Guilt twisted my gut as I listened to her talk about her life. Landon said things were definitely over, but why would he pick me over her? Why would he want to spend time with me when a woman like her was available?
I had to know the answer.
18
Landon
I was watching TV and nursing a beer when there was a knock on the door downstairs. I paused, wondering if I was hearing things, but no. Someone was definitely knocking on the door.
I checked my phone but didn’t have any messages. I had cameras around the property, and a quick check showed Casey outside my door.
“What the hell?” I asked myself as I raced down the stairs. I yanked open the door and almost took a punch to the face as she reached to pound on the door again.
“Why are you spending time with me?” she asked without saying hello.
“What?”
“Why are you spending time with me? Why would you pick me, even for a little while?”
“Where is this coming from?”
“Why are you avoiding the question?”
“I’m not avoiding the question. I’m confused by the question.”
She was not going to let me avoid answering.
I didn’t really have an answer. What option did I have but to admit that? “I don’t think I have one specific reason. I am enjoying spending time together.”
“But why? Why would you pick me when Reegan is still single?”
I took a step back, shocked at the confidence in her statement. The absolute conviction that there was no reason I would choose to spend time with her over Reegan.
“You said you two broke up because you wanted different things. So do we. What’s different?”
“We already had this conversation. I told you I was blindsided by Reegan. She let me believe we were moving in the same direction, until she signed a new lease on her apartment and refused to move in with me. Why are you bringing this up?”
Casey paced back and forth outside the door, her feet dragging on the gravel. “She was at book club tonight. Normally, they aren’t afraid to grill each other on every detail of their lives. They asked me all about us when you drove me home after the bachelorette party. Wanted to know what was going on with us. Then again when we kissed in public. But this week, they didn’t say a word.”
“Maybe they didn’t have anything new to ask about.”
“No. No, that wasn’t it.” She shook her head and kept pacing. “They were protecting me from her. Keeping each other from saying anything about us being together because she was there. Is she still in love with you?”
“No. Absolutely not,” I said.
“Then why would they avoid talking about us?”
“I don’t know, Casey, but what I do know is I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I care about what you think. What’s going on with you. I thought we were in agreement. We are spending time together. Enjoying each other. Having fun. And we’ll worry about where it’s leading another time.”
“It’s not leading anywhere. It can’t. Not when you and Reegan?—”
I shut her up with a hard press of my lips against hers. She fought me, trying to get away, but I didn’t let her. I needed to feel her against me. Feel her lips on mine, the softening of her body against me, the clutch of her fingers in my hair.
When she sagged against me and whimpered into my mouth, I cupped her hips and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around my hips as I stalked through the shop to the consultation room. The table was the perfect height for her ass, for me to press against her warm heat.
She moaned against me and held on tight when I tried to step back.
I pressed into her once more, grinding my erection against her core.
