19. Landon
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Landon
The vacuum roars under my hand as I push it across the living room rug, the steady hum drowning out the legal podcast piping through my headphones. Something about antitrust litigation, though the words slide past without catching.
I just need noise. Noise and movement, because if I sit still too long, my head goes back to last night.
My hand in her leggings. Her body jerking against mine. The way she shook after.
I grit my teeth and run the vacuum back across the same stretch of carpet for the third time.
A knock sounds at the door. Sharp. Intentional.
I yank the headphones down around my neck and kill the vacuum. For a second I consider ignoring it, but the knock comes again, firmer this time.
When I open the door, my pulse stumbles.
Ivy.
She’s standing there in black leggings and a thin gray T-shirt, her hair pulled into a high ponytail that shows off the curve of her neck. She looks flushed, like she walked here fast, and her hands move as soon as her mouth does.
“You can’t just do that,” she blurts. “You can’t kiss me like that. You can’t touch me like that. I’m in a relationship, Landon, and it was—it was reckless and unfair and?—”
“Ivy,” I cut in, holding the door open wider. “Come inside.”
She hesitates only a second before stepping past me. Her sneakers squeak faintly against the polished wood. She stops in the middle of my pristine living room, arms crossed tight.
I shut the door and face her. “I was going to apologize. I wanted to. But I wasn’t sure that if I came over, I wouldn’t touch you again. That’s why I vacuumed for an hour instead.”
Her brow furrows, confusion flickering across her face. “Vacuuming?”
“Something to keep my hands busy.” My mouth twists. “Something to keep me away from you.”
She shakes her head. “You should have stopped yourself. It was stupid. Reckless. You know I’m not free like that.”
“I know,” I admit, voice rough. “It was a very douchebag thing for me to do.”
She folds her arms tighter. “You’re right. It was.”
“I am sorry.” I force the words out, jaw tight. “I know you’re in a relationship. I know you’re not mine to touch. I can see the way Hunter and Rhett are around you. They care about you.”
Her eyes soften almost imperceptibly, but she doesn’t look away. “I told them.”
That makes me pause. The words lodge somewhere low in my chest. “You told them?”
She nods once. “About you. About what happened.”
“And?” My voice is quieter than I mean it to be.
“And they weren’t angry. In fact, it was their suggestion that I come here and clear the air with you. I can’t believe you made a move on me.”
I huff a bitter laugh. “You kissed me first.”
Color rises in her cheeks. “That’s not the point.”
“It’s part of the point.” My steps carry me closer before I can stop them. The air between us grows charged again, heat pulling me in like a tide I can’t fight. “I kissed you back. You didn’t pull away.”
“I should have,” she whispers.
“But you didn’t.”
The silence stretches, thick and loaded. My restraint pulls tight across my chest, ribs aching with the effort of holding it. Her eyes lock to mine, wide and wary and wanting. My jaw clenches until it aches.
“Landon!” Her eyes trail up and down my body. “I’m here to talk.”
“I know.” I can already feel my cock hardening in my pants just because she’s looking at me. No other woman has ever had this kind of maddening effect on me.
“And I’m not going to be here after summer ends.”
“Neither will I, Ivy.”
“Then stop looking at me like you are going to kiss me again, dammit.” She rolls her lip between her teeth.
“You know I can’t,” I mutter.
“You can’t? Can’t stop what, Landon?” Her gaze lowers to my lips and all my blood rushes downwards.
“Do you want me to kiss you again? Or do we just forget it happened?” I’m barely holding myself back.
She studies me. “I think we both know the answer to that.”
“No, we don’t. Use your words, Ivy.”
“I need you to kiss me, Landon.”
“Fucking hell.” The leash snaps.
I press her back against the wall before she can react, my mouth crashing against hers. Her gasp melts into a kiss that is rough, messy, nothing like what I usually allow myself.
My hands find her waist, her ribs, sliding higher until I can feel the frantic beat of her heart against my palms.
Her small hands fist in my shirt. She arches into me. The taste of her undoes me faster than I care to admit.
