Burn for You

by Marquita Valentine

  “That’s the one.” I straddle the chair she’s sitting in, pushing her forward and pulling her back in my lap. “It’s a good thing you’re not going, because I’d be so jealous that I’m liable to let the trailer park out, if you so much as smiled at him.”

  Turning her head slightly, she kisses me, her tongue coming out to play with mine, until she’s gasping for air. I run my hands down the sides of her body, loving the feel of her, loving how she settles against me and wants only me.

  “You are so full of it.”

  If she only knew. I’m mentally preparing myself to meet this guy, so I won’t want to knock the smile off his earl face. I put my mouth by her ear and rest my hands right under her heavy breasts. “I expect you to be waiting for me, in my bed, without this on.”

  Landry wriggles against me, her plump little ass making my dick hard. “What if I want to improvise?”

  “How so?”

  “What if I bought something to wear for you?”

  “Then improvise away, but maybe you could send me a picture while I’m at the party. For good luck.”

  She shakes with laughter. “I’ll think about it, but first we have to finish eating.”

  “Fine, fine,” I say, leaving the warmth of her curvy little body for my own chair. “Feed me.”

  “Try this,” Landry says, holding out her fork. “I have no idea what kind of fish it is, but it’s sooo good.”

  “That’s not fish. It’s—”

  “La, la, la.” She covers her ears with her hands. “I’m not listening.”

  Mia copies Landry, throwing her fork on the floor. I lean to one side to pick it up and chuck it out of the way.

  “You two,” I tease. “I can’t take y’all anywhere.”

  “Then it’s a good thing I’m happy eating at home every night. Though can I really complain about a personal chef?” She sighs. “I think not.”

  “How about I take you out one night?”

  Landry’s arms fall to her side. She grins at me. “Mia and I would love it.” She stands up and takes Mia out of her highchair, handing her to me. “Bath time and bedtime. Want to come with us?”

  “Not tonight. I’m already dressed, and she loves to splash me.” I give Mia a hug and a kiss. “Do you mind?”

  “Not at all,” she says, taking Mia from me. “Blow Daddy kisses before we go.”

  Mia smacks her lips and then her hand against her face, and I clap.

  Landry winks at me. “We’ve been practicing.”

  “Great job, sweet pea.” I lean forward in my chair, tickling Mia’s little fat foot. “Give me another one.”

  Mia buries her face into Landry’s chest. “C’mon, Mia,” she coos. “Show daddy what else we practiced.” But Mia refuses to move from her spot. “Okay, then I’ll go first this time.” Landry looks at me, her cheeks flushing as she raises a hand to her puckered lips. She blows a kiss at me and says, “Love you.”

  My entire body goes hard. “Very cute.” Very Cute? I hear I love you from Landry and my best response is very cute? It’s a damn good thing she was trying to get Mia to do it, and not a heartfelt emotion she wants to share with me.

  Landry clears her throat. “Mia. Blow Daddy a kiss.”

  I take a drink of my beer, trying to keep my cool. “It’s okay. She’ll say it in her own time. I promise it won’t change how I feel about hearing it when she does. I’ll be just as proud. And I’ll feel exactly the same way about her.”

  “You will?” Her face goes all soft, until she suddenly snaps out of whatever is in that pretty head at the moment. “Of course you will. You’re her dad. I don’t even know what I was thinking.”

  “You were being you, and I love that.”

  Nodding, Landry whisks Mia away. I set my beer down and rub the bridge of my nose.

  I don’t just love that. I love her. I fucking love Landry Basnight.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Landry

  My legs are shaking, because I’m so anxious and nervous for Beau to get back. I glance at the clock and shake my head. He’s only been gone for less than an hour, but it feels like an eternity.

  I want to take the next step with Beau and confess how I feel.

  I’m in love with him. So in love.

  Giddy as anything, I spin around the room, until I’m dizzy, and then do it all over again.

  There’s a knock on the door. I stop spinning and jog down the stairs to answer it, checking the security camera first.

  “Judith, what’s wrong?” I ask as soon as I open the door.

