Trivial Pursuits (Chicago On Ice Book 2) (13 page)

“I’m happy you guessed right,” I say.

“It’s my lucky day,” he says, opening the door for me.

Mine too,
I think as I study him.

We head back to the Jourdin Chicago, where Landon’s condo is.

“Did you know this is where the puppy party is going to be?” I say as Landon turns down the street to the building.

“What?” Landon asks, furrowing his brow.

“Collins had to hire a ballroom for Prince George,” I explain, as if this is completely normal. “There’s going to be a buffet for both the humans and for the puppy pals. And a puppy puppuccino
bar, too.”

“
What?
” Landon asks, incredulous. “You’re making this up.”

“Oh, I’m not,” I say, laughing. “Tomorrow I’m working on samples of the puppy charms, and I’m doing no less than 10 because I’m prepared for her to hate nine of them. I’m only going to send her three at a time to reject, though.” I declare.

“I’ve seen your work, Livy,” he says as he eases his Ferrari into the parking garage. “She’ll love your samples.”

“Nope. She’s going to be difficult because she can be,” I say knowingly. “I’m fully prepared to go through a lot of designs and 2.147 million tweaks before she approves.”

“That is a very specific amount of tweaks,” Landon says.

“Shut up,” I laugh.

Landon parks and we head up to the building. His hand is wrapped around mine, and we enter the private elevator that residents use to access the condos.

I tug off my gloves and shove them into my coat pockets. “It’s so cold,” I say. “Coffee sounds perfect.”

“Yeah, but don’t expect a hot-skinny vanilla latte or skinny flat white with two Splendas,” he says, drawing me into his chest. “I only have K-Cups.”

I stare up into his gorgeous eyes. Landon could offer me generic powdered coffee right now, and I’d be thrilled to drink it.

“I’ll fight through it,” I tease.

“Your perseverance is amazing.”

“It is quite admirable, isn’t it?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Landon laughs. “You kill me.”

“In a favorable way?”

“Very.”

Aaaaaaaaah!

The doors chime and open to Landon’s floor. He takes my hand in his and leads me down the hallway to his condo. The butterflies have intensified, as I’m so happy Landon wants to continue our date back at his place.

He puts his key in the lock and opens the door. Landon lets me step inside first, and he follows after me. I feel this electricity in the air, as I know he’s going to kiss me soon.

Meow!

I turn and see GiGi coming down the hallway, pausing to arch her back in a stretch.

“Hey, GiGi,” Landon says as he unbuttons his coat. “How’s my girl?”

I smile as I watch GiGi stroll over to Landon, rubbing all around his legs and purring loudly. He picks her up and cradles her to his chest, gently scratching her head in greeting before setting her back down on the floor.

I begin to unbutton my coat, and Landon takes his off. He moves over to the hallway closet and hangs his up, with GiGi following every step. I slip out of my coat, and Landon takes it from me, draping it over a wooden hanger and putting it up as well.

“Thank you,” I say.

“You’re welcome.” Landon takes off his scarf and drapes it over a hook on the back of the closet door. Then he moves closer to me. “I think your hat needs to go,” he says in that wonderful, just-downed-a-shot-of-bourbon voice.

My heart races. “You do?”

“Yes. Because it’s easier to kiss you with the hat off,” Landon says as he removes my hat and flips it on to the entry hall table, his eyes flickering with desire.

Oh God.

Landon’s mouth is instantly on mine. His warm lips linger briefly before he deepens the kiss, then he quickly demands more of me. White-hot heat fills me as we kiss. His stubble is burning against my face, and the luscious scent of his skin washes over me. His tongue is desperate, his kiss filled with desire and urgency.

A whimper escapes my throat as a response. Landon groans against my lips and he rakes his hands through my hair, then quickly moves them to my face, down to the curve in my waist, frantically exploring me as his lips sear against mine.

I move my hands over his chest, up his neck, to his glorious hair, which slides like silk through my fingers. I tug on it a bit and Landon kisses me harder, our kiss hot and frantic and consuming. I want this. I want to be kissed like this by only this man.

Landon lifts me up, and I wrap myself around him as our kiss continues. My legs are around his waist. My hands are on the back of his neck, his body pressed to mine. I’m lost in him, lost in this kiss, in a way I’ve never felt before.

This is different.

We’re different.

Landon carries me to the living room sofa, easing me back on to his couch. He moves on top of me, kissing me, touching me, and then he breaks the kiss.

