by Aven Ellis
Now we’re skin to skin. Landon kisses me, and the second his hands touch my breasts, a groan escapes my lips.
“Livy,” Landon murmurs as he strokes my breasts. Then he kisses me wildly, and my body grows tight with spiraling desire. “I’ve never wanted a woman like I want you.”
My hands are all over him as we kiss passionately in his hallway.
“Landon,” I beg, my whole body throbbing with need, “make love to me.”
“I have to have you,” Landon pleads in return. “Now.”
I’m panting as he undoes his belt. Landon drops his pants, and he’s breathtakingly perfect in his boxer briefs. He grabs his pants, whips out his wallet, and retrieves a condom before tossing everything back to the floor. He quickly pins me against the wall, lifting me up, wrapping my legs around him. I wind my arms around his neck, hanging on as I begin to shake, ready to feel what it’s like to make love with nothing but passion and desire burning within both of us.
“Here,” I say, my voice ragged. “I can’t wait. Make love to me here. Now, Landon. Please.”
We’re both trembling as we gaze into each other’s eyes. If we do this, there’s no going back.
As Landon’s mouth closes over mine, I know I don’t want to go back. This is the place I’m meant to be. In the arms of this man, his body soon to join to mine, stirring feelings I never knew existed until this moment.
And I know I’ll be forever changed after tonight.
For the better.
“TriviaPlayOrPass!” I say as we lay in Landon’s bed. “True or False: Victoria’s Secret is the largest American retailer of women’s lingerie.”
Landon laughs loudly as he rubs his hand up and down my thigh suggestively. “I’d say true. And I give them mad props for producing that sexy as hell outfit you had on tonight. However, TriviaPlayOrPass! is not exactly the game I’d like to play with you at three in the morning.”
I turn and see that he’s got his eyebrow cocked suggestively at me.
I beam in happiness. “Three times wasn’t enough for you?”
Landon’s hand moves up my bare leg, to my hip, and once again heat shoots through me from his touch. “There’s never enough of you for me, Sweetheart.”
My heart holds still. He called me his sweetheart. Landon’s given me a nickname, which I know is a big deal for him.
“So I’m your sweetheart?” I ask, hardly daring to hope.
He reaches for my hand and brings it to his warm lips, kissing it softly. “Yes, you are.”
I grow emotional from his declaration. We’ve spent all night making love. The first time was passion-driven and desperate and the hottest, most intense sex I’ve ever had. The second time, Landon was slow and sensual, bringing me over the edge more than once when we made love. And the last time—just now—was playful and fun.
But after being intimate with him, I’m now more than ever convinced he’s my puzzle piece. We fit perfectly together, as one, as if we were destined to meet, fall in love, and complete each other.
Making love to him confirmed that.
I turn on my side to face him, and I lift my hand to his face, caressing it. “I like that.”
“Good,” Landon whispers, dipping forward to kiss my lips.
We kiss slowly and sweetly, and I relish every second his mouth moves against mine.
I break the kiss and study him. “You should sleep. You have practice tomorrow.”
Landon suddenly sits up. “Tomorrow is today. Hold on for a second.”
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“I’ll be back.”
I take advantage of the fact that he’s naked and watch his athletic body move across the room and out of the bedroom. God, he’s beautiful. His body is so cut and muscular and it’s breathtaking to see.
And he’s mine.
I flop back on the pillow, letting the expensive white sheets caress my body. The lights of Chicago, combined with the moon, filter in through the room, illuminating it softly. I turn and see GiGi stroll in now that Landon has opened the bedroom door, and she pops up on the bed to greet me.
“I’m falling in love with your daddy, Gigi,” I whisper as I stroke her fur. “But don’t tell him yet, okay?”
She purrs loudly in response to my secret, and I smile happily in return.
I hear Landon re-enter the room. And my heart leaps when I see he’s holding a gorgeous vase filled with pink flowers. I immediately sit up in delight.
“Happy Anniversary,” Landon says simply.
“What?” I ask, confused.
Landon smiles as he hands me the vase and climbs back into bed beside me. He reaches over and brushes his lips across the bridge of my nose.
“We had our first date a week ago,” Landon says. “So this would be our anniversary. I know pink is your favorite color, so that’s what I picked out. But the flowers had to be different. Not roses or tulips. They had to be different. Like you.”
I feel butterflies shift manically in my stomach. I sit very still, holding the gorgeous arrangement of pink hyacinths and hydrangeas in my hands, and a feeling so strong and powerful washes over me I can barely contain it.
I love him.
I know it’s madness. Crazy. Ridiculous. It’s been a week. My head should be screaming at me for being reckless. For not seeing the danger in this situation, chastising me for thinking I’m in love in such a short period of time.
But my head is in agreement with my heart this time.
I’ve gotten to know the real Landon. He’s a man who is vulnerable to feelings of the heart. He’s thoughtful and kind. He cares about people and wants to help them. He values the different things that make me who I am and celebrates them. Landon is passionate and giving and everything I could ever dream of having in a man.
