Maddie

I looked in the mirror for the millionth time, wondering if my outfit was appropriate. Landon had texted me earlier, saying he’d come straight to my house after he visited Val. Considering I had no idea what the plan was for the evening, I’d opted for a dark green top, which fit me snugly with straps crisscrossing on my upper back, and a black skirt that flowed to my knees.

When I heard a car pull in front of my house, I hurried to the entrance, skidded on the tiles, and lost my balance, nearly pelting headfirst into the front door. Whoops.

Straightening up, I pushed my hair out of my face and opened the door. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as I took Landon in.

Sweet heavens.

His suit had to be custom-made. There was no other way it could fit him so perfectly over his shoulders and muscular arms yet be tapered at the waist.

He’d meant it when he’d said the suits he wore over the past week were business casual. This... this wasn’t casual. He looked one hundred percent the CEO he was, and one thousand percent handsome. Landon had dressed to impress. And while I knew he’d put the suit on for the meeting and not for me, well... count me impressed.

It wasn’t his suit that spurred butterflies in my stomach, though, nor his smile. He was carrying a bouquet of orange lilies and roses.

“I didn’t know what your favorite flowers were, but these looked beautiful.”

When I took them from him, my fingertips brushed his nails, but the small contact was enough to make my skin tingle.

“Are you going to invite me in?” A lazy smile spread on his face.

“Yeah, of course. Come in. I’ll put these in a vase. Thank you so much. They’re gorgeous.”

My voice sounded strange even to my own ears. A little high-pitched, but also gruff. I busied myself finding a vase, which took some time, because I was too scatterbrained to focus. When I finally did find it and held it up under the running faucet, I felt Landon come up behind me.

“Maddie, did I read this wrong? Do you not want me here?”

In the time it took me to inhale, he moved his hand from the edge of the sink to my waist, as if he couldn’t help touching me, even though he wasn’t sure if he should.

“No, no, I want you here. I do.” I placed the vase on the counter, arranged the bouquet in it. Only then did I turn around to face him. I didn’t like the creases on his forehead, much less that I’d put them there.

“I’m sorry. It’s just... been a while since I received flowers. They make me feel special.”

He studied me, bringing a hand to my face, caressing my cheek with the back of his fingers.

“You are special to me, Maddie. It’s been a while since I bought flowers, but I wanted to do this for you. I want so many things with you. Buy you flowers, take you out, make you laugh.”

His words reached so deep inside me, I knew they’d take root there and I wouldn’t be able to forget them after he left. But I didn’t care about that. All I cared about was right now. A little bit of time with Landon was better than no time with Landon.

“I like the sound of that,” I whispered. He was close enough for me to smell his body wash. I touched my nose to his Adam’s apple, and his grip on my waist tightened. He smelled so good. I wanted to lick every morsel of skin I could find. But I pulled away, hungering even more for his words. His scent and general sexiness were a feast for my senses. But his words went straight to my heart, and I wanted more.

“I went to see Val after the meeting.”

“How is she?”

He smiled. “Enjoying your M&M’s. Thanks for stopping by to visit her.”

I smiled back. “I thought I’d make myself useful. How did the meeting go?”

“So-so.”

I feigned shock. “The cuff links failed you? Well, if it’s any consolation, they totally work on me. Both my knees are Jell-O, and it’s entirely their fault.”

They were sterling silver with some sort of black pattern in the center. And damn they were potent.

His smile widened, transforming his entire expression. “All their doing, huh? I don’t get any credit?”

“Maybe a tiny bit.”

In demonstration, I held my thumb and forefinger so close to each other they almost touched.

Landon set his hands at my side, trapping me. Our noses were in sniffing distance. Our mouths in kissing distance. And still he didn’t kiss me.

“You were saying about the meeting?” I prompted when the tension was so thick, I felt my nipples pebble.

“They weren’t happy to hear about Val. Not out of concern for her well-being, but because she wouldn’t be able to oversee the project herself. I offered to manage it myself until Val feels better. It’ll probably take a month to six weeks until she can resume her normal activities.”

“You’re not leaving next week anymore?”

I felt the change in him before he pulled away. His jaw went rigid.

“You sound disappointed.”

