“Good. First water. Then you on my counter.”
“Landon!”
“I saw the way you trembled. I might need a few minutes to recover, but clearly you don’t.”
My breath got stuck in my throat. The man was going to make me break all my rules. And I was going to love every minute of it.
I was awake before Landon the next morning. Years of getting up super early with a kid forced me to be a morning person. When I was married, I loved it. Being up before Kyle and Mikayla was the time of day I had to myself, sometimes the only time.
But watching Landon sleep had me wishing I could stay in bed longer with him. I wanted to see him open his eyes, see the look on his face when I was right there.
Which was part of why I slid out of his bed even though it wasn’t even six and made my way to the kitchen. My cheeks heated as I leaned against the counter he’d perched me on and licked me until I screamed his name and made a mess of his counter. He produced a condom and silenced my guilt by fucking me until we were both screaming and the counter was soaked from our sweat and come and kisses.
He cleaned the counter while I used the bathroom, then joined me in his bed. We talked for hours, kissing and getting to know more about each other than how quickly we could make the other come, and finally fell asleep with our arms and legs tangled.
I was letting myself fall for him. I didn’t expect it or plan for it, but I couldn’t stop it either. He was sweet and sexy and funny. I enjoyed being around him. And if I was being honest with myself, we wanted the same things.
I wanted a family. A husband. More kids. A life in MacKellar Cove. All the things my friends had. Everything Natalie and Omar shared.
The only thing holding me back was fear. Fear that whomever I picked next would end up like Kyle. Fear that we would barely speak by the end. Fear that he would feel trapped.
Fear that I would feel trapped.
I’d never regret having Mikayla, but I regretted going along with what others expected. I knew Kyle and I weren’t right for each other, but saying no when he asked if we should get married scared me more than saying yes.
My stomach tightened, making me feel sick.
Landon wasn’t the same. The situation wasn’t the same. I wasn’t pregnant, and he wasn’t proposing. Hell, I didn’t even think he felt the same as I did. He was having fun, and he said he liked me, but it wasn’t a forever kind of thing.
And I couldn’t worry about if it could be. I had a busy day, and an even busier week. I needed to get Mikayla, make sure she was ready for the week, and get started on my article. Gretchen wanted it first thing Monday morning, and while it was almost done, I still had work to do.
I started the coffee and grabbed my phone. I made notes about the wedding and added in pieces I knew would complete the picture. Gretchen kept asking about drama, but she hadn’t changed any of my articles since the first one. If she was going to change one, this would be the one. She knew Natalie and Omar were gone on their honeymoon and that I couldn’t get Natalie’s approval for changes.
But that didn’t mean Gretchen wouldn’t push for any.
My stomach rolled again. I had no interest in creating drama. Especially for two people who had been through enough.
The coffee gurgled to a stop, and I grabbed a cup, curling up on the couch to fill in pieces of my story.
Two hours later, Landon stirred. I heard the sheets move, then his hand slapped the mattress. His feet hit the floor and moved toward the living room, then he emerged.
“You’re still here,” he said, his voice rough from sleep, and his cock hard from the same. “I thought you’d left.”
“Did you want me to?”
He shook his head and walked over to me, dropping onto the couch next to me and pulling me into his arms roughly. He kissed the top of my head, then sucked in a shaky breath as he held me.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded and pulled back. He forced a smile. “All good. Thank you for staying. I take it you’re a morning person.”
I nodded. “Unfortunately. I was always the one who got up with Mikayla when she was little, and I made sure everything was ready for everyone to get out of the house. It’s just habit now to be up early.”
“Even though we were up late last night?”
“Yep. I wish I could sleep in, but I never do.”
“You could have woken me up. I would have tried to wear you out.” He waggled his brows and grinned.
