Chapter Three
“…check the local hospitals. We’ll have the staff be on the lookout for anyone with a gunshot wound or any sign of blood on the towels.” The uniformed policeman closed his notebook, signaling to the other officers to wrap up their questioning of the guests. “I’ll see to it that you and Mr. Smyth have an escort from the resort to the lawyer’s office tomorrow morning.”
Landon tried not to take his omission from the conversation personally, though that was really hard to do at the moment. His anger had ratcheted up to fury by the time Kelli Garrett had explained exactly who she was and what her true role had been this past week. No matter that his father had called in a special favor from a retired military friend to hire her for his protection, she had overstepped her professional bounds and become intimate with him.
“I appreciate that, Officer Farro,” Landon responded for Kelli, stepping forward to shake the man’s hand. “I’d like to leave for the meeting promptly at nine o’clock.”
It was more than apparent that Kelli had already tagged him as a rich, incompetent fool who’d inherited his father’s business. All she knew was what she’d read on a sheet of paper. It was not only an error but a small piece of the puzzle that comprised who he was. Hell, she didn’t even truly know him as a man even though they’d just fucked in his bed. Well, she was about to find out exactly whom she was dealing with.
Landon had taken a few moments to himself before the police arrived to wash himself off, dispose of their used condom, and throw on some of the clothes he’d been wearing earlier. The resort already had his new room waiting for him, though Kelli wouldn’t allow any of the staff to move his things just yet. She insisted they would see to it themselves. They had even been provided a golf cart to use. That was fine by him. It was time for them to have a little chat.
“Go collect your things,” Landon directed her once the police had left the room. The only one who could overhear their conversation was the groundskeeper who was currently boarding up the patio door. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“I’m sorry?” Kelli appeared rather taken aback by his request, though she shouldn’t be the least bit surprised. At least three hours had passed since the shooting, so it had to be going on one in the morning. Did she think he was just going to let bygones be bygones? “You’re now aware of who I really am and what I’ve been hired to do. An attempt has been made on your life. I’m not leaving you alone until you’ve done your business and you are sitting in your first-class seat on the way back to Los Angeles.”
Landon had opened the closet door with the intention of grabbing his business suits, but her comment about first-class and the fact that she hadn’t once personalized her job had him changing course. He grabbed her wrist and had her back against the wall before she could inhale to make another declaration.
“What exactly am I to you?” Landon asked, capturing both her wrists in one hand and pressing them against the laminated wood above her head. His lips were inches from hers, and he made sure those blue eyes of hers were trained on his. “Was I nothing but a job to you? Did you get off knowing that I had no idea my father hired you to protect me while we fucked? Or better yet…did you fuck me to keep me safe? I’ll be sure to let my father know you went above and beyond in fulfilling your duties.”
Landon had already anticipated that Kelli would try to pull away from him, so he leaned his body into hers right as he stated his intentions. It didn’t get past him that she kept herself in good shape. Her muscles were toned and she was a lot stronger than she let on, most likely a conscious decision on her part. It no doubt gave her the edge over most enemies she might encounter.
“Tonight…” Kelli’s voice trailed off and it was then he thought back to when she approached him at the bar. A sick feeling stirred in his gut and he abruptly stepped away from her as she confirmed his suspicions. “I recognized the blonde from some intel that was given to me regarding Curtis Pynaker’s known associates. It was more than obvious she was hired to approach you, most likely delaying your signing or exposing you to some type of scandal so that Pynaker could make a competing offer.”
“So you thought you would sacrifice yourself for the greater good?”
Landon was stunned that his business rival would take things this far, but he was even more disgusted that Kelli would go to the lengths she did in order to defuse a potentially dangerous situation. He’d thought she was special.
Did she go to this type of extreme with all her clients?
All Kelli had to do was come clean with him. He wouldn’t have liked that his father had gone behind his back after they’d discussed this possibility before leaving Los Angeles, but he would have at least been on an even playing field. Right now, they weren’t even playing in the same league.
“It’s not like that,” Kelli argued with a shake of her head. She’d lost the flower in her hair long ago. She took a step forward, but he’d already turned his back and crossed the room to grab his cell phone from the nightstand. “Yes, I needed to intervene, but all I had intended to do was dance with you. I didn’t mean for things to—escalate.”
“What? You didn’t mean to accidentally fuck me?” Landon wasn’t in a forgiving mood after being made a fool of when this had all been avoidable. Now that he was convinced his father was right—which really pained him to admit—he would hire his own protection detail. He was done with this conversation, so he swiped the home screen on his phone and initiated a call to his father. “Don’t bother packing, Kelli. Stay on my company’s dime and enjoy the rest of your vacation. Think of it as a mission bonus. It’s the least I could do for you after you saved my life.”
“Don’t be such an ass,” Kelli exclaimed, quickly taking his cell away before he realized her intention. He would have taken it back had she not put the phone to her ear. She never wavered her determined stare as she all but challenged him to try to stop her from having her say. “Mr. Smyth? Yes, this is Kelli Garrett. There’s been an incident, and Landon now knows I’ve been hired as his protection during this trip. No, no. He’s fine. Yes, his meeting is still scheduled for tomorrow morning.”
Landon observed Kelli as she continued to speak with his father, going into more details about what had transpired this evening. She even turned away from him, wrapping one arm around her waist as she took three steps to the right and then three steps to the left. She was looking down at the sandals she’d put on before the police had arrived. Even he was aware of the defensive posture she’d taken, the only sign that this evening’s events had any effect on her.
Kelli was conveniently leaving out the fact that things had gotten rather personal between them. Honestly, he could see how things had spiraled out of control now that she’d monopolized his phone and given him some time to think. He had pressed her pretty hard. He had time now to go through the past week, recalling each and every moment he laid eyes on her.
Their attraction wasn’t one that had been forced. He truly desired her, in spite of the fact that she had withheld her true identity. As for her response to his touch? That spoke for itself and he wasn’t quite ready to walk away from her.
“Dad, we’ll talk about this when I get back home,” Landon said to his father once Kelli had handed him back his phone. A quick glance ensured that the groundskeeper had finished boarding up the patio door. “There are some things I still need to take care of this evening.”
“What do you still need to do?” Kelli asked him after he’d disconnected the call. Once again, she was trying to take charge of the situation. He was getting to know her better with each passing second, and that included her physical response to him closing the distance between them. “Landon?”
“I only want to know one thing.” Landon didn’t touch her. He stopped inches from her, coercing her to tilt her head back so he could see for himself that she hadn’t played him for the sake of her job. “Was it enough for you?”
Kelli’s lips parted in surprise at his candor, but she was already aware that he wasn’t into playing games. He never had been, and he never would be. Her blue eyes darkened in response to his question, giving him his answer…but he needed to hear her response. He was a straight shooter and they had a little more than twelve hours before they parted ways.
“No, not quite,” Kelli whispered, closing her eyes almost in regret. “It wasn’t enough, but we both know it’s unwise to continue to mix business with pleasure.”
“I’ve personally never tried that cocktail,” Landon admitted honestly, finally giving himself permission to touch her. He brushed his hand over her cheek and then slid his fingers behind her neck, waiting for her to look at him. She finally lifted her lashes in acceptance. “One night. Until we have our fill, and then we can both walk away satisfied.”
It was easy to see the internal battle going on in her mind as she continued to hold back, but she’d already given him her answer earlier. Her admission that their time together wasn’t enough was all he needed to initiate a seductive night of complete and utter release.
“We’ll need to take off your dress,” Landon directed as he stepped back and led the way as he unfastened the first button on his shirt. “You had your time of enjoyment, little siren. It’s time for mine.”