Landon & Shay: Part Two (L&S Duet #2)(69)

All I wanted was to feel him, to taste him, to fuck him.

It was nothing personal.

It couldn’t be.

I wouldn’t allow it.

“You want me to let you in?” I whispered, as his lips sucked against my neck.

“Yes,” he hissed against my skin.

“Okay then.” I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him into me as he pressed his throbbing cock against my opening. “Come on in.”

He slid into me hard, determined to fuck me harder than we’d fucked before, and I allowed him to stay a while.





27





Landon





I thought that the interactions with Shay were going well, up until I talked to Raine and learned Shay had lost her job weeks prior because of me. She hadn’t been able to find a new form of employment, either, which made me feel damn awful.

I was such an asshole.

Shay’s face had been broadcast all across the internet all because of me showing up at her place of employment. The paparazzi wouldn’t have even been there if it weren’t for me, and due to that, she hadn’t been able to land another job.

I knew better than to walk into establishments without being highly incognito, but was I wrong for wanting to have one moment in my life not feeling as if I was caged to the tasks of celebrity?

I wanted a chance to see Shay and be normal with her again. To try to build up a friendship with her after messing up so many years before. I was an idiot going to her place of employment, and now she was jobless and a fucking internet meme.

She didn’t even tell me about her struggles, because we didn’t talk on that level. She didn’t let me in.

I never wanted that for her. I knew what it felt like to be mocked online and bullied by trolls. Shay didn’t deserve that. She was in a vulnerable position, and I was certain anyone would’ve reacted the way she had with what that woman was saying to her. But, sadly, their breakdowns weren’t caught on film.

I wracked my brain over and over, trying to figure out what I could’ve done to make this right. I needed a way to fix the mess that Shay was slugging through, and the only thing that came to mind was going back to the basics.

Back to the woman who taught Shay and I both so much about life.

“Sorry, we’re closing up for the night,” a sweet voice said as I pushed open the door to Harmony, a yoga studio in downtown Chicago. It was a stunning studio, and the peace I felt walking inside was overwhelming. Calming jazz music played over the speakers, and essential oils filled the space. Lavender, I assumed.

“Maybe you can find about five minutes to talk to an old friend?” I said, making the older woman turn around and look my way.

Shay’s grandmother, Maria, smiled ear to ear as she saw me. “Well, I’ll be…if it isn’t a blast from the past.”

She didn’t hesitate to pull me into a tight embrace, and even though I stood almost a foot over her, I melted into her arms, squeezing her back. “It’s good to see you, Maria.”

“You too, Landon.” She pulled back and slapped my chest. “But also, I’m mad at you. Just disappearing all those years ago.”

She went straight in with no pause for a reunion.

“I know. I’m sorry. Those years were really tough for me.”

“Still, that wasn’t an excuse to just up and disappear. Even though I was very upset with you for what you did to my granddaughter, I still worried. You know you were always like family to me.”

“And you were to me. I wish I had a better excuse for my actions, but I don’t. I went through a dark phase in my life, Maria. I lost my way.”

“But you made it through that rough patch, yes?”

“I did. It took a lot of time, work, and therapy, but I did. There are still some hard days, with dark thoughts, but I fight against them.”

“I always knew you’d make it to the other side of the darkness.”

“You believed in me when I couldn’t see a way, that’s for sure.”

She eyed me up and down and then a small, gentle smile fell against her lips as she placed a comforting hand against my cheek. “How’s your heart?”

Three words. Three simple words and instantly I was that teenage boy who was so lost, standing in front of a woman who’d so often helped me find my way. I slid my hands into my pockets and cleared my throat. “Still beating.”

“Let me make us some tea,” she said, walking to the back room. “You can go wait in the studio, we can sit, and breathe, and catch up.”

I did as she said.

Maria’s yoga studio was a true treat. It was spacious and felt exactly as the name would have one assume it would feel—harmonious. I pulled down two of the yoga mats that were hanging against the wall and lay them down on the wooden floor. When Maria came back, she held two cups of tea in her hands, still wearing that smile of hers. She handed me a cup, and then took a seat on one of the mats. I did the same.

It amazed me how youthful Maria still looked after all the years that had passed. Based on looks alone, she could’ve been the same age that I left her at years before. I assumed yoga had been good to her. Plus, she had a way of living a peaceful life—never letting negativity touch her too much.

“Even though it’s nice to see you, Landon, why do I get the idea that you’re here due to my granddaughter?”