Blindsided

by Shey Stahl

  “Shit, that hurt,” I mutter, rubbing the tender spot.

  Taking in a deep breath, I wipe water from my face and off my jacket. I peel it off and throw it on top of my shit on the floor, not caring that I’m basically soaking everything I own.

  I don’t start the car, and I certainly don’t drive away. Something’s off. Remember that feeling of unease I had walking through the parking lot? It’s about to get a whole lot worse.

  And then I realize my breathing isn’t the only one in the car. My eyes snap to the rearview mirror to see someone in the back seat.

  Holy shit!

  Squinting, I try to make out the figure, scream at the top of my lungs, and reach for my phone to dial 911. Only I drop the phone on the floorboard because I’m shaking so goddamn bad.

  “Landon?” I call out frantically when I realize it’s him in the back seat.

  “Goddamn,” he whispers harshly, holding his hands over his ears. “You can certainly make a guy go deaf, can’t ya?”

  “What the fuck are you doing in my car?” I cry out, my heart racing.

  “I needed to see you.”

  I stare at him in disbelief. “By hiding in the back seat of my car like some kind of kidnapper?”

  “You know, funny you say that.” There’s an arrogant set to his jaw that makes him look fucking intimidating under the street lamp lighting my car. “I was tempted to kidnap you if it meant you’d finally fuckin’ talk to me. I have duct tape and rope in my car just in case you fought me.”

  Still startled and trying to rein in my rapid heartbeat, I slap at him over the seat. “So wait at the house and talk to me then. Don’t sneak in my car! How’d you even get in here?”

  “I bought it and had a spare set of keys.”

  I raise an eyebrow.

  He sighs, noticing my inspection of him. “Okay, I stole yours and made a copy, whatever.”

  I glare at him. “Seriously?”

  “Well, you wouldn’t talk to me.” He shifts in the seat and then makes his way, with his ass in my face, to the front seat. My lips pull up into a smile, temped to bite his ass.

  When he’s seated, he pushes my purse to the floor and I notice how wild his eyes are, the firm clench of his jaw. He’s mad. What the fuck would he have to be mad about?

  “What?”

  He nods to the studio in the distance. “Are you seeing him again?”

  “No, I’m not.” I pause. “Is that why you broke into my car? Because you thought I was with Percy again?”

  “It’s not breaking in when you have a key.”

  “Whatever.”

  He leans in close. “I deserve an answer.”

  “And I gave you one,” I add under my breath.

  “So you’re not seeing him?”

  “Jesus Christ, Landon. No. I’m not seeing him.”

  “Why was he here then?” he asks. When I look past the question to the frown and the intensity of his eyes, there’s fear. He’s worried. “And don’t you dare tell me it’s nothing. I know you have history with him and I deserve to know the truth. I’m tired of this shit between us. This isn’t us. We don’t just ignore shit. We’ve always dealt with shit before it got out of hand. That’s why I’m in your fucking car right now because you’ve been ignoring me for weeks.”

  Goddamn him. He’s such an asshole sometimes. An intuitive best friend asshole, but whatever. “Landon, you were a complete asshole to me that day,” I manage to say. I stare into his eyes, his emotions so raw, so real. While he hurt me, I hurt him by ignoring him. “I think I have the right to be upset about it and ignore you for a little while.”

  “I know that and I apologized,” he whispers, and I can hear the kick in his breath. “I’m really fucking sorry about everything. But if these last few weeks taught me anything, it’s that I can’t lose you. So you’re done ignoring me.”

  It’s getting hard to breathe in here. Maybe I need to crack a window. “You didn’t lose me.”

  He laughs, bitterly. “Bullshit. You’ve shut me out of your life completely. And now you’re seeing your ex,” he says, pushing the words out in a growl.

  “I’m not seeing Percy. He came to the showcase… unlike you,” I tell him, willing my voice not to shake.

  His brows come together, almost in pain, his mouth dropping open slightly. “I couldn’t. I tried to, but I couldn’t just leave in the middle of the game.” And then he scowls at me. “Did Percy pierce your clit? Just tell me. I need to know.”

