The fruit of their efforts was breathtaking.
At first, Aubrey was too distracted by the warmth of Landon’s hand holding her own, but soon, the performance sucked her in whole. The vivacious woman disappeared, and sorrow bled into Aria’s rich, velvety voice, and the soulful music pulsed in Aubrey’s heart and seeped into her veins. When the last note faded, the air vibrated with energy and then stilled into a silence so clear and pure that Aubrey was afraid to break it. She was awed and humbled by the beauty of the music, and helpless tears streamed down her face.
“You’re beautiful, Aubrey Choi,” Landon whispered, smoothing his thumb across her wet cheek.
With her heart brimming with joy and vulnerability, Aubrey’s feelings for him broke through the surface and shone on her face. She should look away. Hide. But his dark, heated gaze drew her in deeper and deeper until everything else fell away, leaving the two of them in their own world.
She jolted out of the trance when she heard Aria shuffling about, haphazardly piling her purse and cardigan into her arms. Tears trailed her cheeks as well. Maybe she was overwhelmed from putting so much of herself into the song. The longing in her voice had felt so real. As though she truly waited for the day when her lover would return to her.
“Are you leaving?” Aubrey placed her hand on Aria’s arm. Aria nodded without meeting Aubrey’s eyes as she stirred the contents of her purse. “Thank you so much. It was beautiful. I’ll never forget it.”
Aria managed a wan smile, but it disappeared in an instant when she saw Lucien approaching her with his hand outstretched. Her graceful features contorted with pain and fury.
“Aria,” Lucien said, dropping his hand to his side. “Please don’t.”
“Please don’t what?” She glared at his distraught expression and laughed bitterly. “You can take your sorry excuses and take a flying leap into hell.”
With angry steps, Aria sped out the door. With distracted nods to Aubrey and Landon, Lucien ran after her shivering figure as it faded into darkness.
Aria and Lucien? Aubrey didn’t want to speculate, especially since Aria was so unhappy. She just hoped they could work things out. They were both such amazing people. Landon heaved a sigh beside her as he watched his friends leave. Then he closed the door with a soft click and faced her.
Aubrey’s throat worked to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. Okay. So where were we? They’d been burning off the oxygen in the room with sexual tension. Right. Something seemed to have shifted in him this evening. All through dinner, Landon had found ways to touch her—their shoulders brushed, their elbows rested side by side, and their knees pressed together under the table. Even now, his expression was hungry and unapologetic. Operation Friendship was in trouble. Big fucking trouble.
Run.
“Good night,” she said, much louder than necessary.
When Landon’s eyebrows drew together, Aubrey ran for her room without a backward glance. Then she locked the door behind her and fell face-first into bed with her limbs sprawled inelegantly. Aria’s singing had stripped her bare, and the scared, insecure girl inside her had stood shivering in front of Landon. That girl would’ve begged. For love. For forever.
While her defenses were down, a breath of freedom had enticed her with glimpses of hope, but her survival instincts kicked in and yanked her back to reality. Love ends. Then what? You’ll be cast aside. Forgotten and alone. Don’t you remember how much it hurts? Please, you must never risk your heart.
Using the words imprinted on her soul, Aubrey cajoled the lonely little girl back into her fortress. But the woman who remained needed something. She didn’t want love and forever. But she wanted the right-out-of-the-oven, burn-your-fingers hot man downstairs, who looked at her like he wanted to eat her up. The man she had feelings for. Yes, I have feelings for him. Shit. I have feelings for him. This was not good, but she couldn’t hide from it anymore. Aubrey had more-than-friends, more-than-sex feelings for Landon.
She reached for her phone and emergency texted Tara.
Aubrey: Code Shit Fuckity Shit.
Tara: I thought our emergency code was Shit Shit Shit.
Aubrey: No, we decided to use this one.
Tara: Fine. Not important. What’s going on?
Aubrey: Help.
Tara: Do I need to load Jack and Alex in the car and head on up there?
Aubrey: Yes. No. Landon activated his laser vision and nearly incinerated my clothes. I think he wants me.
Tara:…
Aubrey: I mean, he isn’t even pretending not to want me. Remember the “business only” deal? Well, he means business, but not business business. He means the kind of business that happens in the bedroom.
