Safe (Conquering)

by Ryan Michele

  “Hell no! It’s just getting started.” Lauryn was always so happy. Put a few beers in her, then times that by ten. I heard Sadie sigh.

  “Come on. I’ll take you.” The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  “No. I’ll stay.” Her response was immediate. I was a bit taken aback by the abruptness, but didn’t say anything. We joined back in the conversation about music we all liked, and the night flew by quicker than I wanted it to.

  I also needed to find out why she didn’t want to be alone with me.

  The next few days passed quickly, and work was a pain in the ass. Every time I thought I had something figured out, I didn’t, or a wrench was thrown into it. I needed to get away.

  Walking into my brother’s office, I asked, “Renzo wanna go get lunch?”

  “Yeah, give me five.”

  Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the diner. After all the hand waves to everyone we knew, we finally got to our booth. “You wanna tell me what’s up your ass today?” Renzo eyed me.

  “Bad day.”

  “Why? Can I help?”

  “No. Just everything I touch fucks up, and it’s pissing me off.”

  Renzo just stared at me like he wanted me to go on, so I did. “I fucked up the order for the lumber so I had to call and redo it. Then the stupid computer froze when I was doing inventory for the Willis job. Then the kicker was Jameson called again today.”

  “What’s his problem now? Thought the rebar thing was handled.”

  “Me too. Guess I was wrong.”

  “What crawled up his ass? He’s never been this way before.”

  “I don’t know. Now he wants proof that the rebar is there.”

  “Fuck,” Renzo groaned.

  “Yeah, I don’t want to jackhammer that shit out to prove it’s there, just to replace it. You know how much that will cost?”

  “Damn. Did Dad do anything yet?”

  “I don’t know. What I do know, is this is a pain in my ass.”

  “Shit. What do you need me to do?”

  “I don’t know yet. You got any ideas?”

  “Other than telling him or having the guys who laid it tell him, I don’t know.”

  “Shit.”

  Rubbing my hands across my face, I sighed; nothing was gonna be fixed in the next five minutes.

  “You talk to Sadie at all?” This must have been Renzo’s way of changing the conversation.

  “No, why would I?”

  “You two were awfully close the other night.”

  “Nothing happened. I was just helping her keep the wolves at bay.”

  It had been four long days since I’d seen Sadie. That didn’t mean that my thoughts weren’t consumed by her, even my dreams.

  And speak of the devil. “Look who’s here.” I pointed toward the door.

  In walked Sadie and Lauryn. Sadie was dressed in short shorts and a skin tight t-shirt, her long hair hanging down her back. She was absolutely stunning.

  “Sadie,” I called from my seat, waving like an idiot. I needed help. Her eyes turned to my voice and a smirk played on those beautiful lips. Lauryn nudged her, but instead of smiling at her she scowled. It made me laugh. Sadie was a bit feisty. I could see it spark at times.

  Slowly they made their way to our booth.

  “Hey ladies. Need dates?”

  Lauryn spoke before Sadie, “Sure!” She moved in next to Renzo who was giving me the death glare. Sadie slowly moved in by me leaving enough room between us to fit the Grand Canyon. This repulsion she had for me was quite a turn on.

  “What are you ladies doing today?” I asked.

  “Shopping. Getting ready for the party tomorrow night,” Lauryn said.

  “Oh yes, the Welcome Sadie to Williamsfield Party. You excited about that?” I asked, glancing at Sadie.

  “Thrilled.” I loved her sarcastic tone.

  “Sounds like it,” Renzo chimed in. “You have a rough time getting home the other night?”

  “Nope, we got home just fine. Actually Sadie drove; I had a few too many.”

  Sadie shrugged her shoulders as if it were no big deal. The conversation at lunch was light. We laughed just like the night at the bar.

  The entire time I felt all the tension of my morning fall away from me. The more I heard Sadie laugh, the more relaxed I became. Reluctantly, we were finished and needed to get back to the office. “We’d better go. Thanks for eating with us.”

  “Thanks for buying.” Lauryn smiled.

