Chapter Twenty-Three
In retrospect, I should have known that it was too easy.
Sure, Landen and I had our moments, but all in all, our relationship was progressing smoothly, albeit more quickly than I anticipated.
After our heart-to-heart in his kitchen that Monday and the subsequent sex, I’d walked into his bathroom to discover a tray full of toiletries, the exact same brands I kept on my counter at home. All full-sized.
A quick glance at the shower had revealed my usual brand of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
I stopped dead and turned toward Landen, who was leaning on the doorjamb with his arms crossed over his bare chest, wearing nothing but his briefs.
“Seriously?” I asked.
He grinned unrepentantly. “I want you to be comfortable here. At home, so to speak.”
Oh yeah, he was definitely using all the ammunition he had at his disposal.
From that night on, we barely slept apart. I either stayed with him in his house or he stayed at my apartment. As he had done for me, I took the time to pick up some things for him to keep in my bathroom. When he saw the toiletries in the bathroom, he’d grinned and dragged me into the shower with him, where he’d washed me with his favored soap.
They were a blissful few weeks. While we spent a lot of time enjoying each other’s bodies, we also talked, argued, laughed, and sometimes merely sat in silence as we did our own thing. Having him around was never annoying or stifling as I thought it might be. We did our own thing during the workday, but we spent nearly every night together.
The ease in which we slipped into coupledom should have warned me, but I was too happy. Too busy falling in love.
Neither of us said the words, but I had more confidence that Landen’s feelings mirrored my own.
Until one Friday morning. Landen was planning another trip to Oregon. The man embezzling money from his company had been fired and arrested two weeks prior and Landen wanted to handle some restructuring. Upper management was scrambling to fill the vacant position and he wanted to do it in-house and promote people from within the company.
As he showered and packed for his flight, I went downstairs to make a pot of coffee. Though I was already dressed for work, I’d yet to put on make-up and shoes. When my foot hit the bottom step on the stairs, the doorbell rang.
Wondering who would be stopping by before seven a.m., I moved to the door and peeked through the wavy glass. A woman stood on the steps, tall and slender.
I opened the door, more curious than anything else. “Hi, can I help you?”
The woman smiled at me, her expression warm and friendly. Her dark hair was pulled back in a low roll at the base of her skull and her make-up was perfect, not too heavy yet just enough to play up her best features. Like her sparkling hazel eyes. She clasped a leather portfolio to her chest with her other arm.
“Good morning. You must be Chelsea!” She stepped forward and held out her hand.
Taken aback not only by the warmth of her greeting but also by the fact that she knew my name, I took her fingers in mine. Her hand was warm and firm, the kind of handshake I often received from female executives.
“Good morning. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t remember you if we’ve met,” I stated, flustered and off balance. Especially since I was without make-up or my business-like pumps with three-inch heels. The woman would have still been taller than me even in her bare feet, but I felt at a distinct disadvantage and the shoes would have helped somewhat.
The smile faded slightly from her face. “Landen didn’t mention me, did he?”
My stomach tied itself into a hard, ugly knot that made me feel more than a little sick. “I’m afraid not.”
The woman sighed but she looked frustrated more than hurt, which relieved some of the pressure in my abdomen. “That man,” she muttered, shaking her head. “For such an intelligent human being, he can sure as hell be stupid.”
Despite my discomfort, the corner of my mouth curved upward in a reluctant smile. “Well, why don’t you come in and tell me who you are.”
Her responding smile was rueful but did nothing to detract from her striking appearance as she stepped inside the house and shut the door behind her. When I backed up to give her room to enter, my hips nudged the wall. I stopped moving then and waited as she studied me for a long moment.
“Maybe I should let him—”
I shook my head. “Please. Just tell me whatever it is that Landen didn’t mention.” I didn’t think I could remain calm and pleasant with the concrete ball sitting in my gut.
The woman took a deep breath and visibly braced herself. My stomach sank more. “I’m Maris Weber. I’m Landen’s business partner and ex-wife.”
I was suddenly glad to have the wall at my back because my legs felt boneless. “Ex-wife?” I repeated on a whisper.
Maris looked upset and took a small step forward. “It’s a long story but nothing horrible, I swear.”
My skin felt icy cold despite the bright morning sun pouring in through the windows around the front door. “He never told me he was married before,” I mused, mostly to myself.
Maris’ brows lowered and drew together. “Damn idiot man,” she grumbled. Her eyes were warm and, to my embarrassment, sympathetic, as she looked at me. “Why don’t we have a cup of coffee and talk until Landen comes down?”
