Amelia

 

It had been almost a week since Amelia moved in with Nikki, and while part of her still felt unsure that she had made the right decision, she found she actually loved living there.

Nikki was amazing, probably the funniest and sweetest girl Amelia had ever met. She found she could talk to her in ways she had never been able to talk to other girls before.

Amelia had always been quiet, and a little shy. For most of her life, it had just been her and her dad. When she was growing up, she spent most of her days after school in the shop with her father.

She had made a few friends over the years, but Pete Reynolds had seen to it that she was now completely and utterly alone in the world. At least she used to be. Since she met Nikki and Landen, somehow Amelia felt a little less alone.

She had seen Landen a few times since she moved in with Nikki, but he called her every day to check in with her while Nikki was away at work. He also messaged her each night before he turned in for the night to check she was doing okay, and update her on any information he had, which was very little usually. Still, she liked to talk to him, she found she looked forward to his messages.

Amelia was a little nervous about starting work on Monday. Landen had told her that his brother found the perfect job for her, but she had no idea what that actually could be. She wasn’t really sure what she could possibly do in a multinational company, when her only experience was her years at medical school, also working in her father’s Pharmacy. She had worked at a couple of other jobs when she lived in New York and Chicago, but nothing that could be used in an investment company. She didn’t even know what an investment company did.

Landen had assured her that whatever Callum had planned for her, she would be amazing at, but she didn’t feel quite as confident.

She decided that she wasn’t going to worry about it that night. She had bigger plans.

It was Saturday, and Nikki had a date, so Amelia was planning a night in front of the TV, watching a girly movie, and she had a tub of Ben and Jerry’s and a bottle of wine with her name on it. All she needed now was to make a big bowl of popcorn.

“How do I look?” Nikki asked as she came rushing into the kitchen as the buzzer sounded in the hallway of their apartment. She was wearing a one-shouldered black sequenced dress, which left little to the imagination. Her long, slender legs looked fabulous, and she was wearing a pair of black Chanel stilettos. She looked sensational.

“Wow!” Amelia exclaimed, as she gave her a broad smile. “You look stunning.”

“Not too demure?” Nikki asked and raised her eyebrows.

“Definitely not demure,” Amelia replied with a laugh. “Your date isn’t going to know what hit him.”

“Perfect,” Nikki grinned before she picked her clutch up from the countertop. “Don’t wait up! I doubt I will be home tonight.”

“Well, have fun,” Amelia called after her, as she turned, disappearing down the hallway. A few moments later, Amelia heard the apartment door slam, and she knew she was alone.

She opened the microwave, putting the bag of popcorn in and switched it on for three minutes. They just began to pop, when Amelia heard a knock on the apartment door. As she rushed to the door, she knew that it was probably Nikki, she had forgotten her key. Nobody could get past the hulk of a doorman that was down in the foyer without being announced first.

“What did you forget?” Amelia asked as she opened the door, but she froze when she saw Landen standing there. Then slowly a smile filtered across her face, and Landen instantly smiled back.

“Nikki let me in the front door,” he said, then held up a bottle of wine. “I knew she was going out, and I thought maybe you might like some company.

“Sure,” Amelia said as she stepped back and let him into the apartment, but then she realised she was wearing her PJs and her hair was probably a mess. “Just give me a few minutes to change.”

“Why?” Landen said as he looked down at her and smiled. “You look beautiful.”

“I look a mess,” Amelia laughed as she self-consciously patted down her hair. “But thank you.”

“Will this help,” Landen said, kicking off his shoes, as he reached up and tossed his hair. “Now I’m a mess too.”

Amelia couldn’t help but laugh.

“Honestly,” Landen continued. “You really don’t need to get changed, not for me.”

“Okay,” Amelia replied giving him a smile just as the microwave pinged. “You’re just in time; the popcorn is ready.”

“Great,” Landen said as he followed her down the hallway to the kitchen. “You get the popcorn, and I will pour the wine.”

When they reached the kitchen, Landen went straight to the cupboard that the wine glasses were in, once more Amelia wondered if there was ever something between Landen and Nikki. He seemed so comfortable here in Nikki’s home, and she wondered just how much time he spent here.

She watched him for a moment as he reached into the utensil drawer and pulled out a corkscrew. When Landen looked up, and his eyes met Amelia’s, she could feel her face flush with embarrassment. She quickly busied herself with the popcorn, as she ripped open the bag and poured it into a large bowl. Then she walked to the freezer and pulled out her tub of Ben and Jerry’s.

