“I don’t even want this now.” Landon’s words took Robert from his thoughts of a long-term, loving committed relationship. This was what Robert kept doing over and over again—getting ahead of himself. He was so focused on Landon that anytime he let his thoughts go, it ended with them walking down the aisle. With extreme effort, Robert reined in his wayward thoughts and tucked his hands inside his short’s pockets.
“I doubt that,” he quipped when Landon started toward him. Robert ventured a glance in Landon’s direction. Landon looked pissed, his gaze darting anywhere except for Robert’s direction. The fact that the man still walked side by side with him was a win in his favor, so he figured he’d just keep the rest of his comments to himself for now. When Landon finally took a big bite of the mustard-coated sausage, he hoped that meant they were done with the argument.
Silence held between them for maybe as long as the next twenty steps. Robert pretended not to notice the irritation evident in Landon’s heavier than normal steps.
“Have I messed up the evening?” he finally asked. They had traveled along the outskirts of the carnival, not immersing themselves in the crowd. Robert stared up at the colorful Ferris wheel in the distance, watching his hopes of riding the ride with Landon fade with every second of silence that passed between them.
“I have money. You don’t need to keep paying for everything. I can pay,” Landon blurted out, coming to a sudden stop, causing the people behind him to walk around to avoid bumping into him. Robert was slower to stop. When he did, he scanned their surroundings, wondering how many eyes were focused on Landon. There were several, and by default, they were now looking at him since all Landon’s irritation was aimed straight his way.
“Of course, you can,” he said calmly, maybe too reasonably with the fire that sparked in Landon’s gaze. “Do you want to go home?”
“You mean to your home?” Landon gave an exaggerated eye roll before turning and heading toward the trash can. He tossed the partially eaten sausage toward the can when he was still several feet from the container. It easily flew inside before Landon flipped back around again. He seemed surprised at the distance between them and stomped straight toward Robert. “Doc, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me…”
“Don’t call me that.” Robert steeled his spine as his own anger surfaced. God, it was such a foreign feeling, harboring all this possession inside him.
“That’s what you are.”
Robert’s heart drummed in his chest as he entered a standoff with Landon. His guy was determined to argue. So be it. Robert would accommodate him, just not out here for the world to see.
“That’s right. That’s what I am, but that’s not who I am, at least not to you. Not anymore.” Robert took the phone from his pocket, pulled up the Uber app and searched for the closest vehicle to them. As much as he wanted to pretend he was an everyday kind of guy, he couldn’t do this—have an argument—for the whole world to see. “Can we talk at—” He stopped himself from saying ‘home’ and bit out, “In private?”
“I’ll get the Uber,” Landon said, pulling out his cell phone.
“It’s already done.” Without saying anything more, Robert started for the blue Acura as shown on the app. He was at the car with verification and addresses exchanged and pulling open the back door before he ever looked over his shoulder. Landon hadn’t moved a muscle except to stand there glaring at him with his hands on his waist. Robert ignored him as he lowered himself down into the seat, but left the door open for Landon. He glanced toward the driver. “We may argue in front of you.”
“Nothing new. It happens about every third trip,” the driver said, unfazed.
“Really?”
The driver stayed quiet as Landon entered the vehicle, making Robert scramble to the other side of the seat. In all his cavalier attitude, he hadn’t actually been entirely sure if Landon would follow. He breathed a small sigh of relief even as Landon stayed hugging the door. It had to mean this quarrel wasn’t going to end in a deal-breaker. Right?
Robert stared down at the phone in his hand, thinking about the possibility of a breakup. His natural defense mechanisms kicked in. If this was some sort of breakup, he had to be ready to fight against that end. His always steady hands trembled, and he glanced over at Landon again. His guy sat there, fuming, with his leg bouncing. How had such a simple act of paying for a heart-disease-on-a-stick caused this much tension between them?
Luckily, the ride home didn’t take long, and Landon had waited to say whatever he planned. Before Robert could finish the transaction and give his thanks, Landon slammed the car door shut. Robert was slower to leave the vehicle, fighting off the dread building inside as he trailed behind his sergeant. This time, watching Landon’s ass swing didn’t hold quite the same draw. Landon opened the front door and walked over the threshold before pivoting around and standing in the entry. Those strong hands curled in fists at his waist. He took a step or two backward as Robert entered the doorway.
“What’s happened? I thought we had a nice evening.” Maybe playing dumb wasn’t Robert’s strong suit
