Chapter 18
Landon
I was watching TV and nursing a beer when there was a knock on the door downstairs. I paused, wondering if I was hearing things, but no. Someone was definitely knocking on the door.
I checked my phone but didn’t have any messages. I had cameras around the property, and a quick check showed Casey outside my door.
“What the hell?” I asked myself as I raced down the stairs. I yanked open the door and almost took a punch to the face as she reached to pound on the door again.
“Why are you spending time with me?” she asked without saying hello.
“What?”
“Why are you spending time with me? Why would you pick me, even for a little while?”
“Where is this coming from?”
“Why are you avoiding the question?”
“I’m not avoiding the question. I’m confused by the question.”
She was not going to let me avoid answering.
I didn’t really have an answer. What option did I have but to admit that? “I don’t think I have one specific reason. I am enjoying spending time together.”
“But why? Why would you pick me when Reegan is still single?”
I took a step back, shocked at the confidence in her statement. The absolute conviction that there was no reason I would choose to spend time with her over Reegan.
“You said you two broke up because you wanted different things. So do we. What’s different?”
“We already had this conversation. I told you I was blindsided by Reegan. She let me believe we were moving in the same direction, until she signed a new lease on her apartment and refused to move in with me. Why are you bringing this up?”
Casey paced back and forth outside the door, her feet dragging on the gravel.
“She was at book club tonight. Normally, they aren’t afraid to grill each other on every detail of their lives.
They asked me all about us when you drove me home after the bachelorette party.
Wanted to know what was going on with us.
Then again when we kissed in public. But this week, they didn’t say a word. ”
“Maybe they didn’t have anything new to ask about.”
“No. No, that wasn’t it.” She shook her head and kept pacing. “They were protecting me from her. Keeping each other from saying anything about us being together because she was there. Is she still in love with you?”
“No. Absolutely not,” I said.
“Then why would they avoid talking about us?”
“I don’t know, Casey, but what I do know is I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I care about what you think. What’s going on with you. I thought we were in agreement. We are spending time together. Enjoying each other. Having fun. And we’ll worry about where it’s leading another time.”
“It’s not leading anywhere. It can’t. Not when you and Reegan—”
I shut her up with a hard press of my lips against hers. She fought me, trying to get away, but I didn’t let her. I needed to feel her against me. Feel her lips on mine, the softening of her body against me, the clutch of her fingers in my hair.
When she sagged against me and whimpered into my mouth, I cupped her hips and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around my hips as I stalked through the shop to the consultation room. The table was the perfect height for her ass, for me to press against her warm heat.
She moaned against me and held on tight when I tried to step back.
I pressed into her once more, grinding my erection against her core.
She bit my lip, then slicked her tongue over it, tightening her legs around my hips.
If she wanted it like that, I’d happily give it to her. I shoved her back onto the table and crawled on top of her, knowing the table would support us.
She arched against me, grabbing at my clothes.
I pulled back and shoved my clothes off, staring at her as she struggled to do the same. We didn’t speak, but when I rolled a condom on, she bit her lower lip.
I reached for her and tugged her back to the edge of the table. My lips crashed down on hers. We fought each other, teeth clashing and tongues battling. I teased her folds, making sure she was ready for me.
She was soaked, her body drawing me in with one stroke. I pressed three fingers into her. She tightened around me, moaning as I worked her entrance.
I withdrew my fingers and brought them to my mouth.
She trembled against me as I sucked her come off.
“Next time I get it from you.”
“Fuck me, Landon.”
I slammed into her before she finished the request.
She came instantly, crying out and squeezing my dick hard.
I stilled inside her, letting her adjust to me. As soon as her body let up on its grip, I eased out and pounded into her again.
The table shifted with our strokes. She wrapped her legs around my hips, keeping me tight to her body. I leaned over her, needing the leverage to drive her crazy. To drive us both crazy.
“Oh, fuck. Yes.”
“This. You want to know why I’m spending time with you.
