Burn For You (Boys of the South) (21 page)

Adjusting my stance, I begin to thrust into her with long strokes that set my teeth on edge. Making her come had me close already, but this combined with the fantasy-game we played...

I can’t speak and neither can she. The room is filled with the sounds of us, moaning, groaning and coming together.

I surge deep inside of her, my hands coming down to her hips and gripping them tight. Another thrust, then another, and I slam into her, coming so hard that I see stars.

Her body goes limp and my knees go weak.

“You okay?” I pepper her sexy back with kisses.

“Mmm-hmm.”

Pulling out of her, I’m amazed to see that the condom is still on. I dispose of it and walk back into the room. Landry’s still leaning on the old desk, breathing heavily. Her heart-shaped ass jiggling as she stands.

“A plus plus,” she says, panting a little. “You passed with flying colors.”

Laughing, I scoop her up in a hug. Her legs and arms wrap around me. “How about a shower?”

“I can’t move,” she groans.

“I’ll do all the washing,” I say, kissing the side of her neck.

“Beau,” she says in a hushed voice full of emotion. “I don’t want to ever leave here and go back to the real world.”

My heart slams against my chest as I walk with her in my arms to the bathroom. What does she think will happen when we do? I’ll go back to my life and her to hers? “We can stay for as long as you want.” Cutting on the hot water, I step in the shower and let the water run over us both.

Her head falls back, pretty eyes glowing as she gazes at me. “You mean it?”

“You know I do. You, me, and Mia... it will be perfect.”

Landry’s eyes grow shadowed, and I gently set her on her feet. “But it’s not right. Paisley—”

I press a finger to her lips, not wanting reality to intrude. I know what Landry will say, what she’ll remind me of... It’ll never be just us. “At this moment it is right.”

She graces me with a tender smile, full of understanding. “Then it’s perfect.”

I take her in my arms once more, and wish like hell I hadn’t fucked up my life before her.

***  ***  ***

“W
here are you off to tonight?” Landry asks me with a smile. It’s three days before the preliminary race, and I can barely stand in one place. I’m amped up and ready to drive over the finish line. All this bullshit niceties and parties are starting to wear thin. I came here to win the race, not schmooze.

“The Romanov Industries party. The owner will be there, with his wife. He’s an earl.” The only events I attend are the mandatory ones, and usually they are interviews with the foreign press. I have translators and a ball-busting handler courtesy of Romanov Industries with me at all times.

Whether this is to protect their image or me, I have no idea, but I’m not about to screw things up by doing something stupid. So, I smile. I answer fluff questions about my personal life, and I keep Yvette the ball-buster happy.

Remington keeps calling, and I keep ignoring him. I don’t need his advice, his guilt-fueled confessions or his knowing looks.

“Oh my gosh. I know exactly who you’re talking about.” She gets this dreamy look on her face. “He’s sooo handsome, and he married a girl from North Carolina. She’s a baker. They have a little boy.”

“That’s the one.” I straddle the chair she’s sitting in, pushing her forward and pulling her back in my lap. “It’s a good thing you’re not going, because I’d be so jealous that I’m liable to let the trailer park out, if you so much as smiled at him.”

Turning her head slightly, she kisses me, her tongue coming out to play with mine, until she’s gasping for air. I run my hands down the sides of her body, loving the feel of her, loving how she settles against me and wants only me.

“You are so full of it.”

If she only knew. I’m mentally preparing myself to meet this guy, so I won’t want to knock the smile off his earl face. I put my mouth by her ear and rest my hands right under her heavy breasts. “I expect you to be waiting for me, in my bed, without this on.”

Landry wriggles against me, her plump little ass making my dick hard. “What if I want to improvise?”

“How so?”

“What if I bought something to wear for you?”

“Then improvise away, but maybe you could send me a picture while I’m at the party. For good luck.”

She shakes with laughter. “I’ll think about it, but first we have to finish eating.”

“Fine, fine,” I say, leaving the warmth of her curvy little body for my own chair. “Feed me.”

“Try this,” Landry says, holding out her fork. “I have no idea what kind of fish it is, but it’s sooo good.”

“That’s not fish. It’s—”

“La, la, la.” She covers her ears with her hands. “I’m not listening.”

