by Layla Hagen
But then something snapped in my mind, and I tore my mouth away from his. I looked to my right, and Landon leaned his forehead against my temple, his hot breath landing on my ear. Despite my soaked clothes, I was on fire. He lowered me to the ground, and we stood entwined like that, breathing heavily, until the cold crept up my spine again, making me shiver.
Landon stepped back, running a hand through his hair. Small drops of water splattered all around. Without the proximity of his body, cold blasted through me. I ran my hands up and down my arms, but it didn’t help much.
“You should change out of the wet clothes.”
I sighed. “I only have one change of clothes. I don’t want to get that soaked too.”
“I’m not letting you go back out there until the rain stops.”
“What are you going to do to keep me out of the rain, kiss me some more?”
His eyes snapped fire. “Don’t think I won’t.”
I swallowed hard, trying to figure out my next steps. I really did need to change out of these clothes.
“I’ll go find you something in Val’s room if you don’t want to change into yours,” he said.
“That’s not appropriate,” I countered.
Something flashed in those green eyes. “Let me make this clear. You’re changing into either Val’s clothes or your own because I won’t let you give yourself pneumonia. So, what’s it gonna be?”
Needing to move, I paced the front porch. The cold was seeping into my bones.
Landon cleared his throat. “Your clothes are completely transparent.”
I stopped pacing, looked down at my chest, and immediately crossed my arms over it. Oh, crap. This explained why he’d been looking at me like he wanted to eat me up before kissing me. He still looked at me like that. Embarrassment clouded around me. I felt naked.
“Why didn’t you tell me that before? I’d have come out of the rain sooner.”
“I didn’t realize you’d ditch your work ethic for anything.”
Landon smiled, and laughter bubbled out of me.
“If the price was flashing you my boobs, I would. I have priorities.”
“You’re flashing more than that.” He swallowed hard, and I remembered with a pang that I wasn’t wearing jeans. I looked down at my pants. They were transparent. Since I was wearing a thong today, I’d been parading my ass in front of Landon.
When I looked up, I couldn’t meet his eyes. “I’ll go shower and put on my spare change of clothes.”
He nodded, and I felt his eyes follow me as we entered the house. I retrieved my backpack from the foyer and swung it over my shoulder, making a beeline for the bathroom.
I took a long, hot shower, but my entire body was still buzzing with adrenaline. My mind was so full of Landon and his kiss that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. I wondered if he was also taking a shower right now. He’d been all wet too, after all. The mere possibility that we might be naked at the same time was messing with my senses.
I stepped out of the bathroom in fresh clothes, keeping my old ones in front of me with both hands. I’d wrung them out, but they were still wet. I needed a plastic bag to wrap them in before stuffing them in my backpack. As I approached the living room, I heard Landon’s voice.
“Adam, forward me the entire e-mail exchange, and I’ll make up my own mind.” A pause, then “Of course I trust you, but I don’t like making decisions knowing only half the conversation.”
I slowed my pace, not wanting to walk in on him mid-phone call. Leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes, smiling as I replayed the kiss in my mind, and all the passion it held. It was the result of all that tension we’d built the night before during our dance. We’d both needed to release it. Now I could go back to daydreaming about him in that off-limits sort of way you daydreamed about a movie star.
When I couldn’t hear him talk anymore, I went to the living room. He’d changed too, and a vision of him in the shower flashed in my mind. Crap. Maybe I could go back to safely daydreaming about him on Monday, when the memory of the kiss subsided, when I couldn’t still feel his taste on my lips. For now, I had to put some distance between us.
“I need a plastic bag for the clothes or I’ll get my backpack all wet,” I said.
“Sure. Let’s go to the kitchen and find one.”
While he searched and crouched to check the lower drawers, I did my best not to perv at his ass. On second thought... why not? I’d already established today was an exception. Why not get a good look at Landon’s backside while I was at it? It was muscular, strong....
Unfortunately, he found a plastic bag all too soon. I took it from him, careful not to touch his fingers. I was already on a slippery slope with my wandering eyes; who knew what his touch might prompt me to do.
“Well, I’d better get going.” I clutched the full plastic bag to my chest. “I checked the weather report and the rain won’t stop soon. I fastened the cover to the ground, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“So why were you so adamant to stay in the rain and finish whatever you were doing?”
“Ah, I was being a bit overzealous, wanting to double on the spikes in a few places, but this isn’t a tornado, just a storm, so it’s not really necessary. I can get a little... lost in my own head when things go to hell. Thanks for pulling me out.”
“I do that too when the shit hits the fan. Get trapped in my mind.”
“Who pulls you out?”
“No one.” Landon shrugged, and I could imagine him in his office until the late hours of the night, his brilliant mind working incessantly on finding a solution. He was so intent on saving everyone else, but maybe he needed a little saving himself.
“Maddie, tell me you’re not leaving because we kissed.”
“Of course not! I don’t run away from problems.”