  Beau’s stepmother smiles at me. “Not a thing. I came here so you can go to the party with Beau.”

  “That’s really nice of you,” I begin, stepping back so she can walk inside. “But he already left.”

  “Yes, and I just left him and Remington at the party. That poor boy looked miserable without you,” she says as I close the door behind her.

  Flushing, I look everywhere but at her, because I’m pretty sure she can see what happened between Beau and me in my eyes. “He... I—I’m here to watch Mia so he can concentrate on all the other stuff.” Wow, way to sound really, really guilty.

  Pursing her lips, she makes a noise of disbelief. “Go upstairs and put something pretty on. My car will take you to him.”

  I stand there, nearly wringing my hands, as I waver back and forth between going. Finally, I swallow my pride and ask, “Are you sure he looked miserable without me?”

  A beautiful smile curves her lips. “Completely.”

  “Mia’s asleep. The baby monitor is on the table behind the sofa. There are some snacks in the kitchen—”

  Judith takes me by the shoulders and looks me straight in the eye, her brown ones twinkling. “Landry, darling. I know what to do. Now, stop stalling and go change.”

  “Okay.” I nod, and she releases me. “Okay,” I repeat and rush up the stairs. Running to my bedroom, I throw my closet door open and frown at everything inside. I pull out a burgundy sheath dress I packed on impulse. It has capped sleeves and ends right above my knees.

  Holding it in front of me, I examine myself in the mirror. “Time to be Cinderella.”

  Fifteen minutes later, I check out my reflection in the mirror once again. My hair is curled, and the lingerie I purchased is carefully concealed by the dark red dress. My shoes have two-inch heels and are nude in color. They’re not the sexiest pair of heels, but I can run from the paparazzi in these things if I have to.

  Smiling from ear to ear, I float down the stairs and to the waiting car, tossing a “thank you so much” to Judith before the driver helps me inside. In no time at all, he’s pulling up in front of a palatial house with fountains and a circular drive. Flags representing a multitude of nations hang from a second story, making it look royal and official.

  Glamorous woman and James Bond-looking men mill about, talking, smoking, and drinking champagne. My heart speeds up in anticipation.

  “It’s like a fairy tale,” I breathe as I step out of the car.

  The driver tips his hat to me. “I’ll see you at midnight, miss.”

  I barely contain the laughter bubbling in my throat at the thought of a curfew. Cinderella indeed.

  The interior of the house is even more glamorous than the façade. The place drips money. Lots and lots of money. Famous faces I recognize make my eyes widen. I know I must look like an ingénue wandering around, but I don’t care. Being here, while looking for the man I love, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

  Suddenly, the crowd parts, and I see him. Surrounded by a group of women and men. I stop, partially hiding behind a tall, potted plant like a wallflower at her first ball. Only this wallflower is looking to get her man.

  A strange feeling comes over me the longer I stand there.

  The group, along with Beau, is dressed to the nines, as my momma would say. Skintight dresses, glittery shoes, and jewels shine among dark suits and tuxes. Blindingly white teeth flash as they talk, while I stand there, ha
lf-hidden by a big pot of elephant ears.

  I feel gauche. Unwelcome.

  Beau laughs, his head thrown back. A blonde, as tall as he is and more fashionably dressed and confident than any other woman in the room, touches his arm. Immediately he stops, turning his full attention on her.

  I can only imagine what she’s feeling right now. How he’s looking at her with his sexy gray eyes, how he’s making her feel like the only woman in the world that matters.

  She nods at a spot in the room. To my horror, he follows her to a dark corner. A dark corner with privacy and a loveseat for two. I’m rooted to the spot, like the plant beside me as I watch them lean in to one another. The expression on his face is intense, and hers seems to be insistent.

  She whispers in his ear and he shakes his head, the word no so clearly spoken that I can practically hear it from my vantage point.

  Suddenly, my feet are no longer bolted to the floor. I march up to them, not thinking of what I’ll say once I get there. Maybe I’m imagining everything. Maybe he’s only talking. Maybe he’s only discussing business with her.

