Tackled by Love (12 page)

Landon swallows hard and clears his throat. “Wow, you look absolutely stunning. That dress is fucking gorgeous on you, sweetheart.” He grabs my hand and plants a slow kiss on it. All my earlier thoughts and worries as to why he’s late completely leave my brain.

“Thanks, you clean up nice too,” my words come out a little breathlessly. He’s wearing black slacks with dress shoes and a light blue button up shirt that brings out his eyes. The top button is undone, showing off just a hint of his firm chest, and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbow. With his one compliment, I’m instantly put at ease and ready to have a good time with him.

***

As he drives, I notice that we’re heading out of town. It makes me wonder if he doesn’t want the locals to know that he’s taking me on a date. This thought instantly sours my mood. I know, I know. I’m seriously bipolar and need to get my shit together, but I can’t help it. I’m second guessing everything.

“Where are we going?” I feign curiosity, but what I really want to say is,
What? I’m not good enough to be seen around our town?

“It’s a surprise. I’ve actually never been there, but it sounds like a lot of fun. So I thought we could try it.” His focus remains on the road, making it hard to read him.

“Oh, and this surprise couldn’t be in our town? We have to drive somewhere else?”

He looks over at me briefly before turning back to the road, “They don’t have this in our town. Plus, it’s not like there’s a lot of places to take you there. There’s that little mom and pop diner that serves everything with an extra side of grease, and the gas station. You look way too beautiful to slum it in places like that. I wanted to show you a good time, take you to do something new, and then maybe grab a bite to eat after. Does that sound okay?” Looking in my direction again, he gives me a smile.

And I feel like an asshole.

When will I get over this need to analyze people’s motives? Here Landon is just trying to do something nice and thoughtful, and I’m trying to spin it around into something negative.

I smile back at him. “It sounds perfect.” I look out my window and we ride the rest of the way in a comfortable silence.

***

“A drive-in theatre?” I question as we pull into a big open field with a huge screen set up. This might be one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

“Yeah, I just heard about it and thought it’d be cool to come see a movie. Have you ever been to a drive-in before?” He puts the car in park and pushes a button in the center console making the roof slide open and collapse into the trunk of the car.

“Nope, can’t say that I have.”

“Then I’m glad we get to experience this for the first time together.” He reaches over to my lap and grabs my hand and then winks at me. Him and that damn wink. It instantly turns my mind to putty.

It’s a perfect night. There’s not a cloud in the sky and the stars are twinkling brightly above us. Since it’s almost the middle of October, the air has a little bit of a chill to it this time of day, but I can’t complain. This is perfect.

“Here, I brought this in case you got cold.” He reaches behind my seat and pulls out a blanket.

“Look at you being all prepared. Thanks.” I drape the blanket over my shoulders to warm up my arms.

“If you want, we can hop in the backseat so that both of us can use the blanket. With the roof being down we’ll still be able to see.”

Narrowing my eyes, I ask playfully, “Are you trying to get me back there so you can make out with me, Mr. Stone?”

His eyes zero in on my lips and my tongue instinctively darts out to wet them. “I can’t say the thought has never crossed my mind.” With his husky voice, I have to clench my thighs together to help ease the ache I’m feeling just from the mere thought of his lips on mine. It both excites and scares the hell out of me. “Come on, let’s hop in the back. I’ll be a gentleman.” He breaks the moment by getting out of the car and coming around to open my door. Once we’re both in the back, he puts his arm across the seat behind me, creating a little nook under his arm that I’m powerless to stop myself from falling into. His body heat blankets me, as does his spicy scent. Right before the movie starts, he drops his arm onto my shoulder and we sit there snuggled up together. It’s probably the most content I’ve ever been in my life.

The Shining is the movie playing. I think everyone loves a good scary classic, so it was a nice choice. Plus, it gives me an excuse to grab onto him and hide my face in his chest. Every time I hide my eyes, I can feel the vibration in his chest from his deep chuckle. After what was probably the hundredth time he’s laughed at me, I lean in close to his ear, “I guess you find my fear amusing, huh?”

He turns to look at me and when he does, his nose touches mine. We both freeze and stare into each other’s eyes. Suddenly, Jack Nicholson and his creepy face vanish and it’s just Landon and me. The air becomes thicker, and I swear minutes tick by as neither of us is willing to make the first move. Deciding to let all inhibition fly out the window, I lean in the half inch that separates us and gently press my lips to his. For a few moments, we sit there not really moving, but enjoying the feeling of our lips touching. Then, he takes complete control and grabs the back of my neck and crushes my body to his. His tongue swipes against my bottom lip, teasing my tongue to come out and meet his. I oblige and open my mouth up just enough for him to slip inside. And when he does, ho-lee shit. I’m talking fireworks. If there was ever a kiss that deserved its very own anthem, this one did. His lips are velvety soft and his tongue demanding. Not in a bad way, but in an I-think-you’re-so-sexy-I-have-to-devour-you-now kind of way. No one’s ever made me feel that way.

Slowly, he trails his hand from the back of my neck across my collarbone, and down my side, brushing my breast. As much as it kills me to do so, I put a palm on his chest and push him away slightly. I was really enjoying myself, but alarm bells kept going off saying HELLO?! HE’S STILL TECHNICALLY MARRIED!

“Sorry if I got a little carried away.” His voice is soft and his eyes are filled with warmth.

“It’s okay. I was the one that started it. I just think we should slow down a little, you know?” Our bodies are still lined up against each other, which makes it really hard to not dive back in and finish what we started. To help me control my raging hormones, I move just an inch away. With the little bit of distance, I’m able to breathe properly and think clearly.

“We’ll go as slow as you want.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and runs his thumb across my cheekbones. His eyes are staring straight into mine with such tenderness that I know he’s sincere in what he says.

