Page 61 of Finding Lord Landry

She nodded. “To cause the least amount of offense to viewers as well as not looking disgusting in a photo. The PR team has settled on the french toast with banana and berries for you. Don’t put too much syrup on it. If you must have it, drizzle sparingly. And Landry will get the açaí bowl. Then he’ll adorably ask to take a bite of yours.”

Landry didn’t seem surprised by any of this. “And do not eat any food with a skin or a leaf unless you can swallow it whole or bite only with your back teeth. I went semi-viral once with a blueberry skin stuck between my teeth. Haven’t eaten blueberries in public since.”

I dug into my full English while I had the luxury of privacy.

Cora continued to outline the reminders from the PR team, even though I’d already read through them in my email during one of my midnight wakings. Touch Landry, but not in strange or “exotic” places like his inner thigh or armpit. Smile a lot, but not maniacally or showing too much teeth. Be sure to listen to what the other says, but remember, active listening includes eye contact, avoiding interrupting, and leaning toward the speaker rather than away from him.

By the time Cora herded us out of the kitchen toward our command performance, I was convinced I was going to fuck it all up.

“You’re trembling,” Landry murmured as he reached for my hand in the foyer. “Do you need a warmer coat? I have one in my?—”

“No, no. I’m fine. I’m not cold.”

Landry’s eyebrows dipped together before winging apart in surprise. “You’re nervous!”

“I’m not good in front of a crowd.”

“Neither am I,” he insisted. “But you get used to it. Smile and look pretty. Works every time.”

I rolled my eyes. “It works for you because you’re beautiful.”

Cora bustled past us and opened the front door just as Landry turned and cupped my cheeks in his warm hands. “You are the most gorgeous man I know, Kenji,” he insisted. “Do you remember when I hurried you away from that lunch restaurant in the Village last year? And you got angry thinking I didn’t want to be seen with you in public? You were right, but not for the reason you think.”

His voice was low and calm, as if there weren’t suddenly cameras and reporters only feet away on the sidewalk.

“Why, then?” I breathed.

“Because I was meeting with my agent and the hiring director for a project. The Breitling job, remember? And I was afraid if the man saw you, he’d want you instead.”

Something about that didn’t sound right. “First of all, don’t be ridiculous. Second, I would have never accepted an offer for a modeling job. And third…” I stopped because I was surprised by my own thoughts, even though they were true. “You’d never begrudge a friend an opportunity like that. Especially me.”

“The man is a player. He would have wanted you not only for the project but also in his bed,” he growled.

I blinked at him as he continued.

“And I wasn’t about to share you.”

His mouth came down on mine, hungry and possessive. The crowd around us went crazy. For a split second, I wondered if he’d orchestrated that moment for maximum effect, but then I quickly realized Landry Davis,myLandry, wasn’t quite that good of an actor.

The kiss was quick but borderline feral. When he pulled away, it left me gasping and off-balance. He reached for my hand and threaded our fingers together before pulling me forward and grinning at the cameras.

“Ya found me,” he said with a bright smile as if this was allso much fun.

A reporter in the front could be heard above the rest. “Landry, are you, in fact, Everett Davencourt, Viscount Hawling?”

He nodded. “I am, and I’m on my way to breakfast this morning with this beautiful man, so I only have time for one or two questions.”

Another reporter asked, “Is it true the two of you are engaged? Can you introduce us?”

Landry released my hand and slid his arm around my waist. “I’d be happy to introduce you, but we aren’t engaged.” The collective group seemed to deflate a little. “We’re recently married.”

Maybe Landry was a better actor than I gave him credit for. He seemed to have a flair for dramatic timing.

The reporters began shouting again until one won out over the others. “When did the two of you marry?”

“Kenji and I met through work many years ago, and we married over the holidays with only friends and family in attendance.”

“Is the rumor true about your father retiring? Are you going to try to take his place in the Lords?”

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