Trivial Pursuits (Chicago On Ice Book 2)

by Aven Ellis

  She lifts her tiny hand to the right. “That way.”

  “Great,” Landon says, smiling encouragingly at her. “That was a big help. And you’re being really brave, do you know that? I got lost once when I was a little boy, and it was scary. I wasn’t nearly as brave as you.”

  My heart melts as I watch how sweet Landon is with this child. He’s instinctively knows what to say to her, to try and make her feel better.

  And I know he took a little bit more of my heart in this moment.

  “Did you find your mommy?” she asks, sniffling.

  “It was my aunt, but yes, I found her,” Landon explains, smiling encouragingly at her. “And now I’m going to help find yours. You stay here with Livy, sweetheart, and I’ll be right back.”

  Landon turns to me. “I’ll go find someone with the aquarium,” he says.

  “Okay.” I turn back to the little girl. “What is your name, honey?”

  She furrows her brow and scowls at me.

  I retreat from that question. “That’s okay, you don’t have to tell me, but you can tell the person who works here with a name tag so they can help you? Will you do that?”

  The little girls nods.

  “Good girl.”

  A few minutes pass, and then I see a frazzled-looking woman pushing a stroller coming straight at us, one with twins in it, with Landon beside her.

  “Is that your mommy?” I say, pointing to the woman who has a relieved expression on her face as soon as she spots the little girl.

  The little girl takes off. “Mommy!” she screams.

  The woman stops pushing the stroller and scoops up the girl. “Cassidy! Mommy is so glad to see you!”

  Landon returns to my side. “I found the panicked mother not far down the way.”

  “Oh Cassidy, you scared me,” the woman says, kissing her daughter. She turns to me and Landon. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did. Landon told me you spotted she was lost right away.”

  “I’m happy we could help her,” I say.

  “This is Livy,” Landon explains.

  “Sophie,” the woman says, nodding at me. “And thank you for staying with her. Thank you so, so much. Cassidy, can you tell these nice people ‘Thank you?’”

  Cassidy stares at us while clinging to her mother. “Thank you,” she says softly.

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Landon says, smiling at her.

  We say goodbye and begin heading toward the next exhibit. Landon wraps his hand around mine again, and a warm feeling surges through me from that simple gesture.

  “You were great back there,” Landon says as we walk.

  “Oh, other people would have stopped to help her,” I say truthfully. “I happened to see it first.”

  “No, that’s not what I mean,” he says. “You were so calm with her. Reassuring and gentle.”

  I glance up at him, surprised. “You noticed that?”

  Landon stops and draws me over to the side, next to the reef exhibit glass. “Yeah. I notice a lot of different things about you, Livy.”

  I feel my breath catch in my throat as Landon links both his hands through mine and draws them up to his chest. A school of fish swim by, their color a blur against the glass as they move.

  “What’s different about me, Landon?” I ask.

  Landon holds my hands against his heart, and I can feel it beating through the soft fabric of his flannel shirt, one with shades of green and navy running through it and looks so beautiful against his olive skin.

  “You make me want to go deeper,” he admits, his eyes never leaving mine. He pauses before continuing. “I . . . I’ve never wanted that before. Until now.”

  His words resonate through me, telling me my instincts about him have been right all along. Joy fills me as I see the sincere expression in his gorgeous blue eyes.

  And as I feel his heart beat against my palm, I know I’m touching his heart.

  Just like he has touched mine.

  “I’m coming back here with my HP tablet to sketch this week,” I say excitedly as I walk with Landon down the steps of the aquarium. “I’m so inspired! I’m going to do glass bead necklaces with the colors of those corals in the reef exhibit. I know a girl at the guild who does amazing hand-blown glass beads, so I’ll source those from her. And I want to design some silver and leather bracelets that are strong and sleek-like the sharks.”

  We stayed for hours at the Shedd, exploring all the exhibits. We loved the beluga whales and dolphins. We saw otters and jellyfish and penguins. We goofed around and took tons of pictures. But my favorite moments were when Landon would wrap his arms around me, drawing me into him, and lean down to murmur in my ear.

  And Landon had as much fun as I did. He was the one who insisted we had to see the dolphin show, for the full experience. Landon was laughing and taking lots of pics, and it made me feel so good. That Landon, who on the surface seems like he’d be utterly bored on a date like this, loved it.

  “So your head is swimming with ideas?” Landon quips, interrupting my thoughts.

  I groan, and he laughs. “That’s terrible!”

  “You love it.”

  “I do not,” I say. But as soon as I see the playful smile on his face, I giggle.

  “Your laugh tells me otherwise,” Landon says, stopping me on the bottom step to the Shedd.

  I gaze up at him. It’s freezing out, but I feel nothing but warm inside.

  The wind comes off the lake, a harsh, freezing gust, and I put my gloved hand on my floppy hat to keep it from flying away. I giggle again.

  “I’m about to lose my hat,” I say, laughing.

  “We can’t have that,” Landon says. “It’s cute on you.”