“I’m starving. How about that dinner now?” I change the subject to try to alleviate some of the residual sexual tension that is hanging between us.

I’d heard about this Italian restaurant from Elliot. I ran into him a few days ago and he was telling me all about it. It’s a small place with an aged brick façade and a small patio off to the side. The ride over here was pretty quiet. I think we were both still reeling from that kiss. To be honest, I was a little shocked she made the first move. I was torn between acting on my wants and being a gentleman. And there’s still that one issue called my marriage. Yeah, she’s a bitch, but I’ve never been a cheater and that makes me feel conflicted. I know I’m getting a divorce, and there’s not an ounce of love left for that hag, but I am still tied to my vows, which makes me feel a fraction of shame. With all of that going through my mind, I hesitated with Autumn. Thank fuck she took the decision from me.

Her lips are like heaven. I’ve never kissed a mouth so soft and silky before. I could tell she didn’t have a lot of experience by the way she hesitantly touched her tongue with mine at first. But as the minutes passed, I could feel the heat and confidence building within her. There’s a tiger in her waiting to be set free, and I’m going to be the one to unleash it. If she hadn’t pushed me away, I don’t think I would’ve been able to stop.

When we pull up to the restaurant, I hop out of the car and walk around to open her door. She gives me a bashful smile as she diverts her eyes to the ground. Yep, she’s still thinking about that kiss. Good. Because I doubt I’ll be able to wipe it from my mind anytime soon. All I’m thinking about now is when I can devour her lips again.

After opening the door for her, we walk in and are seated by the hostess. The inside has booths scattered throughout, with candles providing the only source of light. 

Once we’re sitting, we each get a menu and start looking it over. I look up at Autumn and she’s biting her lip like she’s worried about something. I’m not sure what her unease is about.

“What’s wrong?” I grab her hand over the table and rub the back of it with my thumb.

“Nothing,” she says with a tight smile, “Why do you ask?”

“You’re just biting a hole in your lip and have a worried expression on your face. Are you uncomfortable around me after what happened in the car? Because if you are, I swear I won’t—“

“No, no. It’s nothing about that. I promise. I’m just trying to pick something that isn’t loaded with 100 grams of fat and a million calories, that’s all.” She squeezes my hand and goes back to the menu.

“I don’t know why you’re worried about that, just get whatever you want and enjoy yourself.” I’m about to look back down at my menu, but her expression stops me. Her jaw is set and her eyebrows are slightly furrowed. Perplexed by this reaction, I ask, “What? Did I say something wrong?”

She pauses for several seconds, just staring at me. Finally, she responds, “No, you didn’t say anything wrong.” Her voice is tight and I know she’s not saying what’s on her mind.

“Then why do you have that expression on your face?”

“Look, Landon, there are things about me you obviously don’t remember from our high school days. Things I don’t really want to go into, okay? Let’s just drop it and enjoy the rest of our evening.” She’s looking at me pleadingly, obviously wanting me to drop the subject, but I just can’t. If I’ve said something to upset her, I want to know so I don’t make an ass out of myself again.

“If something is bothering you, you can always talk to me. You know that, right?” I tell her softly, hoping she picks up on my sincerity. I want to be there for her. I might not have known her for that long, but I want to be the person she unloads her problems on, the person she confides in and helps her through things; the person to make her feel stronger.

She lets out a sigh. “Trust me, it’s not that big of a deal.” At that moment, the waitress comes up to our table and asks us what we want to drink. We decide to order a bottle of red wine and I can tell she’s hoping the interruption changes the subject. Maybe if I open up to her, she’ll want to open up to me.

“I had a meeting with my attorney today. That was the reason I was running a little late. My soon-to-be-ex-wife and her lawyer were there and I was hoping we could settle the divorce in mediation instead of in front of a judge. That didn’t go as planned, but no surprise there. What was surprising was seeing that fuck face Brandon Smith in my bed when I ran into my house to get some shoes.”

Her mouth opens a little in surprise. I’m sure it was nothing compared to the look on my face though.

“I’m so sorry, Landon. That must have been hard. Are you upset?” She shakes her head slightly as if chastising herself, “What a dumb question. Of course you’re upset.”

“Shocked, yes. Upset, not really. I don’t want Valerie anymore. She’s shown me her true, ugly, fake ass colors and I don’t need that type of person in my life. I’m pissed at Brandon because you just don’t do shit like that, but that doesn’t really surprise me either. He’s always been a fucking douchebag, so what else should I expect?” I shrug my shoulders. I would’ve thought the idea of someone else fucking my wife would have me in a blind rage. But truthfully, I feel somewhat relieved. She’s someone else’s burden now. If only I could get this damn divorce finalized, then I could be done with her for good, and move on with my new life.

“Well, I hate that you’re having to deal with this. You’re a really good guy and don’t deserve it. I take it the mediation didn’t go well though, right?”

Raking my hands through my hair, I say, “Nope. She wants more, but I’m not giving it to her.”

“What do you mean more?” She holds up her hand, “And feel free not to answer. I know I sound nosey and all.”

“It’s okay, you can ask me whatever you want. I’m giving her the house and all the shit in it, under the condition that it’s transferred into her name under a new loan. I won’t be helping her pay the mortgage or utilities that come with it. She can keep the little sports car I bought her, since it’s paid off. She’ll get half of what I have invested, which pisses me off, but that’s pretty much it. There’s really nothing else to split since she spent it all.”

“How is she going to be able to qualify for a new loan? Does she work?”

I burst out laughing. “Val, work? That’s funny. She won’t be able to qualify, but I’m guessing that’s why she’s moving on to another victim. Someone who will take care of her and pay for everything.”