Drifting into Darkness (18 page)

“Hey!” shouted a familiar voice. I looked up to see Lisa walking up to our table. “What’re ya doin’ here?” she asked, looking between Landon and me. “I tried to call ya, but you didn’t answer, so I figured you weren’t comin’ with us tonight.”

I looked at Landon who had a smirk on his face. Now he knew I was blowing off my other plans to hang out with him.
Thanks, Lisa
.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that I put my phone on silent earlier when I was napping and never put it back on,” I said to Lisa.

“Sadie helped me out when I broke down on the side of the road earlier, so I brought her to get something to eat as a thank you.” He smiled at me.

Was that what this was? Would I be disappointed if it was? I had to think about that. I said a while ago that I didn’t want anything to do with men right now. Did I push that aside entirely because some cute guy was flirting with me, a cute guy that
may
want to fill out that application?

I didn’t realize it at first, but the whole gang was now standing at our table, including some guys I didn’t know, along with Devon. I had spent all that time putting off hanging around everyone so I wouldn’t be around him and here he was, standing in front of me and I didn’t have an ounce of care.

“Oh, man, what happened to your car?” One of the guys I didn’t know asked.

“Nothing serious,” Landon replied, “just a broken clamp, but I got it fixed.”

Grabbing my purse, I scooted my way out of the booth. “I’ll be right back. I need to use the restroom,” I said to Landon.

I walked off toward the other side of the diner where the bathrooms were located, taking some deep breaths along the way.

Why did I always make things out to be more complicated than they were? I did it all the time with Jason and look how that turned out. I didn’t know if Landon was being serious or not and I was already analyzing it. I was analyzing a relationship that didn’t even exist. Erin even said I thought too much. Maybe she was right. I
knew
she was right. I just needed to live my life.

There was definitely something that drew me to Landon. Would I explore the option to get to know him better if he was being serious? I think I would, but I’d definitely be scared and cautious doing it.

I pushed the bathroom door open and walked into a stall. I did my business and pulled my shorts up when I heard someone walking through the door.

“I heard they were holding hands,” a female stated.

“No way. That can’t be true. I don’t think he’s even touched a girl affectionately in public since Kelly.” That voice sounded familiar.

Kelly? I hadn’t heard anyone mention that name before.

“Yeah, I don’t think so either, but there’s a first time for everything, Shannon.”

Oh, great. I rolled my eyes. Now I’d have to deal with Barbie number one and possibly Barbie number two.

“Who does she think she is? Thinking she can prance around here with her God-awful accent.”

Okay, that was it. I was not going to stay hidden in a bathroom stall while she stood there and talked shit about me.

Taking a deep breath, I opened up the stall and walked out toward the sinks, not saying a word. All the activity was halted at my approach.

I planned on washing my hands and leaving, but I changed my mind as soon as I saw Shannon staring daggers at me in the mirror. I smiled up at her and turned off the water. Reaching for a paper towel, I turned toward her and slowly dried my hands. “You know,” I started with a very strong northern accent, “it’s amazing how not being a tramp can catch the attention of the guy all the girls seem to want.”

Shannon and Barbie number two gasped and left their mouths hanging open. I walked past them and threw my paper towel away.

“Have a great night, ladies,” I called, as I waved and walked out the door with a smile.

When I got back, Lisa and the gang were sitting at a table getting their orders taken. I slipped into my seat and smiled at Landon.

“And what’re you smiling about?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.” There was no way I’d tell him I was smiling because I rendered Shannon speechless. I wondered how many times in her life that had actually happened.

“Did you want to box up the rest of your burger?” he asked, pointing to what was left on my plate.

“No, that’s fine. Thanks.”

He pulled out a twenty and set it down on the table and stood up. I took that as a sign that we were leaving so I got up as well.

It was weird, but I felt awkward now that Lisa interrupted our flirty banter. She popped our innuendo bubble.

