Hugging myself for warmth, I wait for her on the curb, hoping that she will hurry up. My phone vibrates in my hand, and I assume it’s Autumn calling, so I immediately swipe to answer. But before I can say anything into the phone, his deep voice in my ear shocks me.
“I ordered you a car. It’ll be here in five minutes. Get in it,” he growls at me.
Standing up straighter, I look around, trying to locate the security camera he is probably watching me from. I spot it on thecorner of the building and show him what I think of his demand by flipping him the bird.
“I’m not going home. The night is young, I’ve only just started,” I bark into the phone while staring at the camera.
“Don’t make me come out there,” he yells at me. I hear him sigh with exasperation before continuing, “Just get in the damn car, Poppy.” He has toned his voice down this time, but it doesn’t make me less angry with him.
“Fuck off, Landon. Go find someone else to play your game with.” Ending the call, I start pacing to keep warm, knowing full well he is watching me, but I don’t care. He probably does the same thing every night with a different woman. Well, I’m not interested in his bullshit.
Autumn comes bursting out the door giggling, just as a black Cadillac pulls up to the curb next to me.
“That man has it bad for you. Charlene told me he has never once looked at another woman, let alone touched anyone that way.” Grabbing my coat out of her hands while she continues waffling on, the driver of the black Cadillac opens his door.
“Car for Poppy and Autumn.” He looks to us as he opens the back passenger door.
“No, thank you,” I reply stubbornly, folding my arms over my chest.
“Um, where did you come from?” Autumn starts walking to the car, but I grab her arm to stop her.
“The car was an order from a… Mr. Landon Wood,” the driver replies, looking at his phone.
“I knew I liked him. Let’s go.” She starts tugging me toward the car, but I dig my heels in.
“No. We will order our own car,” I grumble obstinately. I don’t need his help.
“Are you joking? It’s so damn cold out here. Why wouldn’t we take his o—” Autumn is cut short as the front door of the bar flings open, and Landon comes storming toward us.
“Get in the fucking car, Poppy, and take your crazy drunk friend with you.” He places his hand on my lower back, trying to nudge me forward, but I dig my heels in, and he steps up flush against my back and leans into my ear. “I need to know you get home safe. Please just get in.” There is an underlying emotion beneath the gruffness of his voice that stops me from fighting him.
“Fine… but only because Autumn is cold,” I huff, and without looking back at him, I slide into the car and stare out the opposite window.
Autumn climbs in beside me, and the door is slammed shut. We sit in silence as the car pulls away from the curb.
Then I hear a little giggle beside me, and the moment I turn to look at Autumn, she bursts out laughing at me.
“What?” I growl at her.
“You.” She wraps her arms around her body and laughs harder. “I love that you think you can walk away from that.”
“Arrogant asshole, he has known me for twenty-four hours. Like, who the hell does he think he is? I’m a grown-ass adult, not one of his kids,” I grumble.
“Oh my God,that’swhat you’re pissed about? He practically word-fucked you over the top of his bar and all you’re worried about is the fact he wanted to help you get home safe. What is wrong with you! Has that dickwaffle firefighter you left back at home made you so scared that you can’t see the good man that is right in front of you?” She leans sideways and lays her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my arm. And this is what I miss living so far from home. The woman who is snuggling up to me is the only person in my life who calls me out on my shit.
“Yeah, well, I’m sure I’m not the first or the last one he will fuck on that bar,” I utter as the vision of Landon pinning me down on the bar flashes through my mind, and what it would be like.
“Did you not hear what that Charlene chick said? That poor guy has not let his freak roar since his wife died, and you are the first one to wake the beast,” she says before breaking into a big yawn. I have about five minutes before she will be drunk snoring on my shoulder. “And you need someone to fuck Dean out of your system.” Her next yawn is bigger and louder. “Perfect solution. Wish he…” And she is out, with her usual little snuffle that she makes before she falls asleep.
I spend the rest of the trip home lost in my thoughts. I’m still enraged by Landon’s highhandedness and utterly confused over what type of game he was playing at tonight. But I’m also curious about who this man is deep down. Just like my mother pointed out, I’ve seen him with his boys too, and that man is a far cry from the one who just had me wet the moment he touched me and started speaking like he wanted to take me then and there.
By the time the car pulls up to the front of Autumn’s house, all I seem to have worked out is that I didn’t come on vacation to put myself in the middle of more drama. This trip was supposed to be full of Christmas happiness. Not two weeks of me lusting over an emotionally unavailable man.
Why is my life never simple and straight forward?
I only had two drinks last night, but that hasn’t stopped me from waking with a headache.
It probably has something to do with the lack of sleep I’ve had since I arrived. Thank goodness it’s Sunday and there areno plans except curling up on the couch in my pajamas and watching sappy Christmas movies all day. Finally, I might be able to just relax and slide into the holiday spirit.
