“Thanks for the lunch, darlin’.” With a quick kiss to my cheek, my father was gone, and I was left alone with the one man who made me feel like I couldn’t manage to breathe evenly.
Then I remembered my appearance, and I panicked. Lifting my hand, I combed my fingers through my hair and cringed when I was met with a rat’s nest of curls atop my head.
My eyes widened, and I made eye contact, immediately regretting it as it all hit me at once.
Oh shit, I forgot to wash off last night’s make-up.
Landon chuckled. “You okay?”
He stood only a few feet away, still shirtless and sweaty. Remnants of sawdust speckled his chest. He wore a baseball cap backward, the sandy blond hair sticking out from beneath and curling on the edges. My fingers tingled as I fought the desire to lift my hand and feel the locks. A pencil tucked in behind his ear and a tool belt wrapped around his waist only added weight that had managed to cause his pants to hang low on his hips. It was distracting, extremely. The man was a dirty mess, but the hottest mess I had even seen.
“I’m good.” My response was breathy, and instantly I wanted to slap myself to clear the explicit dirty thoughts that were currently running around in my mind. Those horny bitches were making me look like a fool, my palms were sweating, and my heart was thumping rapidly.
“You sure?” I didn’t miss the smirk on Landon’s face. Smug ass grin and it was assurance that he knew I was anything but okay. Yet he was playing it out all debonair and in control.
“Yep.” Calm, remain collected.
I ignored the snicker from my left, knowing already that it belonged to Rhett. I could do this.
“I’d test that theory if we didn’t have an audience.” I was stunned silent by his words. Over the last couple weeks, Landon and I had fallen into this weird friendly pattern. A pattern I would admit I wasn’t a huge fan of. Don’t get me wrong, I liked being able to hang out, laugh, and simply enjoy the company of each other, but I feared more than anything that it was all we would ever be. I found myself often wondering if he had realized that he wasn’t interested in anything more than having another pal.
But this comment, it gave me hope that maybe I was wrong. I had never wanted to be wrong about anything more than in that moment.
“May I ask what that test would consist of?”
Landon glanced over his shoulder, I was sure to locate my father. When he turned his body back to face mine, it held a tantalizing look, a hungry one. “I’ve noticed how you get a little flustered whenever we’re close. The way your chest rises faster with your shallow breaths. I’ve noticed it all, and I would love to see where that takes us if we weren’t always surrounded by prying eyes and nosy ears.”
I did my best not to react, but it was pointless; the man had figured it out. He had figured me out. Nothing he’d said was untrue.
“Layne, leave my girl alone and get your ass back to work.” Landon widened his eyes just a bit to lay emphasis on just what he meant about us always getting interrupted somehow. As he began to back away, the smirk on his lips tipped into a full gorgeous smile.
“Catch ya later, Kitten.” I never thought being referred to as a cuddly little animal would trigger such an excitement inside of me, but it did. I secretly loved the pet name I had been assigned by this handsome man. I had a feeling that when we were finally given the chance to have some alone time, neither one of us would be able to hold back.
Chills racked through me. I was so ready to be under his spell.
With a wink, he pivoted on his feet and got back to work. I, of course, took a few extra minutes to observe him. Those flexing muscles, the way his jeans hugged his perfect ass, I was overheated, and I knew if I didn’t leave soon, I would do something stupid. Like run at him and pounce.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I found not only my father watching me with observant eyes but every other man on his crew.
Busted.
With a little wave, I hurried to leave, and once I reached my car, I allowed myself a few minutes to calm before driving off toward home.
Chapter Fourteen
Landon
“Ma.” I entered in through the back door of my parents’ home into the kitchen. From the very second I opened the door, I could already smell the scent of baked goods. Something sugary and sweet. My mom was a goddess in the kitchen.
“Well, if it isn’t my handsome son, finally stopping by for a visit.”
Stepping up behind her, I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I was just here three days ago.” Smiling, I pulled back, and she nudged me in the side with a pushed-back elbow.
“Three days is far too long.” The funny part was she was not joking, not in the least. I was an only child, and if she had it her way, I would still be living at home. My father always teased me while growing up, calling me Momma’s boy daily. The truth was I always would be. Like I said, my mother was without a doubt the most amazing
