Anna feigned a swoon behind his back. "Well, I for one am not going to keep you from enjoying yourself."
"Anna, can you help me find the charger for my laptop?" I grabbed her arm and hauled her into my bedroom.
"Could he be any more of a dream?" Anna whispered. "He loves to cook, and don't get me started about that body."
"This isn't really happening, is it? I'm going to wake up and find your cat licking my ear any second now." I paced the few steps my tight room allowed. "He's here, in our crappy little apartment."
"And he loves it," Anna squealed. "Seriously, Riley, he couldn't be nicer. I know you think he tricked you at the gala, but that was your own fault for not recognizing him. That man is solid gold, and I'm not just talking about the size of his fortune."
I smacked my friend on the shoulder. "This is insane, but if he wants to stay longer, would that be all right with you?"
Anna laughed at full volume. "Of course!"
I cracked the bedroom door open and froze. Landon was now drying the dishes and singing to himself. He sashayed across the minute kitchen and put the plates away. While his back was turned, I sprinted down our short hallway and into the bathroom.
There I gripped the sink. He was not a hallucination. Anna saw Landon too, and we all just ate breakfast together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I scrubbed my face, brushed my teeth, and raked a comb through my hair in record time. Then I took long, slow breaths to calm down before I strolled back to the living room.
I promptly forgot to breathe when I spotted Landon on our saggy couch. He'd put on his white dress shirt, but it was open and the sleeves were rolled up. He scowled at his phone again and tossed it to the opposite end of the couch. Then he looked up at me and smiled.
"You look wonderful," he said.
His smile sent funny fissures of warmth through my stomach.
Anna's cat was curled up on his khaki pants and purring louder than a diesel engine. "The coffee's ready," Landon said. "I'd pour you a cup, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to get up." He gave the white cat a scratch behind the ears.
"I'll get you one. Cream and sugar?" I spun out to the kitchen and blindly groped for coffee mugs.
"Just a splash of cream, please."
I grabbed our chipped mason jar of sugar along with the two mugs. "You might want sugar. The coffee's not the best."
"Thanks," Landon smiled up at me. "Thanks for letting me cook in your kitchen. Do you need to go right now? I wouldn't want you to be late."
I waved a hand to stop him from getting up. "No, don't worry about it. Stay as long as you like. Just lock up when you go."
Landon settled back onto the couch and stroked the worried feline. When the cat tucked himself back in and started to purr again, Landon asked, "You're okay with that?"
Anna snorted as she emerged from her bedroom and headed for the front door. "Yeah. It's not like we think you, of all people, are going to steal any of our junk. You're welcome to stay as long as you want."
"Really?" Landon asked me. "I'm not going to lie, staying here would be a lot more comfortable and a lot more fun than that gray suite at the hotel. The entire bathroom is gray. The fireplace is stainless steel. The kitchen counters are slate gray."
"Oh my god," I said. "Your suite is four times the size of this place, isn't it?"
"So you'd think they'd be able to fit some charm in," Landon said with a grin, "but, nope, they went for gray."
"Then I'll see you around. Oh, and just so you know, Riley's done after lunch today." Anna winked at me and disappeared out the front door.
"I have two classes this morning," I told him. I was too nervous to do anything but babble. "So, I'll be back around lunch. I just need to grab my laptop."
Landon caught my wrist as I leaned down to the low bookshelf next to the couch. "Thanks for such a wonderful date."
"Ha! Liar. You're used to five-star meals, fancy dresses, and desserts that cost more than my rent."
Landon's blue eyes darkened. His look made me feel like the tide was rushing in. "Last night was one of the best dates I've had in the past few years, Riley. You have no idea."
My knees wobbled and I dropped to the couch next to him. Anna's cat glared at me and rubbed his whiskers along Landon's bare stomach. "How is that possible?"
He caught a strand of my hair in his fingers and twirled it. "I've been thinking about it and I think the answer's clear. I really like you. You don't expect me to be anything else. I don't have to live up to any reputation."
"I looked you up," I confessed. "After, um, after the gala. I was curious."
