Page 33 of A Sweet Mess

“Thank you.”

“We’re done with today’s adventures, then?” He watched her flushed face warily.

“Yes, please. As soon as I buy a couple bottles of this.”

She hurried to the wine display and reached out for a bottle and then screeched to a hard stop.Yowza.The secret was out. They knew this stuff was gold and were charging accordingly. But this wasthewine. Now that she’d tasted it, nothing else would do. Gulping in a fortifying breath, she reached for the bottle.

“I got this,” Landon said, staying her hand. Aubrey opened her mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. “It’s for the show. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.” Masking her relief, she “gave in” with a shrug. “As long as you can expense it.”

“Of course.” He graced her with an arrogant sideways glance before humoring her. “I’ll be sure to submit a reimbursement form in the morning.”

“Excellent.”

She’d maxed out her good credit card in the last couple of months, and she would’ve had to use her highway robbery card for the fortified wine. The sound of her interest accumulating would’ve kept her up all night. Her second payment from the show would go straight to the contractors, but hopefully by the time she received her third payment she could pay off the card.

But none of that mattered. Her head was humming with the fragrance of the fortified wine and the flavors of her dessert, and it was beautiful. Getting something just right felt so good. She couldn’t wipe the goofy grin off her face.

The bottles purchased and carefully wrapped, Landon guided Aubrey to the parking lot, his hand on its customary spot in the curve of her back. Strange how perfectly it fit against her body, as though he’d molded her with his own hands and carved out a nook for just that purpose.

Warmth spread through her faster than she could control. Confused and vulnerable, she quickened her steps to escape his touch. Landon matched her hurried steps but didn’t try to reclaim her back. When they stopped at his car, he reached around to open her door, and his chest nudged her shoulder. She shivered with awareness.

“Cold?” Landon frowned. “Get inside. I’ll turn on the heater.”

“Thank you.” But she just stood there like an idiot while he waited for her to sit down.Gah.Spurred on by embarrassment, she dove into the seat with the grace of an orangutan.

Her mind raced like a hamster on its favorite wheel, making everything blurry. Aubrey closed her eyes so the world would stop spinning. Exhaustion blanketed the cacophony of emotions in her head, and her limbs grew heavy and limp. The car shifted softly as Landon settled into the driver’s seat, and then there was nothing.

Landon drove at a snail’s pace so he wouldn’t disturb his sleeping passenger. Aubrey was curled up like a child in her seat, her expression soft and peaceful. His chest clenched at the sight. She was so beautiful, it hurt to look at her. Yet he couldn’t stop staring.

He’d reached for her again and again that night until he’d drifted off into an exhausted slumber. If he’d stayed up to watch her sleep, would he have let her walk away?No.The answer came unbidden, shocking him. A surge of possessiveness had taken over when he’d made love to her. In that moment, there had been no time—no past, no future. Only the two of them. He didn’t think beyond that. He couldn’t. And the next morning, she was gone.

He’d convinced himself it was for the best. She’d been a fantasy—a mirage his starving soul had conjured. But here she was. Real, warm, and so damn close. Tightening his hands around the steering wheel, Landon stepped on the accelerator. He had to get her to the villa before his daydreams got out of hand.

Dust clouds whirled on the dirt driveway when he screeched to a stop in front of the villa. He bolted out of his seat and nearly ripped the passenger door off its hinges. He was rock hard and aching. The exquisite torture had to end for his sanity’s sake.

Despite the unceremonious way her door was jerked openand the way crisp night air rushed against her, Aubrey didn’t so much as twitch. She was out cold.

Goddamn it.

Landon hesitated for a second and then lifted her out of the car. With a soft sigh, Aubrey snuggled against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then she tucked her head against his shoulder, warming the side of his neck with her sweet, moist breath. His aroused body responded predictably to her proximity, and he felt dizzy with the desire flooding through him. He had to get her out of his arms as soon as humanly possible.

When he reached the front door, he wanted to scream in frustration.How am I going to press the security code with Aubrey in my arms?Landon kicked the solid wood door. It made him feel marginally better, so he kicked it a couple more times. With some juggling and a lot of cursing, he finally got the door open.

His breath was coming fast and short from a mixture of physical exertion and good old-fashioned lust. Completely oblivious to his struggles, Aubrey whimpered something in her dream and drew closer to him, bringing her lips to rest on the pounding pulse on his throat.

“Fuck,” he groaned.

Landon stomped to the staircase and climbed up steps two at a time. When he reached her room, he dropped her none too gently on the bed and then got the hell out, locking the door behind him for good measure.

“God, help me.”

He slid down to the floor with his back against Aubrey’s door, too weak to support his weight for another second. Landon drew his shaking hands through his hair and fought to get his breath back. His hands clenched and unclenched helplessly on his thighs, bereft of the soft body they had held a minute ago. His skin still burned where their bodies had touched. He’dhardly slept last night, much too aware only a single wall separated them. Now that he’d held her in his arms again, there would be no sleep for him tonight.

When Lucien had thrown him under the bus, Landon convinced himself it wouldn’t be difficult to be roommates with the most tempting woman in the world. He wasn’t going to waste time finding a new place to stay, especially since he would be in and out of Bosque Verde on business. The villa was the most practical option. Simple and convenient.

He was an arrogant, delusional jerk. It wasn’t convenience that kept him there. It was her.Call me a masochist,he thought, laughing without humor. Sharing the villa with her wasn’t difficult; it was nearly impossible. He couldn’t have her and it was killing him, but he’d be damned if he gave up a single minute with her.

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