Better than Sexy

by Carly Phillips

  “Rumor has it Tanner and Scarlett’s first get-together was in that apartment,” Faith said, then took a sip of her coffee.

  “Faith!” Scarlett blushed a bright red.

  “Don’t worry. We bought all new bedding and sheets for you.” Faith grinned and Scarlett rolled her eyes, obviously used to her uninhibited personality.

  “Umm, I’m not sure what to say to that.” Vivi didn’t want to imagine the other couple in her soon-to-be bed. “But I am really excited to start this new phase of my life.”

  “We saw your video. You’re amazing,” Scarlett said, then took a huge bite of a chocolate-frosted donut.

  “See? I told you.” Ellie grinned. “She’s going to be huge one day.”

  Faith nodded. “I don’t doubt it. Jason said Landon couldn’t take his eyes off you in that video the first time he saw it.”

  Vivi blushed at the thought. Clearly the women were trying to … matchmake maybe. But they didn’t know what she did about her and Landon’s connection.

  “I just think Landon and I have music in common. He told me he recognizes talent and that’s why he wanted me for the club.”

  Faith narrowed her gaze. “Umm, if there’s one thing the guys have in common, it’s a love-at-first-sight kind of thing. And from what we heard, he’s hooked on you.”

  Vivi glanced from Faith to Scarlett, who was nodding in agreement, sipping her coffee at the same time.

  “Well, Landon and I barely know each other.” Except for that amazing kiss.

  “You will. You have all summer,” Faith said with certainty.

  “But don’t let it freak you out. He’s a great guy,” Scarlett added. “Just give him a chance.”

  Ignoring them, Vivi continued with her points against any kind of personal relationship with Landon. “I’m working for all three partners, so mixing business and pleasure isn’t smart,” she told them.

  “Well, not with Tanner and Jason, obviously they’re taken, but Landon’s fair game,” Scarlett said. “There’s nothing in your contract against … what? Fraternizing? Personal relationships?”

  “Well no but–” Vivi looked to Ellie for help, but her friend merely raised her shoulders as if to say she didn’t know how to help her out of the other women’s pushy matchmaking.

  “I think that’s it,” Landon said, walking into the apartment in the nick of time. “With three of us, it took no time to get Tanner’s SUV loaded.”

  Vivi had told Ellie not to borrow her parents’ SUV after Landon insisted on helping. “Is there room for us or should we get an Uber?”

  “There’s room, ladies. We also have Jason’s car.” Landon’s gaze fell to Vivi. “You and Ellie can come with me in the SUV.”

  Faith and Scarlett looked at one another, then to Vivi, and Faith mouthed, “See?”

  Vivi shook her head at the other women’s certainty Landon had an agenda where she was concerned. There was no doubt in her mind Landon was just trying to make her feel comfortable.

  Everyone filed out of her apartment, and Landon waited until just she and Ellie were left. “Would you like a few minutes alone before we leave?” he asked.

  She glanced around her small, old apartment and shook her head. She had no sentimental attachment. It’d been a place to sleep. A pit stop on what she hoped was the road to something better.

  “I’m good,” she said, reaching for her purse and pulling out her keys. “Onward and upward.”

  “I’m all for that,” Landon said.

  “Me, too,” Ellie said. With her new salary that kicked in when Vivi got her first paycheck, Ellie was also in the midst of looking for an apartment in a better neighborhood.

  She marched out the door. Landon followed, and Vivi locked the door on her former rental, hoping that whatever lay ahead was better than what she was leaving behind.

  * * *

  Vivi was dressed and ready for the day, and she planned to spend it downstairs familiarizing herself with the stage, the piano, and the acoustics. Excitement buzzed in her veins as Ellie joined her in the kitchen of her new apartment.

  “I’ll just grab coffee at a Starbucks on the way home. Last night was fun. Thanks for having me,” she said.

  Vivi nodded. “Any time.” And she meant it. She loved hanging with her best friend, ordering in Chinese food, and binge-watching movies until they passed out.

