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“Are we?” He smiled. “With you, I want things I haven’t allowed myself to want in years, Maddie.”
I traced the contour of his jaw, wondering if I should keep quiet, but decided not to. “What do you mean, you haven’t allowed yourself to want things?”
His eyes grew sad. “Recovering after Rachel died wasn’t easy. I felt lost and vulnerable, and for a long time, I figured it was safer not to get too close to anyone. It was safer not to want certain things.”
“Oh, Landon.”
The sadness in his gaze melted into playfulness. “But I want to spend more time with you, Maddie. I want to get to know you. All of you.”
My entire body buzzed at the thought of more time with Landon, even as I knew I was endangering my heart. I hadn’t been sure I could keep my heart safe when I thought I only had a few days with Landon. But a few weeks?
New resolution: I wouldn’t think about the future. I had to admit, it was liberating to just live in the present without worrying how my current actions would impact the future.
If I eat a second slice of bacon, will it go straight to my hips or my belly? If I order the cheaper soap, will it dry my skin? If I spend more time with Landon, will I fall in love with him? See... those kinds of questions. They took the joy out of the moment. Some of them had merit, sure, but they were also killjoys.
“I’m taking you out on a date,” he announced, shoving both hands in his pockets, as if not touching me required effort and he was determined to succeed. Ah, but our goals were at odds, because I wanted to be touched, and kissed, and ravished.
“Hmm... this is how you want to go out with me? Wearing this lovely suit and cuff links? This will make women everywhere swoon. I’m doing them a favor by keeping you all for me. They won’t know what they’re missing. Plus, traffic is a nightmare at this time.”
His gaze snapped fire, and a smile danced on his lips. I had the feeling he saw right through my attempt to seduce him. In retrospect, it had been a little lousy. Traffic, really?
“Make no mistake, Maddie, when we come back, I’m going to sink so deep inside you that you’ll forget your own name. But right now, I want to spend some time with you outside the bedroom. Anything against that?”
“No.” I was a little breathless, a lot hot. He was charming me like it was his job. Was he even aware of that? “But for the record, I didn’t just have naked activities in mind when I suggested we stay in. I could take care of you. After the day you had, you could use it.”
His eyes softened and he leaned in, kissing the corner of my lips. After a beat, he said, “You can take care of me anytime you want, Maddie. I’d like that. But tonight, I am taking care of you. So let’s go.”
As I caught a glimpse of the flowers, a small voice at the back of my mind whispered that it would be very hard not to fall in love with Landon. I quieted the voice as he took my hand, whisking me out of the house for an evening of debauchery.
Chapter Eighteen
Maddie
Landon knew how to wine and dine a woman. He’d brought me to the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. They had an elegant restaurant set up on the patio, with twinkle lights hanging everywhere. I was soaking it all in, but truthfully, the man sitting across from me was monopolizing my attention.
“You, sir, have excellent taste,” I informed him as I took a sip of my red wine, a shiraz. It went well with my steak. “How hard will it be, juggling Val’s project and your merger?”
He frowned. “Very hard. I keep trying to map out a plan of attack so I can give both projects the attention they need, but it’s going to be hellish.”
“Well, you can count on me for helping you relax,” I declared. His frown melted into a smile.
“How do you plan to do that?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m gonna draw up a serious plan.”
I was going to take good care of him. So good that he wouldn’t want to let me go. Whoops. Where had that thought come from? I gave my shiraz the evil eye.
“How long are you still going to work on Val’s yard?” he asked.
“Three weeks. Then I’m landscaping a school yard. It’ll be less complicated than Val’s, because it doesn’t involve terracing. I’m looking forward to it.”
“A school? I thought you said you liked working on residential projects.”
I was pleased he remembered that little detail.
“I do, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. It’s for a private school, and if the parents like what they see, that might lead to other projects.”
“Smart. Very smart.”