I drop to my knees, pushing her T-shirt up as I go. My fingers hook into the waistband of her leggings and tug them down. Her thighs tremble as I spread them, lifting one over my shoulder.
“Once,” I rasp against her skin. My breath is hot against the inside of her thigh. “We do this once. You have your guys. I’m not here for long. You’re not here for long either. This is it.”
She nods, breathless, her ponytail brushing the wall as her head falls back.
I lick into her, the taste of her hitting my tongue and making me groan out loud. “Christ, you taste good.”
Her whimper answers me, high and desperate. My hands pin her hips to the wall as my mouth works her, tongue stroking, sucking, dragging her closer. She writhes, clinging to my hair, her thighs squeezing around my head.
“Landon,” she gasps, broken. “Oh damn?—”
I groan again, the vibration making her cry out louder. I focus on the spot that makes her jolt, relentless, merciless. She bucks against me, panting, until her whole body seizes tight, shuddering as she comes hard on my tongue.
I hold her through it, savoring every second. Then I stand in one fluid motion, scooping her up like she weighs nothing. She’s so small in my arms.
I spin her once before carrying her down the hall to my bedroom, tossing her onto the bed. She blinks up at me, dazed, lips swollen, chest heaving.
I strip my shirt off and undo my belt. “Get on your knees.”
Her eyes widen. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Give me head.”
She scoffs, but her cheeks are flushed, eyes dark with want. “You’re an asshole.”
“Probably.” I curl my fingers in her ponytail and tug lightly. “Do it anyway.”
She glares at me for half a heartbeat, then crawls across the bed, sinking between my legs. Her small hand wraps around me, stroking once before her mouth closes over the tip. My head falls back with a groan.
“Fuck, yes. Just like that.”
She takes me deeper, gagging slightly, her eyes watering as she looks up at me through her lashes. The sight nearly unravels me. My hand tightens in her hair, guiding her pace.
“So good. You look so pretty like this. My god, Ivy.”
I’m losing my mind. I’ve never been like this in bed. Never felt this out of control.
I yank her up and flip her onto her back. I tear a condom open with my teeth before I roll it on in seconds.
Then I’m inside her. “You’re so fucking tight, sweetheart.”
She screams, nails raking down my back. “Move! Please, fuck me.”
I do. I pound into her, driving her into the mattress with every thrust. Her cries get louder, her body arching beneath me, clenching around me until I am nearly incoherent.
“Landon!” she sobs, legs locking around my waist.
I bury my face in her neck, groaning as I slam into her harder, faster, until the room disappears and there is only this. Only her.
I come undone with a guttural sound, spilling into the condom as she clenches around me, trembling with her own release.
For a long moment, the only sound in the room is our ragged breathing. My body is slick with sweat, my heart pounding like it wants out of my chest.
I roll off her, staring at the ceiling, dazed.
This was supposed to be once. But as I glance at her, flushed and beautiful beside me, I know I’ve already lied to myself.
Her skin is soft under my hand, silk stretched over warmth, and I can’t stop touching her. My fingers trail lazily down her spine, feeling every curve, every little shiver that runs through her.
She’s sprawled half across my chest, hair tumbling over my shoulder, smelling faintly of shampoo and something sweeter underneath that I can’t name.
“So what’s the deal with you guys?” I finally ask, voice low. “Is this… an open relationship kind of thing?”
She shakes her head quickly, pressing her cheek against me. “No. It’s not open. It’s just… it’s us. It’s fun. And it’s what’s working for us right now.”
I hum, letting the words settle, though curiosity pushes harder than restraint. “How is that, though? Getting it on with two guys?”
She stiffens, the muscles of her back tightening under my palm. Her head lifts, and she gives me a wary look, lips parting.
I raise my free hand in surrender. “I’m not judging. I swear. I’m just curious. Honest curiosity.”
Her eyes narrow slightly, still cautious.
“I swear I’m not. In fact,” I add, because the truth is already on the tip of my tongue, “when I saw you with them that first time on the balcony, I ended up jerking off. Couldn’t get you out of my head.
