“A woman? You have someone? That’s news. Congratulations. I hope you don’t let her get away. We may never see this day again.” There’s shock and envy in her voice, so I make my point even clearer to her and anyone who may have had interest.
“She’ll be my wife one day. Now excuse me.”
“Landon,” Lara gasps as I lead her quickly away.
“What?”
“You know she’s a reporter, right?” she asks.
“Yes. And?”
“You know it’s probably going to be in the papers or all over the internet by tomorrow.”
“And? I’m pretty sure I told you from the moment we met that I wanted to marry you. Whether anyone else knows it doesn’t matter to me. If you don’t want to marry me one day, I won’t care about their comments. That shit won’t mean a damn thing.” We climb into the back of my SUV.
“Where are we going?” Lara asks.
“My condo,” Tobias says. “I have a small setup for us.” He gives the driver his address, and we drive to his place while Lara rests her head on my shoulder. Fuck, it feels good to hold her in my arms. Her brother steals a glance our way, but I pretend not to notice. He doesn’t say a word because he genuinely looks exhausted.
“We’re here, Mr. Black.”
“Come on, honey.” I nudge her lightly and then step out before scooping her into my arms. “She’s sleeping.”
“Listen. You don’t have to stay. I can put her to bed.”
“I’m not leaving her.” My voice and tone leave no room for opposition.
“Then you can stay on the sofa, understood?” Internally I’m rolling my eyes.
“That’s fine with me because I’m in this for the rest of our lives. I’m not here to play games, and there’s no reason to lie about what my intentions are.”
We head upstairs and I’m sure I’m working Tobias’s nerves, but I don’t give a fuck. I’m sure he’s going to lose his shit once his energy isn’t zapped. Apparently he had a rough game, so he’s more sore than usual. I was too busy, too fucking jealous to give a shit about the game at all.
“Landon,” Lara sighs sleepily.
“Yes, babe.”
“I want to go to bed. Please don’t leave me.”
“Not going anywhere.”
Tobias grumbles something under his breath about losing his appetite, which makes me laugh, but I just follow his lead to the guest bedroom. After I take off her shoes and coat, I get her settled in bed, tuck her under the covers, and kiss her cheek.
“Don’t leave me, Landon.”
“I’m only going to talk to your brother. Get some sleep. I promise I’ll just be in the other room.”
“Okay.”
“What the hell have you done to my sister?” he asks, grabbing a plate for the small buffet that’s set up for him. I wonder if he just lets people come in and out of his home. That shit isn’t safe at all, and I’m not comfortable leaving his sister here all night.
“What do you mean?”
“She’s never been this needy before. She’s the queen of independence and never bothered to give guys more than a big old middle finger if they even tried to tell her what to do.” A smile creeps over my face because that’s valuable information.
“We’re meant to be together. That’s all. I guess when you find the right person, things just click. You’re right, though. Tonight, all I thought about was how jealous I was of every single fucking asshole possibly flirting with her and if she found someone more interesting, better looking, or more attractive to her. Not to mention I worried if some asshole had tried to put his hands where they didn’t belong.”
“Did you put your hands where they don’t belong?” he challenges, standing there with a knife in his hands. It’s a butter knife, but he has it pointed at me nonetheless.
“No.” That’s because she’s mine and my hands belong on her, but he doesn’t need to know that and I’m sure he doesn’t honestly want to hear it either. He’s being as cool and calm as he can right now because in a fight, I’d destroy him.
“Good. She’s my sister and if you disrespect her, I’ll kill you.” I plan on disrespecting that mouth of hers later, letting filthy things fall from it as I fuck her every single way possible.
“Understood. Now, sit down and enjoy your food before it gets cold.” He sits down to eat, but I’m not hungry. All I can think about is my sweet girl in the other room. Tobias made me feel good about her reaction more than I already had. She needed me more than she let on when she was awake. My phone goes off, and it’s Danny.
“One minute,” I say to Tobias and stand to take the call. “Yes?”
“Just wondering if you’re staying or if I should wait for you?”