Lies in Love (32 page)

When silence rose from
below, Talia tried to suppress her feelings of inferiority, listening
to Landon’s footfalls coming up the stairs. She sat staring at
the door as he knocked before coming inside. When he closed the door
behind him, he stood just inside staring back at her. For a moment,
neither of them moved. Their eyes simply held each other while their
words failed them. Suffocating in the silence, Talia finally said,
“Is that it?” while gesturing to the bag in Landon’s
hand.

Landon shrugged. “All
my essentials in one single bag.”

A pang of sadness washed
over her. Did he really have so little before she came along? “I
cleared out my chest of drawers for you and there’s a little
space in the closet.”

Landon nodded and walked to
the bedroom. She watched him go and when the silence grew
overwhelming, she followed him. He was standing over his bag, the
zipper open, but all of its contents still sat inside.

“Can I help you with
anything?”

Landon looked up at her, his
piercing blue eyes burning bright. “Is this what you really
want?”

She moved to him, placing
her palm on his cheek. “I want you.” As unsure as she was
about having him here, she knew that wanting him was the purest truth
she felt.

Just those few words changed
the mood in the room. In a space that was once quiet and distant, now
a sexual charge blossomed. His hand snaked around her neck, sending
her head back moments before his mouth crashed onto hers. His tongue
greedily swept into her, teasing her tongue, then stroking against
the roof of her mouth. She felt him slowly pull away and a whimper
escaped as her eyes flickered open to look at him.

There was a feral look in
his eyes as he growled, “What do you want, Talia?”

“I want you!”
she cried.

“How do you want me?”
His hand was still possessively on her neck, his thumb stroking the
pulse there.

She bit her lip, looking at
the desire in his eyes. There was just a small rim of sapphire there,
slowly being devoured by his hungry pupils. “I want you just
like this.”

His teeth grazed along her
shoulder before he commanded, “Tell me what you want, Petal.”

She gulped, looking up at
him, hesitant to answer. “I want your hands on me.”

“Mmmhmm.” His
hands moved down her back and his tongue traced a line up her neck to
the lobe of her ear, where he sucked softly.

Her cheeks flushed thinking
of all the ways he’d driven her wild and what she wanted him to
do to her now. “I want you to touch me.”

His hands crept under her
shirt, brushing against the skin beneath. “Where?”

“Oh God.”
Talia’s knees trembled as Landon nipped at her collarbone and
her eyes fell closed, his hot breath blowing across her skin.
“Everywhere.” She couldn’t think anymore. She was
spellbound by his touch.

His hand moved up her sides,
just inches from her heaving breasts. “Do you want me to touch
you here?”

Talia couldn’t form
the words. She moaned in his grasp, trying to stay upright.

His hands moved around to
her back and his fingers slipped beneath the straps of her bra,
slowly stroking up and down. “How about here?”

She held onto him, trying
not to fall as he teased her with just his touch.

“Tell me, Talia,”
he growled. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want you inside me,
making me scream your name.”

He groaned in her ear before
he wrapped her legs around him and lowered her to the bed. “Here?”

“Yes.” Talia
panted, looking up at him. “Please.”

Landon moved away from her,
kneeling at the foot of the bed. “Take off your pants.”

Her eyes never left his as
she arched her back to slip her pants down her legs.

“Panties too.”

A soft cry escaped her lips,
but she did as he asked, feeling extremely vulnerable as he watched
her timidly undress herself. When they were off, he took them from
her and dropped them to the floor.

“Now your shirt.”

Talia scooted back on the
bed, sitting up and pulling her shirt over her head. The weight of
his eyes on her had her feeling exposed.

“Your bra.”

She eased her hands behind
her back and opened the clasp before dropping it off of her shoulders
and tossing it to the floor below. With labored breaths, she stared
at him, waiting.

Landon sat frozen at the end
of the bed, his eyes moving up and down her body, but never speaking.

“Please say
something.”

“Lay down.”

She edged back down the bed
in nervous anticipation. Landon was still kneeling over her, not
moving. She couldn’t catch her breath with him looking at her
that way so she closed her eyes.

“Open your eyes.”

Shit.
She
opened them just before he moved on top of her, his shirt now gone.
His hands slipped up her legs, leaving goose bumps as they trailed
along her sensitive skin. “Do you have any idea how beautiful
you are? Just … like … this.” With each word, he
trailed kisses up her leg, stopping just below her apex.

Talia squirmed beneath him
when he froze. “Don’t stop.”

“What?”

“Kiss me, touch me.
God, Landon, fuck me.”

With her last words, Landon
shoved his pants from his legs before plunging into her, then slowly
pulling away. When Talia’s eyes widened in response, he pushed
back into her again before repeating the process. She was on fire
with each stroke, feeling the fullness of him thrusting into her then
pulling out so slowly, agonizingly. She could feel him in every part
of her as he slammed into her again then gradually eased away. With
every thrust, his eyes never left hers as the heavenly torture
continued.

As her eyes began to close,
Landon barked, “Look at me.” He slammed into her again
and said, “Feel me in you.” He pulled out and rammed into
her again. “See how good we are together.”

“Yes!” Talia
exclaimed, lifting her head to see his every move.

His arms slipped beneath
her, pulling her higher to give him better access.

She could feel him so deep
inside of her, bringing her closer and closer to the edge of sanity.
Gripping her waist, he pulled her closer, thrusting into her harder
and deeper, hitting that tender nub that sent every nerve ending on
high alert. His free hand was caressing her breast, sending her into
overdrive. She gasped for air, ready to scream his name, unable to
form a single coherent thought as her head sank into her pillow.
Giving in to the feel of him moving in her, she let her eyes fall
closed again. With his next thrust, she cried, “God, Landon,
yes.” His stroke quickened as her climax grew, feeling him move
in her. Her fingernails skimmed along his back as he moved harder,
faster.

