Drifting into Darkness (22 page)

I giggled, moving my hands to cover my face.

The weight he had pressed against me disappeared and I looked up to see him standing over me. “I’m just going to uh…” he pointed toward the bathroom, “use the restroom.”

I heard the door close and sat up with a sigh. I couldn’t believe I just did that. But then again, I was horny as hell. I knew it was bound to happen with us spending time together, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon. Not that I was complaining. The man knew what to do with those fingers of his.

I looked toward the bathroom door and wondered if he just wanted to wash his hands or if he needed to relieve the strain he had in his pants. And oh, what a strain he had.

Laughing at myself, I retied my hair into a messy bun and fixed my clothes. The movie was still playing so I pressed pause. I’d ask him if he wanted to finish the movie. After our little playtime, I couldn’t actually say I was in the mood to sit through another hour and a half of it.

Landon came back a few moments later and sat down next to me, leaving no space between us.

I looked at him with a smile and bit my lip. I had to admit, I felt a little awkward after. “So,” I drawled, “I wasn’t planning on
that
happening tonight.”
Great way to start a conversation, Sadie.

He smirked at my comment. “Aren’t the unexpected things the most memorable?”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “I guess you’re right.” I’d never thought about it that way. “It was definitely memorable.”

He chuckled and ran a hand through his tousled hair. He looked at the TV and back to me.

“I paused it. I didn’t know if you wanted to finish or not since we missed twenty minutes or so.”

He nodded and was quiet for a moment before he turned to look at me with a serious expression. We stared at each other in a comfortable silence until he finally spoke. “I’ve never been drawn to anyone like I am to you.” He adjusted himself on the couch, so he was facing me, lifting his arm to rest on the back of the couch. His thumb brushed up and down against my shoulder.

I stared at him, letting his words sink in as the feel of his thumb rubbing my shoulder caused sparks to light in my stomach. “I feel the same way.” I smiled softly. It was that pull I felt toward him. We connected. It was just like he had said the day before, so much had happened between us and I didn’t even realize it. But I did. “It’s crazy, really. How many times in your life does that actually happen? It’s surely never happened to me.”

He gave me a small smile and diverted his eyes. “Yeah, you’re right.”

I felt the sparks turn into knots in my stomach as if I had said something wrong. His whole demeanor just changed. So I changed the subject.

“Do you want to watch the rest of the movie?” I asked, gesturing toward the TV.

He looked at the TV, then back to me. “I think we are past movie watching, don’t you think?” he replied with a smirk.

Yes! Yes we were.

“Okay then, we can just talk…get to know each other better,” I suggested.

He smiled and the tension he had in his shoulders a few moments ago, dissipated. “Yeah, we can do that.”

“Okay.” I smiled. “First things first. What’s your middle name?”

He looked at me with a small smile and shook his head.

“What?”

“I hate my middle name,” he laughed.

“Oh,” I drawled, “now you have to tell me.”

“No…I don’t,” he said playfully

I tilted my head to the side and pursed my lips at him. “How are we going to talk if you won’t talk back? It can’t be that bad,” I encouraged. “Just spill it.”

He huffed. “Okay,” he said pointing at me, “but if you laugh, there will be consequences.”

I smiled.
Victory. This should be good since he is making such a big deal out of it.

He looked away and slowly wiped his hand down his face, trying to contain the smile. After a small sigh, he turned to me and said, “Bernard.”

I had to look away from him. He was laughing at himself and it was only going to make me laugh.
Bernard?
I bit my lips together to hold in the laugh that was trying to burst out.

“I know you want to laugh,” he coaxed.

I shook my head and held my hand out. I knew if I looked at him, I’d start laughing.

After a few seconds, I turned and looked at his smiling face. He knew I wanted to laugh, but I wouldn’t do it. “That’s not so bad,” I commented with a smile.

“Liar,” he smirked. “It’s a horrible name, although, it was my great grandfather’s name. I’m just glad it wasn’t my first name.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “Now that would have been wrong on so many levels. Could you imagine?” I said trying to catch my breath.