  Then he dips his head underneath the brim of my hat and drops a kiss on my lips. “You’re cute,” he murmurs against my mouth. “Very, very cute.”

  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I like this. I really like this.

  “Mmmm,” I murmur against his lips.

  “I agree,” Landon says, leaning back in and easing my mouth open with a gentle kiss.

  My hands instinctively move up to his chest again, against his cashmere and wool pea coat. Landon breaks the kiss and gazes down at me, his expression tender.

  “I’m not ready for our date to end,” he says softly.

  Happiness radiates through me. “Me neither.”

  “We could hang out at my place for a while,” Landon suggests. “Warm up with some coffee. Extend the date to dinner. Order in some food, watch TV.”

  “Why, Mr. Holder, this sounds like a very traditional date night,” I say, grinning at him.

  “Is that good?” Landon asks. “You know I’m inexperienced at this dating thing.”

  It’s all I can do not to tell him how adorable he is at this moment.

  “It’s perfect,” I say truthfully. But then I lift an eyebrow at him. “You’ll have to get my TriviaPlayOrPass! question right before I’ll say yes, though.”

  Landon’s eyes sparkle at me. “Man, you’re tough.”

  “Aren’t I?”

  We begin walking toward his car. “Fine. Go.”

  “TriviaPlayOrPass!” I say. “The first aquarium opened in what city in 1853? London, Paris, Chicago, or Rome?”

  Landon stops and stares at me. “You had to have looked that up. You didn’t know we were going to the aquarium until we got here.”

  I smile wickedly at him. “I did look it up.”

  He laughs loudly as we resume walking. “I’m not answering. That’s completely unfair.”

  “Unfair or making good use of my time while you were shooting videos of beluga whales?”

  Landon shakes his head. “You challenge me, you know that, right?”


  Butterflies shift in my stomach. I realize this is important to him. That I don’t agree with everything he says. I’m not falling all over him because he’s Landy Holder, star defenseman. I’m not jumping into bed with him. I push him out of his comfort zone.

  Or is it that I’m pushing him into a new comfort zone, and that is being with me?

  I immediately shake the thought from my head. I can’t entertain that thought, it’s too early.

  And it’s way too dangerous for my heart.

  “I do like to challenge you,” I say truthfully. “So think carefully. The continuation of this date hinges on your answer.”

  We reach Landon’s car, and he pauses with me outside the passenger side door.

  “I can’t have this date end,” Landon says sexily, cupping my face with his gloved hands. “So I’d better guess right.”

  A shiver shoots down my spine, and it has nothing to do with the frigid Chicago temperature.

  “So what do you think the answer is?” I ask.

  “London.”

  I smile broadly at him. “You are correct!”

  “Yeah?” Landon asks, laughing. “I totally guessed.”

  “I’m happy you guessed right,” I say.

  “It’s my lucky day,” he says, opening the door for me.

  Mine too, I think as I study him.

  We head back to the Jourdin Chicago, where Landon’s condo is.

  “Did you know this is where the puppy party is going to be?” I say as Landon turns down the street to the building.

  “What?” Landon asks, furrowing his brow.

  “Collins had to hire a ballroom for Prince George,” I explain, as if this is completely normal. “There’s going to be a buffet for both the humans and for the puppy pals. And a puppy puppuccino bar, too.”

  “What?” Landon asks, incredulous. “You’re making this up.”

  “Oh, I’m not,” I say, laughing. “Tomorrow I’m working on samples of the puppy charms, and I’m doing no less than 10 because I’m prepared for her to hate nine of them. I’m only going to send her three at a time to reject, though.” I declare.

  “I’ve seen your work, Livy,” he says as he eases his Ferrari into the parking garage. “She’ll love your samples.”

  “Nope. She’s going to be difficult because she can be,” I say knowingly. “I’m fully prepared to go through a lot of designs and 2.147 million tweaks before she approves.”

  “That is a very specific amount of tweaks,” Landon says.

  “Shut up,” I laugh.

  Landon parks and we head up to the building. His hand is wrapped around mine, and we enter the private elevator that residents use to access the condos.

  I tug off my gloves and shove them into my coat pockets. “It’s so cold,” I say. “Coffee sounds perfect.”

  “Yeah, but don’t expect a hot-skinny vanilla latte or skinny flat white with two Splendas,” he says, drawing me into his chest. “I only have K-Cups.”

  I stare up into his gorgeous eyes. Landon could offer me generic powdered coffee right now, and I’d be thrilled to drink it.

  “I’ll fight through it,” I tease.

  “Your perseverance is amazing.”

  “It is quite admirable, isn’t it?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow at him.

  Landon laughs. “You kill me.”

  “In a favorable way?”

  “Very.”

  Aaaaaaaaah!

  The doors chime and open to Landon’s floor. He takes my hand in his and leads me down the hallway to his condo. The butterflies have intensified, as I’m so happy Landon wants to continue our date back at his place.

  He puts his key in the lock and opens the door. Landon lets me step inside first, and he follows after me. I feel this electricity in the air, as I know he’s going to kiss me soon.

  Meow!