But I did avoid temptations... especially when they came in the form of Landon Connor. Some might call this cowardly. If they had better tactics to keep from wanting to jump a man’s bones after he’d just kissed you like his life depended on it, I was happy to take notes.
He grinned. “I’m a problem? No one’s called me that.”
“You’ve got everyone pussyfooting around you?”
“I call it strong leadership.”
“Some might go with dictator.”
“Depends on who you ask.” He laughed softly, opened his mouth again, but then his phone rang. I used that as my way out.
“Will you tell Val that I left early because of the rain? I promise I’ll be back with a full crew on Monday. And I’m going to borrow one of her umbrellas.”
“I’ll relay the message.”
I pointed to the phone he was clutching in his hand. “And that needs to stop. Don’t make me fail at my spy job. I can’t keep it a secret from Val forever.”
Grinning widely, he stepped closer. “Oh, I think you can. We’re good at keeping our secrets, aren’t we, Maddie?”
He was much too close, and the scent of soap fresh on his skin was clouding my thoughts. I blinked a few times, then stepped back nonchalantly. Not knowing what to reply—or if to reply at all—I waved at him. Waved.
“I’ll see myself out. I know where the umbrellas are.”
He nodded as his phone rang again. His voice reached me as I hurried to the foyer, picked up a pink umbrella with silver stars sprinkled on it, and let myself out. On the porch, I instinctively looked to my right. Just seeing the wall he’d kissed me against sent tingles up my fingertips. I could still remember every little detail about that kiss.
I had a feeling I wouldn’t forget them until Monday.
Chapter Ten
Landon
Adam was tiptoeing around me, and it was pissing me off. The only logical conclusion was that things weren’t going as smoothly as we’d hoped, but also not serious enough to warrant my return. He’d called to give me the rundown of this week’s events, including how Sullivan, the owner of the company we were partnering with, was dra
gging his ass on signing the papers.
He wasn’t sticking to our terms and was making additional requests. Adam said he hadn’t cc’d me on any of his e-mails because he could handle it all and didn’t want to spoil my vacation. I trusted him, but I didn’t want to be left out of conversations.
It took two more semi-threatening phone calls until Adam finally did send me the entire e-mail exchange with Sullivan. Sitting in the armchair under the window, I scrolled on my phone, analyzing every word. It was frustrating and would prolong the process by a few weeks, but it was what it was.
With no choice but to admit Adam had been right, I set the phone on the small ottoman next to the armchair. Adam could handle this. It didn’t warrant my interference, much less a quicker return to San Jose. Thank God.
Rachel and I had had big dreams for DBC Payment Solutions. Even though she had been working as a teacher and hadn’t been part of the company, she’d always cheered for it. So far, I’d surpassed our dreams, but all the success felt... empty. For the first time in years, I wasn’t looking forward to heading back to San Jose. I wanted more time here. More time with Maddie. My mind was so full of her. Jesus, how she’d surrendered to me! I could still feel her warmth. Her delicious taste and sweet moans were branded in my memory.
I rose to my feet and headed outside. It was still raining, so I paced the porch, half hoping Maddie would step through the front gate. Even though I was here on vacation, even though I wasn’t really soul mate material anymore, or any kind of mate material, I wanted Maddie. I wanted her badly. It was like allowing myself to taste Maddie had opened a door for other wants I’d denied myself.
“Fucking hell, is the great flood upon us?”
I blinked up to see Val hurrying up on the porch. The rain had covered the sound of her steps. She shook her umbrella, shuddering.
“Can’t leave this out here to dry, the wind will blow it away,” she mumbled. Taking in her yard, she added, “Oh, Maddie covered the ground.”
“Yeah, she said this should keep the earth from dislodging. She left a while ago.”
Val nodded. “I hope she didn’t get soaked, poor thing.” Ah, what a sight that had been. “Everything okay, Landon?”
I schooled my expression so I didn’t seem too eager or too guilty.
“Yeah, sure.”
She folded her arms, leaning against the exact same spot where I’d kissed Maddie. If I got through this conversation and didn’t give myself away, I deserved an Oscar. So much for humoring Maddie about being able to keep a secret when I was the weak link. Val was my twin. We’d always had a strong bond. Growing up, we often banded against our parents like the pair of marauders we were. We’d mastered the trade of sneaking out when we were eleven, and it required seamless cooperation. We’d passed that trade to our siblings, which came back to bite us when we were the ones in charge of them. That required even more banding together and cooperation between Val and me. Telling each other everything had been a way to unload, as well as a necessity. It was common for our siblings to tell me one story and another to Val, with the hope of wiggling their way out of a sticky situation. Since we’d been the inventors of the tactic, we caught on pretty soon.
I wasn’t used to employing a filter around Val.
“You look different today.” She narrowed her eyes, pointing vaguely at my face. “Did you get good news from the office or anything?”
“No, the opposite. There’s more trouble with the merger than I anticipated. Looked over some e-mails—”
“Aha!” She unhitched herself from the wall, placing her hands on her hips, the umbrella under one arm, her purse hanging on the other. “You answered e-mails? That’s a rabbit hole.”