It’s this. It’s knowing you feel this good on my dick when you come.
It’s knowing I can talk to you and you’re right here with me.
It’s making you laugh and seeing your humor and feeling like I can do anything.
It’s you, Casey. It’s all you. You’re amazing. ”
“Landon!” she cried as she came hard, her core quivering around my dick and dragging me with her over the edge.
“Oh, fuck, Casey,” I growled as I came harder than I ever have before. My legs turned to jelly, wanting to give out, but I locked my knees and managed to stay upright.
She held on to me, not letting me go until our bodies had cooled and I was in danger of slipping out of her. “I didn’t come here for that,” she whispered as she eased her thighs.
I bit my lip to tell her I wished she had instead of coming to accuse me of not wanting her enough. If she knew how much time she occupied in my mind, she’d run screaming.
“I should head home.”
I brushed the hair back from her face and ignored her obvious desire to get the hell out of there. “I’m happy you came over. But I need you to hear something.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not with Reegan because I don’t want to be with Reegan.
We were together long enough that we both knew what it was like for us to be together.
I wasn’t willing to give up what I’ve always wanted, and neither was she.
But we never had the conversations we needed to have.
We were on different paths, and we both knew it, but neither of us knew how to end things.
We are done. We are both happy we are done.
It was the right thing for us. And whatever this is between us has nothing to do with her. ”
“Okay.”
“I like you, Casey. I enjoy spending time with you. I’ve really enjoyed having sex. But before that, I enjoyed you. Not because of Reegan or in spite of her or anything to do with her. All because of you.”
She nodded, her lips turning up at the edges. “Thank you.”
I kissed her again, then finally stepped back. I caught my cock and removed the condom while Casey searched for her clothes. When we were both dressed, I walked her to the door. “I’m sorry I took you the way I did. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
She chuckled. “It was pretty hot, actually. I think I’m going to be sore, but in such a good way.”
I laughed and pulled her into my arms, unable to let her walk away without one more kiss. “Be careful going home.”
“I will. Sorry I interrupted your night.”
“You can interrupt it whenever you want. Am I going to see you tomorrow?”
“If that’s okay.”
“Always. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Good night, Landon.”
“Good night, Casey.”
Casey texted me late the next morning to let me know her meeting at the paper went long and she wouldn’t be able to come over before her afternoon job. I asked if she wanted to meet for lunch.
I was in trouble. I was having a hard time going longer than a day without seeing her.
She texted back that she could meet for a quick lunch, and we agreed to meet at Just Tacos since it was fast.
Casey wasn’t there when I arrived, but I knew her order, so I went ahead and got food for both of us. Casey walked in right as our order was called and grabbed her cup to get a drink.
I carried the tray back to the table and was stopped by a customer who had been buying flowers from me for years. He asked how I was doing and said hello. I returned the greeting, not expecting it to be more than that, but he wasn’t done.
“Is that your sister?” Eric asked.
I chuckled. “No, she’s not my sister.”
“What are you doing with her?”
“We’re having lunch.”
“Does Reegan know you’re having lunch with another woman? Because I don’t think she’d be too happy to see it.”
“We’re just friends,” Casey said, overhearing Eric’s inappropriate question.
Eric gave her a look, then met his wife outside on the curb.
“Why did you tell him that?”
Casey shook her head. “I don’t want to get into an argument with someone about what we are.”
“But you’re okay getting into an argument with me about it?”
“We know what we are.”
“Do we? What would you call what we are?”
“Dating?”
“You don’t sound so convinced.”
“I don’t know. I just…”
“The wedding is this weekend, Casey. What do you think people are going to say when we show up together? When I spin you around the dance floor? When I kiss the hell out of you and sneak out early with you?”
Her cheeks turned redder with each of my questions. “I… I’m not used to this. My ex never put his hands on me in public. People barely knew we were married.”
“Is that what you want me to be like?”
“No.” She snorted. “No. I hated it. But it’s what I’m used to.”