“I only have the one tub,” she said as she turned and looked at Landen.

“No problem,” Landen laughed as he pulled open the drawer once more. “I have two spoons.”

“Perfect,” Amelia laughed as she picked up the popcorn and carried it to the living room, followed by Landen, carrying two glasses, and the bottle of wine.

“I almost forgot,” he said as he turned back to the kitchen, where he picked up the two spoons and slipped them into his pocket before he hurried after Amelia to the living room.

When he reached the living room, he set down the glasses and the bottle of wine before he pulled the spoons from his pocket. Landen gave Amelia as smile before he sat down on the sofa next to her.

“So,” he said as he leaned forward, and pour two glasses of wine. “What are we watching?”

“Well,” Amelia said with a smile, as she looked at Landen, knowing he probably wouldn’t be interested in the movie she had selected. “I was going to watch Steel Magnolias, but I don’t think it would be your kind of movie.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Landen said as he handed her a glass of wine. “It’s just about my all-time favourite movie. I love magnolias, and steel ones are my favourite.”

“You have no clue what I am talking about,” Amelia giggled as she looked at Landen. “Do you?”

“No,” he admitted with a grin. “But this is your party, so whatever you want to watch is fine with me.”

“Are you sure?” Amelia asked.

“I am,” he replied and smiled again.

“Okay,” Amelia replied, as she picked up the remote control, and started the movie before they both settled down to watch the movie.

This wasn’t the evening Amelia was expecting, but she was happy to have Landen there. She liked him, but she also liked the feeling of safety she had whenever he was around.

She took a sip from her glass of wine, trying to focus on the movie, and not on the fact that Landen was sitting next to her, sharing her ice-cream.

“I can’t believe she died,” Landen exclaimed two hours later when the movie ended. “Why would you watch a movie where one of the main characters die is such a sad way, leaving behind a little kid, it’s just heartbreaking.”

“But it’s life,” Amelia shrugged as she reached for her wine glass. “I’m curious about the human condition.”

“It made you cry!” Landen exclaimed with a laugh. “That to me is the strangest part of it.”

“It’s good to cry sometimes,” Amelia laughed. “It’s cathartic.”

“My mother says that too,” Landen replied laughing too. “And it always confused the hell out of my brothers and me. My dad would always say it was one of the things he liked best about her. The fact that she cried was a good thing; it proved she had a good heart.”

“I like that,” Amelia said before she took a sip of her wine. “The only time I ever saw my dad cry was the day I graduated high school. I made the honour roll, and I was Valedictorian. He said he wished my mom had been there to see that she had been right. I didn’t know what he meant, but he said that she told him the day I was born that I was going to be great. She said that one day, she would sit in the front row of my graduation ceremony, and she would watch me giving my Valedictorian speech. She said I was destined for greatness.”

Amelia’s smile faded a little knowing that Pete Reynolds had ruined that for her now.

“What’s wrong?” Landen asked like he knew there was something she wasn’t saying.

“Nothing,” Amelia shrugged. “I just wonder what my dad would say if he saw me now. He was so proud of me the day I was accepted to medical school, but Pete has taken even that from me.”

“You could always go back,” Landen suggested. “He can only win if you let him.”

“I know,” Amelia said, forcing a smile. They were having a good evening, she didn’t want to spoil it with thoughts of Pete Reynolds. “So, tell me about your family. They sound fascinating.”

“They are pretty awesome,” Landen replied, and Amelia loved how his face lit up when he talked about his family. “My dad was a cop, and my mom is a lawyer like me. Or I am one like her. Anyway, I’m the eldest of five sons. After me there is Finn. He is a professor at Stanford. He’s a genius. He was actually the youngest ever professor at Stanford. He is nothing like the others, I’m probably the closest to him. After him, there’s Callum, who I have already told you about. He is the serious one, but he is still a good person. Then we have Liam and Dylan. They’re twins. Liam is a detective with the San Francisco Police Department, just like my dad was, and Dylan is a surgical intern at UCSF Medical Center.”

“Wow,” Amelia said, impressed by what Landen had told her. “I’m sure both your parents must be very proud of you all.”

“They are,” Landen nodded, but then added with a smile. “But I think they would have been proud of us no matter what we did. My mom used to say that as long as we were happy, then she was happy too. My dad was the same, but I think he was secretly happy that one of us followed in his footsteps and joined the police force. All his brothers and my grandfather were all police officers too. So at least the tradition lived on.”

Landen smiled, and Amelia was curious what he was smiling about.

