Chapter Fourteen
I rushed into my apartment, my hair damp with rain. I’d stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work to pick up a few things I needed for dinner that night and as soon as I carried my bags outside, the skies had opened up and heavy sheets of rain fell from the heavens. I should have expected that.
Since the forecast called for rain, I’d planned dinner accordingly, even if I hadn’t been smart enough to remember my umbrella earlier. I was making comfort food in the slow cooker. Slow cooker recipes were something I’d mastered when I started working for Chris. He often had me stay late at the office and it was nice to come home to a hot meal without having to actually prepare said meal at seven, eight, or even nine o’clock at night.
We were having cheesy chicken and potatoes with salad, garlic bread, and apple pie topped with ice cream for dessert. When I’d texted Landen yesterday to ask for his food preferences, he said he would bring Chinese take-out. Instead, I told him that I would cook and we could go out to dinner another night. I’d expected an argument, but he agreed easily. Maybe too easily.
I wasn’t a great cook by any means, but I could follow a recipe and this was one of my favorites. I threw together a salad and glanced at the clock. Landen would be here in a few minutes and I was still in my work clothes. While I didn’t mind dressing up for work, when I was home, I liked to be comfortable.
Working quickly, I slid the garlic bread into the oven and set the timer. Then I headed into my bedroom and stripped out of my dress and heels. Though it was early May, the temperatures in Texas were rising, so I slipped into a tank top and stood in front of my dresser, staring down into a drawer, wearing nothing but the tank and my underwear. I wanted to be comfortable but I also wanted to look cute. If Landen weren’t coming over, I would have grabbed a loose pair of cotton shorts. Instead, I pulled out a pair of denim cutoffs that would show off my legs and made my ass look great. They were perfect for hanging out at home but still a little sexy, which was exactly what I was going for.
I gathered my hair up into a messy knot. There were a few stray curls too short to fit into the bun, but I liked how they looked framing my face. I also hurried into the bathroom and dusted just a bit of powder on my face and swished some mouthwash. Then I forced myself to leave the bedroom. If I didn’t, I would end up changing my outfit at least two more times.
I was just pulling the garlic bread out of the oven when there was a knock at the door. Frowning, I tugged off the oven mitt and moved to the door. When I put my eye to the peephole, I saw Landen standing in the hallway with his hands tucked in his pockets. How in the heck had he gotten in without using the buzzer?
My heart thudded in my chest and I wondered if I would ever get to a point where Landen wouldn’t affect me like this. Logically, I knew I would, eventually, but right now my body went haywire as soon as I saw him. Or his name on my cell screen when he called or texted. Or his knock at my door.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to let him in. When I opened the door, his eyes swept over my body from head to toe and back again until his eyes met mine. Then he grinned.
“You look comfortable,” he teased as I moved back to allow him inside.
I was too busy giving him the once over, okay the twice over, to respond. Landen typically wore jeans and tees when he came into the office. He might own several companies, but he was a casual kind of guy. If he had meetings with someone other than Chris, he might wear a nice button-down shirt and slacks.
Today he was dressed in a sharp black suit that was tailored to fit him…perfectly. Other than the tux he wore to Chris and Lucy’s wedding, I’d never seen him dressed like this. And it was just as distracting as it had been at the reception a few weeks ago.
“You look hot,” I replied, my mouth running without input from my brain. Then I gave myself an mental shake. “How did you get in without buzzing me?”
Landen stopped just inside the apartment and turned to look at me as I busied myself closing and locking my door. His eyes focused intently on my face and I felt my cheeks grow warm. Not for the first time, I cursed my fair skin and the fact that Landen had such a strong effect on me that I was blushing. Again. I never blushed unless I was around him. I’d always thought I was impervious to embarrassment.
He waited until I turned toward him, my back to the door, before he stepped into me, his palm pressing to the side of my waist before sliding around to the small of my back. He tugged me closer and used his hold on my back to lift me to my toes.
“I have my ways,” he murmured, lifting his free hand to trace a finger along my collarbone. “And I think you look…hot, too.”
Before I could gather enough brain cells to formulate a response, he lowered his head and brushed his lips against mine. I had a love-hate relationship with the way he kissed me when he greeted me or said good-bye. The light touch of his lips felt amazing and never failed to elicit a tingle, but I wanted more.
That’s why I was shocked when his mouth pressed against mine firmly, quickly followed by the tip of his tongue on my bottom lip. My arms lifted and I grasped his shoulders as I parted my lips. The kiss went from light and friendly to hot and wild in a blink.
