by Ava Wood
She buried her nose in the blooms as she ascended the stairs to her apartment and prepared to call Landon. Placing the bouquet on her kitchen counter underneath the fluorescent light, she took the card from between the blooms. Pulling her cell from her pocket, she dialed his number then waited for him to answer. Her heart beat faster with each ring. After three rings she finally heard his voice.
“Hey there, gorgeous.”
“Hi.” Her voice was all air and hormones. “I just wanted to say thank you for the flowers.”
“Is that all?” Talia could hear the smile in his voice. “I was sorry I missed you this afternoon.”
“Me too.” She was at a loss for words. He had her dumbfounded.
“Have you eaten?”
“Not since lunch.” Talia hoped he was asking her to dinner and not just checking up on her eating habits.
“How about I swing by in about thirty minutes and take you out? I’d love to see you if you’re not busy.”
“I’d like that.” Talia’s voice was calm, but she was dancing around like a schoolgirl in her mind. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t wait to see him.
“Good.” Landon paused before adding, “Dress warm.”
“Okay.” Talia hung up the phone and began frantically getting ready, avoiding her collection of hats in hopes that she would get another ride on Landon’s Harley. She loved having her arms wrapped around his waist, even with the cold air. She never felt the chill when she was so close to him. Her heart beat wildly waiting for him to arrive so she could feel that warmth again.
That early spring chill was clawing at Landon’s leather jacket, but the adrenaline driving him to Talia’s kept him moving faster against the breeze. He raced down the busy streets of Dallas just to get to her door. He had plenty of time, but he couldn’t wait to see her face, to touch her soft skin, to smell that sweet scent that always wrapped around him when she was near. He was almost fifteen minutes early when he arrived, so he sat on his bike and stared at the front door of Perfect Petals just staring and thinking of that name, Petal. What drove him to call her the name once reserved for his grandmother? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that it was the same thing pulling him closer to her now. As he sat staring at the door, he was surprised to see a light flicker on inside. Seconds later Talia appeared at the bottom of the stairs looking beautiful in her fitted burgundy sweater and skinny jeans matched with a pair of brown furry boots. He hoped they were as much functional as fashionable for their bike ride to dinner. He hopped off his bike, removing his helmet, and walked to the door to knock. Before he reached the door, she caught sight of him. When their eyes met, he was happy to see a smile fill her face.
She pushed the door open and slipped on her puffy brown winter jacket. “Hi.”
“Hi yourself, Petal.” Landon took her hand and kissed her cheek. “You look gorgeous.” He loved the way she blushed when he said the words. He knew she didn’t hear it enough, but he made sure he would tell her every chance he got.
“So where are we headed?” With no hesitation, Talia hopped onto his bike.
He placed his helmet on her head and breathed her in as he fastened the straps at her chin. “There’s a little Italian bistro not far from here that I wanted to check out.”
Talia simply stared at him.
“You like pasta, don’t you?”
“Yes, Landon. I like pasta.”
Damn his nerves for making him second guess himself around her. He climbed back on his bike and pulled Talia’s arms tight around him, just the way he liked them. He’d never get enough of her riding with him. A knot formed in his gut as her gardenia smell surrounded him just before he pulled into traffic. It didn’t take them long at all to make it to the restaurant.
He took the helmet from her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, then left the helmet hanging on his rearview mirror before offering his arm to escort her. Once inside, the candlelit room encircled them, the candles’ glow glistening off of a single chandelier hanging in the middle of the small room. Each table was just big enough for four people, an intimate and quiet setting. The linens were forest green and there were bottles containing olive oil on each table surrounded by salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. The place smelled delectable, causing Landon’s stomach to rumble. It reminded him that in all of his thoughts of Talia he’d forgotten to eat.
“I’ve never been here before.” She stood with him at the hostess station waiting to be seated.
“Neither have I. I hope it’s good.”
The hostess approached in a pressed, white, button-down shirt and black trousers. “Welcome to Mangia. Will it just be the two of you this evening?”
Landon nodded and the hostess led them to a table in the back corner of the restaurant. Landon took Talia’s jacket and hung it on the back of her chair, pushing it in when she sat down. He then took his seat across from her and for a moment it was quiet. They weren’t sitting long when a man came from the back of the restaurant to take their drink orders. When he was gone, Landon started up a conversation. “So where were you today?” He suddenly felt like a stalker asking the question.
“I was on a delivery with Camey.” Talia’s face fell, downtrodden.
“Why the sad face? Don’t you like deliveries?”
“Typically, yes, but this delivery was to a funeral. The deceased had two young boys and a wife who were heartbroken. It was all I could do not to break down and cry seeing all their mourning faces.” With each word, Talia’s eyes filled more and more with tears.
“I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine.” He reached across the table to take her hand in his, stroking her knuckles with his thumb.
“It’s fine. Usually I’m delivering to weddings and baby showers. There are plenty of happy occasions out there. I just have to take the good with the bad.” She brushed away the tears and smiled faintly. “So you never told me what you do.”