  They’d also shared a small bottle of Prosecco to celebrate all the new things that were happening for both of them. Because when good happened to Vivi, Ellie benefitted.

  A knock sounded.

  “I’ll get it,” Ellie said. “I’m on my way out anyway.” She strode over and opened the door to find Landon standing in the doorway.

  Though Vivi was surprised to see him, she couldn’t deny the thrill that rushed through her at his arrival.

  “Hi,” Ellie said to him. “Oooh, flowers. Very nice.”

  Vivi stepped to the side so she could see around Ellie to where Landon held a vase filled with beautiful wild blooms.

  “They’re for Vivi,” he said with a grin, his gaze going beyond Ellie to where Vivi stood.

  “Well, I didn’t think they were for me,” she said with a laugh. “I was just leaving.” Ellie gestured to the big satchel hooked over her arm. “I slept over. Girlfriend pajama party, you know?”

  He blinked, his expression blank. “No, I don’t know. I don’t have sisters.”

  “Well, it means we were celebrating Vivi’s new gig and life.” She turned back and said to Vivi, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning at ten for clothes shopping, and the band will be here at two for a strategy meeting.” She spun toward the door. “See you soon,” she said to Landon, brushing past him as she walked out.

  “Can I come in?” he asked.

  “Of course.” Vivi smiled and waved him inside.

  He shut the door and walked over, handing her the flowers. “I thought this place could use some brightening up. It’s pretty much been a bachelor pad, as I mentioned.”

  “Thank you!” She set them down on a coffee table in front of the sofa, where they could be seen by anyone who walked into the apartment. “I appreciate it.”

  She met his gaze, his blue eyes taking her in. She could drown in those depths … if she let herself.

  Instead she cleared her throat. “So I was wondering if it would be okay if I spent the afternoon downstairs. I want to get familiar with the piano and the venue.”

  “No need to ask. Make yourself at home. The club opens for business at six p.m. and closes at four a.m. Earlier hours are yours.”

  She nodded. “Works for me.”

  “I just wanted to let you know there’s no need to be uncomfortable around me. You said you don’t want to get involved and I respect that.”

  “I … well, thank you.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. He’d given her the easy out she’d hoped for. The one she’d needed, and yet her stomach twisted in disappointment. For as much as them keeping their distance was necessary, she wished she didn’t have to let him go.

  Chapter Four

  Landon drove home from dinner at his parents’ house. Carrie and Samuel lived in the same home in Linton, Connecticut, where Landon and Levi had grown up, making Landon’s trips there difficult each and every time. It wasn’t just that his parents had kept most of Levi’s things in his bedroom, but the entire house reminded Landon of all he’d lost. But Samuel and Carrie hadn’t meant it as a shrine.

  They had somehow managed to both keep living and to stay together despite their pain and grief, and to find enjoyment where they could. With their grandson moving nearby this summer, they were excited. It was all they’d talked about during dinner, and Landon had to admit that he was looking forward to being around while his nephew grew up. LJ was as close to Levi as Landon could get, and he wanted to be there for his twin’s son.

  He arrived back at the club, knowing he was in for some self-torture. He’d spent the two and a half weeks since moving Vivi into the apartment in a
state of pure sexual frustration.

  While she rehearsed on stage with her band, both in and out of costume, he’d been completely unprepared for the impact she had on him physically and emotionally. He spent his days sitting by the bar or up in his office with windows overlooking the stage, watching her sensual moves and listening to her sultry voice. She strutted around the platform like she was born to own the spotlight, and he had no doubt she was headed for stardom. He only hoped he survived the two months she spent here if he was forced to look and not touch.

  Now he stood behind the bar drinking from a bottle of water. Tanner and Jason had spent the day with their women, though one or both of them might stop by later. And Landon knew he should head out since it was an off night for him. He had his big, empty, three-bedroom renovated warehouse turned into an apartment, waiting for him.

