Page 73 of Deal Breaker
Dinner winds down, but the energy between us doesn’t. She finishes her wine with one last sip, tipping her head to drain the last of the glass, and I’m mesmerized watching the smooth column of her neck. Her dress has ridden up just enough to show more of her thigh than is fair, and I’ve given up pretending I’m not looking.
The server arrives with our bill, and it’s not a second too soon for me. I pay for the meal, then stand and offer my hand to Landyn. She hesitates for just a second but then slides her palm into mine.
“Dinner was delicious. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
The noise from the restaurant spills out behind us as I push the door open. It’s dark now, and the night is cool and quiet. The restaurant is tucked away from the regular tourist haunts, so the street is deserted as we walk back to my car. We don’t talk. We don’t need to. Her fingers are still laced through mine and her hip brushes against me. Then again. When we reach the passenger side, I open the door for her, but she doesn’t get in right away. She just looks up at mewith heat in her chocolate eyes as the air between us grows thicker.
“Where are we going?” she asks, voice soft.
I step closer, entering her space without touching her.
“My place,” I say simply. “Unless you want to end the night here.”
She doesn’t answer right away, but she doesn’t need to when I notice the way her eyes drop to my mouth and stay there for a moment. Then she nods. “That sounds perfect.”
She settles into the passenger seat of my Porsche like she belongs there, and I close the door, round the hood, and climb in beside her. Silence stretches out between us as I start the engine, it feels loaded, heavy with anticipation.
The car hums low as I shift into gear, hand brushing the gearstick just inches from her thigh. She doesn’t move away. If anything, she shifts closer.
I glance at her, noticing the way she’s twirling the ring on her index finger. “You nervous?”
She turns her head slowly, deliberately. “Are you?”
I reach for her hand, lacing her fingers between mine, resting them against her thigh. “No. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”
A beat passes, then the corners of her lips tip up. She squeezes my hand in hers and I press the gas pedal a little harder. By the time I pull into the driveway, I’m gripping the wheel with one hand like it’s the only thing keeping me in control. I throw the car in park, cut the engine, and turn to her.
“You sure?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.
Her lips part and she says the one word I’ve been waiting for. “Yes.”
I slide out of the car and walk around to her door,opening it and offering her a hand to help her out. She takes it, and I swear when her hand slips back into mine, I feel it in every single part of me.
Pushing open the front door, I place a hand on the small of her back to guide her inside. Stella barrels into the room the second we’re through the door, her nails clicking across the hardwood floor.
“Hi there, good girl.” Landyn crouches automatically, her dress sliding up her thighs, and Stella leans all her weight into her like she belongs to her. Landyn grins happily, brushing her fingers along her head.
“I think she’s your biggest fan,” I tell her, watching as she rewards Stella’s over-the-top display of affection with a belly rub. Eventually, once she’s had her fill of attention, Stella gives a full-body shake, then trots to her bed in the kitchen, where she circles three times before flopping down with a dramatic sigh.
“She’s got a tough life,” I say, rolling my eyes, as Landyn stands and smoothes her hands over the hem of her dress. She laughs, and it’s so sweet and genuine that I feel it in my core.
I cross the room to her. No more games. No more banter. Just the heat building in my chest and the way her breath stutters when I stop in front of her. She tilts her chin up, lips parted, and her eyes meet mine. “What?”
I don’t answer. I just trace my knuckles down her cheek, then I lean in, close enough that I feel her breath on my mouth. “You drive me crazy,” I murmur. “Goddammit, Lan. I want this. I want us. I want to give us a second chance.”
The expression on her face is hard to read. It’s hopeful, but there’s hesitation there too.
“Do you want that?” I ask. “I mean, could you see ustogether again, without everything else in the way? Are you willing to try?”
My heart slams against my ribs and I wait, terrified at the possibility that she might not want me the same way I want her. My mind has been racing non-stop since she walked back into my life and right now, something has cracked inside of me. I’m done waiting. I need her.
“Ford…it’s not that simple. We?—”
“Itisthat simple. I’m not saying we can just go back to what we used to be. I know it’s been a long time. But I still want you, Landyn. I never stopped.”
“Me too,” she finally admits. “But we’re still us and we can’t erase everything that has happened…I’ve hurt you. I know that.”