“No, I couldn’t. Now…it’s my turn. What’s yours?”

I smiled. “Ann.”

“Sadie Ann Tager,” he smiled. “I like it.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it works.” I turned my body towards his and sat Indian style. I had something I had wanted to ask him since the party. It probably wasn’t appropriate for me to ask, but my curiosity was getting the better of me. “Why all the blonde followers?” I raised my eyebrows up in question and held my breath. Asking could backfire, but I was hoping it wouldn’t.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise at the question. “Wow…you go right for the jugular, huh?” He chuckled, and then shrugged his shoulders. “I guess they just saw a pattern with my dating history. It’s not like I put a billboard out stating I was only seeing blondes. They took it upon themselves to start dying their hair. Which I agree, is a little weird.” I listened to his words carefully. None of that made any sense. I knew there was more to what he was saying. “Okay,” he said, getting all serious. “Now, it’s my turn,” he smiled, as he turned his body more toward mine. “Since we are hitting hard first…why are you such a hard ass?”

I frowned as my mouth hung open. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do. You put up this,” he gestured with his hand, “barrier up when you feel attacked. I mean, I did antagonize you when we first met, but it was still there.”

I didn’t want to admit that I knew what he was talking about. I put shields up when it came to getting close to people, defending myself or not. It was just something I did.

It was the reason I took it so hard when Jason broke up with me. I didn’t let people in often. It was also another reason why I was so surprised I’d let Landon in so quickly. But like he said, it was that strange feeling of comfort, as if we’d known each other for years, but only just meeting for the first time.

I didn’t want to answer, but since he answered mine, I’d answer his.

I shrugged my shoulders and diverted my eyes. “It’s the way I’ve always been. I’m cautious when I get to know new people. It’s why I don’t have many friends. I don’t necessarily have a reason behind it.”

“Well, that can’t be true. You’re friends with Lisa,” he pointed out.

I nodded. “Yeah, she weaseled her way in there. She’s a persistent one,” I smiled.

“Are you being cautious with me?” he asked with a knowing smirk.

“You,” I stated, “are the exception to the rule.” I shook my head. “And I don’t know why.”

He smiled brightly. “It’s my wit and magnetic charm.”

We both started laughing.

“I don’t think I’d go that far,” I managed to say while laughing.

“Oh, really?” he said with a mischievous grin, leaning toward me.

I had no idea what he was going to do, but I stood my ground. “Yeah really,” I retorted and then yelped. He was on me in a matter of seconds. Pushing me back down on the couch, hands moving everywhere along my torso, trying to find my tickling spots. “Ahhhh, I can’t breathe,” I squealed through my laughter. He’d found my main tickling spot on the side of my ribs and I writhed beneath him trying to get away.

“You’re talking…so that means you can breathe,” he laughed and he continued his tickle attack.

I bucked my hips up trying to break free, but it was no use. “Okay, okay, you win, you win.” He stopped tickling me to let me catch my breath. “You’re so very charming, but I think it could be because you have a nice ass.” I giggled.

He smiled at me as he moved his head closer to mine. “Now
that
, I can agree with,” he said before he captured my lips with his.

He kissed me softly and thoroughly for a few moments before pulling back. Leaving me more breathless than I was from the tickling. I didn’t understand it, but he consumed me with those lips and I liked every minute of it.

He sat up on his knees and pulled me up into a sitting position. “I should probably head home.” He stood up and stretched his arms above his head, revealing his tight stomach underneath his shirt.

I looked at the clock. It was only a little past ten. “Already?”

He smiled down at me. “I’d really like to stay longer, but I’d rather not push things.”

I knew exactly what he was talking about. My eyes drifted down to his shorts. Yep, that was it. “Maybe we should stick to public places from now on,” I chuckled and stood.

“That might be wise because you’re very tempting,” he teased as he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me again.

This time the kiss got heated. I ran my hands through his hair as he gripped my butt with both hands, causing the clenching down below to start again.

