Chapter 6 #2
She nodded wordlessly, taking the elastic band from my hand, shoving it in a small pocket in her dress. I pushed her hair to one side, baring the back of her neck to me. I lingered with my fingers on her skin longer than necessary, pressing my thumb where her hairline ended.
“Are we going to dance or what? I’m breaking the rules with you, Landon. You’d better make it count.”
I was breaking some rules of my own. It was the first time I’d let myself come this close to a woman in years.
But that didn’t matter right now. This moment was all that mattered.
Maddie was all that mattered. She had wanted to let loose and go all wild the entire night, but she hadn’t been able to behind that bar.
I was going to give her what she needed.
Lowering my hands to her hips again, I moved us both to the rhythm of the music.
She gave herself to the music, to me, the sway of her body smooth and inviting.
Her scent was driving me insane, and I knew the intoxicating flower sweetness would be branded in my memory for a long time.
Taking her hands, I twirled her, catching the feral glimpse in her eyes.
“You’re good at this, Landon.”
I spun her again, once, twice, until she lost all sense of space and swayed right into my arms. Laughter tumbled out of her, and I could hear the reverberations of her guffaws against my chest. It was contagious.
I joined in on her laughter, but then she let the music take her over again, and I pulled her to me.
I wanted to soak up all her sensual energy.
Our hips were aligned, our chests touching.
Heat was building inside me, and when I felt her frantic breath land on my jaw, lust shot right under my belt.
A drop of sweat dripped from her temple, making its way to her earlobe. I wanted to lick her there.
When the music stopped, we both glanced at the stage questioningly. I didn’t want the moment to end. Judging by how tightly Maddie was holding my hand, neither did she.
“Sorry, guys, we already played fifteen minutes extra for you. But we really have to go.”
Maddie jumped, slipping her hand away. “Oh, I have to close up. I lost track of time. I….”
As the band gathered their instruments, Maddie wiped the bar surface with a wet cloth, put the remaining glasses in the dishwasher.
“Landon, you don’t have to wait for me.”
“Yes I do. I’m walking you home.”
Maddie straightened up, scrutinizing me like she was seeing me for the first time. “I live just a few blocks away.”
“It’s not up for negotiation. It’s late, and your car was vandalized. It’s not safe.”
She laughed softly. “I just met you last week. How do I know you’re safe?”
“Val can vouch for me. Give her a call.”
“At three o’clock in the morning?” She tilted her head, her eyes holding a challenge.
“The owner shouldn’t let a woman close up the bar. I never let Val do it. He should have asked one of the guys who worked as server to do it. A lot of drunkards hang around in front after closing time, and most people you meet on the street at this time are looking for trouble.”
“I walk home alone every time I’m here.”
“Not this time.”
“You’re intense.”
I laughed. “You could say that.”
“That’s why you hung around the entire night? To walk me home?”
“That and I wanted to dance with you. So the matter’s settled.”
“No it’s not.”
“You can’t get rid of me, sweetheart. I’m walking you home.”
Maddie
I gave in to him, because how could I not?
I had the shrewd suspicion that it wouldn’t have mattered—he’d have walked me home anyway.
He seemed the kind of man who wouldn’t be deterred by a no, and I liked it, a little too much.
I also liked that he was so protective of me. Did that make me a little nutty?
Truthfully, I appreciated his offer, because with the wave of tourists that summer brought in, you could never be too careful. Grace always drove after a shift because she lived farther away.
He had a point about my car being broken into. And I had to admit to myself that I wanted his company for a few more minutes. The way he’d danced with me… My insides were melting just remembering it. My entire body was still wound up tight from all the sensations he’d stirred inside me.
“It’s a lovely night,” I exclaimed as we left the bar.
“Great for a walk,” he replied. Judging by the sheer number of people out and about, you wouldn’t have thought it was almost four o’clock in the morning. LA was just as alive and vibrant as ever, though summer seemed to be an especially crowded time.
I wrestled with the million questions I had for him. I didn’t want to pry, but at the same time I wanted to know more about him, and I wanted to know things directly from the source, not from Val.
Maybe I was imagining things, but while we were dancing, I felt a connection—something that went beyond the spark between us. In the throes of dancing, he seemed to let loose in a way I hadn’t seen him do since he arrived.
“Can I ask you something?” I tried.
“Sure.”
“Did something happen to make you decide to take time off?”
“We just finalized talks for a partnership with another player in the industry. We have a lot of synergies between us, and it makes sense. But I’ve been working sixteen-hour days for the last six months to make it happen.
I needed a break. And I missed my family.
It’s been years since I spent more than a few days at a time with them.
” He smiled at me, a smile that made my insides flutter.
Damn my traitorous insides. They had no business fluttering.
“But if my brothers ask, my official story is I needed a proper break from everything. I’ll never hear the end of it otherwise.
Plus, I did need a vacation during which I don’t wake up to check sales numbers and go to bed making projections. ”
“Instead you unload timber poles and walk women home in the middle of the night.”
“Just one woman. And I’ll gladly do it again. I had a great time tonight, Maddie. I loved dancing with you.”
My skin sizzled, and I nearly melted into a puddle when he cocked his head and trapped my gaze with his.
“I loved it too.”
“Worth breaking the rules?” he challenged.
“One hundred percent.”
“Tell me about your sister.”
“Grace is the smartest person,” I piped up. “She’s in law school right now on a partial scholarship and works at the Lucky Bar and a few other places.”
“And that’s enough to pay the rest of the tuition fees?”
“No, I’m paying them. She works to cover her living costs.”
He smiled. “You’re a great sister.”
“Thanks. I don’t want Grace to graduate with a ton of debt. That puts a lot of pressure on you as a young professional.”
We arrived on my street faster than expected. When had time flown by? Tiny bungalows were crammed into each other along the street. I had no yard to speak of, but living alone in LA came at a cost.
I wasn’t ready to say good night, but I wouldn’t invite him in either. Our dancing had been fun and a lot more explosive than I expected, but I wouldn’t cross that line.
I stepped up on my porch but Landon remained with his feet on the concrete, not making any move to follow me. I liked that a lot—that he knew when to push and when to respect boundaries.
“See you tomorrow, Landon. Thanks for walking me home.”
“Anytime, Maddie.”
He pulled out his phone and asked, “What’s your number?”
“Why do you need it?”
His eyes were focused on his screen, but the corners of his mouth tilted up. “You’ll see. Number?”
I rattled it off, watching him closely. My heart was pounding against my rib cage as I tried to read the situation.
When he shoved his phone back in his jeans, he bestowed a smile upon me and I felt a hot sizzle slither down my spine, followed by a cold shiver.
I had no idea why this man had such an impact on me.
That issue was only more aggravated when he took my hand in his and raised it to his mouth, just like he’d done on that first day.
He brushed his lips on my knuckles, and this time the heat his lips brought spread throughout me, concentrating low in my body.
Another rush of heat shot right between my legs when he looked up and I saw his pupils had widened.
He let my hand go the next second. Thank heavens.
If he’d held my hand longer, I might have done something crazy.
Like kissing him. Oh, scratch that. I would have jumped him.
“See you tomorrow, Maddie.”
I felt his gaze on me while I unlocked and pushed my door open. Once inside, I hurried to the window and saw him heading away with purposeful strides. I was overcome by the impulse to head back out, ask him to come inside.
It dawned on me that he hadn’t told me what he needed my number for. But I got my answer a few minutes later when my phone chirped with an incoming message.
Now you have my number too, beautiful. Anytime you need someone to walk you home, give me a call.
I looked at that message for a long time, smiling like a fool.