Page 66 of The Lawyer
The heart inside me beats a staccato in my ears, and I slowly open my eyes as I come back to reality. Everything aches, my muscles feel languid and heavy, but I don’t want to move. Landon’s head rests against my chest, and there’s a comfort to the sound of his breathing accompanying my heart.
“God, that was ...” I start, breaking the spell.
“Yeah.” His voice sounds thick and sexy, and it brings a quiet smile to my face.
The contented exhaustion sweeps over me quickly, and I would happily be carried to his bed, but I can’t assume. Not just yet, at least. So I begin to wiggle, indicating that he needs to put me down. The chill from the window is already hard against my skin, and this sudden realisation that, yet again, I don't quite know where I am with him is cooling the temperature further.
“I’ll just go clean up.”
Avoiding eye contact, I head to the cloakroom, snagging my bag as I pass. The moment I'm there, I lean my hands on the elaborate washbasin and lift my head to look in the mirror. My hair is a little wild at the back, my cheeks are pink, and the delicate smokey eyes are smudged. Can I do this? Can I go back out there and leave and be happy with that? My heart skips up a beat, telling me I can because I love him.
And in this world, I can have everything I want.
Except a public relationship.
I clean up, slip a fresh pair of knickers on, and go back to find him. After everything we’ve done, it feels silly to be walking around nearly naked, but I don’t have a choice. There’s no robe hanging ready for me in the en suite or bedroom. That’s another part of the dream.
“I’m going to get ready then,” I offer, bending to pick up my clothes that are strewn in different directions.
He turns to look at me, confusion marring his brow. “Why?”
“You said … and I didn’t want to presume …”
A smile broadens his lips, his body moving towards me. “The only place you’re going is the bedroom. And I don’t just mean for round two.”
“You want me to stay?”
“You’ve stayed before.” He takes my hand and turns me towards the room in question, pulling me after him.
“I just—”
“Don’t think too much about it, Willow.” He swats my arse, pushing me towards the stairs. “Although next time, you might need a change of clothes for the morning. Or, I suppose, you could leave some here.”
“Okay.”
I practically race up the spiral staircase and jump onto the bed, the words I’m desperate to say burning up in my chest as I watch him stripping from his clothes. Those words might be clawing for escape, they might even need saying, but I keep them firmly behind closed lips where they're safest.
For now.
Chapter Twenty Three
LANDON
Ishould be looking at the information on the email I’m attempting to read. I should also be dealing with the next level of diatribe concerning my company and the impending headlines that are about to degenerate us more than they already are doing. But I’m not. I’m looking at a green dress wrapped tightly around something I now consider my own.
She takes the coffees she’s handed by the staff and walks back to me, a dirty little smile on her face. I’m not surprised. We’ve just made out in the bathroom, acting like fifteen-year-olds rather than the grown adults we are.
“What’s that face for?” she asks, sitting a professional distance away from me. “You seem disturbed by something. Anything I can help with?”
She’s well aware what it’s for, as proved by the post-orgasm grin on her lips. My own is yet to be achieved. Also, a thing she knows about. Especially considering it was her that slipped out of the fucking bathroom before I could get on with achieving it.
I take a sip of the coffee and look back at my tablet, attempting to work again, only to hear the cabin crew calling us to board five minutes later.
“I’ve never flown first class,” she says.
“Get used to it. You won’t be flying any other way from now on.”
She stands with me and grabs her case and coat, another smile beaming. I like it. In fact, I like everything about her. Including her tetchy attitude. And I particularly like this tryst we’re in and the fact that no one else knows anything about it. It's all rather lurid.