At least she hadn’t caught on to the other thing. You win some, you lose some. But I wanted to make one point clear.
“I’m not a kid, Val. I don’t need you to police my vacation.”
She walked up to me, patting my cheek. “Yes you do, Landon. That’s the whole point of having a sister who knows you like the back of her hand. You used to love your work-life balance. You used to lecture me about it. Would I be wrong to assume you’re tipping that balance in favor of work so you don’t feel how empty your life has become?”
I blinked at her. There was no hiding from Val.
“You’re not wrong.”
She nodded sagely. “So don’t do that while you’re here. Take some time out. You need it. Trust me, I’m not being a nag for no reason.”
I chuckled. “So as long as you have a reason, you think you can just nag away?”
“Well, I am your sister. That means I can nag by default, and I’ll get away with it.” She gave me a devilish grin.
She sat on the small bench between two windows, looking at the rain.
“Why are you home so early?”
“I have a phone conference this afternoon and figured I could do that from home too.” She frowned, looking out onto the yard.
“Anything wrong?”
Val shrugged. “No, I’m just a bit nervous. Remember the potential client I told you about?”
“The one who wants you to develop an exclusive line of fragrances and lotions for his stores?”
“Yes. His team is flying in on the fifth of July for my pitch. I have to win him over. This would be a big deal, Landon. The biggest yet.”
“I know.”
The client she was talking about had high-end department stores all over the world. It would make her company an international player.
“I can look over that pitch with you if you want, give you some feedback.”
She straightened, excitement dancing in her eyes, then shook her head. “No, I can’t do that. You’re on vacation.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
I barely bit back a laugh as I watched her struggle with herself. “I’ll show it to you tomorrow.” She looked at the property. “I can’t wait for the yard to be ready.”
“You said Maddie landscaped the yard in your office building too?”
“Yep. And it’s the best thing I ever did. Whenever I feel like my head will explode, I go for a walk there. It’s amazing.”
“These are big projects for a one-person company, even with the occasional workers,” I said. I stepped back from the edge of the porch because the wind had changed and the rain was pelting my face.
“She said she plans to hire a full-time team as soon as her sister finishes law school.”
Because she was paying the tuition fees, of course. That was why she was doing the job of several people. I wanted to take care of that woman, make sure she didn’t have a worry. And she wasn’t even mine. I was determined to change that.
Chapter Eleven
Maddie
I spent my weekend pampering Grace, who’d been told by her doctor that she’d better stay indoors and rest a lot while taking flu medication. On Monday morning, I showed up at Val’s house with two workers in tow. I had taken one look at them and knew they were in for the very short-term only. I estimated they’d work for me for a week, at most, but I had already cast my net wide, and I was confident I’d find the right people soon.
“Ben, Derek, I’m going to give you a rundown of the project, and then tell you about what we’ll be working on today.” Even though tomorrow was the Fourth of July and we wouldn’t be working, I’d wanted them to start today so I could show them the ropes.
Ben smiled. “Sure. This is a great place.”
Derek was inspecting the ground cover. “Good thinking, covering this up, or we’d have a serious problem on our hands.”
After instructing them on their tasks, I set out to inspect if the storm over the weekend had done any damage. I also kept peeking at the house out of the corners of my eyes. There was no movement whatsoever, and when I entered to leave my backpack, there was no sign of Landon. I couldn’t help the twinge of disappointment. I’d gotten used to my daily dose of gorgeous-man appreciation. I’d especially counted on it to kick-sta
rt the week.
This was a suckier Monday than usual, and a girl had to do what she could to get through the day. Just to be completely sure he wasn’t around, I went to the backyard too. Nope. I’d missed my chance to see Landon out for his daily run. Maybe he’d come back later for his training with Milo.
It was for the best that Landon wasn’t here, I told myself. Was I attracted to him? Hell yes. Not only because he was sexier than any man I’d seen, but because I genuinely loved being around him. He made me laugh. I liked making him laugh. But he wasn’t the man for me for about a million reasons.
I concentrated on those as I started peeling away the tarp.
My line of work was usually unsexy, but unhitching wood spikes from a moderately dry earth made this Monday especially messy. By ten o’clock, I was pretty sure my boots were full of mud. Two hours later, I was convinced I’d find mud even in my teeth.
“Boss, we’re going on our lunch break,” Ben announced sometime later.
I stood up, stretching my neck. “What time is it?”
“Almost one o’clock. Wanna join us? My girl packed enough sandwiches to feed three of me.”
“No, thanks. Enjoy your lunch.”
“We’ll be just outside the front gate in my car,” Derek said.
After they left, I sighed, trying hard not to think that Landon and I had lunch at one o’clock on the dot every day since he’d arrived.
I’d just turned my back to the front gate when I heard it open. I knew without looking it was Landon. It was as if my body reacted to his mere presence. My heart began to hammer, my pulse quickened. I didn’t look up until he was right next to me. Wow. He was wearing a suit, and it fit him so well I could swear it was custom-made.