“Okay, then let’s come to an agreement right now. You’re going to stop worrying about what we are, if I’m wishing you were Reegan, and what everyone else is thinking about us. Okay?”
“What is your side of the deal?”
“I’m going to think of new ways to make you come,” I whispered.
Her cheeks flashed bright red. “Landon.”
“What?”
“You can’t say things like that to me.”
“Why not?”
She squirmed in her seat.
“Does it turn you on?”
“Maybe.”
“I think it does. And I think you’re going to think about me later tonight. You’re going to slide your hand into your panties and make yourself come. You’re going to wish I was there with you to lick you until you scream, then stretch you out and come with you.”
“Jesus,” she exhaled.
“If it makes you feel better, I’m going to replay this conversation later, too. I’m going to shoot all over my shower walls as I imagine you touching yourself.”
“You will?”
“I do all the time.”
“No, you don’t.”
I laughed mirthlessly. “Yeah, I do. Since before we started flirting lessons.”
Her mouth fell open.
“I like a woman who can make me laugh.”
She grinned, her cheeks turning pink again.
“I can’t wait until the wedding. Until I have you all to myself for an entire night.”
“What?”
“I thought you said Mikayla was spending the night at the MacKellars.”
“She is, but I… I didn’t know you wanted us to spend the night together.”
“We don’t have to if you have a better offer.”
She shook her head. “No better offer.”
“Good. Then will you be mine for the night?”
She nibbled her lip, her eyes dancing with excitement. “Yes.”
I smiled, feeling like it was a victory. Casey in my bed all night long. Hell yes.
Two days until the wedding. The flowers were on the truck arriving at the end of the day, and I was ready to get everything put together. It was going to be a long two days, but I was ready for it.
Natalie and Omar needed bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces. As long as everything came in, I would go through the order tonight, and then on Friday, I had time to get all the centerpieces done. Saturday morning, I’d create the bouquets and boutonnieres, then deliver everything to them.
I kept watching for the truck, anxious to have my hands on all the flowers I needed. The sunflowers were coming from my own garden, but the navy roses and hydrangeas and the white impatiens and lobelias were on the shipment.
“Do you need us to stay, boss?” Carson asked when it was almost time for him and Gail to head out for the day.
I shook my head, hearing the truck pull in. “It sounds like they’re here.”
“We can keep the shop open if you want.”
I checked the time. “There’s only a few more minutes. You two can go ahead. By the time the truck gets in position, I’ll close up.”
“Have a good night,” Gail said, heading for the door with Carson right behind her.
I waved to them, then checked the rest of the stock was good for the night and locked the door.
I went out back, finding the driver climbing out of the truck.
“Got an order for you.”
“Thank you.”
He handed me a clipboard with everything he was delivering, and I immediately spotted an issue. “There were supposed to be two dozen navy roses, and four dozen hydrangeas, impatiens, and lobelias. And a bunch of other stuff.”
The driver shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. I just deliver them, not grow them.”
“But this isn’t even half of what I ordered.”
“It’s what they gave me.”
I scanned through the rest of the order and noticed other things that weren’t listed. Some was for the wedding, and some was standard stock I tried to keep on hand. None of it was good.
“Do you want me to unload what I have?” the driver asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I need all this and more, so I’ll have to call them and see what’s going on.”
The driver nodded and started to unload everything he had.
I studied the shipment report and pulled up the order I sent in weeks ago. I noted where they didn’t match up and had everything ready to call the distributor when the driver left.
Thirty minutes later, everything was unloaded and stored in my cases in the back. I didn’t have time to sort through and distribute stuff, but I did have time to make a phone call.
Except they weren’t answering.
Fucking hell.
I left a message and followed up with an email detailing where my shipment was short and showing the proof of what I paid for and what was actually delivered, according to their own information.
Then, I spent the rest of the evening going through my own stock to come up with a backup plan. Because if I was going to fuck up anything, it was not going to be the mayor’s wedding.