by Natalie Ann
“She barely knew you,” his mother argued.
“She must have known enough.”
He figured it was him or foster care and he was the lesser of the evils for Chloe. Whatever the reasons didn’t matter because Chloe was his and he’d honor what his half sister wanted.
Landon hung the phone up shortly after and then wished he had a bottle of liquor here in the studio. He didn’t, so the next best thing to do was to go workout.
He changed his clothes and went through the paces, kicking, punching, swinging and jumping, until he was damn good and sweaty. Then he showered and changed back into his clothes to get some paperwork done.
He’d set his alarm on his phone so he didn’t get distracted and forget to pick up Chloe.
Did he worry that he wouldn’t be enough for her? Yes, he did.
Did he worry that she’d be better off with a woman? Of course.
But he wouldn’t have her be with someone that wasn’t family. He might have been a stranger to her months ago, but now he wasn’t. Now she was his and she was staying that way.
By the time his alarm went off, he’d managed to get a bit of paperwork done and some bills paid. The studio was still doing great and he was thankful for that especially with someone else to support. But even if it wasn’t, he’d find a way to make it work.
He grabbed his keys and left the studio, then drove to the school and realized he should have come earlier when he saw all the cars lined up.
Once he found a spot, he parked, and walked toward the front entrance. Kids were running out and toward their parents or other friends. He should have left instructions for Chloe to wait for him to find her.
What if she thought he wasn’t going to show up? Or that he forgot her? And how the hell was he going to find her in the sea of smiling faces?
But he did. He just kept walking closer and closer to the front doors until he saw her standing by herself off to the side, her new bright red backpack on with her jean shorts and green shirt. She looked a little like a holiday explosion, but he wouldn’t say that to her. She’d picked out her outfit by herself this morning and she seemed all proud of the new clothes.
As he looked at her closer he realized her hair was all over the place flying around her head. It was pretty long and looked tangled. He thought it had been brushed this morning. Good lord, was he going to have to learn to do a braid or something?
“Chloe,” he said, walking toward her.
She looked over quickly and her shoulders relaxed. He felt a little guilty that she might have been worried he wouldn’t be there. “Hi,” she said.
“Sorry if I’m late. I guess I didn’t expect this many cars and had to park pretty far away.”
“It’s okay,” she said, walking with him through the kids.
“Did you have a good first day?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Did you make any friends?” he asked. Those were the right questions to ask, he hoped.
“I talked to some kids,” she said.
“It’s hard being new. I know. It will get better.” She just nodded. “Do you have any homework?”
“No. You do though.”
“What?” he asked.
She grinned at him. “Mrs. Callahan said our parents have homework on the first night. So I guess that is you.”
He laughed back. “I guess that is.”
Past My Limits
“So you survived the first week of school,” Kristen said when she opened the door to Landon on Friday night.
“I did. It was only a half week, but it was good. All our paperwork is done. The bus schedule is figured out and Chloe seems to have a purpose.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I think she was bored silly this summer and I had no idea. She’s already brought home a few books from the school library and she is talking about school.”
“That’s great. What is she talking about?”
“Not a lot, but enough. More conversation than we’ve had in the past. I get the feeling she likes school and I hope it continues.”
“You should encourage it,” she said.
“I am,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. “Can we try to just have a date night? I was so proud of myself for finding a sitter on a Friday night.”
She giggled and yanked him closer, her hands going to the front of his shirt. He was just wearing jeans and a nice shirt tonight. She’d changed into jeans herself with a pair of sexy heels and a little sweater. Casual was good with her.
“You should be proud of yourself for a lot of things, but in this case, yes, I’m thrilled you found a sitter. Where did you find her?”
“A buddy on the force. His daughter is fifteen and wants to earn some money.”
“I love it when you listen to me,” she said against his lips. She’d been dying to not just get her hands on him, but her mouth also. She was hoping for more of that tonight.
“You give good advice,” he said. “Are you ready to go?”
“I am. I suppose you need to get home early tonight,” she said.
“I don’t want to be too late the first time out, but I plan on doing this another night if you’re game.”
“How is this for an answer?” she asked, grabbing his ass and pulling him closer, his hips pressing against hers.
“I think you are testing me past my limits tonight.”
“Just giving you a hint of what is to come in the future.”
“Ah, but not tonight.”
She stepped back and winked at him. “I’d like the first time to not need a time limit on it, but if it’s all I can get then we’ll figure it out.”
“I’m good with that. With not having the time limit too. I don’t want to be rushing when I’d much rather take my time touching and kissing every part of your body.”
An involuntary shiver went through her. “Now you’re teasing me.”
“I am.”
They left and went to an Italian restaurant, were seated pretty fast with a wine in front of her and beer in front of him. “I needed this today,” she said.
“Tough day at work?” he asked.
