He smiled a little. “Scary as hell to talk about your feelings, isn’t it?”
I released a long breath and the muscles of my throat loosened. “Yes, it is.”
Landen lifted a hand and brushed back a few stray curls that had come loose from the clip in my hair. “I’ve wanted you right where you are for nearly a year, Chelsea. I wanted you as soon as I saw you, and every time I came to Chris’ office, it only got worse because I talked to you. Argued with you. The more I learned about you, the worse it got. I started coming up with excuses to drop by, just to talk to you. But the only way I could get a reaction was by pushing you and riling you up. I’d say that’s pretty damn invested.”
It was my turn to blink. Holy shit. I hadn’t been the only one dealing with uncontrollable attraction. But that didn’t sound like him. He was a straightforward man. If he wanted me, he would have said so.
Watching him closely, I said, “You’re a man of action, Landen. Why did you wait so long?”
He laughed then. “Two reasons. You work for Chris and I didn’t want to put him in an uncomfortable position by dating his employee. Especially since I’m his client and friend. Secondly, I wasn’t sure you even liked me. You never backed down and you handed it right back to me when I gave you shit, but you were always cool. Aloof. I don’t think any woman has ever tied me up in knots like that, not even when I was an awkward thirteen-year-old boy.”
I smiled then, remembering how hard I’d worked to keep that facade. Then I took a deep breath. If Landen could talk so openly about his feelings, so could I. I wanted this to work and I knew from watching my parents together and my friends with their men that communication was vital to a happy, healthy relationship.
“I didn’t like you much at first,” I confessed. “I was physically attracted to you, yes, but you annoyed me.” He huffed out a laugh but didn’t interrupt so I continued. “Then I realized that I looked forward to seeing you. That my heart would beat faster when you called to make an appointment or dropped by to see Chris. Arguing with you is…fun. You always challenged my opinions or thoughts but you were never condescending. You seemed to go out of your way to rile me up, so I assumed that you weren’t interested in me.”
“What about now?” he prompted.
Shit, this was much more difficult. Admitting to him what I’d barely just admitted to myself. “I’m falling for you.”
His fingers tightened on mine for a moment, nearly to the point of pain, before they loosened. The corners of his eyes crinkled before he smiled. “I’m glad you told me.” His hand left mine and he cupped the base of my skull in both hands, pulling me closer. Our lips were nearly touching when he said, “Then we’re definitely equally invested.”
I was so focused on the barely there contact of his lips when he spoke that it took me a moment to process his words. Before I could smile in return, he kissed me. It wasn’t demanding or wild. He didn’t take control. He shared the kiss with me. Shared himself.
It felt beautiful.
The kiss drew out into a long moment. A memory that I would keep forever.
Then Landen lifted his mouth and looked down at me. “Let’s eat in bed.”
