Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“Our three-year-old,” he corrected. “And if Robert is taking this seriously, it’s serious. Sit down.”
“What?”
“Sit down. I need to get in touch with my contacts at the LAPD to assess for myself. It’ll take some time.”
When I continued standing, Landon raised his eyebrows. “Suit yourself,” he said. “But don’t even think about leaving here until I’ve made a plan.”
“Until we’ve made a plan.” I was the one making the corrections now. “You’re not going to just tell me what to do.” I followed Landon as he walked back to his office, careful not to glance in the open door of his bedroom.
“Since I’m the security expert here and you’re the fucking college student, I think that’s exactly how it’s going to go.” Landon shot a dark look over his shoulder. “Stay in the living room.”
I ignored him, following him all the way into his office that was decorated in a similarly monochromatic aesthetic. I hadn’t spent much time in there when we were dating. My journey down this hallway typically stopped at his bedroom.
“Cami,” he said warningly when he realized I was right behind him.
I held my hands up, palm out, like I was showing him I wasn’t going to touch anything. Then a title on his bookshelf caught my attention, and I reached for it.
Landon caught my wrist before I could pull it out. I turned, surprised. He’d been so careful to avoid touching me, and now I found him only inches away. I was eye level with his throat, and I could see his pulse jumping in it. I raised my eyes to his face and found his pale green eyes boring down into mine.
We’d been in this position before. Dozens of times. Face to face, lips only inches apart. He’d held himself back like this before, too. Back then it had been because he thought I was too young for him. I’d worn down his resistance. I still remembered the thrill of victory that had coursed through me the first time he’d given in and pulled me closer. I wondered if he was remembering it too.
I swayed closer, habit making my heart speed up. Landon was staring at my mouth, and his grip had loosened on my wrist, holding it gently, his thumb pressed against the pulse.
“Landon,” I whispered, unsure of what I wanted to say. Kiss me or let me go. Both were equally plausible. My voice broke the spell though, and the trap of his fingers sprung open as though my wrist had burned him.
“I said to wait in the living room,” he said harshly. The words scraped across my vulnerable, exposed nerves, and forgetting the book, I fled the room.
It was only when I got back to the couch that I remembered the title.
What to Expect: The Toddler Years.
My heart swelled and broke. Don’t fall in love with him, Casey had warned, but God, how could I not? Landon had always been my weakness. Even when I was lying to everyone about how it wasn’t that serious, I always knew I was in danger of falling in love with him. I’d managed to forget what it felt like to be with him, but I’d never really fallen out of love with him. Now I was in danger of getting hurt all over again.
There were so many things to worry about. Lavigne Beauty. The threats. But all I could think was even with all the security my parents could hire, how was I going to keep my heart safe?
11
LANDON
My contacts at the LAPD had nothing to give me. Either Elyna and Robert’s report about the threats had gone to a trusted source of their own who hadn’t put it in the shared system, or they hadn’t filed a report at all. Either was plausible. If it leaked that the Lavigne Beauty family was getting harassed, the media would use it to revive the wilting story of their trial. It would breathe fresh life into the scandal, and that was the last thing they wanted.
I drummed my fingers on my desk for a minute, staring out the window at the LA skyline, considering my options. I had a few, but the quickest was the most direct. I called Robert.
“It’s Landon,” I said.
“Of course, we’ve been expecting your call,” he said after only the slightest hesitation. He covered the receiver and whispered to someone in the room, “It’s Leon. I’ll take it in the bedroom.”
I didn’t think for a second he’d misheard me. He just didn’t want Elyna to know I was calling. I heard a door click shut behind him, and after another moment, he said, “I suppose Cami has filled you in on our little family drama.”
“She’s told me what she knows, which frankly isn’t much. I need you to fill in the details.”
“I’m surprised your contacts didn’t do that for you.”