“Not really. I love my job and we were busy today. It’s great for commissions, but I had a few people that just want to haggle to death. It drives me insane.”
“Does that happen a lot? I thought the price was what it was?”
“There is room to negotiate. Most people don’t realize that with jewelry, but those that do make up for it. Olivia will only allow so much negotiating though. We aren’t a chain store. She caters to unique pieces, and those that are custom, she doesn’t move much and the clients know that. She has one heck of a reputation. Do you know she’s sold to celebrities?”
“No, really?” he asked.
“Yes. There have been a few articles in the local news on her. She’s only ever released one name and that was when someone came to town for a shoot and picked up a piece. I can’t really say the others, though her clients do speak her name. They just aren’t locals.”
“I’d think not. So with a reputation like that, she doesn’t need to negotiate prices.”
“Not at all.”
“Did she make her own wedding set?” he asked.
“Funny you should ask. Yes, she did. Poor Finn. I know he’s your friend, but can you imagine how he felt when he wanted to ask her to marry him? He came to me and we talked. I knew there was a pink diamond that Olivia had her eye on and he bought the stone loose, then two other smaller diamonds. Her birthstone is pink, Trey and Finn’s diamond. He’d asked her to make them a family and she designed the ring with the stones.”
“I never knew that,” he said.
“I’m sure guys don’t talk about those things.” She’d never forgotten how hard it was for her to keep that secret for Finn when ordering the stones.
“Not really.”
“So what else have you done this week if you don’t want to talk about Chloe?”
“Not much.
Just working on a few cases. Being a captain is more paperwork than anything. Assigning who is doing what, follow up and so on.”
“Do you miss not being out on patrol or in the field? Whatever you call it?”
“At times. Not much, I guess. I don’t miss the action like many say they do. Maybe now more than ever since I have someone to get home to.”
“And we go back to Chloe. It’s hard not to, isn’t it?” she asked, reaching over and patting his hand.
“I guess. I just didn’t want you to think I couldn’t focus on you.”
“That’s such a sweet thing to say, but I don’t believe that at all. If I did, then I would have worn a deeper cut sweater tonight.”
His eyes went right to the V showing some of her cleavage. “That works too.”
She winked at him. “So do you teach a lot of classes now, or just run the studio?”
“I teach two classes on Saturday and fill in during the week when needed. It’s hard to do it weekdays when I could be held up at work, so I schedule Saturday knowing that I’m off unless there is an emergency.”
“You do your self-defense classes at night too, right?”
“I do,” he said. “Do you remember everything I taught you or do you need a refresher course?”
“I’ve got a good memory, but I do have to say I was paying more attention to your body and wondering when you’d get to me than I was the moves.”
He laughed. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“So can I ask—what do we have between us?”
“You mean are we in a relationship?” she asked. “Isn’t that normally a question the woman asks?”
His face actually flushed adorably. “Good point.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t resist. I’d like to think we’ve got the start of something here. I know you’ve got other responsibilities. We’ve established that.”
She kept reminding herself to take it slow. To keep an open mind. She really liked him and she wasn’t going to let it get in the way that she wasn’t always going to be his priority. That perfect girlfriend she always wanted to be. She was trying extra hard to be accommodating to him and Chloe.
“And I don’t want you to think I only want something with you because of Chloe.”
“I don’t think that.” At least she was telling herself that enough. “And can I say I like that you are upfront about things too. It’s refreshing to come across a guy who doesn’t run from a conversation like this.”
“I try to be upfront. I’ve never shied away from anything.”
“Good to know.”
“Speaking of shying away…don’t laugh at me.”
“I feel like I’m going to. Any person who says don’t laugh at me means they’re going to say something funny.”
“Chloe’s hair.”
She did laugh. She had no choice. “Do you think she needs to cut it? It is rather long.”
“I don’t know what to do and don’t know what to say about it. I don’t want to embarrass her or make her feel bad. It looks like she combs it in the morning, but by the time I get her at the end of the day it looks more like a rat’s nest. I didn’t think she was that active.”
“She might not be as much as you think. Kids go outside for recesses or gym and maybe it’s just getting tangled. At daycare she probably wasn’t as active. How often does she bathe?”
“I make her shower daily at night before bed.”
“That’s good. Do you know if she washes her hair?”
“It’s wet when she gets out,” he said.
“Does it smell clean?” she asked. Good lord, he really didn’t have a clue.
“I don’t sniff her. That’d probably scare her.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you have conditioner for her hair?”
“No. I’ve just got the shampoo that I use.”
“That is probably the problem,” she said. “Have you ever lived with a woman before?”
“Not like you think. Not full time,” he admitted.
“Would you like me to have a talk with her? Maybe see if she’d like me to show her how to braid her hair, or even go buy some stuff for it. Does she have any rubber bands or headbands?”
