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Violet laughed, the sound so low and slow that Lando knew she must be just as tired. “I’ll give you that one.”
“Good. I’m glad I can win one thing with you.” Lando’s eyelids fluttered shut, and she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to force them open again.
“You’ve won more than one,” Violet murmured. It was the last thing Lando heard before sleep took her firmly in its grasp.
CHAPTER14
Violet couldn’t saywhat woke her, but like she had predicted, every muscle in her body protested. Instead of moving, she stayed perfectly still while she took a mental inventory of her body. Everything hurt. She wasn’t sure how long it would take her to get moving that day, but she was going to struggle to go up and down the stairs.
Unfortunately, she needed to rest between storms, which was a newer development she’d noticed over the past few years. Especially when the storm had been as large as the last one. Sighing, she opened her eyes, finding her hand right in front of her face, locked in Lando’s fingers. Her brain stuttered.
She hadn’t realized they’d fallen asleep like that. The lamp on the nightstand still on, although it didn’t make too much difference in the morning light. Neither of them had moved for hours. She wasn’t even sure what time it was, but sunrise wasn’t supposed to be until close to eight in the morning. Thank God for daylight savings.
Lando’s hand was so warm on top of hers, fingers laced together. Her stomach lurched at the thought of their conversation the night before. It had been so soft, so sweet between them. A moment when all the barriers truly were down. She shouldn’t be surprised that she’d woken up this way. Lando had all but fallen asleep in her arms.
God, what was she doing?She was there to make nice with Diane, to tell Diane once and for all how she felt, to put her trust in that relationship, and the night before had been a perfect example of what they could be. They’d sat together on the swing on the deck and talked for hours—memories, dreams, excitement about the chase earlier that day. It had been almost like old times, those moments when Violet felt as though Diane loved her.
Yet, here was Lando.
Beautiful, sweet, quirky, strong Lando.
Violet dashed her tongue across her lips, scared to move because she might wake Lando up. She had seemed so tired the night before, not just when Violet had come to bed, but before that. It had been a rough start to the season, nearly two weeks in with two spectacular storms and one serious injury.
It almost seemed like months ago that they’d left the safety of their hometown and school and taken up the task of storm chasing. So much had happened in that short period of time, and Violet could barely even start to untangle it.
Lando’s deep breathing brought her attention back around, the light playing on her cheeks as the sun rose higher in the sky. Lando’s skin was smooth, begging for Violet to caress it with the backs of her fingers, to ease the palm of her hand against Lando’s cheek. Stopping sharply, Violet tensed.What was she thinking?
This was Lando, her student, a woman eighteen years younger than her. She couldn’t…she didn’t want to. She was interested in Diane, who had been her best friend for over thirty years, who had been her first kiss during a stupid game of spin the bottle. That was who Violet wanted. Not this kid who was sleeping so soundly next to her, not the kid she’d saved.
That last thought nearly broke her. Lando had been a kid then, but she certainly wasn’t now. She’d faced far more demons than Violet had by the time Violet was her age, and perhaps even now. Violet’s heart raced, confused by the emotions and thoughts swirling through her brain. She was a logical person. She often didn’t run on emotion except when Diane was involved, and Lando had seen her fair share of Violet’s outbursts in the last week and a half.
It was a pity. Violet hadn’t meant to be so mean, so cruel. But she’d still allowed it. She’d thrived on it a few times if she was being honest with herself. The constant flirting between Diane and Lando had been her undoing more than once, and yet here they lay, silent in the early morning sunrise, with Lando’s hand protectively grasping hers.What was she supposed to do about that?
Voices murmured in the room next door, and Violet knew the house was waking up. Eli, no doubt, would have already been awake for hours. Diane most likely was still asleep, and so was Lando. On a whim, Violet flexed her fingers and turned her hand slightly, hoping the grasp Lando had on her would break.
Luckily, it did, so she slid as slowly and as quietly as she possibly could out of the bed. She was changed and ready for the day in a matter of minutes, heading down the stairs to the kitchen to see what Eli had made for breakfast.
Eli had platters full of food on the kitchen counter, filled to the brim with the fixings for a feast. Violet’s stomach lurched with hunger. She hadn’t realized how long it had been since she’d eaten last, but after skipping food for most of the previous day aside from dinner, she needed the sustenance.
“Can I help with anything?”
“I think we’re about ready, actually.” Eli flopped a few more pancakes onto one of the plates and set the skillet into the large sink. “Jewel said she’d wake up Azalea, so they should be down in a minute.”
“I heard them getting started. Lando is still passed out, I’m afraid.”
Eli raised an eyebrow at her, and Violet shuddered. She wasn’t sure what to make of the look Eli was giving her, but it was far more than mere acknowledgement of what she’d said. “And Diane?”
“Not a clue, but she usually sleeps late after a chase.”
Violet winced as she leaned over the table, her back protesting so much movement. She was just going to have to push through that pain and figure out how to deal with it.
Jewel and Azalea came down the stairs, gushing over all the food on the table. They were shortly followed by another couple. Together, everyone sat along with Eli after she made sure drinks were served. The chatter at the table was strong, but Violet resisted joining in, her stomach still in tangles over how she’d woken up.
It had felt so nice. It had honestly been the best sleep she’d gotten in a long time, even though the hours had been short. The footfalls on the stairs alerted her to the fact that someone was joining, and Violet secretly hoped it was Lando and not Diane. She could use the break from tension.
To her delight, Lando stepped onto the landing and around the corner, sweatpants hanging low on her hips, t-shirt pulled tight on her chest, and her hair sticking up oddly. She was a vision of sleepy and sexy.Where had that thought come from?Violet bit the inside of her cheek. She shifted in her chair as Lando sat next to her, grabbing a plate and helping herself to the food.
“Diane still out?”
