Lies in Love (19 page)

“Hi
yourself, Petal.” Landon took her hand and kissed her cheek.
“You look gorgeous.” He loved the way she blushed when he
said the words. He knew she didn’t hear it enough, but he made
sure he would tell her every chance he got.

“So
where are we headed?” With no hesitation, Talia hopped onto his
bike.

He
placed his helmet on her head and breathed her in as he fastened the
straps at her chin. “There’s a little Italian bistro not
far from here that I wanted to check out.”

Talia
simply stared at him.

“You
like pasta, don’t you?”

“Yes,
Landon. I like pasta.”

Damn
his nerves for making him second guess himself around her. He climbed
back on his bike and pulled Talia’s arms tight around him, just
the way he liked them. He’d never get enough of her riding with
him. A knot formed in his gut as her gardenia smell surrounded him
just before he pulled into traffic. It didn’t take them long at
all to make it to the restaurant.

He
took the helmet from her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her
ear, then left the helmet hanging on his rearview mirror before
offering his arm to escort her. Once inside, the candlelit room
encircled them, the candles’ glow glistening off of a single
chandelier hanging in the middle of the small room. Each table was
just big enough for four people, an intimate and quiet setting. The
linens were forest green and there were bottles containing olive oil
on each table surrounded by salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. The
place smelled delectable, causing Landon’s stomach to rumble.
It reminded him that in all of his thoughts of Talia he’d
forgotten to eat.

“I’ve
never been here before.” She stood with him at the hostess
station waiting to be seated.

“Neither
have I. I hope it’s good.”

The
hostess approached in a pressed, white, button-down shirt and black
trousers. “Welcome to
Mangia
.
Will it just be the two of you this evening?”

Landon
nodded and the hostess led them to a table in the back corner of the
restaurant. Landon took Talia’s jacket and hung it on the back
of her chair, pushing it in when she sat down. He then took his seat
across from her and for a moment it was quiet. They weren’t
sitting long when a man came from the back of the restaurant to take
their drink orders. When he was gone, Landon started up a
conversation. “So where were you today?” He suddenly felt
like a stalker asking the question.

“I
was on a delivery with Camey.” Talia’s face fell,
downtrodden.

“Why
the sad face? Don’t you like deliveries?”

“Typically,
yes, but this delivery was to a funeral. The deceased had two young
boys and a wife who were heartbroken. It was all I could do not to
break down and cry seeing all their mourning faces.” With each
word, Talia’s eyes filled more and more with tears.

“I’m
so sorry. I can’t imagine.” He reached across the table
to take her hand in his, stroking her knuckles with his thumb.

“It’s
fine. Usually I’m delivering to weddings and baby showers.
There are plenty of happy occasions out there. I just have to take
the good with the bad.” She brushed away the tears and smiled
faintly. “So you never told me what you do.”

It
was the question Landon had hoped would never come up. How did he
answer without sounding like a complete louse? “I recently quit
my job, because I needed a change in my life, but I’ve got some
money put away while I find something better.” He hoped she
wouldn’t dig any deeper. He was glad when she easily changed
the subject. He found he was finally able to relax just a little.

The
remainder of the dinner was filled with pleasant conversation. There
was plenty of laughter and many smiles as they ate their food and
enjoyed their red wine. When they were done, Landon paid for the meal
and helped Talia with her jacket before leading her back to his bike.
Once they were both on, he pulled her arms tightly around him,
feeling her entire body press firmly against him. He longed to have
her pressed against him, but under different circumstances. He kicked
himself for walking away from her the night before, even though he
knew the regret he would feel today if he had stayed.

As
they neared
Perfect
Petals
,
Talia laid her head on his shoulder and a lump caught in his throat.
His body had a reaction to every move she made and he had no idea how
to handle it. He wasn’t sure what he would say if she asked him
up tonight. He doubted he could restrain himself. When he pulled his
motorcycle to the curb, they both sat for a moment, Talia still
hanging onto him. He didn’t want to move, but he wondered if
she’d actually fallen asleep when she stayed a little longer
than expected.