She was so close when she
heard him utter, “Cum for me.”

Her passion exploded around
them, alighting every nerve ending in her body. She trembled in his
grasp as he collapsed on top of her, then rolled to his side, pulling
her against his chest.

Talia’s hands fidgeted
with her purse as they waited at Dawson’s front door. She could
hear children laughing and screaming as their little feet scampered
through the house. The sweat on her palms quickly formed as heavier
footsteps approached and a mass of dark-blond hair appeared in the
windows at the top of the door. When it opened, Talia was taken aback
by the man who stood before her. He was a near twin image of his
brother with a few added wrinkles around his mouth and eyes. He had
the same full lips and straight nose and his eyes were the same
sapphire blue. She was so shocked to find that there were not one,
but two near-perfect specimens in a single family.

“Talia, this is my
brother Dawson.”

She felt Landon’s hand
graze her lower back as she held her hand out to Dawson. “Nice
to meet you.”

“You as well.”
Dawson smiled, but his lips thinned slightly, taking away from the
identical appearance she’d spotted between them. “Come
in, come in.”

He stepped back from the
door and Talia felt Landon’s hand gently nudge her forward into
a very lively and somewhat rambunctious home.

“Mya, Landon’s
here,” Dawson called, following his voice out of the main
living space of the house.

From an adjoining room, two
toe-headed children came rushing in, one right after the other. The
smallest, a near toddler with curly pigtails, latched onto Landon’s
legs and beamed.

“Uncie Landon, you’re
back.”

Talia’s heart skipped
a beat when Landon leaned over to hoist her into his arms, a smile
filling his face. “Hi, Millie.”

His smile brightened for her
as she whispered rather loudly, “I missed you.” Her small
hands caressed his face and she began to giggle. “That
tickles.”

“Uncle Landon must
have forgotten to shave,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. He
carried her to the living room, Talia following close behind, and
they each took a seat on the couch, Landon still holding the sweet
child in his arms.

Talia never imagined herself
having children, but seeing how perfect Landon was with his niece had
her thinking things that were never there before. She never wanted
for anything more than to run a successful business and in order to
do that, children just never seemed to fit into the picture, but now,
watching him, all of those thoughts changed. She wondered if she
could, in fact, run a successful business and have a family without
anyone ever feeling neglected. Could she live a normal, suburban
life? Her musings were interrupted when a willowy brunette appeared
in an apron. Her hair was pulled back in a soft braid and the
faintest of gray hairs had formed at her temples. Wiping her hands,
she came closer to introduce herself.

“I’m Mya. It’s
so lovely to finally meet you.” When Mya’s hand was
extended, Talia stood briefly, joining their hands together as she
saw Mya’s eyes gleam her approval.

Talia wished she could say
the same, but tonight was the first Talia was really hearing of
Landon’s family. “Talia. Thank you for having me.”
She wasn’t sure what else to say. She didn’t know
anything about these people other than they were Landon’s
family and they had a lovely, albeit quaint home. As she regained her
seat, Talia saw Landon gingerly set his niece down just before he
moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her.

“Mya, dinner smells
wonderful as usual.” He pulled Talia hard against his chest and
kissed her cheek. “Mya’s a very talented cook. If it
weren’t for her, my brother would have starved to death long
ago, because his only specialty is mac and cheese.” His laugh
rumbled in his chest and Mya joined in.

This was family to him. This
was where Landon was most comfortable and it was heartwarming to see
him in his element. Life hadn’t been so easy for him with the
judgmental eyes of Reina, Camey, and Sara watching over him.

“I heard that.”
Dawson joined them in the living room with a mini version of himself
shadowing close behind. “So, Talia, Landon tells me you own a
flower shop. What made you decide on that business?”

“My father owned the
shop while I was growing up and devoted most of his life to it until
he and my mother divorced and he realized how much he’d missed
out on. When my mom moved to California with my youngest sister, we
stayed behind and my dad took a step back from the shop for a time,
letting the business slow down quite a bit so he could raise my
sister Sara and me. A few years back, after he’d taught me
everything he knew, he took a trip to Spain and fell in love. He
decided to move out there to be with his current wife and left the
shop to me. I’ve spent every day since trying to make it as
successful as my father made it when I was just a girl.” She
suddenly realized she’d just dumped a large amount of
information on strangers, information she had not yet told Landon
about. It was very clear that tonight would be eye opening for both
of them. They sat and talked shop a while longer until Mya called
everyone to the table. A thunderous roar sounded through the house as
the children ran across the old hardwood floors to take their seats
for dinner. Talia had to laugh as Dawson and Mya’s older
children zipped past her, never slowing down.

“Derek. Alice. Where
are your manners?” Mya scolded as she carried in a large
platter of beef merlot on a bed of potatoes, carrots, and onions
drenched in the merlot sauce. She placed it at the center of the
table and everyone took their seats.

Easing her chair closer to
the table, Talia tried not to bump Landon as her shin skimmed the
table leg beneath. With her and Landon in attendance, the seating was
a tight fit.

“Uncie Landon, hold my
hand while we say grace.”

Talia watched as Landon
first took Millie’s hand, then hers. She joined her free hand
with Dawson, who was at the head of the table, and bowed her head. As
Mya began the blessing, Landon’s thumb rubbed across her
knuckles. Her heart swelled in her chest feeling so much love in the
room. When the prayer was over, they began to dig in, passing around
plates full of mouth-watering food.