“I’m calling because your trust is waiting, yet you’re not doing anything to deserve it.”
“You don’t deserve a trust, Mother. It comes when you’re born because someone signs it over to you.”
“That is enough, Kaylee.”
“If that’s all, I’m going to go now. I’m working.”
“Art. Or whatever you call it. We Chambers do not work with our hands, Kaylee. Your grandfather set up that trust for you, and your father made sure it was just right for you for when you got married and had children. You need to live the life a respectable Chambers should. I do not understand why you don’t understand this. You keep walking away from your family, from your responsibilities. And you are doing nothing with your life. Everything you do is worthless unless you follow the path. You need to understand that the path was laid before you not because we enjoy telling you what to do but because it is what is meant to be.”
Kaylee closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. This was not the first time she had heard this diatribe from her mother, nor would it be the last. Her mother would likely leave a voicemail and then hand-write a letter to make sure that Kaylee heard it again.
Because this was Angelica Chambers. Nothing was ever good enough. Kaylee had not taken the correct path in life, nor had she followed any path at all in her mother’s eyes since she was living like a vagabond, a vagrant. Or so her mother frequently implied.
But Kaylee could stand up for herself. Because while she tried to at least be pleasant in spurts, she also knew when it was time to stop.
“If you’re done telling me exactly what to do with my life, I’m going back to work. Yes, as an artist. As a business owner. A successful one, not that you care about any of that. I have earned every single penny I have. Yes, I have the trust, but I haven’t touched it. I might because that was the money Grandfather sent for me and saved for me. But I do not have to abide by your rules in order to do so. I married the man you wanted me to marry, and it didn’t work out. Let me live my life, Mom.”
“You divorced Travis. Divorced him.”
“Yes, that dirty word called divorce. He didn’t love me, and I didn’t love him. He loved his secretary, or at least he loved doing her on his desk. Which, by the way, is the most cliché thing ever. But it seems that’s the thing to do. Because didn’t Dad do that, and Grandpa? Or maybe I’m just remembering things that we’re not supposed to talk about at the dinner table.”
Kaylee hadn’t meant to say that last part because she knew it would hurt her mother. But now the words were out there. Her mother was silent for a moment, and Kaylee almost apologized.
Almost.
“You’re lucky that I kept you. You’re lucky you’re still alive to be able to disobey me and act like the ungrateful brat you are. Because while you may have the Chambers last name, and you may have their blood in your veins, you are not a Chambers. I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance and started over. But, I didn’t. Now, you are my cross to bear, and you will do what is expected of you.”
Kaylee didn’t know what else her mother might say, but she had heard it all before. Instead, she hung up the phone and closed her eyes, trying not to throw up at the idea that her mother had wanted to get rid of her. After all, technically, Kaylee had been a ‘seven-month pregnancy.’ It was as if she were in Regency Times and, suddenly, she was a perfectly sized, fully matured baby at seven months—also known as: her mother had been pregnant at the time of the wedding.
Angelica had gotten pregnant at nineteen and quietly married Mr. Chambers, Kaylee’s father. But now her dad was no longer here, and neither were Kaylee’s grandparents. It was just her mother and her, the only family she had left except for the Chambers cousins who fought like cats and dogs.
But she didn’t need any of that. She had her life. And she was just fine.
“I have a feeling you just talked to your mother, so, why don’t you come over here and into my arms.”
She turned on her heels at Landon’s words, not having heard him walk in, and threw herself at him. She jumped, wrapping her arms around his neck, and he tightly grabbed her waist. Her tears fell onto his coat, and she was so angry at herself for them.
“I can’t believe I let her hurt me this much.”
“I only caught the last bit of it, the screaming. I didn’t hear the words, but if they’re what she said to you in the past, my offer to go and kick her cane out from under her is still available to you.”
Kaylee laughed then, her tears drying up even as she felt the ache inside of her.
“I think she’ll just come back stronger if you kick her cane out from under her. Maybe add some water, like the wicked witch or something.”
“That just might make her stronger, as well. Maybe we should just stay away, just in case.”
“How did you know I needed you?” she said after a moment of silence where the two of them just stared at each other, not saying a word.
“I didn’t, but I can’t stay away from you, Kaylee. And maybe that’s the problem.”
So, she did what she needed. She kissed him.
Chapter 4
Landon staggered back, Kaylee’s lips on his as he tried to remember his own name. She tasted him, and he tasted her. A little bit of wine, a little mint, and everything Kaylee. He let out a breath, pulling away from her as he cupped her face, his hands digging into her hair.
“Kissing me is not going to solve our problems.”
He hated saying the words, but he knew they were important. They couldn’t ruin what they had because of base instincts. Or instincts that seemed very useful just then.
“You’re the one who kissed me first,” she whispered and then laughed. She pulled away, and Landon was colder for it.
“What are we doing, Kaylee?”
“Not fucking, that’s for sure.” She paused, looked at him like a goddess with paint in her hair and a little bit on her cheek. She had never looked more beautiful, so messy, so…his.
