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“No, they’re still traveling around. But I set up roots here. My sister’s in town too.”
I wasn’t sure how much he wanted to know or if he was just being polite, but suddenly I was feeling very chatty. Usually I was the exact opposite, especially around men I’d just met. But Landon made me lower my guard.
“Why LA?”
I shrugged. “I moved here with my ex. The relationship didn’t work out, but I’m happy here. I lived in Miami before, went to college there, but I like it here much more. Less humidity.”
He grinned. “No alligators.”
I grinned back. “Always a plus. In Miami, every time someone who lived near the water asked me to landscape their property, I kept looking over my shoulder.”
“Did you own your own business there too?”
“Yes. I like the independence, even if the income varies so much, especially in between projects. Do you ever turn off your business brain?”
“Ah, that’s a definite no.” He smiled, and damn if I didn’t want to keep this man smiling.
As I chewed on my last bit of beef, a strand of hair caught at the corner of my mouth. I moved my hand to push it away, but I had a little gravy grease on my fingers, so I only managed to stick the strand to my fingers.
I groaned, and Landon laughed.
“Had a haircut disaster yesterday. The front is too short for a bun. I had it in my face all day.”
“Wait, I’ll unstick you.”
He brought a wet cloth from the sink, rubbing my fingers clean and then the corners of my mouth. The gesture felt intimate, especially because Landon was looking closely at my lips. I licked them almost unconsciously, and he drew in a sharp breath, snapping his gaze up. We were so close that I felt his breath on the skin above my upper lip. It electrified my entire body. His right hand was still touching my cheek as he rubbed the right corner of my mouth clean. The way he looked at me... God, I was buzzing with awareness. When he pulled away, returning with the cloth to the sink, I felt cold.
“Thank you for feeding me. I’ll help you clean up.”
He held up a hand. “Nothing to help me with. I just have to put the plates in the dishwasher.”
“Okay, I’ll let you get back to relaxing, then.” I emphasized relaxing with a wiggle of my finger. The corners of his lips tilted up. I loved making him smile. It was a good look on him. Scratch that—it was a drop-dead-sexy look that made his mouth even more appealing. Oh, that mouth. I bet he could do delicious things with it.
“I plan to relax, don’t you worry about me. I’m meeting some old friends this week, but always in the evenings.”
“Oh, you should stop by the bar where my sister works. They have live music every Tuesday and Thursday.”
“Band any good?”
“They’re really good. I sometimes go too. Gives me a chance to catch up with her.”
“Where is the bar?”
I told him the address, and he jotted it down on his phone.
“Will you be there this week, Maddie?”
“Yes, on Thursday.”
“Then I’ll stop by too, with my friend.”
I clapped my hands, then rubbed them together. “Excellent. You’ll have fun.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “You promise?”
I swallowed, feeling a little light-headed. Oh, what those gorgeous green eyes and those tempting lips did to me.
“I promise.”