Tara: And the shower, the kitchen, the office, the back of a car, etc. You have to broaden your horizon, my dear. So what’s the emergency?
Aubrey: You know what the damn …
She speed-dialed Tara. It would be much more satisfactory to shout at her with her mouth rather than her thumbs.
“You know damn well what the emergency is. Laser eyes and burning clothes? He wrote a shitty review about Comfort Zone, but now he’s trying to set everything right. If we sleep together and people find out, they’ll think he’s only doing it because I’m screwing him. Ring a bell?”
“And how are people going to find out? You guys have a whole private villa to frolic in. It’s the perfect setup for a secret fling. Just don’t make out in public.”
“You.” Aubrey sighed. “Are. The. Worst.”
“How is being realistic and logical the worst? I told you this would happen. Eyes wide open. Remember?”
“You were supposed to skewer me with a lightsaber before something like this happened.”
“Oh, God. That sentence is a treasure trove of puns.”
Aubrey hung up on her cackling friend, but Tara called right back. “Listen. If you really don’t want this, you need to address it head-on and bring it to an end. No more running. Talk to him. And be honest. You want him but not enough to risk your reputation and your dream. Right?”
“That’s the whole point. I don’t know what I want anymore. I have feelings for him, and I’m scared of wanting more than a frolic or a fling. The only thing I’m sure of is that I don’t want to want more.”
“Oh, Bree. I can’t help with that part. You know that, right?”
“Yes, but I’m so damn confused.”
“I know, babe, but you can do it. Figure out what you want, then make it yours.”
After they hung up, Aubrey tried to sort through her feelings, but the cacophony of what-ifs and buts in her head wouldn’t leave her alone. She longed for some sweet buns, which was crazy considering the amount of food she’d stuffed her face with earlier. Oh no. The food. She hadn’t cleaned up any of it. Not only was she a coward, she was a stinking slob.
Aubrey tiptoed back to the kitchen imagining the leftovers strewn across every usable surface. She growled and stomped her foot like a petulant kindergartener. The kitchen. The dining room. Everything looked immaculate. Landon had tidied up while she was freaking out upstairs, making her the rudest guest ever. With slumped shoulders, she trudged toward the stairs then stopped.
Her sorbet. She’d forgotten all about it. With a burst of anticipation, Aubrey unlocked the lid and peeked into the ice cream maker. The sorbet rolled smoothly into a ball against her small spoon, and she gingerly brought the dollop to her mouth.
By everything holy and sacred. It was the best sorbet she’d ever tasted. The Meyer lemon and honeysuckle in the Moscato shone through without overwhelming the flavor of the Muscat Blanc grapes. The texture was spot-on, firm without being icy and smooth without being gloppy, and the sweet morsel melted against her tongue into a smooth liquid without a hint of cloying stickiness.
On autopilot, she made for Landon’s room, taking two steps at a time. She rapped on his door, her knuckles mimicking a famous woodpecker, then she shifted from foot to foot, unable to stand still. If he didn’t answer soon, she was going to start bouncing on the balls of her feet.
When he finally opened his door, Aubrey’s knees turned to jiggly pudding. Gah. The sight of Landon shirtless and barefoot made her mouth go dry. He was dressed, or undressed, in his charcoal gray slacks and nothing else. His chiseled body could’ve been carved from marble, but her body remembered the heat of his skin, and he was anything but made of stone.
She lifted her gaze from his naked torso and swallowed. Or tried. A cold drink would come in handy. Ooh. Her sorbet would be perfect to cool her down. Excitement blooming again, she grabbed Landon’s hand and tugged him down the stairs.
“What—”
“Just come.” Aubrey couldn’t tone down her ear-to-ear grin.
Looking bewildered, Landon followed her the rest of the way without protest. Then he saw the tub of sorbet on the kitchen counter, and his confused frown transformed into a broad smile.
“You did it, didn’t you?”
Aubrey dipped her finger into the bowl and offered him a taste. Landon’s eyebrows rose as he stared at the sample. She reddened to the top of her head.
“Sorry.” She tried to draw back her hand, but Landon caught her wrist and brought her finger and the sorbet to his mouth. He savored both until moist heat warmed her chilled finger.