“Talia,
you okay?” Her head lifted, making him angry that he’d
said anything.

“I’m
fine.” She rose from the bike and moved slowly to the sidewalk.

Landon
sat, unsure of what he should do. He wanted to be a gentleman. He
didn’t want Talia to think he was trying to invite himself up.
Staring after her, he finally decided to walk her to the door. It was
the least he could do.

“Thank
you for the meal.” She was fidgeting outside of
her
flower shop. “And for the flowers. They were,” Talia bit
her lip before saying, “meaningful.”

“I’m
glad you caught that.” He watched the wind whip a strand of
hair around her face. His hand immediately reached up and tucked it
behind her ear, stirring something unusually deep inside him.

“Landon?”
Talia’s voice was breathy and irresistibly sexy.

“Yeah.”
Landon couldn’t take his eyes off of her beautiful lips. That
full bottom lip was begging him to nibble on it. It took everything
in him not to press her against the building and kiss her like he did
the night before.

“Thank
you.” She was looking up at him through her lashes.

“You
said that.” He knew his voice was more of a growl, but he
couldn’t help himself. He was becoming feral standing here with
her, looking at her like this.

“Come
upstairs.” She didn’t say another word. She simply
grabbed her keys to open the door and led him inside, only stopping
briefly to lock up behind them before leading him to her apartment,
dropping her jacket somewhere along the way.

He
followed her the entire way without question. He knew what happened
next, but he couldn’t stop himself. He’d wanted this
since his first glimpse of her picture. He still didn’t know
how he’d walked away the night before, but there was no turning
back now, not for him. He had to kiss her, to touch every inch of
her, to be inside of her. He wanted to rock into her as their worlds
exploded together. He wanted to feel her lying in his arms as
everything came back into focus.

“I’m
not letting you leave so easily this time.” Her voice was husky
and wanton. He knew what she was saying and it was exactly what he
wanted to hear.

“I’m
not going anywhere.” When the words left his lips, he crashed
into her, pressing her against the living room wall as his lips
devoured her. He slipped his hands under her sweater, tracing along
her delicate skin, and felt goose bumps rise beneath his fingertips.

While
inching her through the room, she pulled his shirt over his head and
let it tumble to the living room floor. She pulled him toward a dark
doorway as she wrestled with the button of his jeans. When they were
just inside, Landon could make out the outline of a bed from the dim
glow of the outside lamppost. He pushed her toward it, lifting her
sweater over her head, wishing the lights were on so he could see
her, every inch of her.

Her
skin was so soft and warm, and the smell of gardenias was everywhere.
When he closed his eyes, he was in a field, lying her down in a
flawless green patch of grass. He kissed her harder, his tongue
stroking hers, teasing. When they were next to the bed, he gently
pushed her over, sending them to the plush bed below. The cool satin
sheets welcomed them as he began to kiss her neck, tasting her salty
sweet skin. Her soft moans filled his ears and his cock throbbed in
his jeans. Even with the waistband open, he couldn’t wait to
get them off and free himself, just to bury himself inside her.

He
kissed across her collarbone, pulling aside her bra strap as he moved
lower, suckling at her nipple beneath the cloth. He felt her arch her
back to him and he pulled the fabric away from her breast, licking at
her bare, erect nipple. He knew she was just as ready as he was. He
rose momentarily to struggle with her jeans and panties, trying to
free her legs. He loved the way they looked on her ass, but hated the
way they stuck to every curve of her body and slowed his advances.
When he finally got them over her feet, he tossed them over his
shoulder and heard a clanging sound coming from what he assumed was
her dresser. He heard her giggle beneath him and he could no longer
contain himself.

In
one swift movement, he had removed his jeans, pulling a condom from
the pocket before they dropped to the ground. He made quick work of
putting it on and rose above her, listening to their panting breaths.
“God I want you so bad.” He felt his cock pulsing as he
moved closer, stopping at her entrance just long enough to lick his
finger and touch the wetness at her center. “You are so ready.”
His hunger forced him lunging forward, burying his head deep within
her as he kissed her face, sucking at her bottom lip as he pulled
away. “Holy shit, you feel like heaven.” With his hands
firmly on either side of her head he began to move.

