by Layla Hagen
“Sure.”
“Did something happen to make you decide to take time off?”
“We just finalized talks for a partnership with another player in the industry. We have a lot of synergies between us, and it makes sense. But I’ve been working sixteen-hour days for the last six months to make it happen. I needed a break. And I missed my family. It’s been years since I spent more than a few days at a time with them.” He smiled at me, a smile that made my insides flutter. Damn my traitorous insides. They had no business fluttering. “But if my brothers ask, my official story is I needed a proper break from everything. I’ll never hear the end of it otherwise. Plus, I did need a vacation during which I don’t wake up to check sales numbers and go to bed making projections.”
“Instead you unload timber poles and walk women home in the middle of the night.”
“Just one woman. And I’ll gladly do it again. I had a great time tonight, Maddie. I loved dancing with you.”
My skin sizzled, and I nearly melted into a puddle when he cocked his head and trapped my gaze with his.
“I loved it too.”
“Worth breaking the rules?” he challenged.
“One hundred percent.”
“Tell me about your sister.”
“Grace is the smartest person,” I piped up. “She’s in law school right now on a partial scholarship and works at the Lucky Bar and a few other places.”
“And that’s enough to pay the rest of the tuition fees?”
“No, I’m paying them. She works to cover her living costs.”
He smiled. “You’re a great sister.”
“Thanks. I don’t want Grace to graduate with a ton of debt. That puts a lot of pressure on you as a young professional.”
We arrived on my street faster than expected. When had time flown by? Tiny bungalows were crammed into each other along the street. I had no yard to speak of, but living alone in LA came at a cost.
I wasn’t ready to say good night, but I wouldn’t invite him in either. Our dancing had been fun and a lot more explosive than I expected, but I wouldn’t cross that line.
I stepped up on my porch but Landon remained with his feet on the concrete, not making any move to follow me. I liked that a lot—that he knew when to push and when to respect boundaries.
“See you tomorrow, Landon. Thanks for walking me home.”
“Anytime, Maddie.”
He pulled out his phone and asked, “What’s your number?”
“Why do you need it?”
His eyes were focused on his screen, but the corners of his mouth tilted up. “You’ll see. Number?”
I rattled it off, watching him closely. My heart was pounding against my rib cage as I tried to read the situation. When he shoved his phone back in his jeans, he bestowed a smile upon me and I felt a hot sizzle slither down my spine, followed by a cold shiver. I had no idea why this man had such an impact on me. That issue was only more aggravated when he took my hand in his and raised it to his mouth, just like he’d done on that first day. He brushed his lips on my knuckles, and this time the heat his lips brought spread throughout me, concentrating low in my body. Another rush of heat shot right between my legs when he looked up and I saw his pupils had widened. He let my hand go the next second. Thank heavens. If he’d held my hand longer, I might have done something crazy. Like kissing him. Oh, scratch that. I would have jumped him.
“See you tomorrow, Maddie.”
I felt his gaze on me while I unlocked and pushed my door open. Once inside, I hurried to the window and saw him heading away with purposeful strides. I was overcome by the impulse to head back out, ask him to come inside.
It dawned on me that he hadn’t told me what he needed my number for. But I got my answer a few minutes later when my phone chirped with an incoming message.
Now you have my number too, beautiful. Anytime you need someone to walk you home, give me a call.
I looked at that message for a long time, smiling like a fool.
Chapter Seven
Landon
“Well, well, someone’s up to no good.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of my sister’s voice. Lori was in Val’s living room, curled in the armchair near the window, the light from her e-reader illuminating her features. Val invited her and Milo to spend the night here since I was taking them to a festival near Venice Beach tomorrow. I felt up the wall until I reached the light switch of the lamp in the nearest corner and flicked it on.
“Why did you do that?” Lori raised her hands in a dramatic gesture, covering her eyes.
“Not all of us have cat eyesight, Lori. What are you doing here?”
She held up her e-reader. “Have this fantastic book I can’t put down.”
I didn’t buy it. “Still have trouble sleeping?”
“Yep.” Lori usually followed that by saying she and I inherited our mother’s sleeping affliction, but I begged to differ. Mom once told me she couldn’t sleep because she had too many thoughts and worries. “So where were you?”
“Out.”
“Come on, Landon. Indulge me a little. Do you know how often I fantasized about being the one to catch you sneaking in?”
“Let me guess. Every time I caught you?”
“You got it.”
I smiled down at my sister, deciding to torment her. “Must keep my secrets.”
“You are impossible.”
“But you still love me.”
She sighed. “I do.”
I fought a yawn. I was tired, but I strongly suspected my sister could do with some company. As a troubled sleeper myself, I knew just how boring those hours of non-sleep were, or how dark, depending on the type of thoughts fighting for headspace. But somehow, positive thoughts never struck in the dead of the night.
So even though I knew this was one of those occasions in which I’d fall asleep right away, I dropped in the armchair next to Lori. My sister put the e-reader down and watched me. No, scrutinized was the word I was looking for. I felt as if my sister was holding a magnifying glass over me, looking for clues.