"And yet that hasn't changed the way you treat me." He tugged on the strand of hair and smiled. "You have no idea what a relief that is."
I was swimming in his ocean blue eyes and needed to come up for air. "I had a great time last night, too. Well, except for all the whispering behind our backs at the restaurant. People are awful.” I had to stand up or I was at risk for never leaving his side. "Well, Anna's right, you're welcome to stay as long as you want. I've got to run to class, but you stay and relax."
Leaving was like fighting a strong current. Landon pulled me to him, but I finally got out the front door. Anna was waiting for me on the bottom step.
"Two more minutes and I was going to give you two some privacy," she said with a grin.
I walked down the steps without seeing them. I had memorized every detail of Landon stretched out on our couch with Anna's white cat curled up in his lap. His dark brown hair tousled, the thick waves gleaming. The golden tan contrasting against his white shirt. The open shirt revealing the flat expanse of his stomach and the strong contours of his chest. He dominated the space, long legs bumping into the coffee table. Those blue eyes lighting on every messy detail of my life, and those wide, firm lips curving with smiles.
The memory was intoxicating.
"Get in, I'll give you a lift. Clearly, you are not in any state to drive yourself," Anna said.
I blinked. I had followed Anna to her car and stood next to the door like a zombie. "Sorry, no, I just. I was distracted."
She laughed. "Distracted might not be strong enough. I gotta admit, I'm jealous. Not jealous that you’re dating a gorgeous billionaire. I just wish someone made me stumble around with such a goofy, happy expression."
"I'm such a moron." I smacked my own head. "I have to get a grip, or I'm going to be late for class."
Anna plopped her hands on her hips. "For god's sake, Riley, if there was ever a time to blow off class, it's now. You can make up the work. Just email your professor and tell him you're sick. Then go back into that apartment and see if Landon wants to play doctor."
I ignored her waggling eyebrows or the melting heat in my stomach. Just the idea of opening the door and seeing Landon again had me overheating. "I can't skip class. What would Grandpa say? I used a big chunk of the money he gave me to pay for this course. I have to go."
"Do it for me," Anna pleaded. "Give me something to be really jealous of."
I brushed back my hair and took a deep, head-clearing breath. "There's nothing to be jealous of, Anna, I told you that. Nothing happened last night. Maybe he just likes hanging out with me like I'm his surrogate little sister or something."
Anna snorted. "I'm sorry, but I'm not blind. And you know what? Even a blind person would have felt all the chemistry between you two."
"Really?" I watched my own hands flutter with excitement and was powerless to stop them.
"Yes, really." Anna sighed. "You should have seen the way he looked at you."
* * * * *
Anna's words were the only thing I heard during the botany lecture. It didn't even seem possible that Landon Michel looked at me, much less looked at me in whatever way my roommate saw. Still, the way she talked about it, her voice edged with happiness, jealousy, and longing, meant something. It meant that I wasn't the only one feeling the undeniable attraction.
Attraction. My mind slipped awa
y from the lecture and back to Landon with his white shirt unbuttoned, his chest bare.
My phone vibrated and I fumbled it out of my purse underneath my desk. My stealth was almost ruined when I laughed out loud. I had to feign a bizarre cough to cover it up. Then I studied the picture again.
Landon was still on the couch, except now Anna's cat had all four paws in the air. The cat’s head was hanging off Landon’s leg, with a curve to its feline mouth that looked exactly like a smile.
Boo says thank you for letting me stay, the message beneath the picture read.
My heart leapt. I bent my head back over my notes and hoped my fellow classmates wouldn't see me grinning like a fool.
Landon Michel was still at my apartment. I thought when I left the gala that I would never see him again outside tabloid photographs. And now he was sitting on my couch, relaxing in the warm sunshine.
I checked my watch and willed time to go faster. I wondered what it would feel like to pull open the apartment door and find him still inside, and I couldn't wait to find out.
Chapter Twelve
Landon
The cat was an easy excuse to stay, and I took advantage. I sipped my coffee despite its lack of flavor and looked around Riley's apartment.