I take a moment to breathe, but my eyes never leave his. Landon is propped up, and I glide my hands over his forearms, the glorious tattooed arms, which held me so wonderfully tight, and gaze up at him to find a mystified expression on his face.

“Livy,” he whispers, gazing down at me, “what was that?”

I wrinkle my nose. “What do you mean?”

Landon leans down and brushes his lips right across the bridge of my nose in the sweetest of kisses.

“I’ve never felt this way before,” he says, his voice full of amazement. “But when I kissed you . . . I can’t explain it.”

My heart leaps as I realize he’s feeling everything I am. That this kiss was something different than what we’ve ever shared with anyone else. That everything between us—attraction, chemistry, fondness, respect—came together in that moment.

Like missing pieces of a puzzle, we came together and fit. Like we were designed for each other.

“I’ve never felt this way either,” I whisper, running my hand over his arm.

His eyes grow intense. I instinctively know this has to scare him on some level. To have a feeling like this—one so strong Landon verbally acknowledges it—well, he knows it’s not his normal.

I decide to lighten the moment, to let him know that as much as I’m feeling this kiss, as much as I feel like he very well could be my missing puzzle piece, there’s no pressure to move faster than we are.

“We’re still going slowly, Landon,” I say reassuringly.

“Oh, no, I wasn’t going to ask you to have sex with me,” he says, a worried expression passing over his handsome face. “I mean, not that I don’t want to. Shit, you can probably
feel
that I do, but, no, Livy, I know with you it’s different. I respect you. And I—”

I grin and put my fingertip over his lips to silence him. “You’re amazingly cute when you get rattled. I know what you meant. And I wasn’t talking about
that,
you single-minded man. I mean this. Us. We’re still going to move slowly and see where it goes.”

And for the first time ever, I see a slight pink run over Landon’s cheeks. My heart completely melts when I see he’s embarrassed.

“Oh,” he says.

“Oh,” I say, laughing.

“Shut up,” Landon says, grinning.

“You know one way to make me,” I tease.

Landon cocks an eyebrow. “Oh, I do. I intend to kiss you and make out with you and then we’ll take a nap, right here, cuddled up with the TV on. When we wake up, we’ll agree on some non-kale type of item to order, and not sushi so I can prove to you I’m not trying to get you out of your shirt. And then I
might
take you home.”

Butterflies shift happily in my stomach. “Might?”

“I like having you here,” Landon says, dipping his head down toward mine. “And it’s going to be very,
very
hard to take you home later. But I will take you home because I want to see where this goes. I’m doing this right. But for now, I’m going to kiss you.”

As his mouth closes over mine, I know I’m exactly where I should be.

With Landon.

And that’s all that matters.

Chapter 16

TriviaPlayOrPass!

True or false: The word
biscuit
has a different meaning in the United Kingdom than it does in the United States.

“I’ll have the acai bowl with banana and quinoa granola,” I say, handing my menu to the server.

It’s Monday morning, and I’m sitting in an eclectic breakfast cafe with Collins. I’m going to the guild later this morning, and Landon is going to meet me there to watch me work. But I wanted to catch up with Collins to see in person how she was doing since breaking up with Gabe.

“Very good,” the server says, scribbling it on her pad. Then she turns to Collins. “And for you?”

“I’ll have the biscuits and gravy. And a side of home fries,” she says, still scanning over the menu. “Oh, and scrambled eggs. With cheese.”

The server nods and takes her menu. “I’ll have that right out.”

Collins sighs. “That’s my comfort food. All I’ve wanted lately is biscuits and gravy.”

I pour a touch of half-and-half into my coffee and swirl it with my spoon. “Truth. How are you?”

Collins’ toffee-colored eyes immediately fill with tears, and my heart breaks inside my chest the second I see them.

“Um,” she says, picking up her coffee and taking a sip, “not good. Not good at all, Livy,” she says, her hand shaking as she puts the large latte cup back down on the table.

I reach for her hand, placing mine over hers, across the table.

“I mean, I wanted this, right?” Collins asks aloud, her voice thick with unshed tears. “So I shouldn’t feel so sad for myself. I have no right to.”

“Doing the right thing, even if it’s your choice, doesn’t mean you aren’t going to feel heartbreak, too,” I say reassuringly. “You loved Gabe. Of course you’ll miss him, and the qualities you loved about him. But that doesn’t mean he was The One for you, sweetie.”