So seeing it from the outside looking in, fucking phenomenal.
But I wonder what it feels like for you.
Do you like it? Aren’t you, like, sore? And I get why they wouldn’t want to leave you for one second.
I’ve fucked you once and all I can think about is fucking you again… and again… and again… “
Her breath hitches. I watch her face carefully, the little flicker of heat she tries to hide but can’t. Her pupils dilate, her lips part. Desire paints her features in ways she probably doesn’t realize.
“You never struck me as someone this crude,” she whispers, her voice a mix of reproach and something warmer.
“You don’t know me at all,” I murmur back. My thumb grazes her shoulder blade. Then, silently, I add to myself: I didn’t know I could be this way either. “All you know is that I fucked you good, didn’t I?”
Her gaze flicks over my face, like she’s trying to read something that isn’t written there.
“You’ve got a filthy mouth, Mr. Shaw.”
The words slip out before I think them through. “My ex-wife would disagree with you on that one.”
She blinks, startled. “Ex-wife? You were married?”
I cock my head, smirking faintly. “You never Googled me?”
She lets out a laugh, shaking her head as she swats my chest lightly. “You’re cocky, you know that?”
“I’m a lawyer. Comes with the job.” I catch her wrist before she pulls her hand back and press a kiss to her knuckles. “And you are too, in your own way. Always ready to argue.”
Her cheeks flush at that, though her smile lingers.
For a moment, we lie in silence, the rhythm of her breath syncing with mine. But the thought still itches at me, so I ask, “You said you won’t be here after the summer. Can I ask what that means?”
Her lashes sweep down as she nods slowly. “I have a contract in New York. Starting in the fall. With Kellerman, Chase & Harlan.”
I let out a low whistle. “That’s one of the biggest entertainment firms in the country.”
Her lips curve, proud but shy. “Yeah.”
“Congratulations,” I say, and I mean it. “Landing a job like that is no small feat.”
She looks at me, eyes sparkling. “Careful, Landon. If you keep talking like that, I might think you actually like me.”
I hold her gaze. “I already told you I like you.”
Her smile deepens, soft and disbelieving, and before I can add anything else, she rolls over, straddling my waist. Her thighs press against my sides, her hair falling around her face as she looks down at me.
“Is that so? What else do you like about me?” she teases, her tone playful but her eyes searching.
I grin. “Careful. Your cocky lawyer side is showing, sweetheart.”
She opens her mouth to retort, but I grip her hips and lift her higher, shifting her until she’s straddling my face instead.
Her laugh breaks into a gasp as I settle her there, my hands firm around her thighs. She grinds down tentatively, then harder, the rough press of her heat against my mouth making me groan into her.
She tastes like salt and sweetness, like everything I shouldn’t want but can’t stop myself from devouring. I tongue her slowly at first, savoring, dragging it out until she squirms. Then I clamp her tighter and draw her down against me, sucking her clit until she cries out.
“Landon,” she gasps, her fingers clawing into my hair, her body rocking helplessly against my mouth.
I lap at her, relentless, until her thighs tremble around my head and her cries pitch higher.
She grinds down rougher, desperate for friction, and I let her use me, licking, sucking, groaning against her until her whole body tightens and she comes undone, gasping my name like it’s the only thing tethering her.
The taste of her lingers on my tongue, and I’m already hard again, straining against her leg.
I lower her back down, her body boneless, her cheek pressed to my chest as she pants, dazed. I stroke her hair back, but my voice is rough when I murmur, “See? That’s what I like about you.”
She laughs weakly, still catching her breath.
But I’m not done. Not even close.
I grip her hips again, rolling her under me, and slide between her thighs, kissing down her stomach as she writhes beneath me. My cock presses hard against her entrance, and I groan into her skin.
Her voice is a whisper, teasing and raw. “You’re insatiable.”
“Only with you,” I mutter, nipping at her hip before sliding back up.
Her legs wrap around me as I press inside her again, slow at first, then rougher as the rhythm takes over. Her nails drag down my back, her moans filling the room.
Every thrust makes me feel closer to the edge of something dangerous.