  But Vivi sat at the piano, her fingers flying over the keys, a soft song on her lips. Lips he was dying to kiss. He could still taste her sweet flavor as it had exploded on his tongue, and he groaned. Shifting in his seat, he adjusted his rigid cock. He couldn’t let this go on. He needed to push things a little and see if she was as into him as he was into her.

  He strode through the empty club and made his way down to the stage area and the piano on the side. Vivi caught sight of him and smiled, slowing her touch on the keys until she came to a stop completely.

  “Mind if I join you?” he asked.

  She slid over on the stool, making room. He sat down beside her. She wore a pair of skinny jeans and a cut-off shirt that exposed her belly and hung low on her shoulder. The one closest to him. The desire to kiss her bare skin, to glide his tongue along her delectable flesh was strong.

  “How are things going?” he asked instead.

  “Great! I love it here. The band sounds amazing, we’ve worked up a fabulous routine, and everything is wonderful. No complaints.” Her wide grin lit up the darkened room.

  “I’m glad. That song you were playing… It’s beautiful. Did you write it?”

  She nodded and glanced down to where his fingers lingered on the keys. Huh. He hadn’t even realized he’d put them there. Something about her music pulled him in and took him to emotional places he hadn’t felt in ages. Desires he hadn’t let himself experience since his brother had died.

  Her gaze slid to his. “You said you used to play piano.”

  He debated how much to reveal, then found himself talking. “I can hear music and repeat it from memory. Levi had the same ability. After he passed away, it felt wrong to perform.” But Landon’s fingers were still touching the keys.

  An understanding expression on her pretty face, a compassionate look in her eyes, she began to play the same tune she’d been singing earlier, then stopped and waited.

  Drawing a deep breath, his hands hovered on the ivories, his insides trembling. Then, in a different octave, he repeated her tune. Suddenly they were playing together, leaving him stunned. His fingers felt odd, rusty from disuse but at the same time, a peace flowed over him along with the sense that his brother was with him. Approving.

  He stopped and met her gaze. “That was…”

  “Incredible,” she said, her eyes wide. “Your ability to play by ear is astounding.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it. Thank you.” Reaching out, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned toward her.

  He paused, giving her an out if she wanted one, and when she didn’t pull back, he leaned in and sealed his lips over hers. This time wasn’t as slow and sensual. His body came alive just as his soul had moments before. Thanks to Vivi.

  He kissed her hard and she responded, quickly scooting across the bench to get closer to him. Her fingers threaded through his hair and he reciprocated, tangling his fingers in her long strands. Tipping his head, he slid his tongue into her mouth, teeth clashing, desire exploding between them.

  He pulled her over him so she straddled his waist, and he dropped a hand to her hips, holding on to her, their mouths never breaking contact. She rocked her sweet pussy into his dick, and it was all he could do to keep the bench upright as she writhed against him.

  Suddenly a glass crashed behind them, the sound startling them both.

  “Sorry, boss!” Paul, his main bartender, called from by the bar. “Just came in to do some inventory.”

  Vivi jumped, the noise ruining the moment and, if her stricken expression was any indication, any chance he had of getting her into bed in the near future.

  “Oh my God. I… This … this never should have happened.” She stared at him, lips damp, cheeks flushed and her hair definitely messed from his fingers.

  “I can’t say I regret it,” he told her.

  She swiped the back of her hand over her mouth. “But I do. We shouldn’t do this. We can’t do this.”

  She scrambled back, looking panicked, and he narrowed his gaze.

  “Why not? We’re two consenting adults. I don’t understand the issue.”

  Laughter sounded from behind them, and he heard Jason’s and Tanner’s voices, joining the bartender. Son of a bitch. The last thing Landon needed was another interruption.

  “I’m going to go upstairs,” Vivi said. “I’m sorry, Landon, but this can’t happen again.” She started to walk away but he wasn’t ready for her to go.

  “Wait,” he called out.

  She turned, her expression sad. “Yes?”

  “I’m going to find out why you’re running from me.”

  She shook her head, spun, and headed for the elevator, leaving him frustrated and confused.