“I was with Maddie.”
Lori narrowed her eyes and her lips became so thin, I was instantly reminded of our mother, even though she looked nothing like Mom.
“And you what, had your way with her and then left her in the dead of the night? I love you, brother, but that’s a dick move.”
I winced. “Jesus.”
Lori wasn’t smiling anymore. “I’m serious.”
I shook my head. I’d always been close to my siblings, but talking about what constituted a dick move with my sister in the dead of the night was a first.
“You don’t have anything to worry about, Lori. I was at the Lucky Bar with Maddie. She was covering a shift for her sister. She had to stay until closing—”
“And you waited so you could walk her home.” Lori sighed with relief. “So glad Momma made sure you boys carry on Dad’s chivalry.”
I was surprised at her remark because I didn’t remember such details about our father. He’d been a good husband and father, that much I knew. But certain details hadn’t registered, or I’d forgotten them—which was even more frustrating. Lori was five years younger than me, but I always did think women were more perceptive than men. Mom had taken manners very seriously.
“I never liked the idea of Val closing the bar,” I said.
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Didn’t think it was safe back then, and I don’t think it’s safe now.”
“You did the right thing. But now that I know you haven’t pulled a dick move on Maddie, I can bring up the subject of your dating life.”
“Lori, it’s been six years since that ass left you and Milo, and you’re still single. Don’t lecture me about dating.”
She stiffened and I regretted my words, but then I also didn’t. We rarely touched the subject of her personal life. “You know nothing about my dating life.”
She had a point, but her
defensive reaction spoke volumes. Also, I would have known if she’d been dating seriously. One of my brothers would have told me.
“It’s been six years, Lori,” I tried again. “Don’t you get lonely?”
“Of course I do. And you think I wouldn’t want to go out, try to chase that white-picket-fence dream again? I plan weddings for a living. But I can’t parade men in and out of my son’s life. The dating world is a lot like seeing a fin in the water and thinking it’s a dolphin, only to later discover it’s a shark. It takes trial and error to get to the good ones. I don’t want to give Milo whiplash, having him think he’ll finally have a father figure in his life only to pull the rug from under him.”
“I understand.”
“Will is going to have your ass for this. You should see the stern looks he gives any guy who so much as comes in sniffing distance. Like I’m sixteen or something.”
I hid a smile. I knew for a fact that Will thought he was being so smart about it that Lori couldn’t tell.
“I can deal with Will.”
Lori laughed. “You’re out of practice, Landon.”
“High time to get back in the saddle, I’d say.”
“I couldn’t agree more. It’s so good to have you here. Who else would stay up and talk to me even if he was dead tired?”
“Charming. You’re making me feel really special right now.”
She leaned back on the headrest, yawning. “Thanks for pampering Milo like this, training him. It means a lot to him.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“I don’t have anything more to say on the topic.”
I was tempted to push her more but decided not to. Besides, she looked sleepier than when I’d arrived, and as a fellow insomniac, I knew she should head to bed right now. As if on cue, she yawned again.
“I think I’m going to bed,” she said.
“Good night, Lori.”
It looked as if at least one of us was going to have a good night’s sleep, and it wasn’t me. Though I’d been ready to fall asleep when I came in, I felt wide-awake now, watching Lori climb the staircase.
My thoughts flew to Maddie. There was no denying that I was attracted to her. Everything about Maddie beckoned to me. When she smiled, she lit everything up, and I wanted some of that light. I wanted her. I liked her smile, her laughter, the way her eyes warmed when she talked about Grace. Her fierce determination that her sister should have the best.
The only reason I hadn’t kissed her good night was that I couldn’t have stopped at one kiss. I wanted more. Taste her skin, make her moan. All new impulses that should have made me want to pull away. I’d fought hard to piece myself together after losing Rachel. I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t let myself care for someone so deeply again, that I wouldn’t even let myself want to care. But when it came to Maddie, all I wanted was to get closer.
When I climbed the staircase, I took out my phone and noticed a message from her from about half an hour ago.
Maddie: Made it home all right?
Even though she was probably asleep by now, I answered anyway. She’d see it in the morning.
Landon: Cab dropped me off a while ago, and I chatted with Lori for a bit.
She answered a few seconds later.
Maddie: Does insomnia run in your family? On my first day on the job, I returned at two o’clock in the morning because I’d forgotten to shut off the power to one of the machines, and Val was on the porch, typing on her laptop!!
Will you look at that? And Val was calling me a workaholic. I hovered with my thumb over the keys, but I didn’t want to type back. I wanted to hear her voice. I needed it. Jesus, it had been less than an hour since I dropped her off, and I already missed her. I headed to my room and dialed her number as soon as I closed the door behind me.
“Uhhh, the answer is so long it deserves a phone call?”
“I like talking more than typing.” Not strictly true, since I thought e-mails were more efficient than calls at work, but just hearing her voice made me smile. “It does run in the family. Mom was like this, and Lori’s just like her. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I have too much energy. Dancing usually has that effect, especially with a partner who knows what he’s doing. And you certainly kept your promise.”