I stared at her as though she’d grown a third eye in her forehead. “What?”
“Okay, how about we have a cup of coffee and plot his murder?”
Despite the horrible chill that seized my body, I released a bark of laughter. “That sounds more appropriate.”
Without waiting to see if she’d follow, I turned on my heel and headed into the kitchen, struggling with my emotions as I walked. Now that the shock was wearing off, I was pissed as hell.
I wanted to be mad at her, but I knew it wasn’t her fault that Landen hadn’t mentioned their previous marriage. If she was pretending to be surprised that Landen kept it a secret, she was a much better actress than any woman I’d ever met.
As I took two coffee cups down from the cabinet and set up the machine to brew, Maris reached into the fridge and pulled out a carton of half and half. After she set it on the counter next to me, she moved to the kitchen island and perched on one of the barstools.
“Okay, so I know this is awkward,” she began, which caused another short, almost painful burst of laughter to escape from my throat. “But it doesn’t have to be. Landen and I…our marriage was a mistake. There was no cheating or ugliness. We were just better friends than spouses. I still care for him but not the way a woman cares for the man she loves. When he told me he was seeing someone special and started talking about you more and more, I was glad to see him happy.”
My hands clenched into fists. I wanted to believe that she was lying, that she was playing me, but I didn’t. Maris’ gaze was steady and sincere and her body language was open.
I forced my hands to relax. “If what you’re saying is true, then I don’t understand why he wouldn’t mention that he not only had an ex-wife but that you were business partners. I understand some couples remain friends after they break up.” Okay, so I didn’t truly understand it but I knew it happened. Even in business. Couples might start a business together and remain partners after their divorce.
Maris shrugged. “I wish I knew, Chelsea. Though I did tell him he should be upfront about it. Some of the women he’s dated in the past didn’t like it but I told him that keeping it from you would only make it worse when he did finally tell you.”
I frowned at her. I didn’t understand how I hadn’t heard she was his partner before. I’d been working for Chris for over a year and Landen was one of his bigger clients. Why didn’t this come up before now?
“Chelsea?” Maris spoke my name like a question, bringing my focus back to her.
“I work for Chris Barden. I should have known all this at the beginning. Why haven’t you come into the office with him?”
Maris smiled but it wasn’t an amused look. “I’m only involved in one of his companies and I handle all of the work that Chris does for the rest of his businesses. I didn’t need to be involved in his meetings with Chris.”
God, I was so confused. Landen was not some weak man who shied away from the truth. His candor and intensity were enough to make even me uncomfortable at times. Why would he keep this from me?
Beneath the confusion, anger was growing. He’d lied to me. I didn’t differentiate between outright lies and those of omission. Both were unacceptable in a relationship.
Before I could sift through my emotions and settle into the strongest, Landen appeared in the doorway and paused when he saw Maris sitting at the island. His eyes came to me and he hesitated. I knew that he could see exactly what I was thinking. It had to be written all over my face.
It was a struggle but I managed to keep my voice calm and level when I said, “Maris and I were just getting to know each other.”
If I hadn’t been watching him so closely, I would have missed the wince that followed my words, but I didn’t. He knew he was in deep shit with me.
I didn’t stick around to hear what they had to say. Instead, I skirted around him, evading the hand he put out to stop me and went back upstairs to finish getting ready for work.
My anger propelled me up the steps quickly, through his bedroom into the bathroom. I ignored the way my hands were shaking as I put on my make-up. I didn’t take my time. No, I wanted my armor in place when Landen made it upstairs.
He and I were going to have words and then I was going to work. I would stew about this later tonight, in the safety of my own apartment.
The house was quiet when I left the bathroom and slipped my feet into my pumps. The fine tremor in my hands had vanished and the confusion and hurt were buried beneath my anger. It churned in my chest, a volcano poised to erupt. The blood in my veins felt molten, burning like lava.
I heard his light step on the stairs as I gathered my things. I stopped at the end of the bed, my purse resting on the mattress when he entered the bedroom. I could see the regret and apology in his expression before he even opened his mouth to speak.
“I’m sorry, Chelsea.”
The quiet words did nothing to soothe me. “That you lied or that I found out?” I asked. My own question was sharp, slicing through the air with fatal aim.
Landen took a deep breath before he answered. “That I lied.”
He didn’t expound upon that, so I crossed my arms over my chest and stared into his dark blue eyes. “Why?” I truly wanted to know.
“Several reasons.”