I was about to walk out the door with Landon when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Devon standing there with his hands in his pockets. I knew what he wanted, so I turned to tell Landon I’d be a minute, but he was at my side waiting for me.

“I’ll give you just a minute and meet you at the car,” he said to me, but was looking at Devon.

Devon looked at Landon and nodded his head and gave a small smile.

“Let’s step outside where it’s not so loud,” I suggested.

“No, here’s fine,” he said quickly. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable being alone with me outside,” he stated as he shuffled foot to foot.

“Devon, I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable, but here is fine if you’d rather stay.”

“I’ve wanted to apologize for weeks, but I understand you not wanting to be around me.” He ran his hand through his hair. “There’s nothing that I can say that can take away or forgive what I did and almost did, but I want you to know that I’m deeply sorry. I would never hurt a lady and I’ve vowed never to drink whiskey again.”

I could tell by his demeanor and the tone of his voice that he regretted everything he did. I wasn’t upset about it anymore either. I just wanted to move past it.

I lifted my hand and grasped his shoulder. “I forgive you, Devon. I don’t hold a grudge against you. Just keep away from the whiskey and I’ll be happy,” I smiled.

“You really are a good person, Sadie. I thought you’d hate my guts,” he said with a slight smile.

“Oh, I did. It just dissipated over time,” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “Go on and eat. No more hard feelings. Okay?”

He nodded and walked back to his seat as I exited the diner and headed to Landon’s car.

The night was turning out to be very interesting. Definitely better than laying on the couch reading a book.

I rounded the corner and found Landon leaning against his driver’s side door. He smiled at my approach and my stomach clenched at the sight of him.
Will I ever get used to the butterflies?
Probably not.

I walked around the car, opened the door, and got in just as Landon slid into his seat.

“I’m glad he finally got to talk to you. He’s been beating himself up for weeks,” he stated as he started the car.

“I’m sure he’d rather beat himself up, than have you do it,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled and wrapped his hands around the steering wheel. I buckled my seat belt and looked around the parking lot, wondering why he hadn’t pulled out of the spot yet.

“Sadie,” Landon said turning toward me. He looked nervous as he ran a hand down his face. “I want you to know that I was serious in there.” My stomach flipped, as he looked me over. “I know what you might have heard about my reputation and I won’t lie and say that none of it is true. Because I’m sure everything you’ve heard is true. I’m not perfect and I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I can’t deny that I’m attracted to you. I’d like to get to know you better and at least apply for the job— if you’re still accepting applicants,” he said with a smirk.

I laughed and diverted my eyes, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks. Was he seriously telling me that he wanted to get to know me better? I sat there and stared at the foot-well trying to figure out how to respond. I hoped he realized that it meant no more harems for him. “The job would require no more blonde followers, you know. Are you sure you’d be able to handle that?” I countered as I rubbed my sweaty palms on my legs.

He responded with a shy grin. “There haven’t been any blonde followers since I met you, Sadie.”

I widened my eyes at his response and my heart jumped into my throat. “Well, then, I think we might be able to work something out,” I smiled shyly.

He smiled brightly and shifted the car in reverse. “Let’s get you home.”

Twelve

Landon pulled into my driveway twenty minutes later. The ride back to my place was quiet, but no words were needed. I wasn’t sure I would have had anything to say after he reached out and held my hand in the car anyway. It was sweet. I didn’t get a chance to examine his hand when he grabbed mine at the racetrack, but I couldn’t help but notice how mine fit perfectly with his. He had big, rough, working man’s hands and I started to imagine what they would feel like roaming my body. It was a bad move on my part since my hormones were on fire lately, but I couldn’t help it. I was holding his hand in my lap, and although this thing with him was new and I was going to talk to him about taking things very slow, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of lover he would be.

Maybe I needed to finally take care of this problem by myself or I would definitely be jumping him in the near future. I was sure to explode from all these fantasies I was having.

After putting the car in park, he turned to look at me. “Come on,” he said pulling his hand from mine, “I’ll walk you to your door.”

