Chapter 1 #2
But I can feel the air leave my lungs. If Landon specifically asked for me, it has nothing to do with the fact that I’m the best at what I do.
It has to be something else. But what the hell does he want after all these years?
After all that silence? After walking away without a word?
After tearing my heart and feelings apart?
Sabrina doesn’t seem to notice the sudden war going on behind my eyes. She’s already rising from her chair, distracted by her phone again. “Anyway, I’ll let you know once his assistant confirms the time.”
I swallow hard and nod again.
When she steps out of the room, closing the door behind her, my eyes drop back to the folder on my desk.
There’s always a thin line between hate and love—far too thin, far too dangerous. But I never believed that until I met Landon.
I hated him the moment we first crossed paths.
Hell, I even made it a point to steer clear of him, ignoring all his flirty remarks and walking past him without so much as a glance, making it clear he had no place in my life.
Back in college, I’d seen enough girls fall for his playboy charm, only to be discarded once he’d had his fun. I wasn’t going to be one of them.
But Landon didn’t back down. If anything, my resistance only fueled his persistence. He had this relentless way of chasing after me, like I was the only girl that ever mattered.
And somewhere along the way, the line between keeping him out and letting him in began to blur. I started to feel that magnetic pull, the kind you try to ignore but can’t. I started noticing him. His cocky charm and infuriating confidence made a mess of the walls I’d so carefully built.
Leaning back in the chair with my head tipped toward the ceiling and eyes closed, my mind drifts back to the past.
I had barely walked a few minutes from campus and was heading home when I heard a low whistle behind me, followed by a crude voice.
“Hey, sweetheart. Where are you rushing off to?”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw a tall, older guy, clearly not from our college, leaning against the alley wall with a cigarette between his fingers, smoking.
Ignoring him, I kept walking, pretending I hadn’t heard a thing. But a moments later, I heard footsteps behind me. My heart kicked up, and I quickened my pace.
“Come on, baby, don’t be shy. Just one taste,” he said, grabbing my arm and yanking me toward him.
I jerked away, my heart hammering in my chest. “Don’t touch me!”
He let out a low, mocking laugh, one that carried just enough threat to freeze the blood in my veins.
“Feisty. I like that.”
I was ready to scream, drive my knee into his stomach, or run… anything to get away, when a deep, familiar voice cut through the air.
“Back the hell off if you don’t want to land in the hospital.”
I whipped around and saw Landon storming toward us. His jaw was set, his fists clenched, and his eyes blazed with something fierce and primal.
The guy didn’t even get a chance to react. Landon’s fist crashed into his jaw, followed by a knee to the gut that sent him stumbling back with a groan.
Landon stepped forward and towered over him. “Touch her again, and I swear I’ll bury you six feet under. Now get the hell out of here before I really lose my patience.”
The man nodded frantically and bolted, tripping over his own feet as he ran. Landon stood there, breathing hard, his eyes locked on the guy’s retreating back like he was still debating whether to chase him and thrash him down.
I stood frozen, fear still pulsing through my veins. Then my gaze fell to his knuckles, which were bleeding.
“You’ve hurt yourself,” I whispered, taking his hand in mine.
He didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes searched mine. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m okay,” I murmured, though my gaze dropped back to his hand. “But you are not. You need to get this taken care of.”
“My hand doesn’t matter,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine as he ignored his bleeding knuckles.
I furrowed my brows, ready to ask what did matter, but he stepped closer before I could speak.
“What matters is that you are safe and okay. I’d rather bleed a thousand times than let anyone lay a hand on you. God, Anna… if anyone ever tried to hurt you, I swear I’d do worse than this.”
I swallowed hard, his words hitting deeper than I wanted to admit. And I didn’t even know what to say. The only thing that came out was a quiet, “Thank you.”
His hands cupped my face, but I didn’t pull away. “If you really want to thank me, give me a chance.”
My heart stuttered.
I shook my head, barely breathing. “Landon, I’m just a chase for you. A game. I’m sure you don’t want this.”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t decide that for me. Don’t judge me by who I was. I want this. I want YOU. A life with you. And I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life the way I’m about this.”
“Fucking lie,” I murmur, opening my eyes and dragging my gaze back to the file. My chest burns, my fists clenching as his words replay like a curse. God, why the hell did I make the biggest mistake of my life by believing him? Believing that someone like Landon Hayes could ever mean what he said.
But it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s all in the past. And I’ll be damned if I ever give him that power over me again.