- Margot -
The party had been going on all day, and while I appreciated how many people came, I sort of wished they’d go home already.
I stood at the window in Matt’s room, which still looked exactly like it did when he was in high school, and looked out over the backyard. The coals on the grill had finally cooled, and the paper lanterns my mom hung this morning were beginning to light up the garden.
Towards the back of the property, I could see my brother building a fire in the chiminea like he promised so my friends and I could get our drink on to celebrate my eighteenth birthday. Of course, that wouldn’t be happening until my extended family members finished slipping me graduation checks and asking how I was feeling about going away to school, the drunker ones offering unsolicited advice that gave them an excuse to brag about how wild they were before they grew up and got boring.
Anyway, after eyeing the stash of booze I kept in Matt’s closet, I decided a few shots of peach schnapps would be the perfect lubricant to get me through the next hour. Unfortunately, I nearly spilled the bottle all over the windowsill when someone came into the moonlit room.
“Jesus, Landon, you scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry,” he said, stepping inside. “Did you want the light on?”
I shook my head and realized he might not be able to see that in the dark. “No,” I said. “It’s my party. I can spy if I want to.”
“Fair enough.”
“What are you doing up here?” I could see his face better when he joined me at the window…along with his body, which had filled out nicely during his first two years of college, further highlighting his broad frame.
He nodded towards the end of the bed. “I stashed my bag up here.”
“Are you leaving already?” I’d rather everyone else left.
“Yeah. I promised my dad I’d hang out with him tomorrow before I head back to school.”
“But that’s tomorrow,” I said, regretting the slight whine in my voice.
“I know, but there’s nothing worse than being hungover in a fishing boat at dawn.”
“If you say so.”
He looked out the window, his scar falling into the shadows. “Great party anyway. It was nice to see everyone. Especially Aunt Tillie. That woman really knows how to grab an ass.”
I cringed. “I’m so sorry. She doesn’t mean anything by it. She’s just…”
“Horny?”
I laughed and took a sip of my drink before offering it to Landon.
“What is it?” he asked, eyeing it suspiciously.
“Sprite and peach schnapps.”
“Naw, I’m good.”
“Suit yourself,” I said, taking another sip.
“When do you leave for school?”
“The twenty-third,” I said. “Or whenever my mom decides to stop holding me prisoner here.”
“I didn’t realize you had to be on campus so early.”
“Classes don’t start until the twenty-sixth, but I’d rather move in and find my classes before then.”
“Plus, it’s easier if you’re not the last to go,” he said. “It’s exhausting having to say goodbye to everyone a thousand times.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Maybe Matt and I will come visit once you get settled.”
“I’d like that.” More than I can tell you. “And if Matt’s not up for it, just bring Kelsey along and he’ll follow like a sappy puppy.”
Landon’s smiling cheekbone caught the moonlight. “She’s good for him, Margot. Trust me. He could do—and has done—a lot worse.”
“And you?” I asked, feeling emboldened by my belly full of schnapps. “Is there someone who’s good for you who’s keen to see you back on campus?”
“No. No one Aunt Tillie needs to worry about, anyway.”
I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath.
“I should get going.” He stepped to the end of the bed and grabbed his backpack.
I admired his ass when he turned his back and wondered if Aunt Tillie’s eyesight was better than she let on.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of Grey Goose with a bow on it. “Happy birthday slash graduation.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking the bottle from him. “You shouldn’t have. Grey Goose especially. This stuff costs a fortune.”
He shrugged. “What else do you get for the girl who has everything?”
“I don’t have everything.”
He fixed his eyes on me. “You do.”
My heart rose in my chest.
“But if you think of anything you’re lacking, I’d say you can pick it up first thing tomorrow based on the hoard of envelopes Matt’s been collecting for you all day.”
I forced a smile. Unless there was a Landon-sized envelope in Matt’s back pocket, I was bound to be disappointed.
“Is there anything you wanted specifically?” he asked, pulling his backpack over one shoulder. “That you didn’t get?”
“There is one thing.” My eyes flicked down to his lips, and a rush of adrenaline shot up my spine.
He raised his eyebrows.
I leaned up and touched my lips to his, laying a hand on his chest to steady myself.
He froze and made no move to kiss me back.
By the time I sank back on my heels, my cheeks were on fire.
He blinked at me for a second, then took two steps towards the door and froze again.
My mouth fell apart, but I knew it would be dishonest to apologize.
A second later, he dropped his backpack and spun around, taking two quick strides back to me and grabbing me in his arms.
He wore a serious expression before he pressed his lips to mine, kissing me with an entirely different mouth than the one I’d just kissed. His lips were full and warm, and he used them to part mine before slipping his wet tongue into my mouth.
One hand pulled my lower back to him so fiercely I lost the feeling in my legs, while the other ran through my hair, pulling it back so he could kiss me more deeply.
I gripped his biceps when I felt him swell against my stomach, bracing myself in his arms as we tasted each other.
His passion incinerated me from head to toe, until I was nothing but a woman-shaped cloud of ash, bowed against his solid body.
Once I relaxed into the kiss, I marveled at the delicate way we shared the inadequate slip of air between us, and by the time he set me back up and pulled away, I felt lightheaded and tipsy and outside myself.
I stared at him and lifted my fingers to my tingling lips to check if he’d kissed them right off me. “Landon, I—”
“Happy birthday, Margot.”
And then he left, taking my heart with him.