“What is it?” She asked as he watched him closely.

“I was just thinking of Liam,” Landen replied. “Of us all, he was the wildest one. My dad used to worry about him. He still is a bit of a handful, sometimes he says things without engaging his brain first, and he can piss the others off a lot. He gives Finn shit from time to time for being so smart, and Finn hates it…”

“But,” Amelia said, sensing there was a but coming.

“But he is the loyalist, bravest person I know,” Landen replied. “I mean, other than my dad. With Liam, it’s always family first, he would walk through fire to protect any one of us.”

“He sounds like a good man,” Amelia said with a smile.

“You know there is nothing he wouldn’t do to help you too,” Landen said giving Amelia a strange look.

“Does he know about me?” She asked, unsure of how she felt about this.

“Not exactly,” Landen replied. “He knows I am working on something that is potentially dangerous, but he doesn’t know about you.”

“I see,” she said as she set her glass back down. “And you want my permission to tell him.”

“No,” Landen replied, but Amelia could hear the surprise in his voice. “I just think that down the road, we might need to consider asking someone for help, and I wanted you to know, if that day comes, you can trust Liam with your life.”

“Okay,” Amelia replied giving him a grateful smile.

“We are out of wine,” Landen said as he reached over, picking up the empty bottle from the table.

“I have another bottle in the kitchen,” Amelia replied, as Landen went to stand, but she stopped him. “Let me.”

Amelia stood up and hurried to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of wine from the chiller. Then she pulled open the utensil drawer searching for the bottle opener. It was only after a few minutes of searching; she remembered that Landen had taken it into the living room with him. She smiled to herself as she turned, heading back towards the living room.

“Sorry it took so long, I…” She stopped mid-sentence when she walked back into the room, and she found Landen asleep on the sofa. She watched him for a moment before she slowly walked towards the sofa.

Amelia had to admit; he was gorgeous. She loved how his piercing blue eyes were framed by his dark hair, and there was just something about a man with a beard, something that Amelia found captivating.

He had a good body; she could see that even through his perfectly tailored suits. She liked that he was tall, it added to his strength somehow, like he was built to protect. Now he was protecting her.

Before Pete came into her life, Amelia had her share of dates, but no one that she had any real connection to. She did have that connection to Danny, and she was crushed when he ended things, but she understood his reasons. Still, it hadn’t made it any easier at the time.

Since then she had closed her mind and her heart to the possibility of ever having that connection with someone again. She knew there was no point in letting anyone close, while there was still a chance that Pete could still find her, and she would have to move on again.

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to allow herself to have these feelings for Landen. There was just something about him. Something that excited her but scared her in equal measures.

Amelia smiled as she watched him sleep, wondering if she should wake him, or leave him sleeping on the sofa. She knew the right thing to do was to wake him and let him go home, but he looked so peaceful. If she was honest, she liked that she felt safer with him there.

She leaned over him, to the back of the sofa and the throw that was on the back of it. Carefully, Amelia pulled it down and gently covered Landen with it.

Suddenly Landen opened his eyes as Amelia was leaning over him and she froze. He stared up into her eyes, as she held her breath, she knew she needed to say something, but her mind was completely blank.

Slowly, Landen leaned up, his eyes never leaving Amelia’s, and softly pressed his lips to hers.

Amelia’s heart hammered in her chest as he slowly pushed up further, slipping his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

Finally, he released her lips from his, but still, he held her close, she could feel his warm breath dance across the skin of her face, sending shivers through her entire body.

“I have wanted to do that since the first night I met you,” he whispered softly, his lips still barely from hers. “I don’t know why, but you have gotten under my skin, Amelia Davenport, and it scares the crap out of me.”

Amelia didn’t reply. Instead, she stared into his eyes, waiting for his next move, and she didn’t have long to wait.

Landen leaned forward and claiming her mouth once more, this time he pulled her down onto his lap, as his kiss deepened. His kiss was just as perfect as Amelia had imagined it would be. Everything about him was perfect, she knew she was falling for him completely, and that thought scared her more than any other thought she ever had.

As he kissed her, Landen’s hand slipped down her back, until he reached her backside. Then he pulled her closer to him, and Amelia had never wanted anything more than she wanted Landen.

She pulled back from his kiss abruptly, looking down into his eyes.

Every ounce of common sense was screaming at her to stop this. She knew the situation with Pete, and everything else was clouding her emotions, but right at that moment, she wanted for just once, not to have to worry about every tiny little detail, and just allow herself to live in the moment.