And I don’t need to spend another 274 days to figure out what I know is in my heart.
I know it now.
It’s love.
I smile at him, holding my truth to myself. After all, while I might be in love, it’s absurd to think Landon—the ultimate playboy, one embarking on his first relationship—is already there, too.
“These are beautiful,” I say softly, leaning forward to inhale the fragrant scent. “I adore them, Landon. Thank you.”
Landon’s face lights up. “Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart.”
I put the vase on the nightstand and suddenly remember the bracelet I intended to give him last night.
“I have something for you, too,” I say, tossing the covers aside.
“You’re going to walk around for me naked?” Landon teases. “Best gift ever.”
I feel my cheeks grow hot. “Um, no, that’s not it,” I say, laughing. “Let me go get it.”
I get up and head down the hallway, past the clothing we ripped off the night before, and retrieve the jewelry box from my tote. I head back to Landon’s room, grinning at him.
“Now this isn’t an anniversary gift,” I say, climbing back into bed next to him. “Just something for you.”
“I should be wounded you already forgot our anniversary,” Landon jokes as he takes the box from me. “You’re a terrible girlfriend.”
Girlfriend. My heart dances the second that word escapes his lips.
“I’ll find a way to make it up to you,” I say smartly.
Landon grins and slides the ribbon off the box. He lifts the lid, setting it aside, and unfolds the tissue paper that the bracelet is wrapped in. Then he lifts up the bracelet.
“It’s a shark fin bracelet,” I say softly. “In honor of our date at the Shedd.”
Landon traces his fingers over the metal and sea glass fin I made. “Livy,” he says quietly, lifting his gaze to meet mine, “you made this for me?”
I nod. “I noticed you liked wearing leather bracelets, so I fused the two ideas together for something uniquely you.”
Then I see something in his expression change. A softness falls over him. Landon seems genuinely touched that I did this, that I noticed something about him and created this present just for him.
“I love it,” Landon says, putting the bracelet over his left wrist and fastening it. “Thank you.”
Then he leans over and brushes his lips against mine.
Landon lays back down, and I snuggle into him, tracing my fingers over the sexy tattoos on his arm.
“So when did you get flowers?” I ask, curious.
“Yesterday. After you said you’d sleep over.”
Happiness fills me.
“You’re a romantic inside, you badass defenseman,” I tease.
“Shut up. Only GiGi knows that. And now you,” he says, dropping a kiss on the top of my forehead. “My girls know the truth.”
My girls. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sweeter phrase than that.
“You should sleep,” I say, wondering how on earth he’s going to skate in a few hours at practice.
Landon groans. “I know. But I can’t help it. I’m distracted by the first woman who has shared a bed with me.”
I laugh. “What?”
“I’m being serious. I’ve never had a woman stay here before. I always go to their place so I can leave.”
I realize what he’s saying. I’m the first woman he’s letting in. Into his life. Into his home.
And hopefully into his heart.
I grin happily at him. “While I’m honored to be the first woman to sleep here, you’re a hockey player who needs to sleep now.”
Landon sighs heavily. “I’m evil in the morning. I hate mornings.”
I laugh and snuggle back down on his chest. “I won’t talk to you. I’ll just make you coffee and shove you into the shower.”
Landon yawns. “Will you join me?”
“Um, no,” I say, giggling. “Otherwise you’d be late, and you’d be in trouble with the Buffaloes.”
Landon is quiet for a moment. I think he’s about to drift off sleep but then he speaks one more time.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he murmurs softly.
“Me, too,” I murmur back.
And I know there’s no place else I’d rather be.
Forever.
Chapter 21
TriviaPlayOrPass!
True or False: Dark clothing should be washed in cold water when doing the laundry.
I practically float home from Landon’s place, happiness filling every inch of me. The March day is absolutely beautiful in my eyes, with crisp air and blue skies. It’s cold, but my heart is warm.
Love. Love makes everything beautiful.
I turn down the street to my parents’ house. Landon wasn’t even cranky this morning like he claimed he would be. In fact, he was sweet and loving and despite the lack of sleep, happy.
Maybe he feels it too, I think hopefully.
So after showering and changing, I kissed him goodbye and headed out the door. I have a lot of work ahead of me today, and while I’ll no doubt have Landon imprinted on my brain, I need to upload a few new pieces to Etsy, ship some orders, and send over three more designs for HRH Alessandra to reject.
I ease my car up to the driveway and see my brother Jamie’s car parked near the garage. I grin. Ah, of course. It’s Wednesday morning. The day Jamie has no classes and brings over all his laundry for my mom to do. I roll my eyes. Jamie is nineteen, a chemistry major at Northwestern, and while he can figure out complicated things in the lab, he can’t grasp that reds shouldn’t be washed with whites.
I consider this mystery of mankind and park my car next to his Prius. I pick up my tote and purse, climb out of my car, and head around to the back door and step inside.
