Page 93 of Desolation

“Are you doing okay?” Catherine asks me. “I saw you looking longingly at the kids. You miss yours?”

I nod. “I do. But I plan on going home soon. I cannot wait to hug them.”

“What brings you to Southern California?”

Oh, you know, just trying to figure out if my soon to be ex-husband is framing me for money laundering. “Work.”

“Well, hopefully work brings you out here more often. I enjoyed your company today.”

“It’s possible.”

I end up leaving with Landon, an hour after talking to Catherine. I forgot how exhausting socializing can be.

I climb into Landon’s Jeep and rest my head against the headrest, closing my eyes.

“You okay?” Landon’s voice sounding concerned.

I nod.

He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Are you missing your kids?”

“How did you know?”

“I saw the way you were looking at Jackson and Mark’s kids. You had a longing on your face, like you wish they were here.”

I look over at him. This beautiful, broken man who can read people so well. He understands. He knows the right words to say. Yet he struggles to let anyone in. But he let me in. He let me see him. Just like I’ve let him see me.

“They would have had so much fun today. Been able to do kid things. Sometimes I think we haven’t let them experience things the right way. Growing up with privilege. I never had that luxury and I think I learned so much from it. Some days I just want them to be kids, you know. Ride bikes through the neighborhood, climb trees, get into trouble. But they live this life where they learn to ride horses and speak foreign languages.”

“I know what you mean. I was always getting into trouble. Being an idiot with my brother. Broken bones and fights. But despite our mom and starving more often than not, I wouldn’t trade it. Me and Ryder used to always wish as kids that we had better parents but we didn’t care that we lived in a trailer instead of a three bedroom house. We made the most out of our lives. And looking back I don’t think we would be the men we are today, if we didn’t grow up the way we did.”

I smirk at him. “Is he just as cocky as you?”

Landon chuckles, his laugh floating into the open air. “No, my brother is a brooding asshole. No idea why Tacoma decided to marry him.”

“You are pretty good at brooding yourself. You just do it when you think no one is looking.”

“I wasn’t always this way. I used to be just cocky. But death has a way of changing you.”

I lace my fingers through his. “I like both sides of you.”

“Baby, you just like my dick.”

I shrug. “It’s okay.”

He slams on the brakes, pulling the car off to the side of the road. “You know this is better than okay.” He points to his pants.

I bite my lip, pretending to think about it. “I don’t know. I think I’ve had better.”

He jumps out of the Jeep and I have no idea what he is doing. He opens my door and tugs on my hands. “What are you doing?”

“Take it back,” he grunts just as his mouth lands on mine.

His kiss is feverish like he is trying to prove a point. His hands are all over me as he uses his hips to pin me against the Jeep. I can feel his definitely better than okay dick press into my stomach. I pull him closer to me, grinding my hips against his.

“You sure this is just okay? You sure you’ve had better?” he whispers into my ear before leaving a trail of kisses and nips down my neck.

“Maybe,” I joke.

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