Lust burned through her body. She spread her other hand on his chest to stay upright, but the feel of his hard, bare chest did nothing to steady her.
“Let me.” Her voice was a husky croak, and she coughed to clear it. “Let me make you an ice cream sandwich.”
Landon held both her hands captive, one against his chest and the other still a breath away from his lips. He seemed to consider her offer for a moment before releasing her, then he leaned against the island to watch her move about the kitchen.
Putting a little bit of space between them and focusing on the dessert allowed Aubrey to find some semblance of composure. With a melon baller, she added three scoops of sorbet on a cookie and then gently pressed another cookie on top. She studied the proportions and nodded in satisfaction. After making its twin, she handed Landon his ice cream sandwich and then lifted hers in a mock toast.
“Here goes nuthin’.” They bit into their sandwiches at the same time.
“Oh, my God.” Landon moaned, savoring his first bite. He took a second bite and shook his head slowly. He was lost in his own world—just a man and his dessert.
He made ultimate sexy noises until his ice cream sandwich was gone. Aubrey watched intently, knowing she would pull out this memory again and again on long, lonely nights. When both of them were finished, they stood in the middle of the kitchen grinning at each other. Landon was the first to move. He came straight for her and enveloped her in a bear hug.
“You, Aubrey Choi, are a genius,” Landon said with earnest intensity. “That’s one of the most perfect things I’ve ever eaten.”
“Thank you.” Happiness warmed her with its rosy glow. The quiet joy of the moment shook her more than the carnal desire that raged between them. “That means a lot to me.”
With her hands on his shoulders, she rose to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek—a light, fleeting touch. But his muscles jerked and tightened beneath her hands. Awareness and triumphant pride burst through her, and she stepped back with a startled gasp. The taste of power made her tremble with need, and she wanted to wield it again.
She whispered, “Good night,” and then retreated to the security of her room. Aubrey wished she could lock the door from the outside. She could easily get addicted to the heady feeling of power, and she didn’t trust herself not to march downstairs to see what else she could do to him. She squeezed her thighs together and moaned. Get. A. Grip.
Putting her game face on, Aubrey strode to the shower and turned it on full blast. She stripped down, leaving her clothes in a careless heap, and stepped into the freezing cold spray. She squeaked before slapping her hand on her mouth. Still, she stood shivering under the water until her body went numb. She couldn’t succumb to the hunger that consumed her.
If she did, her heart was as good as lost.
Landon stared after Aubrey as she’d made a run for her room for the second time that night. A mixture of longing and helplessness wrung his gut. He wasn’t accustomed to women running away as though he were a live grenade, and he certainly never chased anyone who didn’t want him. But his desire for Aubrey wasn’t something he could turn off with a snap. He wanted her more than anyone he’d ever met—his desire was something pure, raw, and powerful—and not having her was pushing him to the edge of sanity.
With a resigned sigh, he reached toward the light switch when he saw Aubrey’s sorbet and cookies on the counter. He couldn’t let her hard work go to waste, so he transferred the ice cream to the freezer and stored the cookies away in an airtight container. Then he trudged to the wine cellar and grabbed a random bottle of red to keep him company while he brooded.
The minute he stepped into his room, Landon filled his wineglass to the rim and chugged it dry like some post-workout Gatorade. Lucien would be horrified at his mistreatment of the fine wine. Landon didn’t give a damn. He had no intention of spending another night wide awake and aching.
Having rationalized his decision to rekindle their relationship, he faced the next obstacle preventing him from ravishing the woman. Aubrey herself. She was ensnared by the same manic attraction that consumed him. He could see it in her fleeting glances and her soft gasps to his touch, but she held him at arm’s length. His gut told him it wasn’t only about her reputation. He sloshed more wine into the glass and gulped half of it down. She was afraid. Of what, he hadn’t the slightest clue. All he knew was he couldn’t bulldoze through her defenses. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted.
Landon had to make the first move. Show her his hand, laying everything out in the open. He would tell her everything. Then she would have full control to decide as she wished.
With anticipation lifting his spirits, Landon resolved to spend the entire next day charming Aubrey. The choice was hers, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to stack the odds in his favor.