But that was a problem. Kaylee wasn’t his.
“I don’t know what we’re doing,” he whispered. “We tried this, didn’t we? We both said that this isn’t what we needed. We both walked away before we hurt each other.”
“And that was over a year ago,” she whispered. “Over a year ago, and now we know each other more. And…I don’t know. It’s just, I think I need to be honest. If I’m not honest, then I’m not myself. And if this ruins everything, then it was meant to be. I just hope our relationship is strong enough for you to understand that I need to say these words. It’s just, I can’t lie to myself and you and still be me.”
He swallowed hard, nodding. That was what he loved most about her. And, yes, he said the word love. Fuck it. He loved her. He just didn’t know how to say it. She was way stronger than he was at this point if she was willing to say the words. Or say any words at all. Because he had just about swallowed his tongue, and he had no idea what to say next.
“We didn’t work out before because I was still hurt from my marriage that didn’t end well, and you were on your journey of trying to have the perfect date with every single woman you could.” She said the last part wryly, and he chuckled.
“Not quite that.”
“No, but you implied that you wanted it to be that way because it made it easier for both of us to walk away. But I’m not where I was then. We’ve watched every single one of our friends fall for someone, and we tried to help them figure out who they are in order for them to find that path.” She paused, giving him a weird look. “Path. I can’t believe I’m saying the word path.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.
“My mother said I wasn’t following the right path. That it had been laid before me for a reason, and that I wasn’t fulfilling my purpose in life.”
“Your mother’s a bitch.”
“Truer words have never been spoken.”
“So, don’t use the word path. If that’s the hard word for you.”
“All of these words are hard. I wasn’t supposed to fall for you, Landon. I wasn’t supposed to fall at all. I miss you when you’re not around. I miss when you act all protective and caveman-like and then I pretend that I resent it. Because I like it. And you know that I act all cavewoman-like and protective of you at the same time. I miss when you sit in my studio and watch me paint even as you work. I miss when we’re not together trying new food. I miss when I’m not ordering with you in mind, knowing that you’re going to take half of my food or maybe even more. I miss when we go out as a group, and you and I do our best not to sit next to each other because we don’t want others talking about us even though they’re totally already talking about us, and we’re talking about them at the same time. I miss all of that. And I miss you not by my side. And that should scare me, but it doesn’t. And I think that scares me even more. So, I’m falling for you Landon. I know I wasn’t supposed to. I know we promised each other that we wouldn’t do that. But I’m breaking that promise. And I don’t know what to say next.”
Landon stood there frozen, his hands fisted at his sides as his body shook. It took everything within him not to throw himself at her and make love to her right there on the floor, to prove that she was his just as much as he wanted to be hers.
But he was going to do that.
He just needed to say the words first.
“You are so much stronger than I could ever hope to be.”
“How can you say that?”
“I can say it pretty easily. I can because you’re standing there baring your soul to me when I was trying to figure out exactly what the fuck to say to you. I walked away from you a few nights ago because I didn’t mean to kiss you.”
She took a step back, her eyes wide, the look in them a little hollow. “Oh. I see. It seems I was mistaken.”
He heard the break in her voice, the way she tried to be so strong, and he could have cursed himself.
“No, let me finish.” He took two steps forward then, tucking her face between his hands.
“I shouldn’t have kissed you because I didn’t know if it’s what you wanted. I shouldn’t have done it because I’ve been trying not to kiss you for far too long. And because as soon as I walked away from you, I knew I was falling for you. But the problem is, I’ve already fallen. Somewhere along the way, we became each other’s other person. I haven’t dated a single person since I was with you, Kaylee.”
Her eyes widened. “But I thought you had? I…I know you haven’t talked about it, but I thought you had.”
“No, I haven’t. Because every time I thought maybe I could ask someone out, nothing ever came to be. I didn’t want it to, I didn’t want anyone else. All I can do is think of you. And I wasn’t supposed to think of you. We were supposed to just be friends. A year ago, we weren’t ready for each other. We had to figure out who we were as ourselves before we could be something more. I know that probably doesn’t make any sense.”
“I think it makes perfect sense. Why are we so stupid, Landon?”
He lowered his head to hers and closed his eyes. He inhaled her scent, knowing that this was right. That this had been a long time coming. “We’re not stupid. We’re just slow.”
“Well, that’s just mean.”
He snorted. “I mean we just took our time figuring out what the next step is.”
“And what is the next step, Landon?” In answer, he kissed her again and then lowered her to the floor.
“Landon,” she whispered against his lips, and he groaned. “I need you.”
He needed her. More than he ever thought possible. So, he kissed her, he bit her chin, and then he leaned over her, remembering their first time and wondering why they hadn’t done this again.
Emotions or no.
“I’ve always needed you, Kaylee. Always.”
They were on the floor of her studio, but on the stack of drop cloths she had to the side, the freshly laundered ones with the dried paint. It was as if it had been perfectly made for them.