Mia copies Landry, throwing her fork on the floor. I lean to one side to pick it up and chuck it out of the way.

“You two,” I tease. “I can’t take y’all anywhere.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m happy eating at home every night. Though can I really complain about a personal chef?” She sighs. “I think not.”

“How about I take you out one night?”

Landry’s arms fall to her side. She grins at me. “Mia and I would love it.”  She stands up and takes Mia out of her highchair, handing her to me. “Bath time and bedtime. Want to come with us?”

“Not tonight. I’m already dressed, and she loves to splash me.” I give Mia a hug and a kiss. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” she says, taking Mia from me. “Blow Daddy kisses before we go.”

Mia smacks her lips and then her hand against her face, and I clap.

Landry winks at me. “We’ve been practicing.”

“Great job, sweet pea.” I lean forward in my chair, tickling Mia’s little fat foot. “Give me another one.”

Mia buries her face into Landry’s chest. “C’mon, Mia,” she coos. “Show daddy what else we practiced.” But Mia refuses to move from her spot. “Okay, then I’ll go first this time.” Landry looks at me, her cheeks flushing as she raises a hand to her puckered lips. She blows a kiss at me and says, “Love you.” 

My entire body goes hard. “Very cute.”
Very Cute?
I hear I love you from Landry and my best response is very cute? It’s a damn good thing she was trying to get Mia to do it, and not a heartfelt emotion she wants to share with me.

Landry clears her throat. “Mia. Blow Daddy a kiss.”

I take a drink of my beer, trying to keep my cool. “It’s okay. She’ll say it in her own time. I promise it won’t change how I feel about hearing it when she does. I’ll be just as proud. And I’ll feel
exactly
the same way about her.”

“You will?” Her face goes all soft, until she suddenly snaps out of whatever is in that pretty head at the moment. “Of course you will. You’re her dad. I don’t even know what I was thinking.”

“You were being you, and I love that.”

Nodding, Landry whisks Mia away. I set my beer down and rub the bridge of my nose.

I don’t just love that. I love
her
. I fucking love Landry Basnight.

M
y legs
are shaking, because I’m so anxious and nervous for Beau to get back.  I glance at the clock and shake my head. He’s only been gone for less than an hour, but it feels like an eternity.

I want to take the next step with Beau and confess how I feel.

I’m in love with him.
So in love.

Giddy as anything, I spin around the room, until I’m dizzy, and then do it all over again.

There’s a knock on the door. I stop spinning and jog down the stairs to answer it, checking the security camera first.

“Judith, what’s wrong?” I ask as soon as I open the door.

Beau’s stepmother smiles at me. “Not a thing. I came here so you can go to the party with Beau.”

“That’s really nice of you,” I begin, stepping back so she can walk inside. “But he already left.”

“Yes, and I just left him and Remington at the party. That poor boy looked miserable without you,” she says as I close the door behind her.

Flushing, I look everywhere but at her, because I’m pretty sure she can see what happened between Beau and me in my eyes. “He... I—I’m here to watch Mia so he can concentrate on all the other stuff.” Wow, way to sound really, really
guilty
.

Pursing her lips, she makes a noise of disbelief. “Go upstairs and put something pretty on. My car will take you to him.”

I stand there, nearly wringing my hands, as I waver back and forth between going. Finally, I swallow my pride and ask, “Are you sure he looked miserable without me?”

A beautiful smile curves her lips. “Completely.”

“Mia’s asleep. The baby monitor is on the table behind the sofa. There are some snacks in the kitchen—”

Judith takes me by the shoulders and looks me straight in the eye, her brown ones twinkling. “Landry, darling.  I know what to do. Now, stop stalling and go change.”

“Okay.” I nod, and she releases me. “Okay,” I repeat and rush up the stairs. Running to my bedroom, I throw my closet door open and frown at everything inside. I pull out a burgundy sheath dress I packed on impulse. It has capped sleeves and ends right above my knees.

Holding it in front of me, I examine myself in the mirror. “Time to be Cinderella.”

Fifteen minutes later, I check out my reflection in the mirror once again. My hair is curled, and the lingerie I purchased is carefully concealed by the dark red dress. My shoes have two-inch heels and are nude in color. They’re not the sexiest pair of heels, but I can run from the paparazzi in these things if I have to.