  I turn and see GiGi coming down the hallway, pausing to arch her back in a stretch.

  “Hey, GiGi,” Landon says as he unbuttons his coat. “How’s my girl?”

  I smile as I watch GiGi stroll over to Landon, rubbing all around his legs and purring loudly. He picks her up and cradles her to his chest, gently scratching her head in greeting before setting her back down on the floor.

  I begin to unbutton my coat, and Landon takes his off. He moves over to the hallway closet and hangs his up, with GiGi following every step. I slip out of my coat, and Landon takes it from me, draping it over a wooden hanger and putting it up as well.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “You’re welcome.” Landon takes off his scarf and drapes it over a hook on the back of the closet door. Then he moves closer to me. “I think your hat needs to go,” he says in that wonderful, just-downed-a-shot-of-bourbon voice.

  My heart races. “You do?”

  “Yes. Because it’s easier to kiss you with the hat off,” Landon says as he removes my hat and flips it on to the entry hall table, his eyes flickering with desire.

  Oh God.

  Landon’s mouth is instantly on mine. His warm lips linger briefly before he deepens the kiss, then he quickly demands more of me. White-hot heat fills me as we kiss. His stubble is burning against my face, and the luscious scent of his skin washes over me. His tongue is desperate, his kiss filled with desire and urgency.

  A whimper escapes my throat as a response. Landon groans against my lips and he rakes his hands through my hair, then quickly moves them to my face, down to the curve in my waist, frantically exploring me as his lips sear against mine.

  I move my hands over his chest, up his neck, to his glorious hair, which slides like silk through my fingers. I tug on it a bit and Landon kisses me harder, our kiss hot and frantic and consuming. I want this. I want to be kissed like this by only this man.

  Landon lifts me up, and I wrap myself around him as our kiss continues. My legs are around his waist. My hands are on the back of his neck, his body pressed to mine. I’m lost in him, lost in this kiss, in a way I’ve never felt before.

  This is different.

  We’re different.

  Landon carries me to the living room sofa, easing me back on to his couch. He moves on top of me, kissing me, touching me, and then he breaks the kiss.

  I take a moment to breathe, but my eyes never leave his. Landon is propped up, and I glide my hands over his forearms, the glorious tattooed arms, which held me so wonderfully tight, and gaze up at him to find a mystified expression on his face.

  “Livy,” he whispers, gazing down at me, “what was that?”

  I wrinkle my nose. “What do you mean?”

  Landon leans down and brushes his lips right across the bridge of my nose in the sweetest of kisses.

  “I’ve never felt this way before,” he says, his voice full of amazement. “But when I kissed you . . . I can’t explain it.”

  My heart leaps as I realize he’s feeling everything I am. That this kiss was something different than what we’ve ever shared with anyone else. That everything between us—attraction, chemistry, fondness, respect—came together in that moment.

  Like missing pieces of a puzzle, we came together and fit. Like we were designed for each other.

  “I’ve never felt this way either,” I whisper, running my hand over his arm.

  His eyes grow intense. I instinctively know this has to scare him on some level. To have a feeling like this—one so strong Landon verbally acknowledges it—well, he knows it’s not his normal.

  I decide to lighten the moment, to let him know that as much as I’m feeling this kiss, as much as I feel like he very well could be my missing puzzle piece, there’s no pressure to move faster than we are.

  “We’re still going slowly, Landon,” I say reassuringly.

  “Oh, no, I wasn�
��t going to ask you to have sex with me,” he says, a worried expression passing over his handsome face. “I mean, not that I don’t want to. Shit, you can probably feel that I do, but, no, Livy, I know with you it’s different. I respect you. And I—”

  I grin and put my fingertip over his lips to silence him. “You’re amazingly cute when you get rattled. I know what you meant. And I wasn’t talking about that, you single-minded man. I mean this. Us. We’re still going to move slowly and see where it goes.”

  And for the first time ever, I see a slight pink run over Landon’s cheeks. My heart completely melts when I see he’s embarrassed.

  “Oh,” he says.

  “Oh,” I say, laughing.

  “Shut up,” Landon says, grinning.

  “You know one way to make me,” I tease.

  Landon cocks an eyebrow. “Oh, I do. I intend to kiss you and make out with you and then we’ll take a nap, right here, cuddled up with the TV on. When we wake up, we’ll agree on some non-kale type of item to order, and not sushi so I can prove to you I’m not trying to get you out of your shirt. And then I might take you home.”

  Butterflies shift happily in my stomach. “Might?”

  “I like having you here,” Landon says, dipping his head down toward mine. “And it’s going to be very, very hard to take you home later. But I will take you home because I want to see where this goes. I’m doing this right. But for now, I’m going to kiss you.”

  As his mouth closes over mine, I know I’m exactly where I should be.

  With Landon.

  And that’s all that matters.

  Chapter 16

  TriviaPlayOrPass!

  True or false: The word biscuit has a different meaning in the United Kingdom than it does in the United States.

  “I’ll have the acai bowl with banana and quinoa granola,” I say, handing my menu to the server.