  “Anytime.”

  “You’re coming to the party, right?” Lauryn wasn’t done with me yet.

  “Yeah. We’ll all be there,” I said, looking at Renzo. I needed to find out what the hell his problem was when it came to Lauryn.

  “‘K bye,” Lauryn said, filing out the door.

  “Bye.” Sadie’s quiet voice said before she did the same.

  Climbing into the truck, Renzo asked, “Damn dude. Why’d you invite them to stay for lunch?”

  “What the hell is your problem? You usually like it when I invite women to join us.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Tell me what the hell is going on with you and Lauryn.” I really wanted to know.

  “Nothing.”

  “Seriously, then why the hell are you so pissed? Both Sadie and Lauryn are hot.”

  “You don’t think I know that.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” My tone was getting angrier.

  “Look, I don’t want to talk about it, all right.” Renzo turned his head toward the window.

  “Dude, you’ve known Lauryn your whole life. She’s Lainey’s best friend.”

  “Maybe that’s the problem,” he grumbled under his breath, the pieces starting fall into place.

  “So you like her, but are being a jackass and staying away ‘cause of Lainey.”

  “I said, I. Don’t. Want. To. Talk. About. It,” he barked at me.

  “Fine, whatever.”

  Seeing Landon again brought back all those pesky little butterflies in my stomach that took me four days to get rid of.

  Watching him play the other night was torture. Not in a bad way … but in a want what you can never have way. I couldn’t get over how great he was up on that stage. His commanding presence was so intriguing. He could totally do that for a living.

  But what got me the most was, he protected me. I hadn’t felt safe in a long time. With Landon by my side, I did. Until he left for one reason or another and the vultures came to circle. I shooed them all away, but it made me want him to come back.

  I’d be lying if I didn’t say that scared the shit out of me. I didn’t want or need this. Whatever this was … I was trying to get away from men, not bring them closer.

  When I saw the blonde hanging on his arm on the way back, I really wanted to rip her off of him. How crazy was that? I knew I shouldn’t feel that way.

  When he came back, I focused more on the conversation at the table and tried my damnedest to stay away from Landon. I thought Ryan was trouble, but I thought Landon was the real trouble for me instead.

  “Did you see how Renzo sat as far away from me as possible? I swear I don’t smell.” Lauryn’s words broke through my thoughts.

  “Huh? Yeah.”

  “I swear that man drives me crazy. I have to see and watch all the women flock to him, and he never pays me any attention, even when we’re alone!” I didn’t think I had ever heard Lauryn yell before, and boy could she shriek.

  “How long have you had a thing for him?”

  “Since I was a little girl.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah. But he won’t even acknowledge me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “Nothing is wrong with you.”

  “Something is. He doesn’t even look at me half the time.”

  “Maybe he just doesn’t feel that way and doesn’t want to give you the wrong idea.”

  “Whatever.”

  “You guys ever have somethin
g?” I really wanted to know.

  “Just a kiss a few years back. But since then he’s been like this.”

  “Sorry.”

  Today, Lauryn showed me all around town … well, it took about ten minutes. There was really nothing in this town, but I’d admit, I was beginning to see its appeal.

  Reconnecting with Lauryn had been remarkable. We had tons in common, and I found myself at ease with her. Her openness to me invading her space had made me love her more. I still hadn’t told her anything about Rob even though she was persistent in asking tons of questions. I’d been pretty good at avoidance.

  “Get dressed.” Lauryn’s voice startled me as I was engrossed in a really steamy book.

  “Why?”

  “We’re going out.”

  I groaned. “Where?”

  “Four-wheeling.”

  My mouth dropped. “I’ve never been. I don’t think I want to start.”

  “Come on, Lainey just called. We do this all the time.”

  My curiosity peaked. “Who’s going?”

  “Lainey, Renzo, Landon, and you. Move it!”

  “I don’t want to go.” I really didn’t want to go off-roading or see Landon. Being around him did weird things to me.

  “Have you ever been?”

  Damn it. “No.”

