Every minute together fills me with relief. I wasn’t wrong about Landry. She’s the most beautiful creature I’ve seen. Rather than a chilly heart, Landry runs hot deep inside where she’s safe to feel.
The feel of her bump leaves me with my own. Her overly direct gaze lights my skin on fire. The rise and fall of her tits fill me with an insatiable hunger.
This woman addicted me early on. I used to watch her from the woods, telling myself I was only protecting her. Except I was really an addict, needing my fix. I had to see her gorgeous eyes. I craved her inviting smile. The curves of her body left me in a state of heat.
One night, while Landry sat on the back porch in the rain, I hit my creepy stalker highpoint. Her face revealed such loneliness. I knew Neal was out of town. She wasn’t sad over him hounding her. Landry was simply thinking about her life and wishing it were different.
As the rain came down heavier, she refused to retreat inside, and I didn’t move from my spot. I wished I could fix her life right then. She was so beautiful. Her loneliness mirrored my own.
Landry’s laughter startled me that day. Getting soaked, she seemed to realize the absurdity of her remaining outside. I watched her look up at the sky and let the rain wash away her tears.
Between her smile and how her wet clothes clung to her body, I sported a raging boner. Like a fucking psycho, I rubbed one out in the wet woods.
I felt so weird about doing that. Like, I’d become unworthy of Landry and her kids. Though I don’t mind being a dangerous asshole, I’ve never been a pervert. Was that what stalking her had turned me into?
Feeling uneasy with myself, I stayed away for days. That only made me miserable. I missed seeing Landry and the kids. They’d become my life. I never wanted to be away from them.
Returning to my stalking schedule, I noticed a bruise around Beau’s eye. Did he hurt himself? Had Neal hit him?
I went nuts wanting to know what happened. I told myself I was losing myself to this obsession. I skipped out on club functions and ignored my president’s requests. I stopped building in my woodworking shed. I skipped meals, no longer went riding on my hog, and even slept in those damn woods.
Nothing mattered more than seeing Landry. Even a glimpse would feed my obsession.
Now, she sits feet away from me on the couch. I worried the real Landry wouldn’t be what I hoped. Or she couldn’t see past the stalking killer to the man I am underneath.
“How long have Ruin and Selene been together?” she asks, wearing the smile I saw in my dreams.
“I don’t know. A few months, I guess. I haven’t been hanging around the club much.”
“Did they piss you off?”
“No, I got busy,” I say and very deliberately stroke her belly.
Landry grins at my face, ignoring my hand. “You always look like you’re daring me to complain.”
“I am.”
“Neal used to wear that look,” she says, and I grunt with disapproval. “But he was usually doing something fucked up. He’d change the TV show and upset the kids before looking at me with that expression. You’re just rubbing my belly and flirting with me. I have zero reasons to complain.”
“I’m not flirting.”
“Oh, you’re laying it on thick, Silas. You’re like those bar girls at the end of the night, just dying for someone to pick them.” Landry laughs at whatever she sees on my face. “You’re so handsome when you smile.”
Losing my grin, I warn, “I won’t be a dog doing tricks.”
Landry slides her fingers over my hand and watches me. “Are you into pregnant chicks, Silas? Will I need to be constantly knocked up to keep your attention?”
Forgetting my earlier comment, I smile at her question. “No. Do you want more?”
“I’m not sure. Neal kept knocking me up so I couldn’t run. Children felt like anchors, trapping me. But I also love them in a way I can’t anyone else,” she says before losing her smile. “I know about the baby Kati had.”
“I was adopted,” I say, changing the subject. “My birth parents didn’t want me. My adoptive parents didn’t, either. I was just a failed attempt to fix their fucked-up marriage.”
Landry strokes my hand, feeling sorry for me. I like the way she wraps me up in her heart right now. I sense her wanting to fix my pain. Her affection is a powerful thing when focused on someone. I see the way her kids go from bratty to beaming when she sweeps them into her warmth.
“I met my blood brother years ago,” I explain, unable to stop myself from sharing. “I was in my twenties when he contacted me. He wanted to get a beer and become friends or whatever. After never fitting in with my adoptive family, I figured maybe I would click with him.”
Scooting closer, I admire Landry’s grin. A part of me still thinks she’s faking shit to please the latest asshole with her life in his hands. However, I can’t deny her smile hypnotizes me every damn time I see it.