“Fell out of the truck, but I’m okay. My shoelace caught under a log and I lost my balance.”
Johnny was distressed despite my reassurance. “Is your ankle okay?”
“Perfect. Let’s just finish unloading.”
“Johnny and I will do it.” Landon’s tone was polite but commanding. I imagined this polite bossiness had gotten him very far in the business world, but I was more than a little tempted to contradict him just to see how he’d react to being challenged. Ah, I was getting feisty. This man had a strange effect on me.
But truthfully, my ankle was a little unsteady as I stepped on it, so I decided not to push my luck. Instead, I signed the papers Johnny handed me. I also watched Landon flex those muscles I was now more intimately acquainted with, what with the side of my face slamming right into them. They looked fine times a million, the ridges visible through the shirt.
Once all logs were safely rolled on the ground, Johnny bid us goodbye, pulling the truck out of the yard. I quickly closed the gates, aware that I was alone with Landon. Though the space around us was immense, it suddenly felt too small.
“I’m going to change out of my work clothes, shower, and then I’ll be on my way,” I said.
Landon nodded, but his gaze flicked to my ankle. “Are you sure you don’t want to have that checked out? You wince when you step on it.”
He was perceptive. Had he been watching me that closely? A wave of heat spread through my limbs at the thought. When he snapped his gaze up to meet mine, I felt on fire.
“I’ll ice it and it’ll be golden. Don’t worry.” I motioned to the house. “Up we go before Val finishes her call and realizes I failed my spy job on the first day.”
Landon’s grin was contagious. “We agreed that you’ll only start your spy job on Monday.”
“But she doesn’t know that, does she?” I had no idea why I felt so at ease around him. I’d just met the man. But maybe because I knew Val, I felt like I knew him by association too.
“You catch on fast, Maddie. We’re going to get along just fine.”
I climbed the slope up to the house, slower than usual, with Landon in tow. When my step faltered under my banged-up ankle, Landon brought his hand to my back, steadying me—and making my entire body sizzle at the contact. Cold shower, here I come!
Val had won me over the second she said my team and I could use a personnel bathroom to shower in at the end of the day. In her office building, she had small amenities on the ground floor. Then she had extended us the same courtesy of cleaning up when we started working here, insisting the house had enough bathrooms that we weren’t inconveniencing her in the slightest.
I left Landon on the front porch, took my backpack from the foyer, and headed straight to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, I stepped out of the bathroom feeling reborn. I was wearing a knee-length red dress made out of cotton and black ballerina shoes. I spent so much time in jeans and rugged T-shirts at work that my free-time wardrobe consisted almost entirely of dresses. I’d rinsed my hair too, and blow-dried it. Now it was hanging in loose waves down my back.
On my way out of the house, I heard Val still talking on the phone. There was no point waiting to tell her goodbye. I found Landon on the porch. He was downing a glass of the iced tea Val had made earlier, even though the ice had long since melted.
His eyes widened when he noticed me, and then his gaze traveled down my body before quickly snapping back up to my face. I felt a sudden surge of feminine pride, congratulated myself on applying lipstick and mascara.
“See you on Monday, Landon.”
“Do you want to stay for dinner? Everyone else should arrive soon.”
It was official. It wasn’t just Val; the Connors were a friendly bunch. And I was even more tempted to say yes than when Val asked. Something about Landon’s deep voice made the offer seem a little sweeter, a lot hotter—courtesy of the muscle-roped forearms, I was sure, since his sleeves were still rolled. But this was his first night home with his family. If Val’s enthusiasm was anything to go by, he hadn’t been home in a while. I didn’t want to interrupt their time.
“Thanks, but I can’t.”
“See you on Monday, then.”
He held out his hand, and I thought it was strangely formal that he’d want to shake it, but when I put my small hand in his much larger and firmer one, he surprised me by lifting it to his mouth and kissing it. A bolt of energy ran through me when his lips touched my skin. I shuddered. Literally. Landon exhaled sharply, training those gorgeous green eyes on me.
“Have a nice evening, Maddie.”
I nodded, tiptoeing past him after he let go of my hand.
When I arrived home, I tried focusing on the pitch I was drafting. I was determined to finish it tonight. I was looking forward to spending tomorrow on Venice Beach with my sister, possibly drive to Malibu to our favorite seafood restaurant. The promise of a lazy weekend should have improved my concentration, but a certain handsome man kept hijacking my thoughts.
Chapter Three
Landon
“Where’s Maddie?” Val asked when I entered the foyer a few minutes later.