  “Then get your ass moving. This will be fun!”

  Groaning, I did what she said.

  “Where are we?” I asked, looking around at all the trees reaching up to the sun. There must have been hundreds of them.

  “This is Renzo’s place. He has trails in the back where we ride.” Lauryn’s eyes sparked at the thought of him. I hoped she wasn’t setting herself up here, but I was thinking I was wrong.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “I know.”

  Pulling up, Renzo, Lainey, and Landon all turned, watching us as we got out of the car.

  “I’m so glad you came, Sadie. This is going to be so much fun. You’ll love it,” Lainey said, throwing her arms around me. I stood shocked for a bit before returning the embrace. I mean, shit, I’d met the girl twice, but I guess we were on hugging terms now.

  A deep voice from behind me caught my attention. “Glad you could come.” I turned to see Renzo with a half smirk on his face.

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey,” came from Landon.

  I smiled shyly at him, putting my hand in the back pockets of my jeans. “Hey.”

  “All right, let’s do this!” Lainey yelled.

  My stomach dropped. Nerves crawled through my body like ants taking over. A strong hand clasped my shoulder. “No worries. You can ride with me. I’ll protect ya.”

  Turning to Landon, I smiled. Those words—protect ya—God I wish they were true. “Hey Sadie, you can ride with me,” Renzo’s voice cut through.

  “Nope, you ride with Lauryn.” I smirked back.

  “I usually ride with Lainey.” Lauryn’s voice was quieted almost to a whisper.

  The roar of a four-wheeler caught our attention. We watched as Lainey rode off by herself. I turned to Lauryn. “Looks like your ride just left.”

  I could see in Lauryn’s eyes how thankful she was for this and nodded my head toward Renzo. I might be nervous to be with Landon, but I damn sure wasn’t going to mess with Lauryn’s feelings for Renzo.

  “Here, wear this.” Landon handed me a helmet, but when he saw my difficulty with putting it on, he came to help. His hand lightly grazed my chin when snapping the clasp. I knew he heard my rough intake of air by the smirk that graced his handsome face.

  My nerves and butterflies were all over the place. I really wanted to throw up. It wasn’t the four wheeling; it was the realization that I would have my thighs and arms wrapped around Landon. How was this staying away from this man? Oh yeah … it wasn’t.

  “Come on,” Landon called from the ATV.

  I slowly walked and threw my leg over, straddling the seat. My thighs encased his hard, muscular legs. My heart rate picked up, and I swore it was going to rip out of my chest.

  “You better hold on,” Landon said, turning to look at me.

  I slowly placed my arms around his waist, but kept some space between my front and his back. His hand touched mine, and he squeezed; then he took off.

  I absolutely loved four-wheeling, and I had to do it again. That was the most fun I’d had in a long time.

  Not soon after we started, my grip on Landon strengthened. It was almost as if he was hitting the bumps on purpose so I would. My chest was smashed to his warm back, and damn if it didn’t feel good.

  We didn’t talk much, but the playfulness between Renzo, Landon, and Lainey was fun to watch. It reminded me a lot of Seth. I missed him.

  Seeing Renzo and Landon help Lainey when she got stuck made me laugh ‘til I cried. They were covered in mud, and I partially believed that Lainey did it on purpose, but I had no facts to back that up.

  As we approached the place where we started, I was relieved. I needed to get off this thing and put some distance between Landon and me. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel good … it was that he felt too good. I couldn’t keep doing this to myself.

  As soon as it stopped, I hopped off and ripped off my helmet. I knew my hair looked like shit. There was no way it withheld through all the sweat and wind. Trying to tame it was pointless, so I wrapped it up in a messy bun on the top of my head.

  Landon cut the engine. “Did you have fun?”

  “Yeah. Thanks.” I knew my voice was quiet, but this man did weird things to me. I knew I needed space. Before any more could be said, the roar of the other bikes came to a stop. Lauryn hopped off the back of Renzo’s with the biggest smile on her face.

  Renzo did too … hmmm …

  “Did you have fun Sadie?”

