Chapter Eleven
Riley
The ray of sunlight was a surprise and I hid my face in my pillow. Then I remembered last night and giddy butterflies in my stomach woke me up.
It had taken hours to fall asleep, just knowing that Landon was on the lumpy couch in the living room of our cramped apartment. I had swung between embarrassed and thrilled for hours, so the fact that I had actually fallen asleep was a shock.
I had tossed and turned, wanting to invite him into my room. I had wondered what it would feel like to have his skin pressed up against my mine. I wanted to feel my ass pressed up against the bend in his waist as he held me, his strong arms pulling my in close. I wanted to feel all of him. It wasn’t even about the sex, that I’m sure would have been incredible.
Anna's cat had batted open my bedroom door, leaving a narrow view of the living room. There, Landon stood up and stretched in the bright morning sunlight. It fell across his muscled chest and my fingers tingled with jealousy. If only I could sweep my hands across his tanned skin.
Whoa, Riley. Calm it down.
I buried my face in my pillow again as my cheeks burned.
He was eventually going to put a shirt on so I sneaked one more glance —it would be a crime not to look. He clasped his bare shoulders and stretched one arm at a time across his body. His abdomen rippled and my mouth went dry. It had to be a sin to be so hot and so rich. How could it not go to his head? It certainly went to mine.
Done stretching, Landon went barefoot and bare-chested into the kitchen. I cringed thinking what he would find, but he started to whistle an easy tune. He cursed about the coffeemaker for a moment before giving up and putting our old, red kettle on the stove. Then I heard sounds of him rummaging around in the refrigerator.
My brain yelped about being a good hostess, but my body luxuriated in the sliver of the view I had of a half-naked man cooking. Finally, when he turned back to the stove, I struggled out of bed. I paused in the middle of my room when I heard Anna's keys in the front door.
"Oh, sorry. Excuse me." Anna probably meant to turn right around, but her eyes were fastened to Landon's bare shoulders.
"Good morning. We never officially met the other day. I'm Landon Michel." He brushed his hands off on our dingy towel and strode to the front door to shake Anna's hand.
“I’m Anna,” she said and gave him a quick shy smile. She inched in the front door, and he gallantly closed it behind her. "I'm just going to…oh my god! This place is a mess. Just don't look!" Anna fluttered around aimlessly, grabbing things out of the clutter.
"Are you kidding? I love it. Actual life everywhere I look. So much better than a sterile hotel suite," Landon said.
"Um, thanks. Yeah, you're welcome to stay as long as you want." Anna backed across our small living room and cracked her shin on the coffee table. "Ouch. Yeah, I'm just going to go talk to my roommate."
She whipped into my room and shut the door behind her. When she saw me frozen stupidly in place, she clapped both hands over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"I'm such an idiot!" she whispered. "I freaked out and almost fell on my face. Landon Michel in our apartment?"
I shushed her even as my own giggles spilled out. "Shh, these walls are so thin. He can probably hear us whispering."
"I knew you two went to dinner at Scupper's, but I had no idea it went this far. Nice work, Ms. Cullen," Anna said.
"No! Nothing happened!” I covered my mouth, astonished at how it looked, but secretly I loved the idea of exactly how it had looked. “He just didn't want to go back to his hotel. Wait, how did you know where we had dinner?" I grabbed a white linen shirt from my closet and tugged it on.
Anna shook her head and forced me out of the white shirt. "It's major gossip. All of Santa Cruz is talking about the billionaire playboy and the local girl."
"Everyone heard?" I took the dark blue sundress she held out.
"Everyone. People said you two looked pretty cozy on the patio. Did you lean together over the small table, holding hands?"
I whipped around with the sundress still undone. "No. I mean, maybe we leaned. No, wait, he did take my hand when we decided to leave."
Anna grinned. "I heard about that, too. Took a bottle of wine and skipped out over the sand dunes. Very romantic."
"Oh my god, is everyone really talking about it?"
"Yup. Owen got into it with some guys down at the bar when they mentioned it." Anna zipped up my dress and selected a pair of gold hoop earrings for me.
I plucked a white cardigan from the closet. "Nothing happened."
Anna slapped the demure sweater out of my hands. "Nothing? He didn't want to share you with the dinner crowd, so he bought the wine and ran away with you for a romantic walk on the beach. How is that nothing?"
"It was romantic." I snapped my jaw shut, shocked I had said it out loud.
"And it'll keep being romantic if you get out there. He's cooking something, for god's sake. Without a shirt on!"
Anna shoved me toward the bedroom door, but I dug my heels in. "I just woke up. My hair!"
"He just woke up too. All rumpled and gorgeous. Jesus! If you don't get out there, I will."
My bedroom door slammed behind me, and Landon looked up from his chopping. "Good morning. I hope I didn't overstep by starting breakfast. Do you like omelets?"