When he paused, I lifted my brows. “Really? That’s your answer.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets but remained in the doorway. I sensed it was his effort to keep me from leaving rather than giving me space.
“The last woman I dated couldn’t handle it. She was convinced that Maris and I were still having sex. That all the traveling we did together, all the times we saw each other, we were fucking every chance we got. I’d already fucked up by disappearing on you and I didn’t want to give you more ammunition to convince you that I wasn’t worth the risk.”
“Give me some fucking credit, Landen,” I shot back. “I’m not insecure. Would I have wondered at first? Absolutely, but if you’re telling the truth, it would have become obvious pretty damn quick if you and Maris still had the hots for each other. I’m not an idiot and I’m not the jealous type. I know that you have a past, just like I do. I may not be friends with all of my exes but I don’t necessarily hate them all either.”
He took a single step forward. “Are you saying that you wouldn’t have used the information to drive a wedge between us from the beginning? That you wouldn’t have seen it as a very convenient excuse to keep me from getting too close?”
My frustration boiled over and I threw my hands out. “I don’t know, Landen. You didn’t give me the opportunity to decide for myself. But I can tell you that right now I’m pissed as hell that you lied to me.” When he took another step toward me, I lifted a hand between us. “Stop moving. I realize that you need some reassurance right now but I’m not in the place to give it to you.”
He froze and stared at me with cold eyes. “Are you saying that this is the end?”
I growled beneath my breath. “No, I’m not. I am saying that I don’t want you touching me right now. I’m too angry.” I sucked in a huge breath and released it, trying to control my urge to yell at him. Screaming at him would only make this entire situation worse. “You lied to me, Landen. If you had told me a few weeks ago, before you started pushing me to move in with you, I might have struggled with it a bit. I would have had trouble believing you when you said that you were just business partners, yes, but I would have listened and given you a chance to explain. It’s not that you work with your ex-wife. It’s the fact that you lied to me. You kept this from me intentionally. That is where the real problem is. You insist on honesty and open communication, yet you didn’t give me the same courtesy.”
The chill faded from his eyes, leaving sincere regret behind. But his face hardened when I reached out and scooped up my purse and slung my laptop bag over my shoulder.
“We don’t have time to hash this out right now because I need to get to work and you have a plane to catch. To be completely honest, I need some time to figure out how I feel before we do.” At my final words, Landen flinched. I hadn’t meant to sling the barb at him, but it hit home just the same.
“Chelsea, I’m not leaving until we talk about this. I know I fucked up, but—”
“Stop right there,” I demanded.
“No!” he shouted. My body stilled. I’d never seen Landen lose control when he was angry, but he was definitely on the edge at the moment. He shoved his hands through his hair, mussing the dark strands and leaving a few standing straight up. “God, you have no fucking clue, do you?”
“About what, Landen?” I asked harshly.
He took a huge step forward, putting himself directly in my space. His eyes gleamed with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. “I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you. I told you that but you obviously don’t get it. I fell in love with you months ago and you barely deigned to speak to me. You say I’m arrogant and I know I am, but when it comes to you, it’s not arrogance that you’re seeing. It’s desperation. You said that you didn’t think I was as invested in you as you are in me, but it’s the other way around, Chelsea. You’re scared that things won’t work out and I’ll walk away?” He laughed, an ugly, harsh sound. “You have no idea. You’re the one already poised on the edge of leaving, not me. I’ve been all in from the beginning.”
“If you were all in, Landen, you wouldn’t have lied to me.”
He shook his head, the gleam in his eyes morphing into anger. “Wouldn’t I? Wouldn’t you do anything if you loved someone and you finally had a chance to have them?”
Air filled my lungs at his words, burning and hot. But he was also wrong. “No, I wouldn’t. I don’t lie to people I love.”
His jaw tightened at my words. I was telling the truth and he knew it.
Suddenly, I was exhausted. I couldn’t deal with this right now. I needed solitude and time to get my head together. I needed my emotions to settle before I would be able to handle him without being swayed by my anger. “Look, we can stand here for the rest of the day arguing about this, but it won’t change anything right now. I need to leave and you have a flight to catch.”
“When I leave today, you need to understand I’m not giving up. You need space? I’ll give it to you. But when I get back, we will talk about this.” I bristled at his words. He spoke as if I owed him and I didn’t appreciate it. He was the one who screwed up. “You wanted to be chased? Well, you got it. You can walk away right now, but I will run you down eventually.”
I didn’t respond. Gripping the strap of my laptop bag tightly, I moved around his still body and walked out of his bedroom with burning eyes and an aching chest.