Pulling back, he smiled, and then kissed me softly on the nose. “Yeah, I better go.”

I nodded and walked him to the door. If being alone with him was going to be like this every time, we wouldn’t last a week without going further.

“I’ll text you later?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

He opened the door and turned to give me one last kiss. I’d never get enough of those lips. “See you Monday.” He smiled and walked down the steps.

I closed the door and walked back to the couch in a daze.

Did everything that just happened, really happen? Are we moving too fast or is this just new relationship experimentation? It doesn’t feel like we are moving too fast though.

I sat down and stared at the TV that was still paused. I felt giddy and excited. I didn’t want to think about it too much. What ever happened, happened. I didn’t feel ashamed about what we’d done thus far, so I shouldn’t be questioning myself.

Lying down on my side, I rested my head on the pillow and pressed play. I definitely couldn’t wait until we’d spend some more time together… alone.

Fifteen

Monday morning rolled around before I knew it. I arrived ten minutes early to work thinking I might be able to see Landon before I started working. I had sent him a text but I didn’t get a reply, so I left the phone in the car and walked into the office.

Nan was at her desk when I walked in to sign the sheet. “Good mornin’, dear,” she greeted me as she drank her coffee and looked over some paperwork that was on her desk. I had no idea what Nan actually did all day, but every time she was in her office, she seemed engrossed in paperwork.

“Good morning, Nan,” I smiled at her.

I looked down at the sign in sheet to see that everyone was already signed in.
What the hell?
Do these people wake up at the crack of dawn or arrive to work at the crack of dawn? I was actually early and now I felt like I was running late.

“All right, Nan, I’ll head on out and find Lisa and get started,” I said as I walked out. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

She lifted her hand to shoo me away and I shook my head at her gesture. It was the same thing all the time. She didn’t like to be bothered while she was working. I’d say she was just precise about her work, but I imagined it was more likely her age and lack of patience with people.

I walked out the door and spotted Landon, Lisa, and Derek walking up to the office.

“Hey,” Lisa said in a chipper voice.

“Hey,” I smiled at her, and then looked to Landon. “Good morning,” I said with a slight blush. He was looking at me with a slight grin. Like he’d seen me naked, which he hadn’t, but you could tell he was picturing it.

We had texted all day on Sunday. He told me he wasn’t a phone person and would rather text than actually talk on the phone. I was fine with that since we texted back and forth talking about anything and everything. Things like, what is your favorite color, favorite food, if we were to go anywhere in the world where would we go and why. The questions got more personal as the night wore on. I’d like to say that I didn’t answer any of them, but I did. It was fun and naughty and I loved every minute of it, which was probably why I was blushing so badly at that moment.

Lisa also texted me a couple of times Sunday asking what was up with Landon and me. I told her I didn’t have any idea what she was talking about. After that, I’d ignored the rest of her texts for the night and only texted her back telling her I had my phone on silent all day and didn’t realize she had texted me. It was wrong, but after texting all day with Landon the one thing we didn’t talk about was how we were going to act around each other at work.

I could tell that Lisa knew something was up though, with the way she was watching me look at Landon.

“You ready to get started?” Lisa asked with her hand on her hips.

I looked at her and smiled. I knew what was going to happen as soon as we were alone and prepared myself for it. “Yeah, sure.”

I smiled at Derek and told him good morning, not wanting him to feel left out, and then gave Landon one last look before I stepped down from the step to the office. I walked past Lisa as she gave Derek a kiss, and walked slow so she’d catch up with me.

“You ignored me yesterday,” she accused as she stepped up to walk beside me.

I looked at her with a shocked expression. “What?” I shrieked. “No, I didn’t.”

She laughed. “Yeah, ya did.” She pointed at me. “It’s written all over your face.”

I laughed and shook my head. I wasn’t the best liar, so I knew my smile was giving me away.

“What’s going on with you and Landon?”

I looked at her and shook my head with a smile.