Warm sun filtered through the white curtains. I looked again. They weren’t curtains, but sheets that had been cleverly cut and hemmed to look like curtains. The hand stitching was crooked in spots and that made the effect all the more charming.
My phone buzzed and I smiled even before I read the text from Riley. "Of course he loves you —the cat needs money to buy fresh-caught salmon."
I laughed out loud and showed the startled cat the text. "I love it. No one jokes with me about money because sooner or later everyone asks for some. Except Riley. She strikes struck me as the starve-before-asking-for-help type," I said to myself, as if the cat was actually listening to me.
The cat stood up, stretched, and stalked off my lap with his tail in the air. Even with my excuse gone, I sank back into the soft couch cushions. Every corner of the small apartment had green, thriving plants. I loved thinking of Riley tending to each one.
My phone buzzed again, except this time it was Lyla. She was spewing her usual disaster scenarios just because I was skipping a few social engagements. All my important work had been pushed back, thanks to Lyla's very helpful new assistant, who apparently had not thought to ask Lyla first.
I felt bad for the fallout her assistant would receive, but it was a relief to be free and clear of Lyla's barbed guilt trips. A few days and I would face the music, but until then…what?
I wanted to get to know Riley. I needed to know why just being in a place she had been made me feel better, more relaxed, and more myself. I jumped up from the couch and wandered around the small, sunny apartment.
Tangled in a vibrant ivy were framed photographs: Riley and Anna together at Anna's graduation; Riley and her grandfather on the front porch of an old, white farmhouse; Riley and Anna standing with a lanky man in front of a rollercoaster; Riley in a black bikini making margaritas at a pool party.
I gave the last photo another, longer look. The same hunger I had felt last night rumbled through me, but I was glad nothing had happened besides kissing yet. The thought of Riley being another mistake, another failure for my cousin to throw in my face, was unbearable. This time, I would get to know her first, no matter how long it took.
My phone rang and I was relieved to see it was Andrew. "How's The Sand Dollar? What's the gossip from town?"
"The gossip is probably how I just spent a half an hour getting the third degree from your cousin."
"She called you? Why don't you just hang up on her? That's always been a dream of mine."
Andrew didn't laugh. "No, she actually came down here and about scared all the customers away. She marched right into the bar and starting firing off questions about where you'd gone and what horribly irresponsible thing I'd encouraged you to do this time."
"What'd you come up with?" I asked.
"Nothing. I didn't tell her anything, so she left more pissed than when she came in. And, to be honest, I'm pissed, too. I mean, if anyone's going to encourage you to be reckless, it should be me. So now you have to tell me what you're up to."
I hesitated a second too long and heard Andrew's hurt harrumph.
"Fine —I decided to stay a few extra days in Santa Cruz," I said.
"Oh, it's that simple, is it? You just decided to stop off and what? Go surfing?"
"Why not?" I asked. "Sun, surf, easy-going people."
"College babes in swimsuits?" Andrew asked. "Your cousin mentioned you didn’t stay in your hotel suite last night."
"James wouldn't rat me out,” I muttered. “Damn, I bet it was that security guard."
"So you're just relaxing on the beach?" Andrew asked, although his tone had already dismissed any answer I might give.
"Fine, yes. There's a woman, but it's not what you think. You'll never guess who I ran into here." I picked up the photograph of Riley in the black bikini.
Andrew laughed. "Riley."
"How do you know?"
"I remember that's where she said she was heading. Plus I haven't heard you sound this happy in a while. The last time was when you were helping tend bar with Riley as your waitress."
I sighed. "So, you caught me, but you don't blame me?"
Andrew snorted. "I can't believe you didn't look for her sooner. She actually agreed to go out with you again?"
"Call me lucky," I said.
"Not just yet. Lyla's going to find out much faster than you want. There are tabloid shots of you at some beachfront restaurant. Riley's obscured by a plant, but it won't take Lyla long to figure out who you've stopped to see."