"You don't need to cook. You're my —our—guest," I stammered.
Landon grinned but kept chopping. "The only thing I didn't do was start the coffee. I don't know how to use your machine there."
I shuffled toward the kitchen, not sure I could trust myself that close to his golden bare skin. "You don't know how to use a coffeemaker?"
"Normally I have French press coffee." He gave me a pained smile. "I really hope that didn't sound snobby. French press is easy and quick."
I edged into the kitchen and found a fresh coffee filter. Landon joined me at the tiny counter and watched as I measured out pre-ground coffee with a cracked tablespoon. "Sorry we don't have a grinder, but I think this stuff is still pretty fresh."
Both my brain and mouth were failing. Landon was at least five inches taller than me, and if I turned around I would be face to face with that chiseled chest. How was I supposed to resist pressing a kiss to the warm skin above his heart? The thought made my blood roar in my ears.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Landon chuckled. "I'm not usually a morning person. Must be the sun here in Santa Cruz. The fog likes to hang around longer at Michel's Beach."
I tried to focus. "Yeah, um, it's already feeling really warm. I mean, too bad it's so sunny. Now you can see what a dump you stayed in last night."
Landon spun me around, his large hands brushing my arms. Anna had been right about losing that cardigan. He paused for a moment and his thumbs rubbed back and forth.
"I love your apartment. Everything is within reach. It doesn't feel like home if you have to search miles of rooms before finding another living person. Speaking of other people —Anna, would you like an omelet?"
Anna froze near the front door and then turned around as if she had not just been tiptoeing out. "That's nice of you, but I really should get out of your way, I mean, get going."
"Nonsense, Riley will set the table for three. Do you mind?" he asked me.
I shook my head and slipped past him to another cupboard. I searched for three matching plates. There was no time to run the dishwasher. It had sat full of dirty dishes for two days. Not that we had a full set of dinnerware even when all the dishes were clean. Landon was used to white linen tablecloths and a wide array of perfectly polished silverware. I found two white plates with a cobalt design around the edges and one ceramic plate covered with a cherry blossom pattern.
When I turned around, Landon was right behind me and I stumbled. He caught me around the waist and steadied me, but even the slight pressure from his hands made me dizzy.
"See? I like this kitchen. Intimate," Landon said.
The low timbre of his voice rubbed over me and I fought the urge to purr. I sucked in a quick breath and said, "Glad you like close quarters because the table's a tight fit."
Our cottage dining table sat pressed up against the kitchen island. When I pointed it out, Landon helped me pull it out into the living room. Anna rushed to kick stacks of textbooks out of the way.
"This is perfect," Landon said. He marveled at the table's hinged leaves that folded up to make it a small circle.
We only had two real chairs, so I plopped down on the folding chair and hoped Landon didn’t notice. He had turned back to the stove.
Behind his back, Anna bugged her eyes out at me and then fanned herself. I made a weak attempt to shoo her out the door, but it was good to have my roommate there. If I didn't have a chaperone, I would have been in the kitchen taste-testing the chef. Anna must have read my mind because she couldn't smother her delight.
"Where did you learn to make omelets?" I asked loud enough to cover Anna's giggle.
"The kitchen's always the heart of a home even if that home stretches over multiple acres." Landon lifted the skillet and folded the omelet with one neat flick of his wrist. "I was allowed to sit at the counter while our chef worked, as long as I did my homework."
Landon slipped the omelet onto a plate, and neatly cut it in three. He handed me the plate over the kitchen island, and then leaned back to put the skillet in the sink.
"Is this why they call small apartments 'efficiencies?'" he asked.
Before I could answer, his phone buzzed. Landon grabbed it from the coffee table, looked at the message, and scowled.
"This is amazing," Anna said with her mouth full. "I can't believe Landon Michel just made us breakfast!"
I took a bite and savored the creamy combination of red peppers, mushrooms, and cheese he had mixed in the center. "You must have done more than homework in that kitchen because this is delicious," I said.
Landon's smile was quick and sad. "Thanks. It's too bad you're so surprised. Cooking is such a wonderful, normal thing. That's why I love it. I don't get to cook very often, but it makes me feel like, I don't know, a real person."
"A normal, wonderful thing?" Anna scoffed. "We'll see if you say that when Riley cooks for you."
"Hey! My grandfather loved my cooking," I said.
"Your grandfather loved you," Anna laughed. "The last time she made me dinner, what was it? Lasagna. I thought it was some sort of tomato stew."
"Like you're some gourmet. The last time you cooked, it was waffles. The kind you make in the toaster," I said.
Anna grinned and swatted me. "So, really, we should be thanking you again, Landon. Without this breakfast, it's likely we would have starved today."