  Tossing my head back dramatically, I sigh and throw my hands up. “No, you idiot. He didn’t. And it wouldn’t fuckin’ matter if he did.”

  “It would to me,” he points out.

  He’s right, it would. I watch him for a moment. His breathing, the way he stares at the windshield and the drops of rain pooling on the glass. I start biting my lip. What do I say to him now? And the whole biting of the lip is a horrible idea because though my lips are healed, they’re still tender. I open my mouth, even though I have no idea what I’m going to say to him, but I don’t get the chance before his lips make contact with mine and there’s a breathless gasp from me, or maybe him. Hell, it’s from both of us.

  He lets out a sigh against my mouth, but he stays close, his forehead pressed against mine as our lips part. “God, I fucking missed kissing you.” He swallows, kisses me once more and then whispers, “I’m sorry, okay? I fucked up. Just accept that I’m a sorry bastard and fucking forgive me already.”

  “Well, since you’re a sorry bastard.” I nod, smiling, swallowing hard myself because I’m getting choked up. “I… forgive you.”

  “You do?” he whispers, closing his eyes. And then his eyes snap open and narrow. “You’re not just saying that to get me out of your car, are you?”

  Tears spring to my eyes, but I laugh around the sudden onset of emotion. Goddamn him for making me emotional. “No, but there’s an idea.”

  With a careful breath, Landon’s brow tightens. “Don’t lie to me,” he says softly after a long pause. “I can’t take being away from you anymore.”

  I drop my eyes from his to his mouth, to the deep hollow of his neck and Adam’s apple, then back to his eyes. There’s tenderness there, much like that night we spent together the day we met… but there’s more. I see the love now, and he’s telling me everything I want to hear.

  “You’re such a baby.” I don’t know what else to say to him. “But no, I’m not lying to you.” Sudden quiet rolls through the car and it’s then my gaze lifts to the studio. Turning my focus back to him, I stare in his eyes, thinking of the painting. “You bought them all, didn’t you?”

  Knowing exactly what I’m referring to, his eyes are intense, gorgeous, and as commanding as ever. “No. Marley bought one.” He snorts, the corner of his mouth kicking up in a smirk. “Apparently, as she puts it, abstract art is the emancipation of the mind.”

  I burst out laughing. “Figures.”

  “It was my grand gesture.” Unable to maintain the smirk, a full-on grin pulls at his lips. “So was I your subject of inspiration?”

  I roll my eyes and lie. “No.”

  “Bullshit.”

  My heart pinches in my chest like it’s seizing up. “I… didn’t paint it for you. I painted it for me.”

  Suddenly, he falls silent, his mouth opening slightly as he stares at me. He draws in a breath like he’s preparing himself for something heavy before asking, “Do you love me?”

  I can’t answer him, or maybe it’s that I don’t know how to with so much weight on those words. Of course I love him. I just don’t love that I put myself aside for him. It’s why I can’t work for him anymore. If I want to be with him, and I think I do, I have to separate his needs from my own and focus more on what I want out of life.

  “It’s a simple answer.”

  A flush spreads over my cheeks. “No, it’s not. Not when it comes to us.”

  The muscles in his jaw clench. “Why?”

  “Because of who you are.” I h
ave to tell him the truth now. “I can’t be your assistant anymore. I can’t keep putting my life on hold. I want to be there for you, for the kids, Cat, but I can’t be the person who does it all for everyone else and nothing for me.”

  I can’t make out his expression in the darkness as he tips his head up and looks at the roof of my car. “I don’t want you to leave,” he rasps.

  I reach out for his hand, holding it on his thigh. “I won’t leave, but I can’t work for you anymore. I have dreams and my entire life has been helping everyone but me.”

  He twists in his seat to face me. Leaning in, he kisses me on the lips, like the action is second nature to him. And then he kisses me again, this time longer. He kisses me with precision. He kisses like the way you carefully make a pass over a blank canvas, still undecided in what it will be, or has the potential to be. He kisses me like he’s never had to second guess what it’d mean when our lips finally touched. It’s all-encompassing, thrilling; it’s fucking consuming.