He kissed her again, letting his lips trail down her jaw and then to the top of her breasts over her tank.
“Make love to me, Landon. Here. In my studio. Where we watch each other and try not to.” She rocked against him, and he groaned. He loved when she touched him, when he could feel the heat of her. He’d missed this. Missed this so damn much.
He winked and then took her lips in a searing kiss. “I love watching you work.”
“Same. Now, work with me here.” They both laughed, and he kissed her again, both of them slowly stripping each other out of their clothes. He loved her body, the way her curves flared and begged for his hands.
So, he touched, her moving down her body as he licked and sucked at her skin. She tasted of peaches, the lotion and scents she used that were so subtle, he could only scent them when he was right on top of her.
Just like he was now.
“Landon,” she breathed as he lowered his head to her stomach, gently biting before going lower…then lower. She arched into him again as he tasted her, spreading her for his tongue and fingers.
As he speared her, gently coaxing her closer and closer to the edge, she slid the tips of her fingers over his hair, tugging when he hit that perfect spot.
And when she came, he kept teasing her, his mouth on her clit, wanting one more from her before he came inside her.
“Landon, I can’t…I need you inside me.”
“One more, Kaylee. I need one more.”
“I can’t Landon. I can’t.”
“For me, Kaylee, baby, come for me.” And then she did, shouting his name and arching into him once more before he moved away, licking her taste from his lips and moving to hover over her body.
“Inside me. Now.” She practically growled the words, and he grinned.
“So impatient. Always wanting more.”
She reached between them and gripped the base of his cock, giving it a squeeze and making his eyes cross. “I want you, you ass. Now, get this thick thing in me.”
“Thick? Aww, baby, you’re so sweet.”
“If you don’t get inside me right now, I’ll move and put it in my mouth. Your choice.”
He paused, actually thinking about what would be the better option. “Well…” He laughed as she punched his shoulder and then he leaned down, taking her lips again. “Anything you want, Kaylee. Anything.”
He didn’t want her on the floor, so he flipped them over, and soon, she was straddling him, sliding down his length.
“You’re so tight, so perfect for me,” he growled.
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and cupped her breasts. “You say the sweetest things.”
Then she moved. And he moved. And they moved as one, breathing and rocking into each other.
They had been good before, but now, they were better. Hotter. Needier.
Her hair fell over him in a long curtain of waves and delicious scent. “Falling for you,” he gasped as they moved.
“Always,” she whispered, and then they both came, whispering each other’s names and aching for one another as if they had been one all along.
And the thing was, they had been. All their dinners, their times together, they’d been just who they needed to be. For themselves and each other.
And maybe, just maybe, they really had been dating all along.
Epilogue
Kaylee ignored the knowing looks at the next game night at Thea Montgomery’s house. Oh, yes, all of their friends had known for some time, had actually taken bets on when Kaylee and Landon would finally confess that they were indeed a couple and that, yes, they were in love. Apparently, everyone knew, even though Kaylee and Landon had done their best not to think about it at all.
There was a reason they had not thought about it. They needed time.
Now, they were taking all the time they needed to figure out who they were together.
“Okay, now for the ruler of the bet, I’d like to say thank you, Kaylee and Landon, f
or deciding to finally reveal your relationship to the rest of us on this date.” Adrienne bowed, and the others booed.
“You’re serious?” Landon asked as he played with Kaylee’s hair. They were sitting on the loveseat, yes, the loveseat because that’s where everyone had placed them. He had his arm around her shoulders and was casually coiling her hair around his finger. She wasn’t even sure he realized he was doing it.
It was just something that he liked to do because he seemed to love touching her.
He constantly touched her, made her feel alive. She could ignore her mother’s desires, ignore the responsibilities she supposedly had.
She could just be.
And she could paint, with whatever medium she wanted. She could just be the Kaylee Chambers she wanted to be, not the one she was apparently supposed to be.
“Yes,” Adrienne answered, grinning. “Today was the exact date that I picked in the pool, and let me tell you, it’s been going on for like four months at this point.”
“I cannot believe you beat me by a day,” Mace said, wrapping his arms around his fiancée’s waist. He smacked a kiss on Adrienne’s lips, and the woman laughed.
“Well, it just seems that I’m the best person at this. The best in the world.” Adrienne let out a manic laugh, and everyone giggled as Mace started tickling her.
“I say we play a game of Twister,” Dimitri said, his voice low as he gazed at Thea. “You know, since you’re already technically playing in front of us.” “We will not be playing Twister.” Thea raised her chin, trying to look prim and proper.
They all started cracking up because everyone knew exactly what had happened the last time Thea and Dimitri played Twister. Apparently, they had played Twister a few more times since then, sometimes without clothes.
“We will not be playing Twister as a group,” Kaylee said, sounding prickly. “We’re all close, and very good friends, but Twister turning into a naked group orgy is not something I want to do.”
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