"Damn paparazzi. You should have seen Riley's face when she realized how many people were staring. And you wonder why I never go on dates." I paced the apartment faster.
"Not me," Andrew said. "Your cousin just can't understand why you don't go out on dates with the carefully screened women that she suggests. Remember how mad she was when you turned down dinner with the countess's daughter? She's gonna shit when she finds out you’re hanging around in Santa Cruz for Riley."
I growled. "I hope she does. It's about time Lyla and I had a serious talk about boundaries. I'm not her Michel Fund puppet."
"So what are you going to do today?" Andrew asked. "Eat cotton candy and hot dogs on the boardwalk? Ride the Giant Dipper? Actually, I'd advise against that order —eat after you ride."
"Nah, none of that, at least not today. Riley's in class. She's going to graduate school."
Andrew laughed. "I'm sorry, are you just hanging around in her dorm room while she's in class?"
"No. She lives in an apartment with her friend, Anna. They have a view of the beach."
"Sorry, but there is no way it compares to the views in Michel's Beach," Andrew said.
I groaned. "No, of course not, but I like it here. It's, I don't know, relaxing. A tiny, relaxing little spot."
"Tiny, little…are you feeling a little cramped?" Andrew asked.
"I said I like it here," I snapped.
Andrew laughed. "I know. You always went for homes over showcases no matter the size. If you're not going to the boardwalk, what's your plan?"
"I think I might have offered to cook dinner tonight." I ran a hand through my hair, remembering my boast about lasagna. I groaned. Omelets were about the only thing I really did well in the kitchen. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
"Get something to write with and don't worry, this recipe is foolproof."
* * * * *
I stared at the scissors on Anna and Riley's desk for at least five minutes. Then I picked them up, weighed them, tested the sharpness on a piece of junk mail, and put them back down. My khakis were still obviously expensive dress pants and all I wanted to do was blend in. Santa Cruz was not only a college town but a surfing town and a tourist destination. Not many well-dressed businessm
en strolled down the main street just before lunch.
If I called James, he could pick up something for me at a local store and bring it over. I imagined him picking out a Hawaiian shirt and shook my head. That would only make things worse.
I considered the scissors again. If I could just cut the bottoms off and roll them up into shorts. Then I pictured what the final effect of my hack job would look like, and I shook my head at the cat.
"Pretty sure cut-offs are best with jeans and even then it's not the best look. Guess I'll just have to go as I am."
I at least left my white button-down shirt untucked and rolled the sleeves up. There was nothing I could do about my shiny penny loafers besides slip them on without socks. I resisted the urge to kick the table leg. Next time I packed for a business trip, I was going to make damn sure I included some of my actual clothes and not just the work-appropriate outfits Lyla selected.
When I finally rounded up my wallet, phone, and keys, I heard a dull thump outside the front door. Riley and Anna's apartment was on the second floor with a staircase only a few steps away. It could have been any of their neighbors, but considering it was mid-morning, I was curious.
Last night, Riley had been nervous. She had peered in the bushes, checked the parking lot, and scanned the apartment hallway before we went inside. Someone must have been lurking around, and while I was grateful they gave her a reason to let me stay, I knew it bothered Riley.
I groaned and caught the cat's unimpressed stare. "Get ready to have your picture taken," I told the white cat. "I bet it's one of those photographers. I swear they crawl around like cockroaches and appear out of cracks."
I stepped to the front window and was glad for Riley's profusion of green plants. Outside was a tall young man, maybe an inch shorter than me, though he was thinner. He looked familiar, and I wondered if he'd gotten in my face for a photograph before. He knelt down in front of the apartment door.
I couldn't hear anything. The young man didn’t move, and I held my breath. This was probably the ex-boyfriend who had been lurking around Riley. I wondered if he had any idea how nervous he was making her. Someone needed to tell him and I felt up to the job. I glanced around the apartment for a suitable blunt object, just something to make my message clear, and that's when I spotted the photograph of Riley, Anna and another guy in front of the rollercoaster. The man kneeling on the doormat was probably Riley's ex-boyfriend.
Torn_An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 36
