“That’s a lot of food you ordered,” her voice pulls me out of my thoughts, and I can’t help but smile as I watch her eyes skim over the food containers scattered across the kitchen counter.
“Well, you know I like going all out when it comes to you,” I say with a wink.
She doesn’t answer, just lets the corner of her mouth twitch, like she’s fighting back a smile. I pull out the plates from the cabinet, and by the time I turn around, her sleeves are already pushed up, her hands busy unpacking the containers. And damn, the sight of her in my kitchen makes my pulse spin, the way it always did when she slipped into that easy, domestic rhythm. God, how I’ve missed her in my kitchen.
“Do you want to eat in the dining room or by the pool?” I ask, setting the plates down.
Her head tilts slightly. “You have a pool?”
I shrug, a half-smile ghosting my lips before I can stop it. “Yeah.”
She shakes her head and looks down, getting busy with the containers again, muttering more to herself than to me. “Of course you do. I should’ve known better than to ask. Keeping up appearances is practically a requirement for you.”
Her words hit hard, and before I can think twice, I round the counter and close the distance between us. My fingers slide beneath her chin and tilt her face up until her eyes meet mine.
“I have the pool because I remember how much you wanted one,” I say quietly. Yeah, I hurt her, but there hasn’t been a single second I haven’t thought about her. Not a single thing I built was without her in my mind. Smiling, I continue, “You used to sit on our tiny apartment balcony with your feet in that cheap plastic tub we bought that summer, and you’d tell me,‘One day, I’ll have the real thing.’”
Her eyes widen just slightly, and I catch the flutter of her pulse at her neck. I pray like hell she sees it, that no matter whatkind of asshole I’ve been, I’ve always loved her. I still do. And there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t give her if she asked.
“Yeah… well, that was a long time ago.” She forces a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “A lot has changed since then.”
I bite back the words I want to say, that nothing’s changed, that I still love her like crazy. That, yeah, I lost my way, but I’m back. But I know she isn’t ready for all that. Not yet. So I let my hand fall from her chin and step back.
“Do you want to see the pool?”
Her eyes light up, bright enough to hit me straight in my chest. “Can I?”
“Yeah,” I say, taking her hand. She doesn’t pull away, and that small mercy is enough to keep my hold firm as I lead her toward the sliding glass doors at the back of the house.
I slide the door open, and the pool shimmers under the lamplight.
“It’s better up close,” I tell her. What I don’t add is…it’s better because you are here.
She nods, her gaze fixed on the waterfall spilling over the stones at the far end of the pool. We follow the stone path side by side, and only when we reach the edge do I finally let her hand slip from mine.
She steps closer, her fingertips brushing the smooth edge of the stone coping. “It’s… perfect.”
“It’s perfect… now,” I whisper against her ear from behind. She startles, turning toward me, and suddenly we’re close, so close I can feel her breath across my skin, sending an electric jolt all the way up my arm.
Without permission, my hand finds her waist, my fingers spreading over the curve of her hip as I pull her closer. Her lips tremble, and I can’t tell if it’s from the evening breeze or the way I’m looking at her. My gaze drops to her mouth, and I lean in, desperate to erase that last inch between us.
But before I can taste her, she jerks back, almost too fast. There’s a sudden splash, and the next thing I know, we’re both in the pool.
I surface with a quick breath, shoving my hair back from my face and blinking the water from my eyes. Across from me, Anna gasps, sputtering as droplets cling to her lashes and slide down her cheeks.
“Landon!” she yelps, splashing water at me.
“You’re the one who got us wet,” I tease with a wink.
Her eyes narrow, and I shrug. “If you hadn’t killed the mood, we wouldn’t have slipped into the pool.”
And instead of giving me her usual sass, she bursts out laughing. And hell, it wrecks me. That laugh… it’s everything I’ve been starving for. The piece of home I’ve been chasing. And all I can think about is hauling her into my arms and swallowing the sound with my mouth.
Just the thought makes my chest tighten, and my gaze slides lower. Her shirt clings to her body, nearly see-through from the water, the lace beneath taunting me with every breath she takes. I’ve seen her like this before, but now it feels dangerous, like I’m one breath away from crossing a line she’s not ready for.
“Landon,” she breathes, softer this time. And Christ, it’s been too damn long since my name carried even a hint of desire on her lips.
“Anna…” I whisper, stepping closer until barely an inch separates us. Her breathing quickens, but she doesn’t move. “I… I can’t…” The words choke in my throat as my hands find her face, my thumbs brushing over her damp cheeks, needing the connection as much as the air in my lungs.
