by Cheri Marie
“What do you mean by that?”
“You have a big heart, that’s obvious. The organization you’ve built is successful and helps so many deserving people. You are a compassionate and loving person; you care about others and that says a lot about a person.”
“Well, thank you,” my cheeks blush again.
We finish the dishes in silence, I really don’t know what to say. I’ve never had a man praise me so much and I don’t know how to respond to it. I put the dishes away and lean against the counter.
“Thank you for helping with the dishes. Did you enjoy the barbeque?” I ask Landon.
“Your welcome, and yes I’ve enjoyed the barbeque, the food was great.”
“Yea, Xavier is a pretty amazing cook.”
“He is indeed.”
We stand there staring at each other, not saying a word. I break eye contact, knotting my fingers. The electricity between us is building and it’s unsettling. Landon takes a step toward me just as Kat comes into the kitchen. I breathe a sigh of relief when she interrupts whatever was just about to happen.
“Landon, I was wondering if you were ready to go. I have to get home.”
“Sure.”
“Arianna, it was great meeting you! I hope I’ll be seeing more of you. Thank you for having me for the barbeque.”
“Thank you, it was great to meet you too Kat. You are welcome anytime.”
“Don’t tell her that, you’ll never get rid of her,” Landon pipes up. Kat smacks him and I can’t help but laugh.
Everyone else has joined us in the kitchen.
“Arianna, we’re going to get going too,” says Tristan.
“Okay, thank you for coming. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Okay, enjoy the rest of your weekend!” I wave as they leave.
Ashlan, Xavier and I say our goodbyes to Landon, Damien, and Kat before they all head home. Landon kisses my cheek and my cheeks flush again. When the hell did I start blushing so much?
“Xavier, are you planning on heading back tonight?” I ask.
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Well if you would like to stay, you are welcome to use the other guest room.”
“Thank you Ari. I think I will do that.”
“Okay, well you two are welcome to make yourselves at home. I have to finish up some stuff for work on Monday and then I’ll be out to join you guys.”
“Okay,” says Xavier. Ashlan grabs my arm after Xavier walks away.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Ari, don’t over think things.”
“I’m not Ashlan. I have work to finish, I will talk to you in a little bit.”
She releases my arm and I storm to my office. Closing the door behind me I sit down at my desk and breathe a sigh of relief. What the hell am I doing? I can’t fall for this man so quickly. I hardly know him for Godsakes. How can I fall head over heels for someone I barely know? I’m so confused! Maybe I am overthinking things. Is that why I get so irritated with Ashlan when she says something about it; because she’s right? I just don’t know. I lay my head in my hands, emotionally exhausted. My phone vibrates and it makes me jump.
Thank you for an amazing afternoon. - Landon
I can’t help but smile, I immediately text him back.
You’re welcome. Thank you for being you - Ari
For once, I’m going to listen to Ashlan. I’m just going to go with the flow and see where it takes me. I decide to text Landon again.
Would you like to have dinner tomorrow?
My place, say around 7?
His text back is almost instantaneous.
I would love to. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at 7.
I exit out of my text messages and head out of my office to join Ashlan and Xavier. They’re sitting in my living room watching a movie, as I enter both of them turn and look at me.
“What?”
“Nothing,” they say in unison. I get the feeling they were just talking about me. I narrow my eyes at Ashlan. She just grins at me. I sit in my favorite chair and watch the movie with them.
Standing in Arianna’s kitchen with her, staring into those green eyes; we were the only thing that mattered in that moment. I take a step toward her, craving her lips on mine. I want to beg her to let me take her up to her room and make love to her.
Arianna just invited me for dinner tomorrow. I’m quite shocked since she seemed relieved when Kat interrupted what was about to happen in her kitchen today. After that she seemed a little distant. I try not to think about it. She’s invited me to dinner and I can only hope that it is a one on one dinner.
The next morning I say goodbye to Ashlan and Xavier.
