Me: I’ll care if she’s this worked up in 170 days.
Landon: I’m walking in the building now. Stay put.
Chapter 9
Landon
Fuck Tiffany. I knew she was a mistake. She’s like a cat in heat, looking to claw the eyes of anyone who gets close. I need to figure out how she got an apartment in the building. I know she’s not an owner…someone’s propping her up. She needs to be evicted and quick. I should ask Mike about that. Maybe he knows.
And Claire is right. I need to stop fucking every pussy I meet.
Jesus.
I’m way into Tinsley. She’s all nerdy and sexy at the same time, but once you get beyond the veneer, she’s a hellcat.
Six months is an eternity. It’ll be worth it.
The elevator doors open, and Tinsley’s standing by the table in my apartment with her backpack open, her computer tucked away.
“Sorry about that,” I tell her. “I’m even more sorry about Tiffany. She shouldn’t have talked to you that way.”
Tinsley reaches for my arm. “It’s okay.”
My eyes widen.
“Claire and Tiffany seem to be on a shared mission to make sure we don’t get together.”
“I’m going to show you I can go the six months. It won’t be easy, but I’m hoping for a few saucy text sessions to tide me over with visuals.”
“You’re too much.” She grins, and I notice how well she fills out her T-shirt…and the shape of her ass.
My dick is at half-mast. “If you only knew.”
“I think I do. Everyone is filling in the details.”
My hands go to my chest like I’ve been shot. “Ohhh.”
She giggles and begins to unpack her computer.
“I’ll start prepping dinner. Please sit down and do what you wanted to do this afternoon.” I go into the kitchen, but there isn’t much to keep me busy. I have a marinade for the broccoli rabe and the mahi-mahi filets. I’ll get everything set up in my outdoor kitchen, but beyond that, I’ll have to resort to working in my home office.
A little while later, I’m trying to distract myself by going through the coding my team has done for the satellite we’re building when Claire calls.
“Hey.”
“What happened over at Clear?” she asks.
“Jim and Gage took a copy of Tinsley’s hard drive. They can’t pinpoint the issue right now, but they don’t want her on the network.”
“Should we pull the rest of the team off too?”
“I asked the same question, but they don’t think it’s necessary since they’re not having a problem. Have you heard from Mattis?”
“I haven’t. He knows I was pissed at him for treating Tinsley so poorly,” Claire says. “What about you?”
“I got a text from him yesterday saying he’d be out. Jim is doing a trace on him. Tinsley asked me a good question. She wanted to know if he was a failed developer.”
“Is he?”
“I didn’t remember that he was, but Jim is going to do another round of background. And, Jim and Gage will be in the office on Monday to meet with him.”
“Okay, good. I’m about twenty minutes out. I need to stop and pick up a dessert. I’m sorry about everything I said this morning to Tinsley. I like her, and I can tell you two have great chemistry. I need at least one of you to be strong, and I got a little desperate. At the smell of female pheromones, you’re lost.”
“Tiffany went after Tinsley in the elevator this afternoon.”
“That’s the redheaded skank in your building?”
“Yes. She told her things we’d done together and said Tinsley should have some self-respect.”
“Are you fucking with me? Tinsley needs self-respect?”
I snort. “Right? Tinsley told her to look in the mirror.”
Claire laughs. “I like her.”
“I know. So do I. See you in a few.” I disconnect the call and think about the first time I met Tinsley. She was fun—and not just the naked-tango part.
I shut down my computer and ask the Alexa on my desk to turn on a Coldplay mix. When I hear it flowing through the speakers throughout the apartment, I join Tinsley in the kitchen.
“Claire’s on her way,” I announce. “Dinner will be in a little over an hour.”
Tinsley smiles. “Perfect timing. I’m at a good place to stop.” Her head bobs as the music fills my apartment. “You’re a Coldplay fan?”
“Yep. Claire and I saw them here and again up in Vancouver. What a great show.”
“Definitely. I saw them in Denver last year at Mile High.”
We both begin to dance. She has such a grace about her, and her laugh is music to my soul. I’m completely at ease being goofy and shaking off the seriousness of our day.
Claire comes in and joins us. “I love Coldplay!”
“Me, too!” Tinsley sings.
We all dance to a few songs and talk about the music we like. I didn’t realize I had a mental checklist for my ideal woman, until I discovered that so far, Tinsley’s hitting all the big boxes. It sends a jolt through me—good or bad, I’m not quite sure.
Eventually, I get the mahi-mahi filets on the barbeque, and we sit outside with the space heaters going. We laugh our way through dinner, and it’s an easygoing, fun night.
“It’s easy to forget we’re living in the middle of the city here.” Tinsley rests her head on the back of her chair, her eyes closed.
“Absolutely,” Claire replies.
As we finish our second bottle of wine, Tinsley turns to Claire. “Did you know your brother won a five-thousand-acre ranch in Montana when he was in Hawaii?”
She looks at him. “No, I didn’t. Who did you win it from?”
“Mia Couture.” I know Claire and Mia are both in a small club of
