Trivial Pursuits (Chicago On Ice Book 2)

by Aven Ellis

  Landon kisses the top of my head. “How can I hate a morning when I’ve just made love to you?”

  I smile as we stay snuggled in his bed. He arrived back from Toronto last night, and we couldn’t wait until the next morning to see each other. Landon picked me up after he left the airport, and we spent the night in each other’s arms. Talking, laughing, cuddling and, of course, making love.

  “I’m glad you don’t have practice today,” I murmur happily, kissing his bare chest.

  “Me too,” Landon says, running his hand over my arm. “Are you going to the guild today?”

  I roll over so I’m on top of him. I prop myself up so I can see his gorgeous face.

  “I should,” I say thoughtfully.

  Landon cocks an eyebrow. “Should?”

  “But I worked really hard yesterday on the dog tag Princess Alessandra approved,” I say. “I have wiggle room to take the day off.”

  “Awh, man. I wanted to go to the guild and use your hammers,” Landon declares, grinning at me.

  I laugh. I have a whole collection of hammers I use for jewelry making, which seems to be of endless fascination to Landon.

  “You’re obsessed with my tools, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe I’m obsessed with you,” he murmurs, kissing my nose.

  Ooooooooooh, I love him.

  “I owe you a thank you, by the way,” I say. “Did you know that once Collins told Princess Alessandra that Landy Holder owns a Simple Pleasures by Livy bracelet and loves it, and other players want them, she immediately thought I was worthy and signed off on a dog tag design?”

  “You do owe me,” Landon says sexily. “I’ll make you pay me back after breakfast.”

  Then he drops a sexy, lingering kiss on my lips that makes me think breakfast is highly overrated.

  “Mmmmm,” I murmur against his warm mouth. “Do we need to eat?”

  He laughs softly against my lips. “Yes, we do.”

  “Damn.”

  I sit up and smile down at him, his black hair all tousled and his skin dark against the white sheets, and he’s so beautiful it takes my breath away.

  “I can make you something,” I offer, feeling the desire to make my boyfriend a meal. “We could run to Whole Foods. I could do some steel-cut oats, eggs, fruit, side of sautéed kale.”

  I pause for a moment, as Landon’s face immediately screws up at the world “kale.”

  “There are three things wrong with this plan.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “One, I can’t go anywhere without coffee first. Two. It involves leaving this house. Third, it involves kale, which is disgusting.”

  I giggle and pick up my pillow, smacking him playfully on the side of the head.

  “There’s my man,” I say. “The one who hates mornings.”

  Landon tosses the pillow back at me and gets up, quickly pinning me to the bed.

  We’re both laughing, and I gaze up at him.

  “I really hate mornings if it means leaving a bed with you in it,” he declares.

  “You’re the one who wanted food,” I say, sliding my hands up to his face, feeling his sexy stubble against my fingertips.

  Landon groans and rolls over to sit up, and I do the same.

  “I’m going to start the coffee.”

  “That’s so noble of you. I mean, I know it’s hard to get that K-Cup started,” I tease.

  Landon shoots me a mock glare. “Watch it, Kale Chip.”

  I smile at him, and he beams in response. Then we get up to get dressed. Landon steps into his closet, and I pull clothing out of my overnight bag and head to his bathroom. I slip into my black leggings and tug on my T-shirt with a Starbucks logo on it. Then I throw a green and black plaid shirt over the top. I twist my hair into a messy knot, and head out to find Landon in the kitchen, wearing only sexy sweatpants that dip low on his hips that reveal those gorgeous abs that taper into that sexy V-shape. I mentally will him to go shirtless all morning so I can enjoy this view.

  “I got that almond milk creamer you like,” Landon says, opening the fridge.

  Butterflies dance happily in my stomach. I know that gesture means something, too. That he intends for me to be around if he’s buying creamer for me.

  “Thank you,” I say, grabbing my iPad out of my tote and taking a seat at the breakfast bar counter. “I’m going to check my work messages, it will only take me a few minutes.”

  “I don’t care, take as long as you like,” Landon says, setting the creamer in front of me. “I need time to wake up before a Whole Foods run.”

  I lift my eyes to see him putting on his glasses. He’s so incredibly hot right now—the tousled bed head, the sweats, the glasses. It’s like the best of him all rolled into one—sexy, casual, intelligent.

  “Oh, that reminds me,” Landon says, standing across from me. “Luca wants you to design a bracelet for him.”

  “Yeah?” I say, wrinkling my nose. “He was serious on Instagram?”

  “Don’t crease your nose,” Landon chides. “He liked my bracelet. He wants a custom one.”

  Happiness floats down my spine. “Sure. Tell him to message me.”

  “Actually, maybe we could all meet up for lunch today and you two can discuss it,” Landon says, rubbing his fingertips over his jaw. “I think he’s going to stay up, Livy. Ben is mentally out of the game. But Luca is young. I want to kind of guide him, you know? Spend some time with him, get to know him. I don’t want him to turn into a Matt Rhinelander.”

  I take in his words, and my heart loves him even more. Matt is known around the league as a wild child player with the Dallas Demons, on the verge of going off the rails. I see the look in Landon’s eyes, and he wants to mentor Luca as he steps into the limelight of the NHL.

