to want certain things.”
“Oh, Landon.”
The sadness in his gaze melted into playfulness. “But I want to spend more time with you, Maddie. I want to get to know you. All of you.”
My entire body buzzed at the thought of more time with Landon, even as I knew I was endangering my heart. I hadn’t been sure I could keep my heart safe when I thought I only had a few days with Landon. But a few weeks?
New resolution: I wouldn’t think about the future. I had to admit, it was liberating to just live in the present without worrying how my current actions would impact the future.
If I eat a second slice of bacon, will it go straight to my hips or my belly? If I order the cheaper soap, will it dry my skin? If I spend more time with Landon, will I fall in love with him? See... those kinds of questions. They took the joy out of the moment. Some of them had merit, sure, but they were also killjoys.
“I’m taking you out on a date,” he announced, shoving both hands in his pockets, as if not touching me required effort and he was determined to succeed. Ah, but our goals were at odds, because I wanted to be touched, and kissed, and ravished.