  Easing out of the kiss, he watches me, struggling with an unseen emotion. “Does that change your mind?”

  My heart wants to believe him, and while my heart says, let him in, my head is saying, honey, you know better. “It’s nice, but no. I can’t work for you anymore. You’re impossible.”

  “Come on, Em. I’m begging.”

  Breaking eye contact, I sigh. “Stop being a bitch about it. We’ll find someone for you.”

  Shaking his head, he laughs out a deep breath. “I love that you’re an asshole.”

  I raise my brow, both charmed and surprised to hear him call me an asshole. It’s actually not even the first time. “Dude, that’s like the most unromantic thing ever.”

  “It’s not meant to be.” His words waver, but his confidence doesn’t. Neither does the look on his face and the softness to his eyes. “I want a girl who’s going to tell me like it is. You do that.”

  We don’t say anything else, silence filling the space between us. He looks at me and in his eyes, I know he believes I am that girl. He’s right.

  “So you’re not going to work for me anymore, but you love me, right?” he asks again.

  I roll my head to the side to smile at him. “If I could stop, I would.”

  His eyebrows scrunch together. “That’s not a very nice thing to say.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it makes it seem like you’re doing it because you have to.”

  “Don’t you see? I have to love you because you’re you.”

  He lets out a sigh of relief.

  Love, his love, it’s relentless, and even though I attempt to slam the door in his face because I’m afraid of happiness, Landon pries the door open and lets my fears out.

  Play Action – The quarterback fakes a handoff to the running back in order to make the defense believe it is a running play for the purpose of helping the receivers get open.

  We’re outside in the driveway and Ember’s heading toward the guest house. I’m not having it, so I grab her by the hand and yank her to my chest. “Come upstairs with me.”

  The rain has ceased, but there’s a sudden chill to the air. A breeze dislodges jet-black hair in her face. Smiling, she places her hands against my chest. “I don’t think we should have sex. Maybe we should wait.”

  Anger rushes through me. I don’t know why I’m angry at her for not wanting to have sex, but I am. Reaching up, I tuck the wayward strands of hair from her face. “Why the fuck not? It’s not like we’re saving your virtue here.”

  That one earns me a glare. “Why do we have to rush into it?”

  I take her hand and lead her toward the house. “You know that quote at the beginning of football games broadcasted on television?”

  She stares at me, her brow dipped in confusion. “No.”

  We’re at the front door now. I put my key in, unlock it and then turn to face her, never letting go of her in the process. After I have the door open, I reach down and haul her over my shoulder. She giggles and I bite her ass cheek. “All rights reserved.”

  Upstairs, I kick shut my bedroom door after dragging Ember in with me. Immediately, I drop my pants behind the closed door. Actually, I get completely naked. If I’m naked, there’s a less likely chance she’ll deny me.

  “You certainly don’t waste time,” she says, staring at the pile of clothes at my feet. Lifting her gaze, her eyes linger on my cock. It’s hard and fuckin’ ready for some much-needed action. “The kids are downstairs.”

  “Exactly. Downstairs. They’re fine.” I motion the length of her body. “Now take your goddamn clothes off.”

  “Sure, since you’re asking so nicely,” she says, shaking her head with laughter.

  “I don’t have time for manners.” With my cock in my hand, I stroke it once, twice. Then I smile because the want emitting from her is damn near palpable. “You either take your clothes off, or I do it for you.”

  With a smile, she wiggles out of her pants and throws her shirt at my head. To torture my bossy ass, she slowly undoes her bra and slides her panties down her thick thighs I can’t wait to be buried between.

  I drink in the image of her sprawled out on my bed. Fuck, she’s hotter than I remember. Curvy hips, gorgeous tits, detailed images of inspirational art over every inch of her creamy skin. So goddamn beautiful in every way.

  Stop staring, she’s mine.

  Smiling, her eyes dance eagerly over my own body before she moves to the bed. Lying in the center, she motions me forward with a curl of her index finger. I follow, prowling over. I stop at the edge of the bed, my hands clasping her ankles.