I sat on the bed fully clothed, trying to make sense of the tightness in my chest. The thought of Maddie with other partners drove me crazy. Fucking hell! I had no right to feel possessive of her.
“What did you talk about with Lori?” she asks.
“Her, Milo. She asked where I was tonight.”
“I can tell her the entire story, vouch for your excellent dancing skills.”
Her last words came out shaky, and they sent a shock straight under my belt. A gurgling sound came from her end, like someone trying to stifle a yawn.
“Go to sleep, Maddie. You’re tired.”
“Hmm, I know, but I like talking to you. So much better than sleep. Tell me about your life in San Jose.”
“I wake up at five, reply to all outstanding e-mails, then go to the gym for one hour. When I arrive at the office, I go through the schedule with my assistant. A typical day consists of back-to-back meetings, both internal and external. I head home at about eleven.”
“At night? Wow. Are you even human? How can you concentrate for so long?”
“Habit.”
“What do you do on weekends?”
“On Saturday I Skype with Milo for an hour or two before heading to the office, and on Sunday I work in the morning and play soccer in the afternoon.”
A pause, then “Wow.”
I imagined Maddie lying in her bed, just like I was. Did she sleep naked? With an old shirt that reached just to the middle of her ass? My dick strained in my pants, and I undid the belt and button to relieve some of the pressure. It wasn’t enough, especially when more images flooded my mind.
“What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve done?” I asked out of the blue. I wanted to know everything about her.
“Wow, you’re hitting up the big stuff, digging deep already. You go first.”
“During a frat party at Harvard, I ran naked through the campus when it was freezing outside.”
“That’s not outrageous. It’s stupid.”
“I know. Your turn.”
“I skinny-dipped on a dare. At night, on a beach in Malibu.”
An image of Maddie naked in the ocean slammed into my mind.
“To be a fly on the wall. Well, the sand,” I said and heard her catch her breath. “What else do you like, Maddie?”
“Lots of things. Burritos with extra cheese and guacamole, curling up with a good book and hot cocoa, lying in the sun on an empty beach.”
“What else?”
“Dancing with someone who can make my entire body feel awake.” Her last words sounded throaty. I lowered the zipper of my jeans, freeing my erection. A groan tore from me, and I knew I had to end the call before she realized how far gone I was.
“That’s quite a list,” I said in a strained voice.
“You sound tired.”
“We should call this a night.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Landon.”
“Sleep tight.”
I dropped the phone the second the line went static, and another groan tore from me as I fisted my dick, imagining Maddie here with me. I moved my hand faster and faster until I was spent, but my hunger for Maddie still wasn’t satiated.
Chapter Eight
Maddie
I didn’t sleep at all. After finishing the conversation with Landon, I realized I had to get up in two hours because I wanted to check on Grace before heading to Val’s, and two hours of sleep would just make me groggy. So instead, I made soup for Grace, stopped by the pharmacy because I was sure she’d be out of medicine for her cold, and headed to her apartment building. The weird thing? I had so much energy, you’d think I slept a full eight hours and ingested caffeine pills upon waking up.
Maybe I was still high on my conversation with Landon. I was sure I’d crash eventually, but maybe sight of a certain Connor brother would be enough to fill me with this weird, giddy energy again.
My sister was awake when I arrived in her tiny apartment. Her roommate was away this week.
“What happened to your hair?” she shrieked instead of saying good morning. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, leaning with her back on the headboard, heaps of used napkins surrounding her. Grace looked a lot like me, and people often mistook us for twins, even if she was seven years younger.
“Haircut disaster. Went to a new hairdresser because I desperately needed a trim.”
“I’d give you a better haircut blindfolded.”
“I know. How are you feeling?”
Her nose was red and puffy, as were her eyes.
“Not good. I’m going to the doctor today. You were right. I should have gone sooner.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from saying I told you so. There was a time for gloating my general older-sister wisdom, and this was not the time.
“I brought you chicken soup. I left it in the kitchen. Do you want me to bring you some?”
“Nah, I’ll eat later. Thank you, Maddie. You’re so good to me.”
I ruffled her hair and she pushed my hand away, pretending to be annoyed. I loved doting on her. Ever since I was tall enough to reach the stove, I cooked her favorites. Our parents were always gone, either performing or rehearsing. Growing up, I’d missed the warmth of a parent doting on me, and I hadn’t wanted Grace to feel the same way.
I couldn’t protect her from the instability of a musician’s income. She’d worn hand-me-downs from me her entire childhood, and there were Christmases when we couldn’t even splurge on a festive meal, but I was determined to compensate where I could.
“How was the Lucky Bar last night?” she asked.
I fidgeted in my spot at the end of the bed, weighing the pros and cons of telling her everything about the shift. I hadn’t told her about my attraction to Landon, but now I was bursting to share everything with her. So I sat at the edge of her bed and poured my heart out, describing every tiny detail about the dance, the walk home, the phone call.