“Bye Xavier, drive safe and don’t be a stranger,” I hug him goodbye.
“I will. You will definitely be seeing me more since Ashlan is moving in with you.”
“Okay, good,” I hug him again and he takes off.
“I’ll see you later,” I say to Ashlan.
“Sure, I’ll be packing some of my stuff tonight. Do you want to come help?”
I bite my lip, “umm… I’m actually having dinner with Landon, here at the house.”
“Ohhh…” she says as she winks at me. I roll my eyes at her.
“I’ll call you later.”
“Okay,” she hugs me goodbye and leaves.
After Ashlan leaves I head back inside. I need to decide what to wear for dinner tonight and what to cook. I head into the kitchen and open the fridge. I could make shrimp scampi; it occurs to me I don’t even know if he likes shrimp. I decide to ask.
Good morning! I was wondering, do you like shrimp?
I wait for a reply.
Good morning to you! Yes, I love shrimp.
Yes, shrimp scampi it is.
Okay, great I’ll see you later
I head up to my room to shower and find something to wear. I decide on a knee length wrap skirt and an aqua camisole. I’ve just about finished dinner when there’s a knock at the door. My heart leaps into my throat as I go to open it. When I open the door, Landon is standing there as beautiful as ever. He’s wearing a white flannel shirt with the top two buttons undone and khaki shorts. I look him up and down, when I reach his face he’s grinning at me.
“What are you grinning about?”
“Oh, nothing. I brought this for us to enjoy during dinner,” he hands me a chilled bottle of pink Moscato, my favorite.
“You clean up well, and thank you how did you know this was my favorite?” I wink at him.
“So do you, and just a good guess I suppose,” he leans in and plants a light kiss on my forehead. I step back and wave him in, closing the door I follow him back into the house.
“It smells amazing in here.”
“Thank you. We’re having shrimp scampi.”
“Great, shrimp scampi is my favorite.”
“Good. It’s almost finished. You can sit at the breakfast bar if you’d like.”
“Can I help with anything?” he asks.
“Sure, the placemats and plates are in the cabinet by the sink and the silverware is in the drawer just beneath it.”
“Okay,” he smiles at me and gets to work.
I watch him as he collects the plates, placemats, and silverware. He lays everything out on the breakfast bar and then grabs two of the wine glasses from the rack and places them on the counter. Pouring both of us a glass of Moscato, he hands one to me. I take a sip and it’s delicious.
Finishing up the shrimp scampi, I serve it up on our plates. I put the pan into the sink and take a seat next to him. He takes a bite of the scampi and I watch him to see his reaction. He moans in appreciation.
“So how is it?” I ask.
“It’s delicious Arianna.”
“Thank you,” I smile.
“You’re welcome.”
I take a bite, it really is delicious. Taking a sip of wine I catch Landon watching me out of the corner of my eye. I g
lance at him quizzically. He smiles and continues eating. After we’ve finished, I clean the dishes from dinner.
“Would you like to watch a movie?” I ask him.
“Sure.”
“What would you like to watch?”
“You choose.”
“Okay”, I grab a funny movie off the shelf and slip the disk into the DVD player.
I slip off my shoes and sit on the couch, Landon follows suit and sits next to me. My heart rate spikes when he brushes my arm. How is this man affecting me this way without even really touching me? I look at him and there’s a smile playing at his lips. Does he feel it too? The energy between us is too intense; I decide to get another glass of wine.
I stand abruptly.
“Is everything okay?” he asks.
“Yes, everything is fine. I’m just going to get another glass of wine, would you like some?”
“I would, thank you.”
When I’m in the kitchen where he can’t see me I take a deep, steadying breath. I fill both our glasses and turn to head back to the living room. When I turn around, Landon is standing there. He takes both glasses of wine from me and sits them on the counter. The energy between us has the intensity of lightening. He’s standing so close, I can smell his cologne. It’s intoxicating.