  “You’re such a good man,” I say softly, my voice full of affection for him.

  The coffee machine finishes brewing, and Landon moves to retrieve the mug. “Well, I’ll tell him to get the Ferrari for chasing women while you’re in the restroom,” he teases.

  I grin as Landon sets the mug and a spoon down in front of me. “I don’t believe you’re that same guy I met a month ago outside the stadium, when Beckett and Aubrey were fighting.”

  Landon laughs. “That was awkward. My best friend is fighting with his girl, and it’s like, ‘Hey, Livy, this is Landy Holder.’”

  I smile at the memory. Beckett and Aubrey were arguing, and Landon ended up escorting me to my car so I wouldn’t be in the parking lot alone.

  “It was awkward,” I say, pouring a touch of creamer into my mug. I set the carton down and pick up my spoon, swirling the creamer into the coffee.

  “But you’re right.”

  I pause. “Right about what?”

  “I’m not the same guy I was then,” Landon says. “And that’s because of you.”

  My heart holds still. It’s another admission from him, of how being with me is changing him.

  “I can say the same,” I admit, thinking of how I’m changing because of him, too.

  GiGi lets out a yowl, reminding us that she’s here, too.

  Landon grins and scoops her up, nuzzling her face. “I’m sorry. You’re hungry, aren’t you? Daddy should feed you.”

  And as I watch Landon take care of GiGi, I know what is in my heart, my head, my soul.

  Love. Pure, unconditional love for Landon.

  I love this man, I think as he protectively cradles GiGi to his chest. I love the man who has changed because of what we have together.

  And I have no doubts about where we’re going to go.

  “I’m so excited to try this place,” I say happily, sinking down in a chair Landon has pulled out for me. “Thank you.”

  I glance around the
beautiful Fig & Olive restaurant on Oak Street, where we’re meeting Luca for lunch. We have a table next to a window, and the restaurant itself is beautiful, with hardwood floors, an open kitchen, and stucco walls. It’s bright, full of natural light on this sunny day, and the décor is chic and modern.

  Landon takes the chair next to me. The hostess hands us menus, and we thank her as she leaves.

  “I love this place,” Landon says.

  I smile. Landon is still wearing his glasses and put on a black beanie, but I know this is to fly more under the radar in public.

  I’m about to study the menu when Landon puts his hand over mine.

  “Before you read the options, there’s something you need to know,” Landon says seriously. “Brace yourself.”

  “Um . . . okay,” I say, wondering what he’s about to say that is so serious.

  “They have kale Caesar salad on the menu.”

  I flash him a smile. “Best day ever!”

  Landon leans in to kiss me. “I’d say.”

  He gives me a brief kiss on the lips, and then I hear someone clearing his throat.

  We break the kiss, and I see Luca standing at our table.

  “Hey man, what’s up?” Landon says, standing up to greet him. “Glad you could join us today.”

  I rise to greet Luca as well. I quickly assess him as I do. Luca’s gorgeous, with thick, chestnut-colored hair that has natural reddish highlights to it. I notice he’s tall, taller than Landon, and has bright hazel eyes.

  “Hi, I’m Livy,” I say, extending my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Luca gives my hand a firm shake. “Likewise, Livy.”

  I sit down, and the guys follow suit. We talk about the Buffaloes and the game last night while looking over the menu.

  “Congratulations on your first NHL win, Luca,” I say, smiling at him.

  “Thank you,” Luca says, grinning. “It felt good to get that out of the way.”

  I feel Landon’s hand find mine underneath the table, and he laces his fingers through mine as we talk. I squeeze his hand in return, and I see his eyes shine in response.

  The server takes our drink orders, and when she returns we order lunch. Landon gets some appetizers for the table. Three capriccios: one with zucchini, a yellowfin tuna one, and braised octopus. Then I order the kale Caesar with grilled chicken, Landon chooses the filet mignon salad, and Luca opts for rosemary lamb. The server leaves, and Luca smiles at both of us.

  “So how long have you guys been together?” Luca asks, ripping open a packet of sugar and dumping it into his iced tea.

  “A week,” Landon says easily.

  I watch as Luca’s eyebrows shoot up. “A week? From the way you talked, I thought you’d been together for a long time.”

  I like Luca already.

  “Careful, Ballerini,” Landon teases. “You might give Livy the impression she is getting me wrapped around her little finger.”

  “Luca, I think you can attest to the fact I already have Landon wrapped around my finger,” I counter smartly.

  “Shit, I’ve already put myself in the middle,” Luca says, laughing.

  We talk some more, with me asking Luca questions about himself. I learn he’s grown up in the same Italian Chicago neighborhood his whole life and is one of four siblings. As Luca speaks, I find him incredibly down to earth for his age. He’s twenty-one, a year younger than me, but he has a maturity beyond his years about him in his responses.

  Appetizers are brought to the table, and each plate is visually stunning.

  “Sweetheart, do you want to try the zucchini?” Landon asks.

  I stare at the artful presentation of zucchini carpaccio with pine nuts, parmesan, and lemon.