  Though what sort of business he would have with six-feet of beautiful blonde is beyond my comprehension. But I have to know.

  I can see the moment awareness hits him. His body tenses. I have the sudden urge to run, to continue to be blissfully ignorant, and to end my night in his arms instead.

  “Landry?” Beau rises from the leather sofa, an uneasy look covering his face. “Is there something wrong with Mia?”

  “No.”

  “Then what are you doing here?” He sounds perplexed, not happy. Not miserable without me.

  My stomach drops to my toes, my face goes hot, and my heart shatters to pieces. A strange noise fills my ears and my vision blurs. Finally, it clears and the noise goes away, but my heart is still in pieces.

  A throat clears, and I force myself to look at Beau. He and the supermodel are staring at me, him with concern and her with disdain.

  “Landry?” Beau asks, coming toward me.

  There’s no way I’ll let him touch me. Carefully, I start backing away from the couple. “Sorry to disturb y’all. I made a mistake coming here tonight.”

  I run from the glitzy ballroom room, down the red-carpeted stairs, and all the way to the entrance. Hailing the first cab I spot, I get inside and barely make it through reciting my address without bawling.

  I will not let this get the best of me. I let out a shuddering breath, my hands clenched tight by my sides. Only a few more minutes and I can be back in my bedroom, where no one can see the rest of me crack into a million pieces.

  Especially not Beau.

  Judith is waiting as I walk inside. She takes one look at me, and her smile fades. “What in the world happened?”

  “He wasn’t miserable without me,” is all I say. “I’m going to bed.”

  Without waiting for an answer, I bolt upstairs and shut my door behind me, my heart pumping like crazy as I sink to the floor. I drop my head into my hands and sob.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I sob the word over and over. My nose is running, and I’m crying so hard that my chest hurts. For a long time, I just sit there, wallowing in my misery and trying to make sense of what I saw. Of what he said. But my mind won’t leave me alone. All the gossip, every warning about him echoes in my head.

  Playboy. Different girl every night. You’re just something shiny. He’s too fucked up for a sweet girl like you.

  Then Beau’s voice is replacing those bad thoughts: “I expect you to be waiting for me, in my bed, without this on.”

  Why in the world would he want me in his bed, if I wasn’t what he wanted? “It doesn’t make sense.”

  Beau’s nothing like that. He is not that guy. I refuse to give in to my insecurities. I’ll believe in him, in the best about him.

  He hadn’t looked guilty at all, just anxious and then concerned. For me.

  While she... she’d looked at me like a scientist, like she was trying to figure out who and what I was exactly. Wouldn’t most women have said something or made a snide remark? That’s what always happens on Lifetime—right?

  Standing, I wipe my eyes and then head to the bathroom to blow my nose and clean up my makeup. I’m not going to jump to conclusions. I’m going to talk to Beau, like an adult, and find out what’s going on.

  Beau

  Yvette the ballbuster is not happy with me at all, but I don’t give a shit.

  “You will bring her and the baby, yes?” Yvette asks.

  “I don’t see what Landry and Mia have to do with racing,” I point out for what seems like the hundredth time. “I value their privacy above everything. It’s bad enough that people try to snap pictures of us at the house, but I’ll be damned if I trot them out like a horse and pony show.”

  Yvette’s frown grows. She leans closer. “Mr. Romanov feels it would be in your best interest to have a controlled meet and greet with the press.”

  What she means is that Mr. Romanov will find another driver if I don’t. I knew this going in, and I’d warned Landry about it, but now that I am here and Landry and I are... together—I don’t want the intrusion. I like knowing she and Mia are waiting on me, giving me a soft place to land when I come home, exhausted as hell.

  A tick starts up in my jaw. “One meet and greet. That’s it.”

  “Three.”

  “No.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, a gorgeous woman in dark red headed my way catches my attention. Strange since I’ve gone out of my way to not let any of them catch any more than that. Turning slightly, I get a better view of the woman’s face.