“You are so beautiful Ari,” he says; then unexpectedly he pushes me up against the counter, one hand at the nape of my neck the other on my back holding me in place and kisses me. I thrust my hands into his hair and kiss him back fervently. Suddenly he scoops me up by my thighs and sits me on the counter, his lips never leaving mine. When we break for air, I look up at him and his eyes are heated with passion. I nearly come undone and I have to catch my breath. I can’t help myself as I lean in and kiss him again, running my hands down his chest I fumble to undo the rest of the buttons on his shirt. I undo the last button and slide his shirt down his nice muscular arms and let it fall on the floor. He reaches for the hem of my shirt and I grab his hands. He looks at me with questioning eyes.
“Do you not want to do this?” he asks softly.
“No, it’s not that. I do want this, more than I have ever wanted anything.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“It’s just…,” as if he was reading my mind he stops me mid-sentence.
He grabs my face softly between his hands.
“Arianna, don’t even say it. You are absolutely beautiful. You shouldn’t be ashamed of your body. Now come on, let’s get you up to your room and out of those clothes.” He kisses me quickly and then steps back; I take a moment to take him in. He’s got a six pack of abs that is to die for and that ‘V’ defined from his hips down to… there. He smiles and reaches out his hand, I place my hand in his to steady myself as I climb off the counter and lead him up to my room.
I stand at Arianna’s door waiting for her to let me in. The door swings open and there she is. She’s wearing an aqua colored tank top that brings out her eyes and a knee length skirt that ties at her hip. My fingers ache to reach for the tie to strip her of that skirt and take her right here in her doorway but I resist.
I lightly kiss her on her forehead. I know damn well that if I really kiss her, that will be it; my hardening erection agrees. I head inside and help set the table for our dinner and pour us some wine.
I’m surprised when she invites me to stay for a movie after we’ve finished eating. I sit on the couch next to her, so close to her that we’re almost touching. I can feel that electricity between us again; it’s building and there’s no possible way she doesn’t feel it too. Suddenly she stands up. When she turns to look at me, I see it in her eyes; she feels it. Asking her if everything is okay, she says yes, that she is just going for some more wine.
I watch as she sashay’s to the kitchen, her skirt hugging her curves makes my cock twitch. That’s it! I can’t take it anymore. I head into the kitchen and startle her as she turns around and I’m standing behind her. Taking both glasses from her I set them down and pin her against the counter. Staring into those beautiful green eyes I pray she doesn’t reject me. Without hesitation I kiss her and when she kisses me back with equal need, any ounce of self-control I had left goes out the window. The fact that she doesn’t try to push me away like she’s been doing is shocking and intoxicating. Catching me off guard she slides her hands down my chest, unbuttoning my shirt and lets it fall to the floor. Reaching down, I wrap my arms around her thighs and lift her up onto the counter. Pressing my body against hers, I deepen the kiss, running my hands through her brown locks. Pulling it lightly, a small moan escapes her lips. I run my hands down her body to the hem of her shirt. When I reach to pull her shirt over her head she stops me, almost immediately I get it. I need this beautiful woman that is sitting before me, that I am longing for, to know that she is a fucking goddess and should never be ashamed of her body. I’m going to make love to her right now. I reach out for her hand, helping her back off the counter and she leads me up to her room.
