Chapter 16
Landon
She’s driving me absolutely out of my damn mind. But if she thinks I’m letting her walk into that jerk’s house for dinner, she’s got another thing coming.
I stop at her bedroom door, my gaze raking over her as she stands by the bed, slipping things into her purse.
She’s dressed in denim shorts that hug her hips, showing off those toned legs, and an off-shoulder top tempting enough to make my hands twitch.
My eyes drift lower. Even in casual sneakers, she’s a lethal mix of cute and sexy.
She senses me even before I speak. She tilts her head, meets my eyes, and that infuriating, smug smile spreads across her face.
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not. And you damn well know why,” I growl, irritated that she’s dressed way too sexily to be heading to that asshole’s house. Every time I see them together, I lose it. I know he’s just a friend. Hell, he’s gay, for fuck’s sake. But jealousy doesn’t care about logic when it comes to her.
“Oh… I do know,” she purrs, letting her fingers brush the hem of her denim shorts. “But that doesn’t mean I’m changing my mind.”
My anger spikes even higher at her words, but instead of lashing out, I just keep staring, caught in her spell.
I can’t seem to tear my eyes away. Every inch of her winds me tighter.
Her brown hair is pulled into a neat ponytail, with a few soft curls escaping to frame that flawless face.
Her makeup is light, just enough to highlight her natural beauty.
And those lips… painted a soft nude, make me ache to taste them.
My gaze lingers too long, memories of my mouth on hers flashing hot and fast, my hands roaming those curves as I…
“I’ll be late, but call me if Liala needs me,” she says, pulling me out of my thoughts as she slips her purse over her shoulder.
I let out a slow, tired sigh, every bit of my patience fraying. “You’re not going.”
She arches that infuriating eyebrow of hers. “Are you ordering me?”
“Yes, Anna,” I hiss, my voice impossible to argue with. “And this time you’d better listen.”
She smirks, the corner of her lips lifting in that maddening way. “Sorry, but I don’t take orders. Especially from you.”
“Oh, you will listen,” I say, as I step closer, the space between us shrinking.
“Because this isn’t about what you want.
It’s about protecting what’s mine.” I lean in, my voice dropping lower, rougher.
“And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way, whether you like it or not.
” I pull back and hold her gaze. “Get one thing straight, I won’t stomach the thought of you with anyone.
Not even that irritating friend of yours. ”
Her eyes flash in challenge, but beneath it, there’s a flicker of something softer, a blush she tries to hide.
“I’m not yours to protect,” she whispers, her voice barely a breath.
“The hell you’re not,” I say, my hand sliding over her cheek just enough to make her breath hitch. “You’ll always be mine to protect, whether you accept it or not.”
I grin when no words come from her, only the same heat burning in her eyes for me. I know this stubborn woman. She wants me just as much as I want her, even if she still refuses to admit it.
“Do you have any idea how insane you make me every time you push me like this?”
She swallows hard, biting her lip. “You’re impossible.”
I smirk, my thumb brushing the corner of her mouth. “Yeah? And you’re the one who makes me that way.”
“I… I need to go,” she stammers.
“You’re not leaving,” I say, letting my eyes sweep over her. “Not looking like this.”
Her gaze flicks down to her denim shorts before snapping back to me.
“What do you mean not looking like this?” she asks.
“You… like this, all cute and sexy, about to walk into another man’s sight. Not happening, sweetheart.” I let my hands slide slowly down her arms, feeling the goosebumps rise under my touch.
“For a man who’s done nothing but avoid me these past few days, you’re behaving awfully possessive and territorial,” she says, forcing a smile.
I know I pulled back these past few days. Not because I wanted to, but because I needed her to feel it too. I needed her to realize how much space I leave when I’m not around, to feel the emptiness of my absence and understand just how much she needs me.
And now, seeing her like this… so clearly affected, I know it worked. She missed me. Hell, she needed me.
“I asked you earlier, and I’m asking again,” I say hoarsely, reaching for her arm and pulling her impossibly close. “Just answer me. Does my ignoring you bother you?”
Her breath catches. “Let me go, Landon.”
“Never,” I whisper, my grip firm.
She yanks her arm free, but I don’t move an inch. I remain rooted in front of her, like a wall she can’t break through, no matter how hard she tries.
“Never?” she scoffs, her voice dripping with mockery. “Newsflash, you were the one who left me. And now you’re claiming you’ll never leave?” Her laugh is sharp, but her eyes betray the hurt she’s trying so hard to hide. “Been there, done that. Not falling for it again.”
“The past needs to stay in the past. I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere again. Why are you making it so damn hard to give me a chance? I’ve literally begged you, why can’t you just fucking trust me again?” I rake my hands through my hair, frustration burning through me.
“Because I don’t make the same mistake twice.” Her eyes flash at me, a mix of fire and fear, and I can see the war playing out inside her. “And to answer your earlier question? Your little game of ignoring me… it didn’t bother me one bit.”