My back hit my front door but my front was plastered against Landen. His palm moved from the small of my back to my ass and he took a firm hold of one cheek and pulled me in even tighter.
Heat flooded my veins and the tingles spread from my lips to my nipples and further down to the place between my thighs. Hell, even my toes were tingling. I moaned as his other hand moved from my collarbone to my breast. The lace bra I wore offered no barrier between his hot palm and my hard nipple. When his thumb brushed over the peak, I arched into him.
After my conversation with Grier yesterday, I’d decided to tell Landen to forget about our stupid bet. I wouldn’t push for physical intimacy if he wanted to wait. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t wear sexy underwear, just in case. And, right this moment, I was very glad I did because his hand on my breast felt amazing.
Then his palm skimmed down to my waist and held me there as his mouth lost some of its voracity. As the kiss became slow and easy, my hands loosened on his shoulders and slid up the back of his neck to his hair. I cradled his skull between my palms and my body relaxed deeper into his.
Finally, Landen lifted his head and stared down at me, his eyes glittering and heavy-lidded. “You’re not exactly playing fair when it comes to our bet,” he murmured.
I dropped back onto my bare heels and stared up at him, my hands still in his thick, dark hair. “About that…”
His lifted a brow but didn’t say anything, letting me go when I stepped sideways to put some space between us. He turned to watch me as I walked from the entryway to the kitchen. I leaned my back against the bar and crossed my arms.
“Let’s forget about the bet,” I stated. “It wasn’t right for me to push you like that.”
Landen mirrored my pose. “Push me?”
I sucked in a deep breath and let it loose on a long sigh. “Look, I thought about it and it’s not right for me to rush you into something you’re not ready for. I know I wouldn’t appreciate it if I wanted to wait a week or two before becoming intimate with a man and he started getting pushy with me. In fact, it would piss me the hell off. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean that it’s okay for me to do that to you.”
He stared at me for a beat, his expression utterly shocked, before he threw his head back and laughed. Not just a few chuckles, but a deep, guttural laugh that echoed in my small apartment. He leaned back against the front door and continued with his guffaws until I felt annoyance creeping in.
“Do you mind sharing what’s so funny?” I asked, my tone arctic.
He shook his head and chuckled for another few seconds before he answered, “You. You’re funny.”
My eyes narrowed at him and I straightened from the counter, cocking one hip to the side. “What, exactly, did I say that was so hilarious?”
He came forward and I stiffened as he closed in on me, his hands grabbing onto my hips. He ignored my rigid body and pulled me into him. “Chelsea, you weren’t pushy at all. I want to wait because I’m worried I’ll push you too far, too fast.”
I gaped at him. “What?”
The last of the amusement faded from his features as he gazed down at me. “I’ve been around you for a year, but we still don’t know each other that well and…” He paused, his eyes moving over my face. “I can be intense.”
I frowned up at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
He cleared his throat. “I prefer to be in control when it comes to sex.”
“Are we talking bossy in the bedroom or something a little more kinky?” I asked. He’d alluded to this last week and claimed that he didn’t want to do anything other than tie me up, but I was curious. Was he trying to ease me into the idea of something more than just that? My cheeks felt hot but this time it wasn’t from embarrassment. In fact, I barely suppressed the urge to squirm against him. I’d never experimented with bondage, but I had read a few romance novels that included BDSM and my curiosity had definitely been piqued.
Of course, Landen read me like an open book and the corner of his mouth tilted up in a slight smile. “Definitely bossy and maybe a little kinky.” The ghost of a smile vanished from his face. “I hate to bring up past relationships, but it is something that has created issues with some of my exes.”
My mind wandered back to our conversation when we created the bet. He’d mentioned this in passing, but I didn’t realize that he might want that sort of control on a regular basis.
“Really?” I asked. “I mean, you mentioned light bondage before but that seems pretty tame compared to some of the stuff I’ve seen, well, read about since those movies came out. Unless it’s more than that.”
He shook his head. “No, nothing that extreme. I just prefer to…be in charge.”
“I’m not sure I would have a problem with that unless you want me to moo like a cow or something. But my safe word is cheesecake.”
Landen chuckled. “No. No role-playing. Nothing that would require a safe word. That’s not what I’m interested in.”
“Now, I’m really curious,” I grumbled.
His hands squeezed my hips and he tugged me even closer. “I’ll do my best to satisfy your curiosity soon.”
