Chapter Nine
At ten forty-fivethe next morning, I was dressed and ready to go in jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt that read,I know you are, but what am I?
I was also nervous. More nervous than I typically was before a second date. Unable to help myself, I walked back into my bathroom and checked my lip-gloss one more time. Then I realized I hadn’t put any on. Just in case Landen kissed me.
Feeling silly, I grabbed a lightly tinted balm that tasted like raspberries and slicked it over my lips. Once that was done, I fiddled with my hair for a few minutes.
My phone chimed at five to eleven and I laughed when I saw Landen’s message.
Here.
Thinking he was waiting for me in his car out front, I turned all the lights off in my apartment, grabbed my phone and keys, and headed toward the door. When I opened it, I hit a hot, solid wall.
“Omph,” I mumbled, stumbling back.
Landen reached out and grabbed my elbows to steady me. “Easy now.”
I tossed my hair back and frowned at him. “How did you get up here?”
Using his gentle grip on my elbow, he guided me out of the apartment and into the hallway. “I followed a guy in downstairs. He didn’t even look at me twice. You need to find an apartment with better security if you’re going to open the door without confirming the identity of the person on your doorstep.”
I narrowed my eyes at his bossiness. “First of all, I thought you were downstairs. I opened the door because I was leaving and I didn’t want to keep you waiting. Secondly, the security here is great. It’s the residents that are too relaxed.”
He squinted back at me before he smirked. “If you say so.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Are you taking me to a picnic or what?”
He grinned as he took in my stance, his smile growing wider when he saw the words on my shirt. Then he surprised the heck out of me by reaching up and tugging on one of my curls.
“Hey!” I exclaimed, swatting his hand away.
“Couldn’t resist. I’ve been wanting to do that since the first time I saw your hair,” he stated. He reached out and took one of my hands off my hips. “Is your door locked?”
Though I huffed a sigh, I liked that he was concerned with my safety. Only my father had ever mentioned his worries about me living in this building. “Just a sec.”
Releasing his fingers, I pulled my keys out of my pocket and quickly locked the deadbolt. “There. All set.”
Once again he took my hand before he started down the hall, tugging me behind him.
“Slow down there, Legs. You’re nearly a foot taller than me and most of that length is below your waist.”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I recognized how they sounded. Landen came to a stop and turned toward me, a surprised expression on his face. My cheeks heated but I laughed anyway because it was funny, even if it hadn’t been intentional.
“I just mean your legs are longer than mine,” I sputtered between giggles.
Landen grinned and shook his head before he continued toward the elevator, his pace more sedate after my outburst. Once we were in the elevator, he tugged me closer to his side.
“So, where are you taking me?” I asked.
Landen glanced down at my face as we descended quickly to the lobby level. “I thought I mentioned it last night, a picnic.”
At his droll tone, I nodded. “I understood that, but where will this picnic take place?”
The doors opened and we stepped off the elevator together. “White Rock Lake.”
We exited the apartment building and he headed straight toward a dark grey Dodge Durango. When he stopped beside it and opened the passenger door for me, I hesitated. I’d expected Landen to be more of a luxury car kind of guy. Maybe a Mercedes or Audi, so his vehicle surprised me.
“What is it?” he asked.