“Would you like to come in for a bit?” I asked without thinking. What in the world was I inviting him in for? “I mean, you don’t have to, you know, if you have other things to do,” I rambled.

He laughed. “I’d love to come up.” He opened his door and got out, leaving me there to take a deep breath before I did the same.

I pulled my keys from my purse and got out of the car. I knew he was checking out my butt as we walked up the stairs. I could feel his eyes on me. I turned with a smile, and yup, he was looking at my butt. He smiled up at me and I quickly opened the door.

I tossed the keys in its designated dish on the small table by the door and dropped my purse on the table.

“Would you like something to drink?” I asked walking to the fridge. I looked inside and frowned. “I have water, water, and more water.” I laughed, looking at him.

“Water’s fine,” he smiled. He took a seat on my couch and rested an arm on the back, making himself at home.

“So,” I sighed as I took a seat handing him his water, leaving a cushion space between us. “I need to be honest about something before anything else gets said tonight.” I had a lot of time to think on the car ride home and I’d come to the conclusion that if this was going to work out between us, I needed to be upfront with him about my past relationship. I’d learned my lesson and I wouldn’t deal with that kind of behavior happening to me again. I was already scared thinking about it, so he needed to know upfront that the shit would hit the fan if any foul play were happening.

He turned his body toward mine and waited for me to continue.

“When you asked if I left a boyfriend behind earlier, the answer was no because we had just broken up a few months before I moved. I was with him for six years so it was a shock to me when he ended things. But that’s not what this is about. What this is about is learning a couple of weeks ago that he had been cheating on me for months.” Landon frowned at me as I continued. “The only reason I bring this up is because I really do want to get to know you better. From what I’ve seen, you seem like a really great guy, but I have heard so much about your reputation.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I held my hand up to stop him from speaking. “I’ve always been taught to never judge a book by its cover. I can tell there is more to you than what meets the eye. But I’m telling you right now, before anything gets started, that if I feel at any moment you are not being one hundred percent honest with me, we will be done. I won’t ignore the signs again. And yes, I know this is a pretty intense conversation to have when nothing has even happened between us yet, but I’m laying it all out there.”

He shook his head and frowned. “First of all, he’s a douche. I don’t understand why he would want anyone else when he had you, but I’m not sorry that that happened because now you’re here with me. Second,” he stated, eliminating the space between us, “I told you that when I apply for a job, that is my number one focus. You will never have to worry about a wandering eye. Third,” he said softly as he reached a hand up to caress my cheek causing my eyes to close, “so much has happened between us already and you don’t even realize it.”

His lips softly brushed against mine as he moved in closer. My body was on fire at the touch of his lips. I could feel the clenching in my lower stomach as he raised his other hand and wrapped it around the back of my neck to take the kiss deeper.

I opened my mouth up to his and grabbed onto his shoulders. Our tongues danced in a slow passionate kiss. He took his time to caress and nibble on my bottom lip, making me want to hold the back of his neck and make him kiss me harder. I knew at that moment I needed to stop or I’d let things go further than I wanted them to go.

Pushing him back slowly, I pulled away from the kiss. Looking into his ocean blue eyes, I couldn’t help but smile. “I think that was the best first kiss I’ve ever had.”

He smiled. “And how many first kisses have you had?” he asked with an arched brow.

I laughed. “Does it matter? I can’t even remember them anymore. You raised the bar.”

“Shall I raise it some more,” he smirked, as he leaned in to kiss me again.

I pushed firmly on his chest and smiled, shaking my head. “Nice try.”

He laughed and sat back on the couch, running his hand through is hair.

I smiled to myself. He just kissed me with those gorgeous lips. I wanted to attack his mouth, let him nibble, and do amazing things with his tongue, in more ways than one, but I didn’t want things to escalate. My blood was already boiling and I needed to calm down, which was a hard feat with him sitting right next to me.