"I can make lasagna," Landon said. "Though I can't really take credit for how good the omelets taste. I used fresh herbs from the windowsill."
"That's Riley," Anna said. "She's got the greenest thumb I've ever seen. I didn't even know oregano came in non-flake form."
Landon smiled. "Is that Thai basil?"
I nodded but Anna interrupted. "She's also growing regular basil, thyme, sage, lemon grass, cilantro, and what are the tall green things?"
"Scallions," I said.
"Now that's gourmet," Landon said. He tipped his phone over, scowled at the message, and pressed it back onto the table. "You know, you should come talk to my friend. I've been bugging him to put in a vegetable garden at the estate, but he's stalling. Says he doesn't know what to plant."
"Your friend?" I asked.
Landon shrugged. "He's also my head gardener. You'll like him."
I choked on my last bite of delicious omelet. "Your head gardener doesn't need advice from me. I'm a total novice. I'm still in Botany 101. Oh my god! Botany! I'm going to be late for class." I jumped up from the small table and knocked my knees, rattling the plates.
"Riley." Anna was amused at my nervous explosion.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. Do you want a lift back to your hotel suite?" I asked Landon.
"Actually, I don't have anywhere to be for the next few days, so I'm not really in a rush," Landon said. He stood up and cleared the plates with a quick shuffle of his large hands. "Plus James is at the hotel if I need him."
"James?" Anna asked with a hopeful lilt.
"His driver," I told her. "What are you doing? Landon, you don't have to wash the dishes. I can do that when I get back from class. It's my turn."
He chuckled. "I don't mind. I kind of like it. You can see the beach from your kitchen window."
Anna feigned a swoon behind his back. "Well, I for one am not going to keep you from enjoying yourself."
"Anna, can you help me find the charger for my laptop?" I grabbed her arm and hauled her into my bedroom.
"Could he be any more of a dream?" Anna whispered. "He loves to cook, and don't get me started about that body."
"This isn't really happening, is it? I'm going to wake up and find your cat licking my ear any second now." I paced the few steps my tight room allowed. "He's here, in our crappy little apartment."
"And he loves it," Anna squealed. "Seriously, Riley, he couldn't be nicer. I know you think he tricked you at the gala, but that was your own fault for not recognizing him. That man is solid gold, and I'm not just talking about the size of his fortune."
I smacked my friend on the shoulder. "This is insane, but if he wants to stay longer, would that be all right with you?"
Anna laughed at full volume. "Of course!"
I cracked the bedroom door open and froze. Landon was now drying the dishes and singing to himself. He sashayed across the minute kitchen and put the plates away. While his back was turned, I sprinted down our short hallway and into the bathroom.
There I gripped the sink. He was not a hallucination. Anna saw Landon too, and we all just ate breakfast together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I scrubbed my face, brushed my teeth, and raked a comb through my hair in record time. Then I took long, slow breaths to calm down before I strolled back to the living room.
I promptly forgot to breathe when I spotted Landon on our saggy couch. He'd put on his white dress shirt, but it was open and the sleeves were rolled up. He scowled at his phone again and tossed it to the opposite end of the couch. Then he looked up at me and smiled.
"You look wonderful," he said.
His smile sent funny fissures of warmth through my stomach.
Anna's cat was curled up on his khaki pants and purring louder than a diesel engine. "The coffee's ready," Landon said. "I'd pour you a cup, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to get up." He gave the white cat a scratch behind the ears.
"I'll get you one. Cream and sugar?" I spun out to the kitchen and blindly groped for coffee mugs.
"Just a splash of cream, please."
I grabbed our chipped mason jar of sugar along with the two mugs. "You might want sugar. The coffee's not the best."
"Thanks," Landon smiled up at me. "Thanks for letting me cook in your kitchen. Do you need to go right now? I wouldn't want you to be late."
I waved a hand to stop him from getting up. "No, don't worry about it. Stay as long as you like. Just lock up when you go."
Landon settled back onto the couch and stroked the worried feline. When the cat tucked himself back in and started to purr again, Landon asked, "You're okay with that?"
Anna snorted as she emerged from her bedroom and headed for the front door. "Yeah. It's not like we think you, of all people, are going to steal any of our junk. You're welcome to stay as long as you want."
"Really?" Landon asked me. "I'm not going to lie, staying here would be a lot more comfortable and a lot more fun than that gray suite at the hotel. The entire bathroom is gray. The fireplace is stainless steel. The kitchen counters are slate gray."
"Oh my god," I said. "Your suite is four times the size of this place, isn't it?"
"So you'd think they'd be able to fit some charm in," Landon said with a grin, "but, nope, they went for gray."
"Then I'll see you around. Oh, and just so you know, Riley's done after lunch today." Anna winked at me and disappeared out the front door.