“Hi,” I call out, dropping my bags on the mudroom countertop and shimmying out of my coat.
“Hi, honey! Do you want some coffee?” Mom calls out cheerfully. “I have kringle, too.”
Ooooooooh man. Kringle sounds so good right now. Danish flakey pastry with filling and icing on top, served with a hot cup of coffee? I should totally say no to that. But in celebration of me being in love, I’m going to say yes instead.
I wander into the kitchen and see Nana and Jamie studying me as I move across the maple-colored hardwood floor. “What?” I ask, furrowing my brow.
“Doing the walk of shame this morning, big sister?” Jamie grins, cocking an eyebrow at me.
Gah!
“No!” I say defensively. I quickly turn and grab a mug out of the cabinet so I don’t have to look at them.
“I’d have no shame, Livy,” Nana pipes up. “I’d hit that, too. That Landon has a nice, tight behind.”
She did not just say that. She did not.
“Mother!” my mom cries.
“Ah, don’t ‘mother’ me. He’s hot. I’d do the walk of shame for that cutie pie.”
“Stop,” I say, reaching for the ancient Mr. Coffee machine pot and pouring some of the dark-roasted brew into my mug.
“I still can’t believe you’re hooking up with Landy Holder,” Jamie says, his voice full of awe.
I shoot him a look. “We’re not hooking up.”
Jamie rolls his eyes. “Sure.”
“We’re dating,” I say firmly.
“Yeah, Landy dates lots of girls,” Jamie says, swiping his tablet to another page on whatever he’s reading.
“No. I’m serious,” I say. “We’re together.”
I say it with all the confidence in the world. After last night, I know where I stand with Landon. And it’s the happiest place I’ve ever been because of the love I feel for him.
“It’s true, Jamie,” my mother says, backing me up.
“He talks coupons with your mother,” Nana interjects. “If that doesn’t scream committed, I don’t know what does.”
Jamie furrows his brow. “For real?”
I grin at him. “For real.” I open the fridge and find the carton of vanilla coconut creamer. I add a splash to my mug and slide open the silverware drawer to retrieve a spoon. I swirl the creamer into the liquid and grab a seat next to Nana at the kitchen table.
“So you’re dating Landy Holder?” Jamie asks again.
“If you don’t believe her, check out at Landy’s Instagram this morning,” Mom says, breaking off a piece of her kringle with a fork and popping into her mouth.
“What?” I ask, grabbing a plate and cutting off a wedge of kringle.
“He posted the cutest picture of you,” Mom says, beaming at me. Then she swipes a few things on her phone and passes it over to me.
I glance down, and sure enough, Landon had snapped a pic of me holding GiGi, right before I headed out the door. I was giving her a goodbye nuzzle, and he must have secretly taken the picture.
The butterflies in my stomach dance in happiness as I read the caption:
Landon94 Will miss #mygirls on the road this week @JewlerybyLivy
Love fills me as I read his sweet words over and over. He’s falling for me. My heart and my head both know it. Landon values what we have found with each other as much as I do.
Even though he doesn’t leave for Canada until after the game tonight, my heart already misses him.
And I’m going to count down the days until he’s back in Chicago and I’m in his arms again.
I come home after my day volunteering at the after-school program, and apparently I’m not the only one missing Landon. After I talked to the kids about St. Patrick’s Day and we began making handprint leprechauns with paint, the children asked me where Landon was. I explained it was a game day so he needed to rest and
take a nap, and they found that funny. Apparently Landon never told them about the nap before, so I explained that to them as we worked. Then I took pictures of them doing their art, and I promised I would send them to Landon later so he could see what he missed today.
Now I have enough time to check my business messages, grab a quick kale Caesar salad, and head out the door to go to the game tonight with Aubrey.
I slip through the back door, and as soon as I do, my cell starts ringing. I fish out my phone and see it’s Collins. Oh, crap, does Alessandra hate the next round of designs, too?
“Hello?” I say, holding the phone with one hand as I slip out of my coat on one side.
“Hey,” Collins says, sniffling. “Are you busy?”
I stop what I’m doing, my coat half-hanging off me. I know Collins. She’s upset. I can hear it right away in those few words.
“What’s wrong?” I immediately ask.
There’s a long silence. Collins is never at a loss for words, so all my internal alarm bells are ringing now.
“Collins?” I ask again.
Suddenly she bursts into tears.
“What’s going on?” I ask, panicked.
My mom appears in the doorway, concern etched on her face. She silently helps me take off my coat, and I mouth “thank you” and “Collins” to her.
Mom knows everything that is going on with Collins and Gabe, so a look of understanding passes over her face. She nods, and leaves me alone.
“I really need a friend tonight,” she finally says, her voice shaking. “I know it’s last minute, but can I come over?”
I freeze. I’m supposed to go to the Buffaloes game tonight with Aubrey and sneak a few minutes to say goodbye to Landon after the game.
