Page 53 of A Sweet Mess

The warmth of his breath brushed against her cheeks, andher body grew limp with the need to press herself against him. He wanted her despite everything. He wanted to risk everything for her. What could she do?

“Let’s jump those obstacles.” She smiled as excitement fluttered in her chest.

No more running.

Landon blinked and forced air into his lungs.

Fuck me.

Her sexy, mischievous grin plowed into his gut and spread scorching heat through him. He traced her flushed cheek with his thumb and lowered his head toward her. His heart was bruising his ribs, and blood pounded in his ears. Still, he hesitated before brushing his lips against hers. He’d wanted this for so long, wanted her so much.

Her achingly sweet response stole his breath, and he tilted his head to better taste her. She moaned and slid her hands down and then spread them out on his chest. Desire, hungry and raw, gripped him, and he buried his fingers in her silky hair. His mouth devoured hers greedily, and he only wanted more. Needed more.

Landon pulled back and took her hands in his and wordlessly led her to his bed. He stretched out in the middle and tugged her down next to him. Aubrey tucked herself into the crook of his arm, breathless and trembling, and he held her against him. Her soft curves conformed to the hard planes of his body, and he sighed deeply.

He held his body still and stared unblinkingly at the ceiling until his eyes stung. He would probably go insane before the night was over, but he wasn’t going to make love to Aubreytonight. Landon had given her space the last few days because he’d sworn not to push her into something she wasn’t ready for. If he’d stayed near her, he would’ve begged her to have him.

But she’d come to him tonight, opened up to him and made herself vulnerable, and he wouldn’t take advantage of her. He had to be sure it wasn’t lust and adrenaline motivating her.Tomorrow morning.If she was still by his side the next morning, then he could be certain she wanted to be with him.

“So.” His voice caught on the first word. His throat worked to swallow, and he succeeded on the fourth try. “How did you come up with the nameComfort Zone?”

Aubrey lifted her head from his shoulder and stared at him like he was crazy.

Yes. Yes, I am.

“You want to talk about that now? Like, right now?”

“Absolutely. Right this second. I must know.”

“Oh-kaay.” She laid her head back on his shoulder. “I left home to travel the world when I was eighteen. When my grandma died, I lost the one person I could call home, so I decided to create my own home—Comfort Zone. Somewhere I would never feel alone, a place I could always be myself.”

Something shifted in his core at her faraway voice. Landon had spent the last decade running away from everything that meant anything to him. Anything that reminded him of home. He had so much to learn from this amazing woman.

“Eighteen is pretty young to leave home,” he mused out loud. Most Korean Americans were expected to live with their parents until they were ready to build their own families. Landon had left home about ten years ago but still felt guilty about leaving his mom.

“The only reason I didn’t leave earlier was because I didn’t want my mom to be alone.”

He blinked, startled by their similar train of thought, but it was the pain in her voice that made his chest feel hollow. “Tell me.”

“When I was little, I was in awe of my father. He was so handsome and charming. Everyone seemed to like and respect him.” She was quiet for a moment. “My parents dressed me like a princess and took me everywhere they went. All the grown-ups would pat my head and tell me how adorable I was. I was so proud. I thought I was special.”

“You are special.” He frowned at the implication that she was anything but.

“You’re corny.” Aubrey winked at him. “And trust me, I don’t want to be anything like him. My father became distant and cold, and my mom didn’t smile anymore. His ego grew with his bank account, and he started collecting mistresses. The best his money could buy.”

“How did you find out?” He hated this. She was hurting, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

“I found out when I was thirteen, but it had been going on for much longer, I’m sure. Woman after woman. I ditched school one morning and followed him.” Aubrey lowered her eyes, her voice quiet and childlike. “I don’t know where I found the guts—I’d always been terrified of him—but I confronted him. He didn’t even bother removing his hand from the woman’s waist. He told me if I skipped school again, he’d send me away to a boarding school in another country. That was it. No explanation. No apology. I was the one in the wrong.”

All Landon could do was brush a featherlight kiss on her lips and hold her tighter. Her piece-of-shit father didn’t deserve a daughter like Aubrey.

“The thing is, he’d already been wanting to send me off to boarding school before then. When he couldn’t show me offat social events and I proved mediocre in academics, he lost interest in me. He wanted to sweep me under the rug like a dirty secret.”

Landon cursed under his breath, unable to hold back.God.If it could stop her from hurting anymore, he would shoulder her painful past with his own and carry it for the rest of his life. No matter what happened between them.

“When I begged my mom to leave him, she refused. She said I was too young to understand. She actually made excuses for him. I told her I hated her. That she was a coward.” Aubrey sucked in a shaky breath and burrowed deeper into his embrace. “God, I was so cruel.”

“You werethirteenand hurting.”

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