  “Landry?” I rise to my feet, my thoughts and fears immediately going to my daughter. “Is something wrong with Mia?”

  Landry’s mouth trembles, her pretty eyes widen a little and become shiny. “No.”

  “Then what are you doing here?” I ask, and she flinches. The woman I love fucking flinches from me, like I’ve physically hurt her. Of all the things I can ask her in that moment, that’s what chooses to leave my mouth?

  “Sorry to have bothered y’all,” she says softly. “I made a mistake coming here.”

  The look on Landry’s face will haunt me for the rest of my life, and there’s nothing I can do to make that moment unhappen. Nothing I can do to unsee it for either of us. Right now, that beautiful woman thinks I’ve betrayed her. She thinks I’ve discarded her like a one-time use tire. Like all I was doing was biding my time until something better came along.

  I know all this, because I’ve felt it myself, countless times with Paisley.

  Damn my Romanov Industries handler and her insistence that we talk in private about my daughter and her nanny. Where no one would be the wiser. Where the press that had been allowed to attend wouldn’t hear our conversation.

  Only, all that had backfired.

  Landry turns, fleeing the room. I start to go after her, but Yvette stalls me.

  “We are not done. If you want the paparazzi to leave her alone, then you will stay. Go to her later.”

  A few reporters who have been following me all night begin to circle the area as if they’re sharks smelling blood. I sit back down, tapping my fingers against my thigh while I wait for them to leave.

  “Fine. Anything else we need to discuss? In private.” I’m trying to be polite, when I feel like firing her ass, and telling Romanov Industries to shove their sponsorship where the sun doesn’t shine.

  “Nyet.” Yvette’s sharp gaze scans the room. “They are gone. You may leave.”

  How nice of her. “Goodnight, then.” I take off, wondering what I can say or do to make Landry feel better. To make her believe me.

  I don’t want to fight with her, not like I do with Paisley. I want Landry to accept the truth of what happened here tonight and fucking love me.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Landry

  I’m sitting on the sofa, looking out into the bay, when there’s a knock on my door. Beau sticks his head i
nside my room.

  “May I come in?” he asks and my heart pinches.

  Unsure of my voice, I nod. He crosses the room and sits down beside me, before loosening his tie, an act I find so hot that I’m surprised I don’t melt on the spot. How screwed up is that? He could have done the worst thing possible to me and I still find him attractive.

  “I fucked up tonight, didn’t I?”

  “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” I hate how pitiful I sound in this moment.

  “The woman I was sitting with is Yvette Petrov, my handler from Romanov Industries. She wanted to talk privately about a few things. Those things included less secluded time with you and Mia. I didn’t want to go to her place, because I didn’t want any speculation in the press about what I was doing there... so I thought we could go somewhere semi-private. She wants you and Mia at the rest of the practices and on race day. I didn’t know you were coming. It totally threw me off my game, and I’m sorry,” he says in one big rush, like he’s afraid that at any moment, I’ll stand up and call him a liar.

  I blow out a shaky breath and smile at him through my tears. “Okay. Mia and I will go to a few of your practices, but not if it’s during her naptime.”

  “Fair enough, and the rest?”

  “Of course we’ll be at the race. It’s our job to cheer you on.”

  He cups the side of my face, his gray eyes studying me. “That’s it?”

  “I choose to believe you, Beau.” I choose to love you.

  “How did I ever get so lucky?” he breathes. Then his lips are on mine, slow and easy. His tongue flicks out, skimming my top lip. “Pouty lips like yours should always be kissed,” he murmurs, and I let out a dreamy sigh. “Pouty lips like yours should always be ready for a kiss, but only from me.” His eyes turn molten, and his fingers tighten imperceptibly against my skin. “Only me, Landry.”

  “Only you,” I agree. “Only you, Beau.”

  Our mouths find the way back to each other, moving together, our tongues coming out to play, to slide and twist. He eases me down onto the sofa, coming to lie next to me on his side. My chest rises and falls as my heart slams repeatedly against it. It feels as though I’ve been running to him my entire life.