Before I know it, we’re intertwined. All hands, tongues and feverish kisses. I begin planting kisses, from her soft warm lips, to her earlobe. I lick and nip her earlobe lightly before continuing down the soft flesh of her neck, to her gloriously succulent breasts. I take each nipple into my mouth, flicking my tongue across each one before nibbling and sucking tenderly on them. Working my way down further, nibbling and kissing every inch as I go; I begin to tease her further, lightly nipping her softly above her pubic hair, and she nearly convulses. When my fingers meet her opening, she’s so hot and wet; I slide my fingers inside her. She moans and it speaks right to my cock. I dip my head between her thighs, starting at her knee I place light kisses up each thigh, stopping just before I reach her sweet sex that is wet and waiting. I want to taste her. Grabbing her by the hips, dipping my head down I breathe in the scent of her need before I tongue her clit, giving it a few flicks with my tongue as I fuck her with my skilled fingers. I can feel her body trembling and her legs start to shake. She thrusts her hands into my hair and grinds her sweet sex into my mouth. I quicken my fingers and lightly nip and suck her clit. She moans and I nearly lose my load. As much as I would love to have her come on my tongue, I need to be deep inside her. I want to feel her orgasm; I want to feel her tighten around my cock as she reaches her climax. I make lightning speed of stripping myself of my shorts and boxers, within minutes my length is buried inside her, we moan in unison. I slowly ease out of her and slam back into her, swiveling my hips so that I hit her G-spot. She’s begging me not to stop as I withdraw and then slam into her again. She wraps her legs around me, pushing me deeper, digging her nails into my arms. I can feel her quicken, she’s almost there, as I pound into her faster and harder. I kiss her, our tongues intertwined. “Come for me baby,” I whisper against her lips. As if on cue she calls out my name as she comes undone and I climax with her. I collapse on her and we just lay there until our breathing calms.
I ease myself out of her, excusing myself I head into the bathroom. I grab a wash cloth from the shelf and clean myself up. When I’m done, I take a deep breath before heading out into the bedroom. She’s standing next to the bed, looking like a deer caught in headlights as she tightens the robe around herself. I want to saunter over to her and rip that robe off of her. I hate how she thinks negative of herself and I want nothing more than to go pound the shit out of that prick Liam’s face.
When I snap back to the here and now, I’m shocked yet again when she asks me if I’d like to stay the night. I mean, I had already planned on inviting myself to stay but I’m glad she extended the invitation. I make myself comfortable in her bed while she gets herself cleaned up. She comes out and climbs into bed next to me. I pull her close, wrapping my arm around her as I drift off to sleep. Tonight there’s no nightmares or demons to fight; just me and my girl, hazel and green eyes burning with passion.
I wake to my phone ringing; I look at the caller ID and its Ashlan. I look over at Landon and he’s still asleep. My heart skips a beat as I
take in his beautiful face in the early morning light. I quickly answer my phone so it doesn’t wake him.
“Hello?” I whisper.
“Good morning! Why are you whispering?” asks Ashlan.
“Shh, hang on a second,” I lay the phone down so that I can put on my robe. I slip out the door closing it quietly behind me.
“Hey. Good morning, how ar…” before I can finish my sentence Ashlan interrupts me.
“Spill it!” she says.
“Spill what?” I go for nonchalant and fail epically.
“Well, since you’re whispering I think it’s safe to assume that your dinner with Landon went well and that he is still there?”
“Yes, dinner was great, and yes he is still here.”
While Ashlan is grilling me about the details of what happened last night, I head downstairs to make coffee. I’m leaning against the counter, answering Ashlan’s interrogation without giving her every juicy detail. When I look up Landon is leaning against the doorway to the kitchen watching me. He’s only wearing his khaki shorts and a beautiful smile. I smile back and wink at him.
“Okay, Ashlan, I really have to go right now. I will call you later okay?”
I can hear her pout on the other end of the phone.
“Okay,” she says. “Oh, by the way, can I start moving my stuff over this week?”
“Sure, that’s fine. I’ll talk to you later. Love you, bye.” I hang up before she can think of something else to keep me on the phone for.
“Good morning beautiful," he says.
“Good morning beautiful to you,” I say as he saunters towards me. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him passionately. He kisses me back with equal passion. He presses his body against mine and I can feel his growing erection pressed against my stomach. Just as things are starting to heat up, my phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Good morning Arianna.”
“Good morning Tristan.”
“You have a telephone conference in ten minutes,” she says. Shit, I forgot about that, I’ve been so wrapped up in this weekend that I didn’t even realize its Monday already! I’m so pissed at myself, how did I let this happen?