Amelia stood up from the sofa and took a deep breath, then reached out her hand.

She stared down into his eyes, as she waited for him to decide what he should do next. Amelia could see the uncertainty in his eyes, and she half expected him to make his excuses and leave. But she hoped that for just this once, things didn’t go the way she expected them to.

Landen blew out a sharp breath before he reached out taken her hand. Standing up in front of her, he wrapped his arms around her once more, but this time his kiss almost took her breath away.

Amelia melted into his arms, as she pressed her body against his, she could feel his arousal press into her stomach. She knew that, as unsure as he seemed, he wanted this as much as she wanted him.

Suddenly Landen scooped her up into his arms before he headed towards her bedroom, his eyes never leaving hers.

When they reached Amelia’s room, Landen didn’t waste any time. Laying her down on the bed, he quickly stood up, pulling his sweater over his head, before he climbed over her on the bed, and claimed her mouth once again.

Grabbing the hem of Amelia’s pyjama top, Landen pulled it up her body, breaking his lips from hers only long enough to pull her top over her head and discard it onto the floor.

Claiming her mouth once more, Landen ground his erection against Amelia, it filled her entire body with longing.  She ran her hands up his broad, perfectly toned chest, then around his neck before she pulled him closer to her. The smell of his divine aftershave was almost intoxicating. Amelia pinched her eyes closed, as she gave herself to him completely.

Landen breathlessly pulled his lips from her, then leaned up above her and stared down into her eyes.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, then gave her an uncertain smile, as he glided his right hand up her body, allowing his fingertips to brush against her sensitive nipples. They instantly grew harder, and Landen smiled to himself once more. “I have never wanted anyone more than I want you, right now.”

“You can have me,” Amelia breathed out, as she stared up at Landen from beneath her long lashes.

“I want you to be sure,” he said as he looked down into her eyes. “I don’t want you to do this because you feel like you have to.”

“I wouldn’t ever do anything I don’t want to,” she replied, as she leaned up, brushing her lips against his. “I promise you; I want this too.”

Landen stared at her for a moment, before he crashed his lips to hers once more. Suddenly, there was an urgency in them both, as they pulled at the rest of their clothes until there was nothing between them both but a thin layer of sweat that covered both their bodies.

Landen pulled back once more and reached for his trousers on the floor. Amelia watched him carefully as he pulled a foil packet from his pocket, before he slowly rolled a condom down over his impressive length.

Finally, he looked back up at her, and the moment their eyes met, Amelia’s heart almost burst through her chest it was beating so fast.

He gave her a knowing grin like he knew exactly what he was going to do to her, before he covered her body with his, as his mouth claimed hers, once again.

“OH, GOD!” Amelia cried out, as Landen pushed into her with one, single trust, filling her completely. She held her breath as she allowed her body to adjust to his arousal inside her.

Landen began to move in slow, deliberate thrust, each time filling Amelia a little more.

“You feel so good,” he whispered breathlessly against her mouth, as he slipped his arm beneath her, pushing her closer to him.

“So. Fucking. Good,” he continued, punctuating each word with a thrust.

Amelia didn’t say a word. She could barely breathe, much less form a thought. Instead, she just held him tight and allowed him to take her body to places she had never been before.

And for the first time since this nightmare had begun, she was able to forget about Pete Reynolds, and every terrifying moment she had lived through for the last three years.

Right at that moment, there was just her and Landen, nothing else mattered.

Landen’s breathing slowly began to become more laboured. Amelia knew he was close, and she loved that she had made this, huge, masculine man, come apart so easily. It was a heady feeling.

Over and over he pushed into her, sending her body into a complete free-fall, until finally, her orgasm erupted deep inside her, sending a shockwave through every muscle of her tired, aching limbs.

Landen pushed into her harder, clearly pushed on by her cries of pleasure, until he too cried out, as he exploded inside her, then stilled, letting his body ride out the orgasm that has almost tore him in two.

Finally, he slumped down on top on Amelia, practically pinning her beneath his perfect body, until finally, he lifted his head, as he stared down into her eyes.

“What the hell have you done to me?” He asked, surprising her with his question.

“I… I don’t know what you mean,” she replied as a wave of panic formed inside her.

“The things I feel inside of me,” he whispered breathlessly. “The longing I have, it feels like I can barely breathe when I look at you.”

“I see,” Amelia replied, and she couldn’t help but smile at his words.

“I promise you,” Landen said breathlessly. “I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Even if it means my life.”

He gave her a smile before he claimed her mouth with his once more.