Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
T essa
“Go relax on the couch while I clean up.”
“I can help.” I stand from the table to gather my plate, but his hand over mine stops me.
“I’ve got this, baby. Now, go sit.”
I do as he says because I’m mentally exhausted, and I know Landon. He’s not going to let me help. Wasting time arguing about it is not going to do either of us any good. A few minutes later, he’s holding out his hand for me.
“The leftovers are in the fridge. You’re staying here while I’m gone, right?”
“Yeah, unless you don’t want me to?”
“I want you here.” His voice is firm, his decision final. Not that I expected anything different. “You can have the leftovers while I’m gone. I made a small bowl for you to take in your lunch tomorrow.”
“Landon Barker, if your fans could see you now. Being all domesticated, making my lunch.”
“Yeah? You think that would help my image?”
“I don’t think you need any help in that department, Number Eighteen.”
“Hey, you did dub me Lucky Player after all,” he taunts.
“Well, aren’t you? You are here with me right now,” I tease.
“Damn right, I am,” he agrees. He pushes open his bedroom door and doesn’t stop until we’re in the bathroom. “Strip, baby.” His voice is soft yet husky. He reaches down into the huge clawfoot tub and turns on the water.
“You’re running me a bath?” I ask, my heart melting into a puddle at my feet.
“I’m running us a bath,” he corrects, pulling his T-shirt over his head and letting it fall to the floor.
Before I know it, we’re both stripped naked, and Landon steps into the tub, holding his hand out for me.
I step in after him. He settles himself, resting against the back of the tub.
“Sit,” he says, opening his legs for me to join him.
I waste no time sitting down and leaning against his chest. The hot water lulls over us, and his arms wrap around me.
“How did you know this is what I needed?”
“A bath?”
“No. You.”
“Because I need this time with you, too. I hate leaving you when we have away games.”
“I know, but the season is halfway over. We’ve almost made it.”
“Yeah, can you get time off work? Maybe we can take a trip once the season is over? Somewhere tropical, where I get to see you in tiny scraps of material all day long.”
“I don’t really do that out in public.”
“Hell no, I’m talking private beach. No way am I letting another man ogle you. Hell, to be honest, we don’t even need swimwear. Let’s just lie naked in bed all day.”
“You really think you could do that? Spend a week just lying in bed.”
“Ah, but you missed a key point. Two of them, in fact.”
“What’s that?”
“I said naked with you .”
I laugh. “So, do you think you and I could be naked in bed for a week?”
“Yes.” No hesitation in his answer.
“Really? You wouldn’t get bored?”
“Not if I’m with you.”
“Aw, you’re such a sweet talker tonight.” Come to think of it, he’s acting kind of strange. I turn to look at him. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just dreading leaving you. It gets harder with every trip.”
“You sure that’s all it is?”
He nods. “Some stuff I need to talk to Coach about, about my contract, but nothing to be worried about. Just a lot on my mind.”
“What time does your flight leave tomorrow?”
“Nine. So I’ll be up and gone before you leave for work.”
“Why so soon?”
“Not sure. The time we fly out always varies. It just depends on the chartered plane and the pilots’ schedules.”
“Makes sense, I guess. I couldn’t imagine having to coordinate all those schedules.”
“What are you going to do while I’m gone?”
“Work. I need to do some laundry, so I’ll go to my place for a while. Depending on what’s going on with Buckwheat…” My voice trails off. I can’t imagine having to put him down. I pray that this medication does what it’s supposed to do.
His hands move to cup my breasts. “You going to miss me?” he asks huskily.
“Always.”
Tilting my head back against his chest, I close my eyes and enjoy his hands roaming my body. When his touch moves south, and his fingers slide through my folds, my back arches, causing me to push my ass into his hard cock.
“I need you, Tessa.”
His words are full of grit and raw need. It’s a side of him I’ve never seen before. He almost sounds desperate to have me.
“I’m yours. Take what you need.”
“Stand up,” he growls.
I do as I’m told and stand. He steps out and holds his hand out for me. I take it, letting him help me out of the tub. I expect him to hand me a towel, but instead, we both stand, dripping water all over the floor, our chests heaving with the desire surging between us.
He takes one step, then another until he’s next to me. Reaching over, he pulls open the vanity drawer and grabs a condom. Within seconds, he’s sheathed his hard length.
“Tess,” he says, moving to stand in front of me.