“Everyone is making me feel like this is a mistake,” Collins says. “Gabe’s family is distraught. Gabe still thinks I’m going to ‘come to my senses’ in time. My own parents asked if this was some kind of ‘cold feet’ and if I was being too rash. My friends from Purdue think I’m crazy. Some have even dropped me on Connectivity and sided with Gabe or because their boyfriends are friends with Gabe.”

Collins draws a shaky breath of air and continues. “But my heart keeps telling me I don’t love him the way I should. And after all this time, shouldn’t I feel that? Wouldn’t I know?”

I compare her feelings about Gabe to what I felt with Landon yesterday. How much fun we had together at the aquarium. How it felt so complete to nap in his arms that afternoon. How Landon touched my
Alice in Wonderland
necklace, brushing his fingers over all the charms, wanting to know the meaning behind them because it was my favorite book. How we shared that passionate kiss, something neither one of us had experienced in that way before.

And I know what I’m beginning with Landon is special. We’ve only had a few dates but I
know
he’s different. What we have is different. And I can’t wait to see where this will go.

“You would,” I say, thinking of Landon. “You would know. Your heart is telling you this isn’t right. Gabe can be a great guy on paper. He can be wonderful and kind and fun. But that doesn’t mean he’s the right guy for
you.
”

Collins blinks back tears. “I hope my heart isn’t leading me in the wrong direction.”

“It’s not,” I say firmly. “I promise you it’s not. And when you find the right guy, it will be like finding the missing piece to the puzzle.”

Collins exhales. “I’m going to hang on to that thought.”

“I mean it,” I say, squeezing her hand again. “You’ll heal from this and be so grateful that you were real and honest with yourself.”

“Okay,” she says, smiling gently at me. Then she clears her throat. “Enough about me. How are you?”

I hesitate for a moment. I still haven’t told her about Landon, but I feel safe enough in what I’m building with him to share it now.

“Um, I’ve had a few dates this past week with a guy,” I say, feeling my cheeks grow warm as I think of Landon.

Collins’ eyebrows shoot straight up in surprise. “What?” she shrieks. “Who? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I take a sip of my coffee. “Well, I wasn’t sure if it would go beyond one or two dates. And you were going through turmoil with Gabe and it didn’t seem right to—”

“Wrong. You can always tell me your news no matter what I’m dealing with,” Collins chides. “So details. Who is this guy?”

I draw a breath of air for courage. “Um, you’ve seen him before.”

Now Collins looks confused. “What?”

“I’m dating Landon Holder,” I say quietly. “The hockey player.”

Collins’ mouth drops open in shock. “No!”

I nod. “Yeah,” I admit. “Turns out we’ve been playing each other on
TriviaPlayOrPass!
under different names the past few weeks. We discovered that fact, and we’ve gone out a few times. He’s different, Collins. I know he is. Landon’s not what he appears to be on the surface.”

Collins studies me for a moment before speaking. “Livy, I’m always going to be honest with you. I love you. I have been your friend since we had chemistry class together our junior year. I’m going to say what I think, and I promise you I’ll never say another word about it again.”

My chest tightens. “You don’t think this is a good decision,” I fill in for her.

“I don’t. Livy, you had your heart broken by Troy. An
athlete.
A flirt who swore you were different. Can you bear it if the same thing happens again?”

“Landon is not Troy.”

“No, he’s not. He’s a professional athlete. One who has been all over social media with tons of different girls.”

“Landon didn’t date them,” I say, defending him. “Not one of them. He might have hooked up with those girls, but I know he was honest and upfront about his intentions. That’s the way he is.”

“But that is what he’s telling you,” Collins insists. “You don’t know their side of the story. What if you are another one of those girls? You aren’t a hook up girl, Livy. You never have been. What if this ends after sex happens?” Then she stops, her eyes wide. “Oh, shit, have you slept with him?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m being cautious, Collins. I’m not going to rush into this because Landon has never really dated before.”

“Don’t you think that’s weird?” Collins asks. “That he has only hooked up and never dated a girl seriously and he’s in his twenties?”

No, considering his past, it’s not.
I think.
Landon has purposefully tried not to get involved because of what happened between his mother and father. Because of his dad’s advice. Possibly because he’s terrified of being hurt himself.

Yet here he is, spending time with me. Saying these beautiful things about how I’m different.

And I know I am.

“Trust me, if anyone is going to be super careful, it’s me,” I say honestly. “I wouldn’t take a chance like this if I didn’t trust Landon. You know I wouldn’t.”

Collins studies me, and I see skepticism in her eyes.