“Oh, God, I suck at this, don’t I? I have no clue. She always has her hair down.”
She shook her head and tried not to look at the pained expression on his face. “This is my fault too. I was so focused on clothes I didn’t think of accessories. How would you feel if I had a little girl’s day with Chloe? You’ve got to work at the studio tomorrow? Could I take her for a few hours and we can talk and maybe take care of a few things like this.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” he said.
“You aren’t asking. I’m offering. I’d like to. She’s a good kid and I want to see her happy as much as you do.”
“Then yes, if you wouldn’t mind.”
The rest of the dinner went by fast and before long Landon was bringing her home. She’d love the night to go on but wouldn’t press the issue. She’d see him in the morning when she went to get Chloe.
“Thank you for dinner,” she said.
“My pleasure. Are you going to ask me in?”
“I am. Are you going to kiss me again?” she asked, moving her fingernail down the front of his shirt. He might not be staying the night, but there was no reason she couldn’t tease him with a little of what was to come.
“I am,” he said, pulling her close the minute the door was shut. “I’d love to do more than this, but it can hold me over for the night.”
His mouth slanted across hers, she grabbed his hips and tugged him in closer, everything touching each other in all the right spots. There was a heat and friction between their clothes that just made her want to undress them both. When their time came it was going to be explosive, she knew without a doubt.
“You sure do know how to kiss,” she said against his lips.
“So do you.” His lips moved down her neck then over to her ear, pulling her lobe in between his teeth.
Yeah, those shivers she had earlier were erupting in her body like lava out of a volcano. “You really want to get me worked up and then make me go take a cold shower, don’t you?” she said.
“Does that work for women?” he asked.
“No. What works better is if I take care of the problem myself.”
He dropped his forehead to hers. “That is just downright mean to say that to me.”
She laughed. “It was, wasn’t it?”
“Are you really going to do that? Are you going to touch yourself? Your fingers rubbing between your legs, spreading your wetness around?”
“Talk about mean. I might have been joking, but I’m not so sure at this point.”
“Do me a favor,” he said and took a step back. “Text me if you do.”
“While I’m doing it?” she asked. She’d never had phone sex before and kind of thought it was juvenile.
“No. When you’re done is good enough. I just want to know.”
The lava that she thought was ready to blow turned to heat filling her face. “I’ll think about it.”
He gave her one more scorching kiss and left.
And an hour later her body was still hot enough to start a fire in the middle of a snowstorm so she found her hands moving down between her legs.
When she was done, she picked her phone up and sent him a text that said, “Now I feel much better.”
Girl Stuff
The next morning Landon was yawning and drinking his third cup of coffee.
He’d just about fallen to sleep when Kristen’s text came over his phone. After that, there was no controlling his body.
Thoughts of her lying in bed—him wondering what she had on, if anything—her hands running over her body. Across her breasts, down her hips, and to the dips and valleys below. He’d do anything to be there watching, touching, tasting.
Chloe stumbled into the kitchen, her hair falling in
her face, and it reminded him that he’d be seeing Kristen shortly.
“Morning,” he said to her like he did every morning.
She turned and said, “Hi.” It was somewhat of a routine.
“Do you have breakfast covered or can I make you something?” he asked. He didn’t normally offer, as they didn’t have the time in the morning. He really didn’t have it today either, but was craving something more than toast.
“I’m okay,” she said, reaching for the box of cereal that he’d finally managed to get her to pick out herself. He was sick of picking things out and wondering if she ate them because she felt she had no choice. He was finally to the point where he could manage to name several things he knew she’d eat.
“I’m going to make some eggs with my toast this morning. Are you sure you don’t want any?” Her head popped up and she hesitated. That was enough for him to say, “I’ll scramble them and add some shredded cheese.”
“That sounds good,” she said.
“Have a seat and I’ll make you some before Kristen gets here.”
He stood up and grabbed a pan and the eggs and started to crack them in and mix them up with a fork. No use dirtying a bowl. He added salt and pepper and finally turned the stovetop on.
He turned when he heard Chloe moving around. She grabbed a glass and the milk. She was still a pretty slim girl, but she ate well from what he could see. Kristen told him Chloe was tall for her age, but he had no clue one way or the other.
“What are Kristen and I doing today?” Chloe asked.
“Girl stuff,” he said. He had no clue and didn’t want to say something that might not be right. All he’d said last night was Kristen wanted to spend some time with her.
“What girl stuff?”
Guess that wasn’t answer enough. “I’m not sure. I thought you’d enjoy spending a little bit of time with her instead of sitting at the studio.”
“I will,” she said.
She grabbed her glass of milk and sat at the table, then jumped back up and got two plates and put one in front of his spot and hers. He hadn’t needed to ask and liked she did that. That she was helping without prompting. The way a kid her age should.
Maybe Kristen was right and he should figure out ways to give her more responsibility.