  “Yes, I do,” I say, and Landon puts some on my plate. Then I look at Luca. “Thank you for your comment on Instagram about Landon’s bracelet. That was nice of you to say.”

  Luca takes some of the octopus and puts it on his appetizer plate.

  “I meant it. It’s cool,” Luca says, nodding in the direction of Landon’s wrist. “I want something like that. Something personal, to reflect where I am right now in hockey.”

  “A rookie bracelet, eh?” Landon teases.

  I smile. I love when Landon’s Canadian side pops out in conversation, like when he says “eh.”

  Luca grins. “Yeah, I guess that’s what you could call it.”

  I begin thinking. “Do you mind if I pull out my iPad while we eat? I want to show you an idea I have, and it’s on my website.”

  “No, of course not,” Luca says, shaking his head.

  I reach around the back of my chair and retrieve my iPad out of my tote. I set it in between Luca and me, and swipe open to my website. The pictures roll across, and I’m about to go to my men’s collection page when Luca stops me.

  “Wait,” Luca says. “That’s a beautiful picture. The composition is amazing.”

  I pause. Luca’s into art. I tell by what he sees in the picture, which happens to be one I shot of Collins modeling my jewelry. She’s standing by a wooden fence, petting her horse on the head, her hand adorned with my rings and a cuff bracelet. The picture was taken last summer, and fields of green filled with wildflowers blur in the background.

  “Thank you,” I say, smiling.

  “That girl,” Luca says, studying the picture of Collins, “is beautiful. Her freckles,” he says, studying Collins’ freckled face, “are stunning.”

  I glance at Landon, whose eyebrows shoots up in surprise.

  “That’s my friend,” I say, shifting my gaze back to Luca. “I force my friends to model for me. They don’t make me pay for sitting fees or copyright use,” I say, laughing.

  “You know her?” Luca asks.

  “That’s Collins. And that’s her horse. She rides.”

  “Collins,” he repeats, his hazel eyes intently studying her image on the screen. “Interesting name.”

  “Aubrey is on the website, too,” Landon says. “But heads up before you go checking her out, that’s Riley’s girl.”

  Luca looks up, and Landon flashes him a mischievous grin.

  “I’m not checking anybody out,” Luca protests. “I just noticed her. She’s different.”

  Hmmmm. If Collins hadn’t just gotten out of this mess with Gabe, I’d consider playing Cupid here.

  But it’s not the right time. That I do know without a doubt.

  Landon laughs. “Okay. Sure. But you realize that’s how it starts, right? You recognize that one girl is different.”

  Then Landon winks at me.

  Oh how did I think I ever stood a chance of not falling in love with Landon?

  “Bracelets,” Luca says, redirecting the conversation. “I want to talk about bracelets.”

  I shift my thoughts from Landon and back to jewelry. I tap to open my page of jewelry for men and show something to Luca.

  “I can do the black leather, because that’s cool and edgy,” I explain. “But see on this one? How I used vintage coins on it? What if I got a silver Buffalo nickel and backed it on a plate to attach to the bracelet? That would represent the team. Then I could add a silver arrowhead, implying you are ready to stand between the pipes and do battle for them.”

  I feel eyes on me. I glance up and see Landon studying me, and my stomach flip-flops when I see nothing but pride reflected in his eyes.

  I turn back to Luca. “What do you think? If you don’t like that idea, I can go in a totally different direction for you.”

  “That’s what I want,” Luca says, nodding. “That is exactly what I want.”

  I know I’m beaming. I love when I can grasp a person and know I can create something he is going to enjoy and wear.

  “Collins isn’t a gift
with purchase, by the way,” Landon teases.

  “Shut up,” Luca says, an embarrassed smile passing over his handsome face.

  Landon laughs and reaches for my hand again under the table. The rest of the lunch goes by quickly, with conversation and laughter flowing easily between us. A few people approached us during lunch, and both Landon and Luca graciously took pictures and signed autographs for fans, which I know is something I will deal with every time I go out with Landon in public.

  But I love that part of Landon. That he loves his fans and is so accessible to them. It’s a part of who he is, and another part of him that I love.

  We leave the restaurant and head outside into Chicago’s Gold Coast, handing our tickets to the valet. Luca’s car is brought around first, so we say goodbye.

  “I’ll be in touch soon, Luca,” I say, smiling at him. “I’m so excited to work on your bracelet.”

  “Thank you, Livy,” Luca says, smiling at me. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with. And it was a pleasure meeting you.” Then he turns to Landon. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Later,” Landon says.

  Luca climbs behind the wheel of his Acura and leaves. Landon draws me to him as we wait for his car to be brought around.

  I put my hands on his chest as his hands wind around my back. “You’re such a good man,” I say, gazing up at him.

  Landon wrinkles his brow. “You said that this morning. Any reason why I’m being told that twice in one day?”

  “Because you just are. The way you are with Luca, trying to mentor him. The way you interact with fans. The kids at school. With me,” I say, speaking from my heart. “You’re special, Landon. And I can’t believe I can say you’re mine.”

  Landon’s expression goes soft, and I know my words have touched him.