“We’ll see,” I said.
Beth and I said our goodbyes, but Landon stopped me before I could leave.
“Give me a minute and I’ll walk you home,” he said.
“That’s not necessary.”
“No, but I’m still doin’ it.”
I wanted to argue—really, I did—but what was the point? He seemed determined to play knight in ass-hugging jeans, and after dealing with the budget all day, I didn’t have the energy to discourage his unnecessary show of chivalry. It was probably for his mother’s benefit anyway, a commendable attempt to make up for yesterday’s crappy behavior.
My apartment building was only three blocks from Beth’s house, and I hoofed the distance as quickly as my heels would carry me. Landon kept pace beside me, but neither of us spoke until we turned down my street.
“Wow. Those are new,” he said, gawking at the apartments at the end of the street.
“That’s my building.”
“Wonder what happened to the shithole that was here before.” He shook his head in disgust. “Probably condemned.”
“Oh?” I asked, pretending like I wasn’t fully aware of the history. Like I hadn’t grown up in the dilapidated old building, dealing with its unreliable heaters, sagging floors, and drunk slumlord from hell. It had, in fact, been condemned while I was away at college, but I didn’t tell him any of that because I didn’t talk about my past.
Or my family.
“Yeah. Wow,” Landon continued. “What a difference. Cleans up the entire neighborhood.”
“Careful. If women hear that kind of talk, they might think it’s safe to walk home alone.”
His eyes narrowed as we stopped outside the security door. “It’ll be dusk soon. And the sun wasn’t yet up this morning. Nobody should be alone in the dark in this neighborhood.”
“That’s great in theory, but here in reality, people do what they can. Won’t you be leaving soon?”
“The twenty-second.”
Letting him sit with that, I turned and unlocked the door, slipping into my building and listening for the click of the lock reingaging behind me. I’d been navigating these streets alone at night since I was a kid, and they’d been a lot scarier back then.
None of the men in my life had ever walked me home.
I’d never needed them to. Good thing, because I sure as hell hadn’t been able to count on any of them.
Thinking about the way Landon had treated his mom today, and me, I wondered if better men really did exist in this world. I turned and caught him watching me, desire smoldering in his gaze. A delicious shiver shot up my spine as the building door closed.
I quickly shook off.
That line of thinking was far more dangerous than any after-dark stroll.
5
Landon
IT WAS FRIDAY, and after dropping Mom and Mercy off at the preschool, I hurried back to the house and rubbed one out in the shower. Jerking off had become a daily habit, spurred on by thoughts of the preschool administrator who I simultaneously wanted to throttle and fuck. I was reasonably sure she felt the same way about me. In today’s fantasy, she dropped to her knees so I could stuff her sassy mouth full of my cock. My imagination ran wild, reveling in the way the water dripped from her voluptuous tits as she did her best to swallow me whole. The vision was so goddamn sexy it didn’t take long before I went off like a geyser.
I all but blacked out for a moment or two, and when I finally recovered, I rinsed off. One question kept ringing through my head. If thoughts of Mercy got me this excited, how intense would sex with her be? Of course, it didn’t matter since this couldn’t be anything more than a fantasy. Screwing Mom’s boss would only complicate shit, especially since Mercy seemed like the relationship type, and I wasn’t sticking around.
She sure was nice to look at, though.
Having finished showering, I dressed and headed into the living room, wondering what the hell I should do. For the past three days, I’d lounged on the couch, surfing channels and catching up on the news until it was time to pick Mom and Mercy up. Intending to continue the practice, I ignored Dad’s recliner—and the daily newspaper Mom still draped over its arm—to perch on the sofa. I reached for the remote and made a huge mistake. I let my gaze drift to the family portrait hanging above the fireplace.
Our last family portrait.
