Chapter 10 #2
But he needed a gallon of coffee inside him.
He also knew he was going to have to do some talking when she woke up.
Carefully sliding her away from him, he swung his legs off the bed and just stood there staring at her.
She was in his bed. And that’s bloody where she was going to stay.
He knew he was going to have to do some convincing to keep her there, but now that the ice was broken, there was absolutely no way he was going to stand aside and accept her excuses and reasons.
Turning away, he quietly set about choosing something to put on before heading out of the room and down the stairs.
At the foot of it, he collected the clothing they had left strewn on the beautifully treated oak floor.
Grasping the poor excuse for a dress, he lifted it to his nose and inhaled her scent.
There was no shame here, he mused. He was behaving like a boy with his first crush, and that’s precisely what she had been and so much more.
Shaking his head, he moved towards the living room to dump the clothing on a sofa before heading to the kitchen.
By the time he got the coffee brewing, the sun that had been struggling through the heavy clouds was shining its inadequate light through the large bay windows. Fortifying himself with the first cup of coffee, he reached for his phone and called his sister.
“It’s about time!”
“How bad is it?” Taking the cup with him, he walked over to the window.
“The parents are up in arms about your terrible behavior and drawing attention to yourself.” Kathy sat up in bed, pushing back the sleep mask.
She blinked at the sunlight through her window and realized she had forgotten to pull the drapes.
“Darling, the man is talking about pressing charges. You broke a couple of his ribs.”
“I should have broken his bloody neck,” he muttered, taking a sip of the coffee. “He was mauling her.”
“And rumor has it that even when he was down, you were still punching him.” She hesitated briefly. “I understand why, though. We’re all under a lot of stress and you were just reacting to it.”
“I was defending my woman; it’s as simple as that.”
The pause this time was a bit longer.
“Have things evolved then? You’re back together?”
He brooded into his coffee for a few seconds as he thought about it. “She’s still here. I don’t know what we are; I just know I’m not prepared to let her go.”
“Are you prepared to tell her the truth?”
He took a gulp of coffee and almost gagged when it hit his throat. “You know I can’t.”
“She’s going to want answers.”
“Yeah.” Shaking his head, he went to sit at the counter. “Tell our parents that I will talk to them later.”
“Will you be here for supper?”
“I strongly doubt that.” He hung up before she could protest and sat there staring across the room. He wasn’t helpless in the kitchen; he could whip up something for them to eat. But right now, he just wanted to think.
It shamed him to realize that he was hoping she was carrying his seed.
In that way, she would be forced to marry him.
But a small part of him made him acknowledge that he did not want it that way.
He wanted her to want to be with him, without any strings.
He wanted her to love him the way he loved her, and he wanted that with a desperation that was driving him clean out of his mind.
Shaking off the troubling thoughts, he went to the fridge to view its content before deciding on an omelet.
***
Kady stretched languidly, her eyes still closed, her body limp and relaxed.
Opening her eyes, she stared in puzzlement at the unfamiliar setting.
This room was easily four times her own and the décor was completely different.
Sitting up, she pulled the duvet over her naked body, her eyes widening as the memories came back fast and furious.
She had spent the night with Landry. She was naked in his bed, and they had- Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes as the events of last night and this morning came tumbling back. Nothing had changed. No, she shook her head. Everything had changed.
The past could not compare to now. She was surprised they had not been burned to a crisp. That was how hot and intense the lovemaking had been.
She could no longer lie to him or to herself. She loved him now more than she had before, and that was saying a hell of a lot. Because even as a girl, the love she had for him had frightened her. Dragging her fingers through the tangle of her hair, she winced as she pulled at the scalp.
Where was he? she wondered. And how was she going to manage to leave now?
The dress she had worn to the function last night could not be worn during the day, especially going into her building.
As discreet as the concierges tend to be, there would be talk if she turned up this time of the day wearing next to nothing.
Inching off the mile-wide bed, she swung her legs to the floor and went to the huge closet with its neat shelves to select a plain white t-shirt.