Talia
was holding onto his biceps as he rocked in and out. She moved with
him, her back arching with his movements, meeting his abundant
fervor. Her moans grew louder as his strides grew quicker.

He
could tell she was close, as was he; he was barely holding on to
sanity as she cried his name. It echoed through her walls as he
emptied himself inside her. It was a release he’d been longing
for, but he knew it wasn’t enough. Would it ever be enough? He
fell on top of her, basking in the feel of her breath against his
skin, her breasts pressed firmly against his chest. As he rolled to
his side, he pulled her close to him, tucking her head in the crook
of his arm. As they lay in silence, each trying to catch their
breath, he felt Talia’s fingers begin to slowly trace the
outline of his tattoos.

“What’s
this?”

Her
breath tickled the inside of his bicep as she looked over his arm.
“Just some art.”

“I
never knew this was here.”

“Has
been for quite some time, Petal.” He kissed the top of her head
as she tried to examine it in the dark.

“Do
you mind if I turn the light on? I’d like to get a better look
at it.”

She
sounded so young and innocent as she asked and he couldn’t turn
her down. “Be my guest.”

Talia
sat up briefly to turn on a bedside lamp, then lay down next to him
and continued to trace the tattoo on his bicep, a dead oak tree that
wrapped halfway around his arm, stopping just above his elbow. She
outlined the tree house hidden in the crook of his arm, avoiding the
yellow ink radiating from its window. As she moved down the tree, he
felt her linger over the heart carved in the trunk with his mother’s
and father’s initials carved in it. “Who are A.H. and
O.H.?”

Remembering
the tree in the backyard of his childhood home, he choked out, “My
parents.”

“Landon,
this is remarkable.”

She
was looking so closely at it that he felt his breath catch in his
throat again. He focused on the ceiling, fearing that the more she
looked, the more she would be able to see right through him. His
secret came hurtling in again, reminding him of all of his flaws and
why he was no good for her.

With
fear and anguish taking over, he didn’t realize that Talia had
stopped moving. She was lying perfectly still, her breathing even,
and Landon quickly realized she was asleep. He lay next to her
briefly, but he knew he shouldn’t stay. He couldn’t stay.
The guilt of his secret would eat away at him as long as he held her
in his arms.

He
rose from the bed, grabbing a fleece blanket that lay on a chest
under the window. Returning to her, he marveled at the out-of-place
blue rose tattoo along her ribs, then covered her. There was always a
new, unexpected surprise with her.

Before
tiptoeing from the room, he grabbed his clothes and quickly dressed
before descending the stairs. He was immediately impeded with how to
get out of the building without leaving it open to the common
criminal. He crept back up the stairs and noticed a door at the back
of the building that looked like a possible exit. Softly opening the
door, he found stairs leading to an alley below, thanking his good
fortune that he’d found a way out. He turned the lock on the
inside and let himself out, heading down the stairs to his salvation
below.

Talia
was wrapped in a soft cocoon of warmth, delaying opening her eyes as
she relived her sexcapades with Landon just hours before, drifting
back to thoughts of how he expertly moved in her. He had skills she’d
never experienced before and she couldn’t wait to feel him
moving in her again.

She
opened her eyes and rolled over to find the place where Landon had
been the night before empty. For a moment she wondered if it was all
a dream until she realized she only felt the fleece against her skin.
She pulled the fabric from beneath her and sat up in bed. “Landon?”
He
must be somewhere in the apartment
.

She
rose from the bed, wrapping the blanket around her as she went and
began searching room to room. When she’d examined the entire
apartment, she realized he was gone. He’d left her sometime in
the night with no note, no warning. Thoughts of her sexual
inferiority came crashing in. Had Mason and Landon both been
unsatisfied with her love making? She didn’t want to think that
way, but she couldn’t help but wonder why else he would have
just walked away without a word. Surely, after all his incessant
pursuing, he wasn’t just looking for a one-night stand.