Wanting Her (Loving Her Series) (5 page)

             
"You're the best mom." Preston leans down, kissing my forehead.

             
"So I'm told." I smirk at the boys.

             
"She really is the best." Landon winks.

             
Preston laughs as he turns back to the house. "I'm heading in for awhile. You coming?" he asks Landon.

             
"In a bit. I'm going to take a dip in the pool," he says before jumping in, making a huge splash. Immediately after jumping in, he gets out, water dripping off his rippling chest. He lies down next to me. He looks over. "What's up?"

             
I look over, trying to avoid his body. I look up at his face, and he's staring at my chest. I clear my throat. He quickly looks up at me. His amazing eyes sparkle. "What kind of tattoo do you want?"

             
"I don't know yet. We'll see." He winks, and I simply smile and look away.

**

              The door dings, signaling our arrival at the local tattoo parlor.  Devin, the owner, is behind the desk. He looks up when we walk in. His smile widens at me because he's always had a thing for me. Lacy and I have known him since college. He is one that I've gone out with during and after college. He's covered in tattoos and piercings. He's actually quite attractive with his longish black hair and dark brown eyes. His jeans hang low on his hips and his t-shirt shows off the sleeves of tattoos. He is definitely different in bed from Dan. When I want wild, he's the route I go.  He's never been to my house though, I always met at his, and Preston doesn't know anything about him, unlike he does about Dan.

             
"Hey, Devin, the boys want a tattoo." I smile.

             
"Oh yeah, what about you, beautiful, anything I can place on your body?" He wiggles his eyebrows.

             
"Dude, that's my mom," Preston says, teasing, and Landon looks pissed.

             
Devin raises his hands in surrender. "Look at her, I can't help it." I roll my eyes. I have on a pair of sandals with a semi-short skirt and a blue tank top.

             
"Try to help it," Landon cuts in, not at all sounding as if he's teasing.

             
I look over at Landon, and he's scowling at Devin. Preston elbows him. Toby from the boy's team, who insists on playing poker against me, walks in from a back room. The boys each shake or slap hands, whatever it is that boys do these days.

             
"I didn't know you worked here," I say as Toby comes up to hug me.

             
"Yeah, this douche is my mom's baby brother." He nods at Devin. Devin just rolls his eyes.

             
"That's cool. No wonder you have several tattoos already. The boys want one now."

             
"Yeah that's what I heard. I'm his apprentice." Now Toby rolls his eyes, looking over at Devin, and I laugh.

             
Devin interrupts. "Okay...Okay...go check out these books and let me or Peter know what you want, and we'll get ya'll hooked up." I walk over, looking at the body jewelry, and Devin walks up. "How about a belly ring?" I give him a stern look. "It won't hurt, I promise if it does, I'll kiss it and make it better."

             
Landon walks over and pushes between Devin and me. "What are you getting?" he asks, looking at me.

             
"My belly done. What do you think?" I ask him while still looking through the jewelry.

             
"Fucking hot. Especially when you prance around in your skimpy bikini's." I hear Preston laugh at what Landon just said.

             
"I don't prance. I'm either swimming or lying out. Don't look if you’re bothered." I bump my shoulder into him.

             
"I'm not bothered at all. Like I said, it's fucking sexy," he says, looking right at Devin as if rubbing it in that he sees me regularly half-naked.

             
Toby pipes in then. "We all love it when you prance or swim, as long as you're in your bikini." He winks at me. I roll my eyes and mouth 'whatever!'

             
Preston looks up from a book. "See what I have to deal with. The whole team checks my mom out."

             
"No, they don't," I tell Preston. "Okay, let's do it," I tell Devin as I pick out a cute diamond dangle.

             
"Cool. Let's do it while the boys are picking out ink." Devin nods to the back.

             
Preston walks up. "We want to watch."

             
"I don't care," I say, and Devin rolls his eyes because he obviously wanted to go behind closed doors.

             
I lie back in a chair, and he cleans the area. Once he's ready to pierce, both boys hold each of my hands. I start laughing. "Guys, she's fine." Devin seems annoyed with them there holding my hand.

             
"It's my mom. She might need me," he says, laughing.

             
It's over quickly, and the boys both pull me up. Devin goes over to set up for Preston, and Preston follows him, there explaining what he has decided on. Landon keels down in front of me and raises my shirt up over my belly. "Let me see it again." I look down at him while he stares up at me. I simply nod, lost in his beautiful blue eyes. He slightly fingers it and glances back up to me. It's like the air in the room has evaporated. I can feel his breath against my stomach. The look in his hooded eyes and having him kneeling in front of me causes me to struggle to breathe.

             
I take a step back. "Get up, Landon," I say with a shortness of breath.

             
He stands back up and smiles. "It looks good, Brooklyn," he says, standing above me now. Him standing this close, I notice how much taller he is than I am. His cologne is stronger at this distance too.

             
"Thanks." I hurry to turn and walk around him to watch Preston get his tattoo. As I do, his hand brushes against my hip. I look back at him over my shoulder, and he winks. I'm beginning to have bad thoughts right now. He's nearly twenty-one, and I'm fourteen years older than he is, plus, he's Preston's best friend. What is wrong with me?