It was the question Landon had hoped would never come up. How did he answer without sounding like a complete louse? “I recently quit my job, because I needed a change in my life, but I’ve got some money put away while I find something better.” He hoped she wouldn’t dig any deeper. He was glad when she easily changed the subject. He found he was finally able to relax just a little.
The remainder of the dinner was filled with pleasant conversation. There was plenty of laughter and many smiles as they ate their food and enjoyed their red wine. When they were done, Landon paid for the meal and helped Talia with her jacket before leading her back to his bike. Once they were both on, he pulled her arms tightly around him, feeling her entire body press firmly against him. He longed to have her pressed against him, but under different circumstances. He kicked himself for walking away from her the night before, even though he knew the regret he would feel today if he had stayed.
As they neared Perfect Petals, Talia laid her head on his shoulder and a lump caught in his throat. His body had a reaction to every move she made and he had no idea how to handle it. He wasn’t sure what he would say if she asked him up tonight. He doubted he could restrain himself. When he pulled his motorcycle to the curb, they both sat for a moment, Talia still hanging onto him. He didn’t want to move, but he wondered if she’d actually fallen asleep when she stayed a little longer than expected.
“Talia, you okay?” Her head lifted, making him angry that he’d said anything.
“I’m fine.” She rose from the bike and moved slowly to the sidewalk.
Landon sat, unsure of what he should do. He wanted to be a gentleman. He didn’t want Talia to think he was trying to invite himself up. Staring after her, he finally decided to walk her to the door. It was the least he could do.
“Thank you for the meal.” She was fidgeting outside of her flower shop. “And for the flowers. They were,” Talia bit her lip before saying, “meaningful.”
“I’m glad you caught that.” He watched the wind whip a strand of hair around her face. His hand immediately reached up and tucked
it behind her ear, stirring something unusually deep inside him.
“Landon?” Talia’s voice was breathy and irresistibly sexy.
“Yeah.” Landon couldn’t take his eyes off of her beautiful lips. That full bottom lip was begging him to nibble on it. It took everything in him not to press her against the building and kiss her like he did the night before.
“Thank you.” She was looking up at him through her lashes.
“You said that.” He knew his voice was more of a growl, but he couldn’t help himself. He was becoming feral standing here with her, looking at her like this.
“Come upstairs.” She didn’t say another word. She simply grabbed her keys to open the door and led him inside, only stopping briefly to lock up behind them before leading him to her apartment, dropping her jacket somewhere along the way.
He followed her the entire way without question. He knew what happened next, but he couldn’t stop himself. He’d wanted this since his first glimpse of her picture. He still didn’t know how he’d walked away the night before, but there was no turning back now, not for him. He had to kiss her, to touch every inch of her, to be inside of her. He wanted to rock into her as their worlds exploded together. He wanted to feel her lying in his arms as everything came back into focus.
“I’m not letting you leave so easily this time.” Her voice was husky and wanton. He knew what she was saying and it was exactly what he wanted to hear.
“I’m not going anywhere.” When the words left his lips, he crashed into her, pressing her against the living room wall as his lips devoured her. He slipped his hands under her sweater, tracing along her delicate skin, and felt goose bumps rise beneath his fingertips.
While inching her through the room, she pulled his shirt over his head and let it tumble to the living room floor. She pulled him toward a dark doorway as she wrestled with the button of his jeans. When they were just inside, Landon could make out the outline of a bed from the dim glow of the outside lamppost. He pushed her toward it, lifting her sweater over her head, wishing the lights were on so he could see her, every inch of her.
Her skin was so soft and warm, and the smell of gardenias was everywhere. When he closed his eyes, he was in a field, lying her down in a flawless green patch of grass. He kissed her harder, his tongue stroking hers, teasing. When they were next to the bed, he gently pushed her over, sending them to the plush bed below. The cool satin sheets welcomed them as he began to kiss her neck, tasting her salty sweet skin. Her soft moans filled his ears and his cock throbbed in his jeans. Even with the waistband open, he couldn’t wait to get them off and free himself, just to bury himself inside her.
He kissed across her collarbone, pulling aside her bra strap as he moved lower, suckling at her nipple beneath the cloth. He felt her arch her back to him and he pulled the fabric away from her breast, licking at her bare, erect nipple. He knew she was just as ready as he was. He rose momentarily to struggle with her jeans and panties, trying to free her legs. He loved the way they looked on her ass, but hated the way they stuck to every curve of her body and slowed his advances. When he finally got them over her feet, he tossed them over his shoulder and heard a clanging sound coming from what he assumed was her dresser. He heard her giggle beneath him and he could no longer contain himself.
In one swift movement, he had removed his jeans, pulling a condom from the pocket before they dropped to the ground. He made quick work of putting it on and rose above her, listening to their panting breaths. “God I want you so bad.” He felt his cock pulsing as he moved closer, stopping at her entrance just long enough to lick his finger and touch the wetness at her center. “You are so ready.” His hunger forced him lunging forward, burying his head deep within her as he kissed her face, sucking at her bottom lip as he pulled away. “Holy shit, you feel like heaven.” With his hands firmly on either side of her head he began to move.