Smiling from ear to ear, I float down the stairs and to the waiting car, tossing a “thank you so much” to Judith before the driver helps me inside. In no time at all, he’s pulling up in front of a palatial house with fountains and a circular drive. Flags representing a multitude of nations hang from a second story, making it look royal and official.

Glamorous woman and James Bond-looking men mill about, talking, smoking, and drinking champagne. My heart speeds up in anticipation.

“It’s like a fairy tale,” I breathe as I step out of the car.

The driver tips his hat to me. “I’ll see you at midnight, miss.”

I barely contain the laughter bubbling in my throat at the thought of a curfew. Cinderella indeed.

The interior of the house is even more glamorous than the façade. The place drips money. Lots and lots of money. Famous faces I recognize make my eyes widen. I know I must look like an ingénue wandering around, but I don’t care. Being here, while looking for the man I love, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Suddenly, the crowd parts, and I see him. Surrounded by a group of women and men. I stop, partially hiding behind a tall, potted plant like a wallflower at her first ball. Only this wallflower is looking to get her man.

A strange feeling comes over me the longer I stand there.

The group, along with Beau, is dressed to the nines, as my momma would say. Skintight dresses, glittery shoes, and jewels shine among dark suits and tuxes. Blindingly white teeth flash as they talk, while I stand there, half-hidden by a big pot of elephant ears.

I feel gauche. Unwelcome.

Beau laughs, his head thrown back. A blonde, as tall as he is and more fashionably dressed and confident than any other woman in the room, touches his arm. Immediately he stops, turning his full attention on her.

I can only imagine what she’s feeling right now. How he’s looking at her with his sexy gray eyes, how he’s making her feel like the only woman in the world that matters.

She nods at a spot in the room. To my horror, he follows her to a dark corner. A dark corner with privacy and a loveseat for two. I’m rooted to the spot, like the plant beside me as I watch them lean in to one another. The expression on his face is intense, and hers seems to be insistent.

She whispers in his ear and he shakes his head, the word
no
so clearly spoken that I can practically hear it from my vantage point.

Suddenly, my feet are no longer bolted to the floor. I march up to them, not thinking of what I’ll say once I get there. Maybe I’m imagining everything. Maybe he’s only talking. Maybe he’s only discussing business with her.

Though what sort of business he would have with six-feet of beautiful blonde is beyond my comprehension. But I have to know.

I can see the moment awareness hits him. His body tenses. I have the sudden urge to run, to continue to be blissfully ignorant, and to end my night in his arms instead.

“Landry?” Beau rises from the leather sofa, an uneasy look covering his face. “Is there something wrong with Mia?”

“No.”

“Then what are you doing here?” He sounds perplexed, not happy. Not miserable without me.

My stomach drops to my toes, my face goes hot, and my heart shatters to pieces.  A strange noise fills my ears and my vision blurs. Finally, it clears and the noise goes away, but my heart is still in pieces.

A throat clears, and I force myself to look at Beau. He and the supermodel are staring at me, him with concern and her with disdain.

“Landry?” Beau asks, coming toward me.

There’s no way I’ll let him touch me. Carefully, I start backing away from the couple.  “Sorry to disturb y’all. I made a mistake coming here tonight.”

I run from the glitzy ballroom room, down the red-carpeted stairs, and all the way to the entrance. Hailing the first cab I spot, I get inside and barely make it through reciting my address without bawling.

I will not let this get the best of me. I let out a shuddering breath, my hands clenched tight by my sides. Only a few more minutes and I can be back in my bedroom, where no one can see the rest of me crack into a million pieces.

Especially not Beau.

Judith is waiting as I walk inside. She takes one look at me, and her smile fades. “What in the world happened?”

“He wasn’t miserable without me,” is all I say. “I’m going to bed.”

Without waiting for an answer, I bolt upstairs and shut my door behind me, my heart pumping like crazy as I sink to the floor. I drop my head into my hands and sob.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I sob the word over and over. My nose is running, and I’m crying so hard that my chest hurts. For a long time, I just sit there, wallowing in my misery and trying to make sense of what I saw. Of what he said. But my mind won’t leave me alone. All the gossip, every warning about him echoes in my head.