Page 41 of Baby By my Best Friend's Daddy

“It was,” I admitted. “I miss her so much sometimes, I can’t breathe. I miss just being able to talk to her, to laugh about something stupid. God, I miss finding her in my room and shouting at her for using my stuff.” I chuckled softly, thinking back to when we were teenagers. “I miss not having her weigh on me all the time.” I glanced up at Landon. “She was at a party the night before she died, you know. She called me to pick her up, and I didn’t feel like it. I was tired after working a long shift. I was irritated that she could do whatever she wanted, and my dad didn’t give a shit. It’s always like that—the older one gets all the rules, and the younger one gets away with murder.”

Landon nodded, staying silent so I could talk. I kept going. I hadn’t talked about that night to anyone, not even Brad.

“She didn’t want my parents to pick her up because she’d gotten drunk and was underage. My parents let her get away with a lot, but she still had to answer to them in some ways, and my dad can be scary as hell if he wants to. Anyway… she organized a lift with someone else, and they got into an accident.” My throat swelled shut, and I swallowed hard, trying to keep it together. I wasn’t going to break down in tears. It had been long enough for me to talk about it without becoming an emotional mess, damn it! I didn’t want to fall apart in front of Landon, although he would have been okay with it.

“Do you blame yourself?” Landon asked carefully.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Sometimes I think if I’d just been a good sister and gone to pick her up, she would still be here.”

“Or you might both be gone,” Landon pointed out.

“Yeah, I wonder about that sometimes too. The friend who ended up driving her wasn’t drinking—his blood alcohol had been zero. They’d been hit by a drunk driver, someone completely unrelated, someone who hadn’t been at the party. He’d come home from a bar or something.” I scoffed bitterly. “What are the fucking odds?”

Landon reached across the table and put his hand on mine, where I ran my fingers up and down the champagne glass.

“It’s not your fault,” he said.

I glanced up at him. His eyes pinned me, boring into my soul, his face full of concern. I believed him. In that moment, I believed what he said was right.

“Thank you,” I said softly. I laughed and shook off the sadness, forcing a bright smile. “Not exactly first date conversation, huh?”

“I don’t like shallow dates, talking about safe topics and not baring your soul to someone. I want to get down and dirty, get right to who we are at our core. Never wonder if you should hide something just because it seems too serious. I’m all for it—serious is my middle name.”

I laughed. “Landon Serious Leggatt. It has a nice ring to it.”

“It does.” Landon laughed, and he lifted my hand to his mouth, brushing his lips against my knuckles. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

We left the restaurant, and Landon thanked his friend Pete for opening early for us before we drove back to the private jet. I loved that Landon had gone out of his way to bring us all the way to Portland so that we could have a good time without worrying about who would see us.

I hated that we had to sneak around. I hated that I couldn’t tell my best friend about the new love I’d met, but it was better this way. At least for now. I would get there eventually. If things went in the right direction with Landon—and so far it was going great with him—I would talk to Brad.

He wouldn’t be happy. I couldn’t even imagine the fallout, but we would have to go there. Right now, I appreciated that we were keeping it a secret until we knew what we wanted and what we were to each other.

Landon held my hand in the car while we watched the city slide by. Every touch was gentle and caring. Landon made me feel loved even when he didn’t say anything. I shifted a little closer to him, and he put his arm around my shoulder. I leaned against him and drank in his warmth.

On the plane, Landon and I sat next to each other. He kissed me, his hand on my neck under my hair, and his tongue slid into my mouth. I moaned softly.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he said through his kisses. “You’re like a drug. I’m stuck on you.”

I put my arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap, my legs on either side of his. I wasn’t good with words. Landon said such wonderful things, making me feel incredible, and all I had in my arsenal was “me too” or “I feel the same.” There was nothing poetic about that. I couldn’t necessarily say what I felt, but I could show him.

I grinded my crotch against Landon’s, and he groaned. His erection grew against me. He wrapped his arms around me, running his hand up my back and into my hair, before sliding his hands onto my ass. We made out while I rode him, not caring that we still wore clothes. My body was on fire, and I wanted him. My nipples hardened and pushed against the black bra I’d put on.

Landon cupped my breast with one hand, the other still on my ass, and I moaned.

I glanced up while we kissed to see if the flight attendant was around, but she’d respectfully withdrawn. I appreciated being alone with Landon.

We arrived in Seattle, and I had to sit back in my seat for the descent. My breathing came in shallow gasps, and Landon’s eyes were dark and filled with lust when he glanced at me. He pushed his tongue into his cheek when he looked at me, and I smiled at him. God, I wanted him so badly.

We got into the car that had brought us here, and Landon told the driver to take us to his place.

“Shouldn’t we get my car?” I asked.

“Later,” Landon said. He kissed me again, pulling me tightly against him in the back seat.

We made out while the car drove through the city. Landon’s hands roamed my body, and I gasped when he kissed his way to my neck. We couldn’t do anything too dirty in the car, but his fondling and teasing, and his lips on my bare skin, drove me crazy, teasing, promising a world of pleasure once we got back to Landon’s place.

The car stopped in front of his mansion, and we got out. Landon had a quick word with the driver before he left and then unlocked the door. Inside, Landon pushed me against the wall and kissed me. He leaned his body against me, and his erection was hot and thick against my stomach.

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