"I have two classes this morning," I told him. I was too nervous to do anything but babble. "So, I'll be back around lunch. I just need to grab my laptop."
Landon caught my wrist as I leaned down to the low bookshelf next to the couch. "Thanks for such a wonderful date."
"Ha! Liar. You're used to five-star meals, fancy dresses, and desserts that cost more than my rent."
Landon's blue eyes darkened. His look made me feel like the tide was rushing in. "Last night was one of the best dates I've had in the past few years, Riley. You have no idea."
My knees wobbled and I dropped to the couch next to him. Anna's cat glared at me and rubbed his whiskers along Landon's bare stomach. "How is that possible?"
He caught a strand of my hair in his fingers and twirled it. "I've been thinking about it and I think the answer's clear. I really like you. You don't expect me to be anything else. I don't have to live up to any reputation."
"I looked you up," I confessed. "After, um, after the gala. I was curious."
"And yet that hasn't changed the way you treat me." He tugged on the strand of hair and smiled. "You have no idea what a relief that is."
I was swimming in his ocean blue eyes and needed to come up for air. "I had a great time last night, too. Well, except for all the whispering behind our backs at the restaurant. People are awful.” I had to stand up or I was at risk for never leaving his side. "Well, Anna's right, you're welcome to stay as long as you want. I've got to run to class, but you stay and relax."
Leaving was like fighting a strong current. Landon pulled me to him, but I finally got out the front door. Anna was waiting for me on the bottom step.
"Two more minutes and I was going to give you two some privacy," she said with a grin.
I walked down the steps without seeing them. I had memorized every detail of Landon stretched out on our couch with Anna's white cat curled up in his lap. His dark brown hair tousled, the thick waves gleaming. The golden tan contrasting against his white shirt. The open shirt revealing the flat expanse of his stomach and the strong contours of his chest. He dominated the space, long legs bumping into the coffee table. Those blue eyes lighting on every messy detail of my life, and those wide, firm lips curving with smiles.
The memory was intoxicating.
"Get in, I'll give you a lift. Clearly, you are not in any state to drive yourself," Anna said.
I blinked. I had followed Anna to her car and stood next to the door like a zombie. "Sorry, no, I just. I was distracted."
She laughed. "Distracted might not be strong enough. I gotta admit, I'm jealous. Not jealous that you’re dating a gorgeous billionaire. I just wish someone made me stumble around with such a goofy, happy expression."
"I'm such a moron." I smacked my own head. "I have to get a grip, or I'm going to be late for class."
Anna plopped her hands on her hips. "For god's sake, Riley, if there was ever a time to blow off class, it's now. You can make up the work. Just email your professor and tell him you're sick. Then go back into that apartment and see if Landon wants to play doctor."
I ignored her waggling eyebrows or the melting heat in my stomach. Just the idea of opening the door and seeing Landon again had me overheating. "I can't skip class. What would Grandpa say? I used a big chunk of the money he gave me to pay for this course. I have to go."
"Do it for me," Anna pleaded. "Give me something to be really jealous of."
I brushed back my hair and took a deep, head-clearing breath. "There's nothing to be jealous of, Anna, I told you that. Nothing happened last night. Maybe he just likes hanging out with me like I'm his surrogate little sister or something."
Anna snorted. "I'm sorry, but I'm not blind. And you know what? Even a blind person would have felt all the chemistry between you two."
"Really?" I watched my own hands flutter with excitement and was powerless to stop them.
"Yes, really." Anna sighed. "You should have seen the way he looked at you."
* * * * *
Anna's words were the only thing I heard during the botany lecture. It didn't even seem possible that Landon Michel looked at me, much less looked at me in whatever way my roommate saw. Still, the way she talked about it, her voice edged with happiness, jealousy, and longing, meant something. It meant that I wasn't the only one feeling the undeniable attraction.
Attraction. My mind slipped away from the lecture and back to Landon with his white shirt unbuttoned, his chest bare.
My phone vibrated and I fumbled it out of my purse underneath my desk. My stealth was almost ruined when I laughed out loud. I had to feign a bizarre cough to cover it up. Then I studied the picture again.
Landon was still on the couch, except now Anna's cat had all four paws in the air. The cat’s head was hanging off Landon’s leg, with a curve to its feline mouth that looked exactly like a smile.
Boo says thank you for letting me stay, the message beneath the picture read.
My heart leapt. I bent my head back over my notes and hoped my fellow classmates wouldn't see me grinning like a fool.
Landon Michel was still at my apartment. I thought when I left the gala that I would never see him again outside tabloid photographs. And now he was sitting on my couch, relaxing in the warm sunshine.
I checked my watch and willed time to go faster. I wondered what it would feel like to pull open the apartment door and find him still inside, and I couldn't wait to find out.