“Take me, Landon.” That’s all I needed to say for his control to break.
“Arms around my neck,” he says, his voice gravelly. Doing as I’m told, I lock my hands behind his neck, and with his hands on my hips, he lifts me. I wrap my legs around him and hold on tight. “Tell me to stop if I go too fast. If I hurt you, tell me to stop.”
“Delay of game.” I smirk, and he chuckles, a sound that rattles from deep inside his chest.
“I’m going long and deep,” he says as he pushes inside me.
He stills, giving me time to adjust to him.
He kisses me; it’s soft and sweet. Nothing like the fire that’s staring back at me in his blue eyes, or his warnings that if it’s too much, he’ll stop.
When he breaks the kiss, he slowly pulls out and thrusts back in.
Only this time, he doesn’t stop. Over and over and over again, his feet planted on the floor, he thrusts into me.
All I can do is hold on for the ride as my body takes him deeper than ever before.
My head tilts back as an orgasm tears through me. My body shakes, my legs squeeze him tight, and my nails dig into his scalp. “Landon!” I cry out his name as the spark he’s ignited in my core spreads throughout my entire body.
“Fuck, you’re squeezing me,” he says with a grunt, and he stills with a roar as he releases inside me.
I wrap my arms around him, burying my face in his neck. It’s as if I’ve had an out-of-body experience. My body is still spasming around him. I’ve never felt anything as intense as that.
Never.
“You okay, baby?” he whispers.
“I think you killed me. In the best way,” I add, because I know he’s going to worry he hurt me. “I’m not sure what that was, but we can do more of that soon. ’Kay?” I ask, tapping his shoulder.
He throws his head back and laughs, causing me to lift mine. His baby blues are bright, and whatever was plaguing him is gone. At least for now.
“Now I need a shower.”
“Me, too.” Without putting me down, he moves to the walk-in shower and turns on the water. “You’re beautiful like this,” he says, staring into my eyes. “I love that I’m the only one who gets to see you this way. Sweaty and sated, eyes glazed over from my cock.”
“Modest much?” I tease.
“Bringing you pleasure makes me feel ten feet tall.”
“You’re on a roll tonight with all the sweetness.”
“Just making sure you know what you mean to me. Leaving you messes with my head,” he admits. “I hate not being here with you, and I don’t ever want you to question how far my love runs. It’s deep, baby. Deep in my soul, and it’s all for you.”
“I love you, too.” I kiss his cheek, and he moves us into the shower and under the hot spray.
He carefully sets me on my feet and disappears to get rid of the condom.
He’s back in no time, taking the shampoo out of my hands and washing my hair for me.
His hands roam my body, and mine his, as we wash away the day and our lovemaking.
That’s what it was. No matter how hard or fast, no matter how soft or slow, it’s nothing but love between us.
I can feel it. Just like he said, it’s soul-deep, as if he’s a part of me. I don’t ever see that changing.
After our shower, we climb into bed. Cuddled close to his chest, I drift off into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, I wake to an empty bed.
There’s a note with nothing but I love you, L written on it, next to me on his pillow, where his head should be.
I miss him already and wish he had woken me up to tell me he was leaving.
Climbing out of bed, I make my way to the bathroom.
My hair looks like I was ridden hard and put up wet, and in a way, I was.
I giggle to myself just as my phone rings.
I run back into the bedroom to answer it, hoping it’s Landon, and I’m in luck.
“Hey, I miss you already,” I greet him.
“Damn, Tess, that’s one hell of a greeting. I miss you, too, baby. We’re getting ready for wheels up. I just wanted to tell you to have a good day.”
“You should have woken me up.”
“Nah, you looked like an angel sleeping in my bed. I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I don’t know when I’ll be able to touch base again. I’ll text you when we land. Keep me posted on Buckwheat.”
“Will do. Safe flight.”
“Love you,” he replies and ends the call.
I finish getting ready, pop a bagel into the toaster, and pull out the container of spaghetti that Landon made for my lunch today. Fifteen minutes later, I’m in my car and headed to work.
“Morning,” Autumn greets me when I arrive at the shelter.
“Buckwheat?” I ask. “I see the vet’s truck outside.”
“Yeah, he’s with him now,” she says, taking a huge gulp of coffee.
“Rough night?”
“Something like that.” She smirks. “I hate when they’re out of town, and JJ was already asking for Daddy first thing this morning. Maybe we would be okay with just the sales from his ass photographs?” she muses.
