Page 40 of Sweet Southern Heat

I had just slippedinto my sleep clothes when there was a knock at my door. My heart rate spiked, and unease swirled in my gut. It was after dark, and I was still a little leery of being home alone at night after someone had trashed my car right in front of my house. I crept down the steps and peered through the peephole. Landon stood on my front porch, his hair disheveled as though he’d been running his hands through it.

Stunned to see him here this late at night, I threw open the door and took in his weary expression.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I needed to see you,” he confessed and stepped inside. I closed the door and turned to face him. His back was to me, but I could sense something was wrong. His shoulders were stiff, the muscles flexing as he ran a hand over his face. I crossed the foyer and moved around him so I could look into his haunted blue eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Instead of answering, he cupped my face and drew me in for a kiss. It was hungry and desperate, but unlike our usual kisses,it was unhurried. It was like he was savoring me. I didn’t mind the change in pace, but worry niggled at the back of my mind.

Landon’s strong arms came around me, and he pulled me into his chest. He deepened the kiss, and I melted against him, all my reservations forgotten.

“Let’s go upstairs,” he requested, and I let him lead me up the steps and to my room. He took his time undressing me, peppering kisses up the inside of one thigh before slowly dragging my sleep shorts down, his lips skimming over the other thigh as he tugged them down my legs. He pulled my shirt over my head and instead of sitting back to admire my naked form as he usually did, he immediately covered my body with his.

Rough hands slid up my sides and cupped my breasts, plucking my nipples into stiff peaks. I moaned into his mouth and squirmed beneath him. He knew what all my buttons were and exactly how to push them. Once he had me writhing and panting beneath him, he finally took off his clothes. Where he would normally smile and tease once we were both naked, he simply looked at me reverently, his serious expression causing anxiety to twist my insides. What could possibly have him so unsettled?

Landon tore a condom open and rolled it down his length before positioning himself at my entrance. He held my gaze as he pushed inside. My head fell back, and I let out a soft moan as he filled me. His hips rocked back and forth slowly, his languid strokes drawing pleasure from my body as the tension slowly unfurled. My climax built as he reached between us and pressed his thumb to my clit. He circled it with the same infuriating pace as his thrusts.

“You’re mine,” he groaned as my muscles clamped down on him. My release was there, just out of reach, but it crested with those two possessive words. I shattered beneath him, calling out his name as he continued to rock into me. He dropped his lipsto mine and rewarded me with a deep and passionate kiss. His arms shook, and he swelled inside me as his tongue plunged into my mouth. He groaned into the kiss and stilled as he found his release.

Collapsing beside me, he pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. The moment was so sweet and tender it almost felt like a goodbye.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, and my stomach knotted with dread. I should’ve been basking in the afterglow of Landon’s unexpectedly affectionate love making. Instead, it felt like the beginning of the end, like there was an expiration date on our relationship.

Landon remained quiet for several long moments, and my unease grew. I wanted to let him work out whatever was going through his head, but with each passing second, my anxiety multiplied. Finally, he broke the silence.

“I talked to Lyle.” My breath caught in my throat, and my body went rigid. “He knows about us. He’s known for a while. I didn’t even have to tell him.” I winced and burrowed deeper into his side.

“Was he angry?”

“He was … a lot of things.” That didn’t sound promising.

“Is-is he going to leave us alone?” Would Lyle openly cause trouble for us now that all our cards were on the table? Or would he continue to slink in the shadows and damage my property until I could no longer stand to live in the same town with him anymore?

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. His arms curled around me, and I pressed my cheek to his chest. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat thrummed against my ear. After a moment, his breathing evened out, and his hold on me relaxed. He’d never stayed over at my house before. It was always too risky. Someone would notice his truck parked in my drivewayall night, but that didn’t matter anymore. I laid there awake, soaking in the moment with the sinking feeling in my gut that it would be our last.

Sometime later, I woke to the sound of Landon’s phone ringing. He patted around on the nightstand for it but came up empty handed. It stopped and immediately started up again. I turned on the bedside lamp and sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Stumbling from the bed, Landon retrieved his pants from the floor and dug his phone out of his pocket.

“Hello,” he answered groggily. He was silent while the person on the other end spoke. “What?” he asked, his voice filled with panic as his legs wobbled, and he sank to the edge of the bed. “When?” he demanded and listened as the caller replied. A low curse fell from his lips, and he ended the call. The phone slipped from his hands, and he dropped his head into his upturned palms. I scooted toward him and placed a comforting hand on his back.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, unease churning in my gut. He turned to me, his red-rimmed eyes so full of pain it made my chest constrict. I swallowed hard as I took in the devastation written across his face. His voice cracked when he answered.

“It’s my brother.”

Chapter 35

Landon

The frantic beepingof a heart monitor stirred me awake, and I sat up in my chair. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I glanced up at the screen where Lyle’s vital signs were displayed. The numbers didn’t mean much to me, but some of them were flashing. I was instantly on high alert, worried he was taking a turn for the worse. Just as I prepared to stand up and find a nurse, a woman in green scrubs breezed into the room.

She looked over the monitor then turned to the IV pump and began pushing buttons. Her gaze fell over Lyle, and sadness washed over her features.

“What’s going on?” I asked, worry gnawing at my gut. She pasted on a cheery smile before answering.

“His blood pressure dropped, so I adjusted the rate of his medication.” I nodded my acceptance, though I still couldn’t shake the hollow, helpless feeling churning in my stomach.

“Will he wake up soon?”

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