But that doesn’t change the fact that I know Landon. Not Landy, the player she has seen on Instagram.

I know Landon.

“Okay,” Collins says, nodding. “I won’t speak of it again.”

“It’s all right, I know you’re being my friend,” I say gently. I clear my throat. “He’s actually meeting me at the guild after practice today. Landon wants to see how I make jewelry. Speaking of which, I’m going to have tag prototypes for Ms. Wilson this week.”

“Uggggggggggh,” Collins groans, putting her head in her hands. “I hate her. She messages me all day long wanting updates. Or to give me ‘enhancement’ ideas.”

I smile. “At least I have you as my buffer.”

Collins shoots me a mock glare. “You have no idea how lucky you are to have me as your friend.”

I smile warmly at her. “I do know. And thank you for everything you said. I love you for caring so much.”

“I love you, too,” Collins says, smiling back.

The server arrives with our breakfasts, and just as I pick up my spoon, my phone buzzes. I turn it over and see it’s a message from Aubrey:

OMG OMG LANDY’S TALKING ABOUT YOU ON INSTAGRAM

And her message is followed by a string of love-related emojis.

My stomach flips over in excitement. I immediately swipe open my Instagram account and pull up Landon’s post. It’s a picture he took while we were napping, one I didn’t even know he snapped. I’m asleep in his arms on the sofa, and GiGi is curled up asleep next to me. Landon is grinning in the picture, and my heart flutters when I see the happy expression on his face. Then I read the caption:

Love lazy Sundays with the girls #relationshipgoals

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh! It’s all I can do not to explode in my seat. My heart is dancing, my pulse is burning, and happiness courses through every inch of me.

He’s putting his feelings out there.

I’m not going to be a hook up.

I’m not one of many.

I’m the only one.

I feel nothing but joy. And once again, in less than 24 hours, Landon Holder has claimed another piece of my heart.

I smile as I see Landon heading across the studio. I wave to get his attention, and his face lights up the second he sees me. He cuts over to the table where I’m sitting, and butterflies shift happily in my stomach as he approaches.

“Hey,” he says, leaning down and affectionately kissing my cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

Oooooooooh, I don’t think another piece of my heart went to Landon as those words escaped his lips.

Because I’m certain a whole big part of it just fell into his hands.

I grin at him as he tugs off his coat. He’s wearing jeans, rugged boots, and a red and black plaid flannel shirt, with a black beanie covering his gorgeous locks.

“Hi,” I say happily. “How was practice?”

“I had a maintenance day,” Landon says, sitting down on the stool next to me.

“Translation?”

Landon grins. “It means I didn’t skate.”

Concern fills me. “Are you okay?”

He lightly rubs his index finger over the crease in the bridge of my nose. “Yes. I’m fine. Just means I got to do off-ice conditioning today. All players have them. No need to be concerned.”

Relief sweeps through me. “Okay.” Then I smile at him. “I like your Instagram post today.”

“I do, too,” Landon says, his eyes focused on mine.

“Relationship goals, huh?” I ask.

He stares at me. “I didn’t know I had them. Until now.”

Ooooooooooooooh!

Before I can respond, he clears his throat.

“So do I get to use a torch today?” Landon asks, changing the subject.

I burst out laughing. “Hold on there, cowboy. It’s a
process.
”

Landon leans over and glances down at my HP Notebook. “Hey, you designed this?”

“Yes,” I say excitedly. “This is a dog bone. It’s one of the charm prototypes we’re working on today. It’s a whole process called fabrication, which is manipulating metal.”

Landon puts his phone down on the table in between us. “I can tell you love this,” he says, studying me. “So what do you love about it? What makes you drawn to metal design?”

Excitement fills me as I see how much he wants to learn about my passion.

“I love the whole process of working with metal-manipulating it, cutting it, sawing it. Forming it into a three-dimensional shape and finishing it. And here, at the guild, I have access to the equipment needed to do that.”

“Hey, before we start,” Landon says, “is there a restroom I can use?”

“Oh, sure,” I say, nodding. “Go out and turn left, head down the hall, and you’ll see there’s one.”

“Great. Don’t start without me,” he says, cocking an eyebrow.

“I promise,” I say happily.

Landon grins and heads off. I’m reviewing my design when his cell phone rings. I look up, but Landon’s already gone down the hall. I glance down at his phone, and when I do, my heart freezes inside my chest.

My stomach bottoms out.

Because I see the name flashing across his screen, one important enough that he had saved it in his contacts.

The person calling him is Kayla Paine.