I had the social skills of a doorknob when I was surprised or nervous. “Of course I’m not disappointed. I’m happy you’re staying longer. You just took me by surprise. That’s a really nice thing you’re doing for your sister.” Nice was putting it mildly. I didn’t know anyone who’d do that. I looked at Landon with renewed admiration. “What did Val say?”

The corners of his lips twitched. “That I’m her hero. Then went on to question said heroism, wondering if she’s the only reason I’m staying.”

Does he mean what I think he means?

“What did you tell her?”

I rested my hands behind my back, flicking my thumbs against the counter.

“That those sounds you made last night might have swayed my decision too,” he said.

“You did not tell her that!”

Launching forward, I made to pinch his stomach, but he caught my wrist. I brought my other hand forward. Rookie mistake! He trapped that one too. Cuffing both my wrists in one hand, he brought them above my head, pinning them against the cabinet.

I sucked in a breath as Landon’s gaze settled on my lips. He skimmed his free hand under my top, slipped it under my bra. He drew his thumb languidly on the underside of my breast until my whole back arched. When he flicked the thumb over my nipple, I went up to my toes, desperate for his mouth. We kissed until we were both out of breath.

My kitchen had never seen such erotic action. I almost expected the legs of the wooden table to buckle under the weight of the sexual tension. My legs certainly felt like they’d give way any moment.

He let go of my hands, cupping my face with both hands, thumbs resting on my cheeks, fingers splayed on my neck. He was holding me like I was precious to him. So much energy coursed through me that I couldn’t stay put. I kept fidgeting.

“I have one rule, Landon. You’re not allowed to make me fall in love with you.”

“You have nothing to worry about.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple dipping low in his throat. “I don’t think I know how to do love anymore.”

“We’re safe, then.”

“Are we?” He smiled. “With you, I want things I haven’t allowed myself to want in years, Maddie.”

I traced the contour of his jaw, wondering if I should keep quiet, but decided not to. “What do you mean, you haven’t allowed yourself to want things?”

His eyes grew sad. “Recovering after Rachel died wasn’t easy. I felt lost and vulnerable, and for a long time, I figured it was safer not to get too close to anyone. It was safer not to want certain things.”

“Oh, Landon.”

The sadness in his gaze melted into playfulness. “But I want to spend more time with you, Maddie. I want to get to know you. All of you.”

My entire body buzzed at the thought of more time with Landon, even as I knew I was endangering my heart. I hadn’t been sure I could keep my heart safe when I thought I only had a few days with Landon. But a few weeks?

New resolution: I wouldn’t think about the future. I had to admit, it was liberating to just live in the present without worrying how my current actions would impact the future.

If I eat a second slice of bacon, will it go straight to my hips or my belly? If I order the cheaper soap, will it dry my skin? If I spend more time with Landon, will I fall in love with him? See... those kinds of questions. They took the joy out of the moment. Some of them had merit, sure, but they were also killjoys.

“I’m taking you out on a date,” he announced, shoving both hands in his pockets, as if not touching me required effort and he was determined to succeed. Ah, but our goals were at odds, because I wanted to be touched, and kissed, and ravished.

“Hmm... this is how you want to go out with me? Wearing this lovely suit and cuff links? This will make women everywhere swoon. I’m doing them a favor by keeping you all for me. They won’t know what they’re missing. Plus, traffic is a nightmare at this time.”

His gaze snapped fire, and a smile danced on his lips. I had the feeling he saw right through my attempt to seduce him. In retrospect, it had been a little lousy. Traffic, really?

“Make no mistake, Maddie, when we come back, I’m going to sink so deep inside you that you’ll forget your own name. But right now, I want to spend some time with you outside the bedroom. Anything against that?”

“No.” I was a little breathless, a lot hot. He was charming me like it was his job. Was he even aware of that? “But for the record, I didn’t just have naked activities in mind when I suggested we stay in. I could take care of you. After the day you had, you could use it.”

His eyes softened and he leaned in, kissing the corner of my lips. After a beat, he said, “You can take care of me anytime you want, Maddie. I’d like that. But tonight, I am taking care of you. So let’s go.”

As I caught a glimpse of the flowers, a small voice at the back of my mind whispered that it would be very hard not to fall in love with Landon. I quieted the voice as he took my hand, whisking me out of the house for an evening of debauchery.