I just smile and shake my head. “I hear ya. Although I don’t have a little boy missing his daddy.”
“Not yet.”
I smile. “Maybe one day. Things are going great with us.”
“That’s easy to see. That man is crazy about you, Tessa.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“You watching the game on Sunday?” she asks.
“Yep. You?”
“We are. Why don’t you come to the house and watch it with me and JJ? He’d love to see you.”
“Sure. What are we eating? Snack foods? Want me to pick up some pizza and wings?”
“Pizza and wings. That way, neither of us has to cook. Well, I’ll make some cookies or something. Here.” She reaches for her purse. “Let me give you some money before I forget.”
“Nope. It’s on me. Cheese still for JJ?”
“You know it. One day, the kid will eat more than just cheese on his pizza.”
“Got it covered.”
“Hello,” a deep voice calls out. Autumn and I both head to the reception area to greet the vet. “He’s responding to the medication, but he’s not out of the woods yet. I gave him another dose, and I’ll stop by tomorrow to give him another. Will either of you be here?”
“I will be,” I tell him.
“Great. I’ll stop in before I leave tomorrow to give you an update.”
“Thanks, George,” Autumn and I say at the same time.
“Oh, and thanks for the heads-up about next week. Pinky could use a checkup.” Autumn gives him a wide grin.
He just shakes his head and smiles. “You got it, boss. You ladies have a great rest of your day.”
George is in his early sixties, and he’s still in disbelief that Autumn and Jeremy have a pet pig. It’s not the pig that surprises him. It’s that they let the pig live in their house and even take it for walks on a leash.
“He still thinks you’re crazy.”
“I know. I love it. Sure, Pinky is not a conventional pet, but the way we met and fell in love isn’t either.”
“Your life is what you make it. Besides, JJ loves Pinky. Now, where are we at for the day?”
“Just cleaning cages and feeding. Thanks to the adoption fair, we’re still not at capacity, so it shouldn’t take us long.” So many of our animals found their forever homes. “I thought we could tag-team it instead of splitting up today.”
“Yes! It’s been way too long since we’ve done that.” Just as I say the words, the chime sounds on the door. Looking up, my mouth drops open. “Mom? What are you doing here?” I rush around the counter to give her a hug.
“We wanted to surprise you.”
I turn to look at Autumn. “You little sneak.”
She holds her hands up in the air. “I’d love to take credit for this, but it wasn’t me. I didn’t know anything about it.”
“Landon,” Mom says.
“Really?” I ask, and my voice cracks.
“He called me the other day and said, and I quote, ‘we need to get you to Los Angeles more often.’ I agreed, and here I am.”
“I can’t believe he did this.” I hug her again.
“He said we’re staying at his place?” she asks, raising her brow and giving me a look that only a mother can pull off.
My face heats. “Yeah, he likes to know I’m there while he’s away.”
“That man is whipped,” Autumn chimes in with a laugh.
“Oh, I could tell with how adamant he was that I come and visit,” Mom agrees. “So,” she changes the subject, “what are the plans this weekend?”
“Well, I work all weekend here, and I was going to go over to Autumn’s and watch the game on Sunday.”
“Tomorrow, you’re only here until noon,” Autumn corrects.
“Perfect. I’d love to tag along and see what it is my little girl does every day. Most of the time when I visit, you’ve taken time off. Is that okay?” She turns to look at Autumn. “Do you mind?”
“Of course not.”
“Well, ladies. We’ve got work to do. I’ll put your bags in the office.” The rest of the day, Mom helps out, and with the third set of hands, the work is done even faster. By the time lunch rolls around, we’re finished.
“You two go on home. Spend some time together.”
“We’re fine to stay,” Mom tells her.
“No. I insist. You’ll be back here tomorrow. I would volunteer, but I’ll have JJ, and it’s hard to get anything done when I’m here by myself with him.”
“No worries, it’s fine,” I assure her.
“Go, catch up.”
“Call if you need me. I can come back.”
“It will be fine. Now go.” With a round of hugs, Mom and I grab her luggage and head out the door.
I haven’t heard from Landon, and I thought I would have by now.
I send him a text, thanking him for bringing Mom here.
It will be there for him when he lands. As Mom and I drive to his place, my heart is full.
Overflowing with love for my number eighteen.