  “A blast. Thanks for dragging my ass out.”

  “She had to drag you here?” Landon asked.

  “Kinda. I didn’t want to come.”

  “Why not?”

  Because I couldn’t be this close to you. “I had never been.”

  “Ah … so I took your virginity.”

  I couldn’t help but bust out laughing. He totally caught me off guard; I didn’t expect that. Tears began rolling down my face as I tried to pull myself together. “Yeah. I guess so,” was all I could come up with. I needed to compose myself and go.

  “You ladies want to come up to the house for dinner?” Renzo asked.

  Lauryn looked at me with pleading eyes. Damn it. I couldn’t tell her no. I nodded to her softly, not making eye contact with Landon. I felt his eyes boring into me.

  “Sounds good.”

  Renzo’s house was beautiful. Windows spanned the wide views of the woods just like at Lauryn’s house. It was definitely a bachelor pad—huge TV, couch, and everything screamed man.

  Dinner was delicious. Lukas came by and helped Renzo and Landon cook burgers on the grill.

  The laughter and joking around the table was wonderful. I felt very comfortable with this group of people.

  I watched from across the table as Lauryn tried several times to get Renzo’s attention. He was either oblivious or just blatantly ignoring her. The jury was still out on that one.

  Lainey loved giving her brothers shit and did so repeatedly. It was hilarious to watch. I think I even saw Landon blush once. Speaking of Landon, he didn’t leave my side, which made it terribly difficult to keep my distance from him.

  I didn’t miss the small grazes of his hand on me or the brush of his shoulder against mine. Every time he did, it sent shockwaves through my body, making it hard to ignore. I tried my best to hold it all in.

  As I lay in bed that night trying desperately to fall asleep, the night’s events kept playing though my head. Drifting off to sleep, I couldn’t help but smile.

  Red solo cup in hand, Lauryn’s bubbly self introduced me to many of the same people she did the other night at the bar, but there was no way in hell I’d remember them all. I could admit her smile was contagious
to everyone she came in contact with, and I felt myself falling into her trap. As for her staying with me the entire time at this welcome party, that wasn’t quite happening.

  I knew she was the hostess and had lots of things to do, but not having her by me was making my insides quiver. I tried breathing through it, but that wasn’t much help. I just kept my chin up and went with it.

  “Hey, Sadie is it?” I turned, bringing myself back to the present to see a striking man with light brown hair, green eyes, broad shoulders, and very handsome face trying to get my attention. I thought Lauryn said his name was Brad.

  “Yep, that’s me,” I replied.

  “I’m Brad, I met you earlier. Lauryn’s been at your side all night, so I haven’t had a chance to come and talk to you.” He smirked at me.

  And so it went. I wasn’t dead … I knew when I was about to get hit on. While I knew I should be completely flattered, because he was very attractive; I just wasn’t.

  “What’s up?”

  “So, where are you from?” Brad said while not making eye contact with me, but scanning the area behind me. It almost seemed as if he was looking for someone, but whom?

  “Up North.” I know, vague, but I really had no need to get to know this guy and his attention span was about as big as a gnat.

  “What brings you down South?” Smiling at his north/south joke … I had to roll my eyes at that one.

  “Just needed a change.” I couldn’t help but start to look around the crowd, too. Who was he looking for?

  “I see. You have a man in your life?” Finally, I got eye contact. Wow … talk about not beating around the bush. Not that I didn’t like straightforwardness, I just liked to be the one dishing it out.

  Before I could answer, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I swung around to lock eyes with a very handsome blue-eyed man. His instant megawatt smile had me following suit.

  Without another thought, Landon was walking my way, our eyes glued to one another. “Hey Sadie.” He paused. “Brad.” Landon’s voice was very curt, but his smile never left me.

  “Hey,” I whispered.

  “Hey Land. Sadie and I were in the middle of something here,” Brad bit back.

  Landon’s eyes turned questioning, but he must have read something in my eyes.

  “Sorry Brad, but Sadie and I have some unfinished business. We’ll be back in a bit.”