  He glanced at his partners and Paul, talking and laughing at the bar, and cursed them for interrupting and causing Vivi to overthink. Because when she got out of her own head, things between them were combustible, and he couldn’t imagine why that alone would frighten her.

  He curled his fingers into frustrated fists, his cock hard and annoyed with him. He needed to find out what was behind her reticence to get involved, because it was clear that something had her spooked. And that whatever was bothering her was clearly a hell of a lot more than her just being too busy with her career. And Landon liked her too much to pretend the chemistry and emotions that flowed between them didn’t matter.

  * * *

  Vivi rushed to the elevator and up to her apartment, her breathing coming in harsh, shallow gasps and not because the kiss had knocked her on her ass. If they hadn’t been interrupted, who knew how far she’d have gone with him in the middle of the club. She could really have ended up naked on the piano or on the floor. She’d been that lost in Landon.

  What had she been thinking?

  Clearly she hadn’t been.

  She clicked the lock on the door and slid to the floor, her thoughts in turmoil. In playing the piano tonight, Landon had bared his soul to her. He’d shared a part of himself that he’d closed off after his twin died … at her brother’s hands. She knew for sure that the hazing had been deliberate even if Levi’s death hadn’t been.

  But Vic had never taken ownership or responsibility during the investigation or after his arrest, insisting the death had been an accident. But there was nothing accidental about putting rocks in a drunk man’s backpack and forcing him to run the stairs. Or slapping him when he fell and hit his head.

  There was no excusing anything her brother had done that night, and she’d never tried to pretend otherwise. Vic might be her sibling, but that was a blood tie she didn’t want to acknowledge. And one she wished wouldn’t matter to Landon and his partners.

  But it would.

  God, she shouldn’t have let him talk her into saying yes to the summer residency. She’d been an idiot to agree. Every time they were together, they bonded in small but extremely meaningful ways, and he wouldn’t have opened up to her if he knew the truth.

  She had to tell him and, regardless of her contract, be willing to walk away if he and the other men wanted her gone. But she didn’t have the guts to tell all three men together.
>
  Tomorrow she’d text Landon and tell him they needed to talk. Meanwhile she planned to crawl into bed, pull the covers over her head, and pretend her life wasn’t a mess and she wasn’t about to lose things that mattered to her. A chance with Landon included.

  * * *

  “Hey, assholes. What are you doing here tonight? Don’t you have women to be with?” Landon strode over to the bar and glared at his friends.

  Paul grimaced. “Sorry, boss. I dropped a glass.”

  “Yeah. It’s fine.” Landon met Jason’s gaze first. “Faith kick you out?”

  “Hey, just because Vivi ran out on you doesn’t mean you should be a jackass to me.”

  His friend’s grin merely served to piss him off even more. “Fuck off, man.”

  Tanner narrowed his gaze. “Okay, this is a lot more than a make-out session gone wrong. What gives?”

  Landon slammed his hand on the counter. “Something’s freaking her out and I haven’t a fucking clue what it is.”

  “Have you tried … oh, I don’t know, talking to her?” This from Jason.

  Landon scowled at him. “Did you see her run out? I’m not going to go banging on her door when she’s upset. Not without a plan,” he muttered.

  Tanner settled his ass on a barstool, leaning one elbow on the counter. “Let her settle down tonight, and tomorrow morning show up with food and the intent to talk.” He shrugged. “Not sure why I need to do all the thinking around here,” he said with a grin.

  “Man’s got a good idea. Much as I hate to admit it.” Jason laughed. “A few months with a good woman and he’s smart around the opposite sex.” He walked over to Landon and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Go home, get some sleep, and deal with Vivi in the morning.”

  Landon nodded. He could use the opportunity to process the time he’d spent with Vivi. Playing the piano? That had been akin to revealing his innermost pain. His friends obviously hadn’t heard the music or they’d have been a lot more curious about what had caused him to play and been way more somber than they’d been.

  “I’m out of here,” Landon said.