             
Peter comes to get Landon, and Landon looks over at me. "What do you think about this? Right here?" He points to his back shoulder blade. His back is bare. It's some kind of tribal symbol. It would look really cool.

             
"That would look good," I tell him as he turns to face me; his chest is only inches from me, and his arms are bulging. I look away, back toward Preston, to break my stare at him.

             
"Will you come watch me when Preston's done?" He walks to Peter's station, sitting in a chair, leaning forward to allow Peter to trace the design.

             
"Definitely, give me a minute," I say, smiling over at him. His continuous advances toward me are beginning to become more often, and I have been watching myself, because I don't want to lead him on.

             
I walk over to Landon while Devin is finishing filling Preston's new tattoo with color.  He's slumped over, allowing Peter to work. I stop in front of him and peek over his shoulder to see it. Peter is doing a great job. I feel a hand on the back of my thigh. I start to back away, but he grips me a little. He looks up at me under his long dark lashes. I give him a warning look, and he just smiles. "What do you think?"

             
"It looks good." His hand inches up my thigh, closer to my ass. "Stop, I'm serious." I look around the shop ,and the only person that seems to notice Landon's inappropriate gesture is Toby. He's standing by Devin and Preston at the front counter with a knowing smirk on his face.

             
Preston hollers from the counter at me, and Landon drops his hand. I stomp over to the counter and pay for both the boys and myself. I'm steaming because before it was innocent flirting, and now he's starting to touch me. "Wait on Landon. I need to go make a call," I tell Preston as I walk out the door. I ignore Preston, Toby, and Devin as I head out. "SHIT." I jump into the Escalade's passenger side. I lay my head back and close my eyes. Seems like moments later, the boys jump in. Preston starts up the car, and Landon is propped between our seats. I look over at the boys. "Dinner?" I don't really have to ask because they always want to eat. Preston heads out toward their favorite Mexican restaurant.

             
Once we're seated, I excuse myself to the restroom, and as soon as I close the door, it pops back open. I turn around, and Landon is pressed against the door to keep anyone from coming in. "Get out, Landon."

             
"Look, I'm sorry. I crossed the line. I just can't help how attracted I am to you. You're a beautiful woman."

             
I look up to the ceiling. "Thanks, but I'm Preston's mom, and you're very young. You need to cool down." I walk away toward a stall. "And Toby saw you. Now get out."

             
"Okay, I'm going, and I'll talk to Toby." He opens the door and slips out quietly. The rest of dinner, he's on his best behavior, and I wonder how long that will last.

Chapter 6-Landon

             
Preston and I are heading home from the grocery store. Brooklyn needed a few things for dinner tonight. She's making our favorite. Preston turned twenty today, so we're celebrating it.

             
Preston and I walk through the front door, and I'm hit with the smell of her Chicken Parmigiana. "Fucking smells good," I tell him, and he nods. We round the corner, and Dan the Dick is sitting on the couch watching something on TV.

             
"Dan the Man, what's up?" Preston bumps fists with Dan. I roll my eyes.

             
"Your mom's making dinner tonight. Your birthday, right?" Dan sits back down, eyes glued back to the TV. We walk toward the kitchen to see Brooklyn.

             
"Yeah," Preston hollers as we continue into the kitchen. "Hey, Mom." Preston hugs her from behind.

             
She turns to see us both. "Get everything I need?" She's standing there in a pair of jean shorts and a tank top. Her string around her neck indicates her bathing suit is on too.

             
"Of course," Preston says. “We always do."

             
She laughs, turning to continue cooking at the stove. "Landon, bring me that bag, please."  Preston walks out after grabbing a grape tomato out of the salad bowl, walking back toward the living room with Dan.

             
"Here," I say as I slide up next to her while watching her cook. I look over at her.

             
"What?" She tries to elbow me in my side. I laugh at her attempt.

             
"Nothing, it smells good. It's my favorite."

             
"I know it's your favorite. Are you hungry?" She looks back up at me.

             
"Always hungry." I wink. "Dan the Dick here for dinner too I guess." I frown at her.

             
"Be nice, and yes." She opens the fridge, grabbing a soda and handing it to me.

             
"We swimming tonight? Or have you already gone?" I take a drink of my soda.

             
"I did earlier. You missed out." She smiles at me. "But we can go again."

             
Fuck, did she just flirt with me? "I sure did miss out." I look over my shoulder into the living room to be sure they are still watching TV. "I'd love you to go again though," I whisper.

             
"Stop, Landon. You're being funny." She seems nervous all of a sudden.

             
"I'm not being funny. I'm totally serious." She hands me plates for the table, motioning for me to go set it.  After I set it, I quickly sit down next to her spot. I know that Preston always sits on her other side. That leaves Dan at the other end.

             
She announces that it’s “time to eat.” Preston and Dan walk in. Dan looks over at me. "Are we fighting on who sits next to Brooklyn?" I just shrug my shoulders as I start to fill my plate.

             
After dinner, Brooklyn walks Dan to his car. They stand out there a few minutes talking. I watch from the window, glancing back occasionally, making sure Preston is still on the phone talking to Sadie. Dan leans over and kisses her lips. It's not even that great of a kiss. I step back as she walks back into the house.