The Wrong Gentleman(8)

“So you must know Saint Tropez pretty well,” Landon said as we walked along the waterfront.

“I guess. I’ve been yachting for . . . eight years now, so yes, that’s seven summers that have started here.” I glanced up at him, his strong profile highlighted by the streetlights, the scruff of his beard darker and more masculine outside the bar. “You’ve never been here before? I would have thought clients who can afford security would have Saint Tropez on their itinerary.”

He caught me staring up at him and held my gaze. “If I’d known what I’d discover here, maybe I’d have made it part of my itinerary a little sooner.” He grinned.

I couldn’t decide whether I should roll my eyes at him or just relax and enjoy the compliment. I’d always vowed to avoid spending any time with men who were attractive because I didn’t want to be attracted to them.

“But then I guess I still wouldn’t be meeting your criteria,” he said, nudging me with his elbow.

“Exactly right,” I said, pulling my gaze away from him and concentrating on the cobbled street.

“So what’s with this criteria? Do you have it written down?”

Despite myself, I laughed. It sounded ridiculous when he said it like that. “Memorized.”

“So you’re not trying to find love?” he asked.

“Are you? The come-to-bed eyes, the compliments, the attention—the god-damn accent. You want to confess something to me, Landon?” Mockingly, I furrowed my brow, trying to be as serious as possible. “Are you falling in love with me?”

He chuckled. “I guess not. And by the way, the accent and the eyes? I can’t help it.”

I sighed at his innocent act. “I’m not sure we’re so different,” I replied. “You have your criteria. I have mine. Our end goals are just different. You want an uncomplicated fuck with a woman you don’t have to make breakfast for in the morning. Why are my criteria any worse than yours?”

“Touché,” he said.

“You agree?”

“That everyone has criteria, and you seem to think you have mine figured out easily enough. I guess I’ve never thought about it in terms of having a list before. It feels unnatural.” He paused and we kept walking.

“So, why isn’t love on your list?” I asked after a few minutes.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I guess it just hasn’t happened yet. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy, and being in the army, I’m not sure it’s possible to be all in as far as relationships are concerned.”

“How long have you been out?”

“Same time as Harvey—seven years.”

“And you still feel the same, even in private security?”

Landon slid his arm around my waist and pulled us both to the other side of the road. Before I could push him away or ask him what the hell was going on, he nodded toward a group of drunk men coming toward us and leering at women in their path. Looked like they were on a bachelor party trip, but I wouldn’t have noticed them. “I’ve been totally focused on building a life outside the army, I guess. I’m happy enough,” he said, releasing me and continuing our conversation as if he hadn’t touched me.

But he had. And his touch had felt comforting and protective.

Strong.

Safe.

I’d never felt that way from a man’s touch before.

And I wanted to know if every time he touched me it would feel that way.

One night of uncomplicated sex was becoming more appealing. Even if Landon was Harvey’s friend, it wouldn’t be hard to dodge him for the rest of the summer. And it wasn’t as if he was going to cast a magic spell and make me fall in love with him. I could put my no-men rule away for one night and just enjoy myself with a man I was physically attracted to.

“You look like you’re deep in thought,” he said.

“I’m trying to decide how bad an idea kissing you would be.”

He chuckled. “You’re full of compliments.” He stopped and turned to me and I stepped back and faced him. “Either way, you know it’s going to happen.”

“You’re very sure of yourself.”

“Like I said, I’m all or nothing and when I saw you, I just knew that you’d be a great kiss.”

I tried to bite back a grin. I’d been thinking exactly the same about him. Those eyes. That accent. That gorgeous mouth.

He was right. I knew it was going to happen.





Five





Landon


A hotel room said a lot about a person. About their wealth and how they liked to spend their money. About their tastes and habits. I’d say Skylar was careful with her money but still enjoyed her comforts. Other than that, signs of Skylar in the room were fleeting and that made her intriguing to me. Everything was neat and ordered. Clothes put away, her book—a romance—and a clock the only things by the double bed. The toiletries in the bathroom lined up. Nothing was out of place. From what she said, she’d arrived a couple of days ago—plenty of time for a person to settle in and get messy if that was who she was.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’d done a stint in the armed forces.

“You didn’t say where you were staying,” she said, kicking off her shoes.