  When I don’t move, she raises an eyebrow. “Are you just going to stare at me or fuck me?”

  “Enjoying the view,” I manage to say, the need to fuck her building inside me.

  I’ll admit, the urge to speed this up is there, but I don’t want to rush through it.

  Needing her mouth on mine, I lean in and kiss her, capturing her mouth.

  “Landon,” she says against my mouth.

  “Yeah?”

  She reaches forward, grasping my cock in her hand. “I know you’re probably wanting to take your time, but I really just need you to fuck me now.” She grips my cock harder, stroking it slowly with just the right amount of pressure and movement for my eyes to nearly roll back in my head.

  I go a little crazy kissing her. Probably because when we were together before, her lips were off-limits. They’re fair game now, and I don’t let up until she moans into my mouth. My fingers find their way between her legs and find her pussy wet and ready for me.

  “You need me, don’t you?” I whisper to her, my voice thick with want.

  “Yes,” she groans breathlessly as my finger dances along her cunt. Her hands slip over my shoulders, to my hair.

  I chuckle, pulling away from her mouth but I don’t remove my finger. Nope, I add one more and ask, “Did you miss me?”

  “God, yes.” Her back arches, pushing her tits in my face. “So much, Percy.”

  My movements, hell, my heart fucking stops. She said Percy, right? You heard that too, didn’t you?

  Swallowing over the boulder that’s now in my goddamn throat, I yank my hand away only to find her smiling, barely able to control her laughter.

  “Why is that funny to you?” I growl, scowling at her.

  Her laughter dies away and she rolls her eyes. “I had to set your cocky ass back a yard or two.”

  Now I’m pissed. And she knows it.

  My jaw clenches, my heartbeat steadying into a normal rhythm again as I crawl onto the bed. “I was going to go slow. Get you off first, but now, I don’t think so.” The muscles in my jaw flex, tightening as I spread her legs harshly. “Now you’re going to get what you deserve.”

  “And that is?” she asks, watching my every moment.

  “I’m going to fuck you from behind,” I tell her, flipping her onto her stomach.

  She laughs. I position myself behind her ass and take my cock in my
hand. With my other hand, I spread her ass cheeks apart.

  “No, Landon,” she murmurs when I touch the entrance she swears no guy will ever go.

  “You owe me,” I murmur.

  “I don’t owe you shit.” Her voice tightens, but there’s still that underlying want in her tone. “That was a joke.”

  I slowly push my cock between her ass cheeks to her opening. “How would you like it if I said Alessa’s name?” I apply pressure to my thumb, her asshole clenching in reaction.

  She slaps at my hand. “Okay, I’m sorry. It wasn’t a funny joke.”

  “Fucking right it wasn’t.”

  The moment I push inside her, I know I’m not going to last long.

  Trying not to blow my load too soon, I go slowly at first, my movements long and deep. Ember is moaning in my ear and it’s sounds pretty much like, fuck me harder, doesn’t it?

  I don’t know if I should do anything she asks after that little stunt she pulled.

  “Do you think you deserve to?” I whisper hoarsely.

  “Yes, yes,” she whimpers, pleading with me.

  And I want to say, too fucking bad and come on her back for saying his name, but I love this woman and her needs matter to me. So I say, “I’m going to make you come all over my cock just so you know who you belong to.”

  Snaking my hand around her hip, I find her clit, circling my fingers over her swollen bundle of nerves begging for release.

  Her body tenses, her legs stiffening beneath me. With each movement I make with my fingers, her pussy clenches around my cock. It certainly doesn’t take long before she’s moaning, her mouth gapes open as her breathless urges for me to fuck her harder fill the room.

  I try to hold back, but the sounds and the way she arches her ass up just at the end of her orgasm sliding me deeper inside her, make me come faster than I wanted.

  A rush pulses up my spine until I explode, grunting and thrusting deeper and deeper as I spill inside her.

  When the feeling ends, I breathe out loudly. I put my lips to her ear, smiling around the words, “Percy who?”

  She turns her head, blinking slowly. “You’re a god, LC. A motherfucking god who owns my pussy.”