Talia was holding onto his biceps as he rocked in and out. She moved with him, her back arching with his movements, meeting his abundant fervor. Her moans grew louder as his strides grew quicker.
He could tell she was close, as was he; he was barely holding on to sanity as she cried his name. It echoed through her walls as he emptied himself inside her. It was a release he’d been longing for, but he knew it wasn’t enough. Would it ever be enough? He fell on top of her, basking in the feel of her breath against his skin, her breasts pressed firmly against his chest. As he rolled to his side, he pulled her close to him, tucking her head in the crook of his arm. As they lay in silence, each trying to catch their breath, he felt Talia’s fingers begin to slowly trace the outline of his tattoos.
“What’s this?”
Her breath tickled the inside of his bicep as she looked over his arm. “Just some art.”
“I never knew this was here.”
“Has been for quite some time, Petal.” He kissed the top of her head as she tried to examine it in the dark.
“Do you mind if I turn the light on? I’d like to get a better look at it.”
She sounded so young and innocent as she asked and he couldn’t turn her down. “Be my guest.”
Talia sat up briefly to turn on a bedside lamp, then lay down next to him and continued to trace the tattoo on his bicep, a dead oak tree that wrapped halfway around his arm, stopping just above his elbow. She outlined the tree house hidden in the crook of his arm, avoiding the yellow ink radiating from its window. As she moved down the tree, he felt her linger over the heart carved in the trunk with his mother’s and father’s initials carved in it. “Who are A.H. and O.H.?”
Remembering the tree in the backyard of his childhood home, he choked out, “My parents.”
“Landon, this is remarkable.”
She was looking so closely at it that he felt his breath catch in his throat again. He focused on the ceiling, fearing that the more she looked, the more she would be able to see right through him. His secret came hurtling in again, reminding him of all of his flaws and why he was no good for her.
With fear and anguish taking over, he didn’t realize that Talia had stopped moving. She was lying perfectly still, her breathing even, and Landon quickly realized she was asleep. He lay next to her briefly, but he knew he shouldn’t stay. He couldn’t stay. The guilt of his secret would eat away at him as long as he held her in his arms.
He rose from the bed, grabbing a fleece blanket that lay on a chest under the window. Returning to her, he marveled at the out-of-place blue rose tattoo along her ribs, then covered her. There was always a new, unexpected surprise with her.
Before tiptoeing from the room, he grabbed his clothes and quickly dressed before descending the stairs. He was immediately impeded with how to get out of the building without leaving it open to the common criminal. He crept back up the stairs and noticed a door at the back of the building that looked like a possible exit. Softly opening the door, he found stairs leading to an alley below, thanking his good fortune that he’d found a way out. He turned the lock on the inside and let himself out, heading down the stairs to his salvation below.
Chapter 8
Right Here
Talia was wrapped in a soft cocoon of warmth, delaying opening her eyes as she relived her sexcapades with Landon just hours before, drifting back to thoughts of how he expertly moved in her. He had skills she’d never experienced before and she couldn’t wait to feel him moving in her again.
She opened her eyes and rolled over to find the place where Landon had been the night before empty. For a moment she wondered if it was all a dream until she realized she only felt the fleece against her skin. She pulled the fabric from beneath her and sat up in bed. “Landon?” He must be somewhere in the apartment.
She rose from the bed, wrapping the blanket around her as she went and began searching room to room. When she’d examined the entire apartment, she realized he was gone. He’d left her sometime in the night with no note, no warning. Thoughts of her sexual inferiority came crashing in. Had Mason and Landon both b
een unsatisfied with her love making? She didn’t want to think that way, but she couldn’t help but wonder why else he would have just walked away without a word. Surely, after all his incessant pursuing, he wasn’t just looking for a one-night stand.
She assured herself he hadn’t just used her. There had to be more to it than that. She was certain he would call her before the day was over and explain why he left without notice the night before. And if he didn’t, she would put on her big girl panties and take last night for what it was: a good time. If a one-night stand was all she was good for to men, then she would accept it and move on. Maybe Camey had the right idea spending time with various men and never getting attached. Maybe the road less traveled was the road less heartbreaking.
It was all too much to dwell on this early in the morning so she put on a pot of coffee and prepared for her day ahead. She wouldn’t let Landon, or any man, weigh down her thoughts any longer.
“Hello?” Landon was still lying in bed when he answered the phone and threw his arm over his eyes to block out the light.
“Hello, Mr. Havens. This is Sarah Landry, your father’s landlord.”
“Yes, Mrs. Landry. How are you this morning?”
“Well, Mr. Havens, I’m not doing real well. I’m afraid your father has been making a mess of the property with his drinking and this morning I found him sleeping out on the lawn. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I have to ask you to find him a new residence. I can’t have this in our apartment complex any longer.”
Landon’s fingers massaged the bridge of his nose as he listened. “I understand. I’ll be down this afternoon to take care of it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Havens. You’ve been more than pleasant to deal with, but I just can’t tolerate your father’s belligerence anymore. If things change for him, please don’t hesitate to contact me again.”