Hearing that lie spill from her lips is my kryptonite, and it drags me a step closer to her.
“You can act tough all you want, Anna. But I see it—the way your body betrays you every damn time when I’m close.” I lean in, close enough to catch the faintest tremor in her breathing, my lips brushing her ear. “You burn for me, whether you admit it or not, sweetheart.”
“You’re wrong,” she whispers, her voice trembling despite the mask. “I don’t burn for you. Not anymore.”
“Want me to prove you wrong?” I murmur, taking another step forward.
She instinctively takes one back, trying to hold her ground but retreating all the same. But I don’t stop. I keep moving until her back hits the wall, trapping her effortlessly.
“Wh… what?” she stammers as she tries to keep her chin high.
“Exactly what you heard.” My eyes darken with promise. “One touch, and you’ll remember just how much you burn for me.”
“You… you need to step back,” she breathes unsteadily.
“Why?” I counter, leaning in just enough to feel her breath ghost across my skin. “Scared I’ll prove you wrong?”
She lets out a shaky laugh and tries to push past me, but I slam my arms to the wall, caging her in. My eyes devour her face before dropping to her mouth, those luscious lips pressed into a tight, stubborn line.
“Can I touch you and prove you wrong?” I whisper with need.
“I… I… don’t think we should,” her breath stutters, the words weak against the desire pulsating between us.
I trail my finger slowly along her neck, feeling the rapid thrum of her pulse beneath my touch. The tiny shiver running through her gives her away completely.
“Why not?” I whisper.
Her eyes flutter shut as my fingers move over her skin. The way she reacts, helpless against the simplest brush of my hand, feeds the fire roaring inside me. She has no idea how easily she unravels me, how every small response makes the hunger in me surge higher.
My hand drifts lower, grazing over her hardened nipple, and she stiffens, pressing her lips together to hold back a gasp.
“Tell me again,” I murmur, my voice a low growl against her skin, “that you don’t burn for me.”
Anna opens her mouth and pulls in a shaky breath before forcing the words out. “You’re wrong… It’s only sex.”
“Only sex?” I echo, shaking my head slowly. “No, Anna. Don’t cheapen this. Don’t pretend what we have is just sex.”
Her eyes open, and her gaze meets mine.
“If it were only sex, you wouldn’t be shaking right now.
You wouldn’t be looking at me like you can’t decide whether to kiss me or kill me.
” My hand lifts, hovering just beside her jaw.
“Be a good girl for me, Anna and just accept it. So I can give you what you’ve been craving. A reward only I know how to give.”
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips, and the sound that leaves her throat is barely a whisper. “I… I…”
I smile slowly, the kind of smile that tells her I already know she’s breaking.
“How about I give you a taste of what you’re denying yourself?” I say, my voice deep and commanding.
Her breath catches, and before she has a chance to reply, I slip my hands in her shorts and let out a primal growl when I find her wet.
Her fingers clutch at my shirt, a soft moan slipping past her lips before she can stop it.
The sound rips through me, proof that every word she denies is nothing but a lie.
Dipping my head down, I bury my face into the curve of her neck as I continue pumping my fingers inside her.
“Landon,” she gasps, jerking her hips, silently begging me for more as she tightens her hold on my shirt to steady herself.
“I lost you once, Anna,” I whisper against her neck, my breath hot on her skin. “But I won’t lose you again. Not now, not ever. Even if I have to chain you to me.”
She doesn’t reply. Her lips part, but nothing comes out. My chest swells. I’m about to push harder, to make her confess and end this torture, when a piercing cry fills the room through the baby monitor. Liala. My sweetest little cockblock.
Anna’s eyes fly open, and her hands press firmly against my chest. Damn, I love my daughter more than life itself, but right now, it feels like even she’s in on the conspiracy to torture me, ruining this moment with cold water.
“Liala needs me,” she says, her voice shaky as she slips out from under me and moves past quickly. I watch her fumble at the doorway, her steps unsteady.
The door shuts behind her, leaving me alone. My pulse hammers in my throat, every nerve on edge, my body still burning with the memory of her pressed against me.
For a damn heartbeat, I almost had her breaking in my arms… giving in, surrendering.
And then, she’s gone, leaving me with nothing but the taste of everything I still can’t have.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just sex I want.
Sure, I want her body. I crave her, ache for her until it drives me half-mad.
But it’s more than that. I want her life tangled with mine.
I want to wake up to her messy hair in my bed, to her laughter filling every corner of the walls.
I want the fights, the tears, the making up.
I want us back. I want our family. My family.
And no matter how many walls she builds, no matter how many times she hides behind her lies or uses our daughter’s cries as her shield, I’ll break through every damn barrier until she finally sees what I already know.
She’s mine. She’s always been mine. And I’ll fight the whole damn world if I have to, just to make her admit it…
to make her remember exactly how it feels like to belong in my arms.