His tone said he would satisfy a hell of a lot more than that. I couldn’t decide if I was nervous or excited by the idea.
Before I could make up my mind, he released me and stepped back. “Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious,” he commented, smoothly changing the subject.
I waited a few seconds for the strength to return to my legs before I moved. Then I skirted around the counter to the stove where the garlic bread sat on the baking sheet. “Thank you.”
“What’s on the menu?” he asked, shrugging out of his jacket.
I eyed him as he hung the jacket over the back of a barstool and unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt to roll them back on his forearms. “Cheesy chicken and potatoes with salad and garlic bread.”
“Sounds delicious.”
When he planted his ass on a barstool I realized I hadn’t offered him anything to drink, something that would horrify my genteel Southern mama. “Do you want something to drink? I have beer, wine, sweet tea, and Coke.”
“A beer sounds great.”
I reached into my fridge and pulled out a bottle of Ziegenbock. Since I started working for Chris, I’d been out to dinner with the two of them enough to know his preference, so I’d stocked up when I went to the grocery store earlier.
I popped the cap and set the bottle in front of him and he stared at it in surprise for a moment. “You like Ziegenbock?”
I laughed and opened a drawer to grab a knife for the garlic bread. “No, but you do.”
Landen studied me for a moment and I couldn’t read his expression. It was somewhat unnerving. Finally, he said, “Thanks.”
Nodding, I sliced the loaf of garlic bread. I could freeze the leftovers and warm them up the next time I threw together pasta or minestrone. Once the bread was cut, I reached into the cabinet for two plates and filled them with the creamy, cheesy chicken and potatoes, salad, and bread. I set one in front of him and put mine on the bar next to him as I poured myself a glass of white wine.
Since my apartment was too small for a dining table, I usually ate at the bar or sat on the floor in front of my couch.
I realized as I started around the counter that I hadn’t given him a knife or fork so I grabbed silverware from the drawer and handed him a set. I was surprised that he waited for me to sit next to him before he cut into the chicken and took a bite.
Then his brows lifted. “This is delicious,” he stated after he chewed and swallowed.
“Thanks.” I smiled at him. “It’s one of my favorite rainy day recipes.”
As we ate, he asked about my day and actually listened as I talked about work. Then he regaled me with stories about his college days with Chris. Apparently, my boss wasn’t always as harsh as he was now. In fact, he sounded like a lot of fun.
Finally, I asked the question that had been on the tip of my tongue since I opened the door to him earlier. “So, why were you so dressed up today?”
Landen’s face closed up and he fell silent for a few long moments. I began to wonder if he was going to answer me when he spoke at last. “I had to meet with an attorney today to discuss the situation in Oregon.”
My stomach knotted, the chicken I’d eaten feeling like a rock in my gut. He hadn’t mentioned his company in Oregon since his explanation for ghosting me two weeks ago. I was ashamed that I’d all but forgotten about it because I’d been so immersed in everything that was Landen Weber and the fiery sexual attraction between us.
I didn’t want to pry but now I was worried. Choosing my words carefully, I asked, “How are things going with that?”
Landen shook his head and sighed heavily. “Honestly? Shitty as hell. It’s a complete clusterfuck and it’s going to take a lot of work to get it straightened out.”
Still hesitant, I questioned, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
His gaze fell on my face and the hard sheen in his eyes faded and his jaw relaxed. “You’re already doing it. Now and in the office. I’m sure Chris has you going through files and pulling information for me.”
I nodded, but I hadn’t realized why I was doing it. Which only reinforced the fact that Chris might joke about giving me a promotion, but he still saw me very much as his assistant rather than a peer. I ignored the ugly feeling that slid through me. I could have a pity party later when Landen was gone. Whatever my issues were, they were nothing compared to what he was dealing with now.
“Hey.” At Landen’s gentle word, I focused my eyes on his face. “Whatever you’re thinking that put that look on your face, stop. It’ll be fine, just a pain in the ass in the meantime.”
“I wish there was something else I could do to help you,” I stated. And that wasn’t a lie. I just didn’t mention the other thoughts that were taking up space in my brain.
He placed his hand on my leg, just above my knee, and squeezed gently. “You’re doing it. You made me a delicious meal and we’re going to lounge on your couch and watch TV afterward. And make out.”
I had to laugh at the lascivious look that accompanied his last statement. “Maybe.”
He squeezed my knee again. “How about definitely?”
I tilted my head and let the heavy thoughts drift away. “How about probably?”
“I’ll take what I can get.”