She had just left the totally breathtaking green and white bathroom with its large shower stall and wide tub in the middle of the floor when he came in bearing a tray.
His eyes skimmed over her, taking pleasure in the fact that she was wearing his shirt.
“I thought you would still be sleeping. I wanted to give you breakfast in bed.”
Her heart thumped in response to that and had her smiling. “You still can. I borrowed your shirt. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I think it looks better on you.” He waited until she had slid back between the sheets before placing the tray over her lap.
“I had no idea you could cook.”
“This is the sum total of my culinary skills.” He uncovered the tray to reveal a perfectly shaped omelet, slices of wheat toast, and some grapes. The cup of coffee had her salivating.
“It looks and smells divine.”
“Hi.” Tilting her chin up, he brushed his lips on hers, sending her blood pressure spiking.
“Landry-” She curled her fingers around his wrist as her lips parted.
With a tormented groan, he deepened the kiss until they were both breathless with need.
Finding the strength, he ended the kiss and stepped back, his face hard and taut with passion. “Eat.” His voice was clipped as he fought for control. “I-” Lifting a hand, he raked it through the side of his hair restlessly. “I have some calls to make; I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Kady stared at the space he had just occupied and wondered with a frown what had brought on his bad mood. They had to talk. Picking up the toast, she took a nibble. He had included creamer and little packets of sugar. He remembered how she took her coffee.
Picking up the fork, she cut into the omelet and took a bite, her brows rising in surprised pleasure.
It was very good. It also brought back memories of when he would come to her house.
Her parents were always out, and they had the house to themselves.
In those days, Kyle, the perpetual athlete, would be out at the sporting arena with his buddies or on a date with his latest fling.
Landry would trail behind her in the kitchen.
They had a housekeeper who did her duties early and then left.
Kady had preferred that, as the woman would look at them with blatant disapproval on her face.
He would sit at the counter while she whipped up something for them to eat, and would refuse her offer to teach him to cook.
“What difference would that make?” he would tease. “The lessons would be wasted on me anyway. I’m never allowed inside the kitchen, and my parents would be horrified if I entered such a room.”
“What if the household staff decided to call in sick one day?”
He had simply raised an arrogant brow at that. “All of them?”
“All of them.”
“The parents would sack them and hire new people. Besides, they get paid a lot of money, so that wouldn’t be an issue.”
“You’re impossible,” she had remarked in frustration.
“I’m being practical.”
She wondered what had prompted him to learn.
Just as she was finishing off her coffee, he came back. She took in the clothing he had laid out over his arms. “I figured you would be more comfortable in these. They belong to my sister. She’s always stopping over and leaving her stuff.”
“I should get going. I-”
“No.” The single word had a punch to it that had her blinking.
She waited until he came forward and sat on the edge of the bed. “I need to go home.”
“I want you to spend the day with me.”
“The day is almost over.” She jerked her head towards the window.
Taking the tray away, he placed it on the table, a beautifully strong mahogany with an almost golden finish. Taking her hand in his, he lifted it to skim his lips over the knuckles, his eyes watching her face. “I need you to stay.”
“Landry-”
“Don’t make me beg.” His hand tightened on hers.
“I’m prepared to, but please don’t make me have to.
” He laced his fingers through hers, and she felt her heart aching at the pleading look on his handsome face.
She didn’t want to go, of course, but there were things that needed to be sorted out between them.
“All right,” she sighed.
“Good,” he replied briskly. “I’ll run you a bath.”
“You’ll what?”
“A bubble bath, with all the fragrances. Kathy also left some bath essentials in the guest bathroom.” Leaning over, he took her lips and had her sighing inside his mouth.
When he started to move away, she wrapped her hands around his neck and, to his infinite pleasure, deepened the kiss.
Biting off a groan, he pushed her back on the pillows and indulged.
It was several minutes before he managed to surface.
“I think I’ll join you,” he whispered hoarsely.