Текст книги "Doing It for Love"

Автор книги: Cassie Mae

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Chapter 30

Alec does a sort of Superman burst-open-the-door maneuver and smacks the overhead light on. Theresa’s room is just as bad, but a flood of relief warms behind my pounding heart when she sort of whines and stretches on her mattress, blocking her eyes from the sudden brightness of the room.

“What the hell?”

I rush to her side and pick her up in my arms. My hands are shaking, and I feel Theresa’s relaxed posture suddenly tense.

“Where’s Landon? Is he okay?”

I nod, and her eyes widen.

“Jace?”

I nod again, and her gaze drifts to Alec, eyebrows drawing inward.

“Uh…” he starts. “Your front door was open.”

Theresa drops out of my hold, arm reaching at the mattress next to her. The events of the night start to dawn on me, and I’m praying that she had no emotional attachment to the guy who obviously banged, burglarized, and bailed.

“He must’ve left it open when he left.” She lets out a laugh at the both of us. “Y’all are such worrywarts. Let me go back to sleep.”

“Theresa…” I shake my head. “Your place is a mess.”

“Thank you, Mom. What else is new?” She laughs again. Alec takes a step forward, and her smile starts to fade when she sees the concern laced with anger in his eyes. I actually have to do a double take because I’ve only see him look that way a few times and it’s a little frightening.

“It’s ransacked,” he says. “Shit is everywhere, and I’ll bet you there’s missing shit, too.”

“What?” Theresa tosses the comforter over my head, and I feel her scramble off the mattress. When I uncover myself, Theresa’s only in a large T-shirt, digging in her nightstand, shaking her head and saying, “No-no-no-no-no.”

“What are you looking for?” Alec asks, stepping up to watch helplessly as Theresa comes up short.

“My necklace. I was wearing it tonight, but I took it off before we…shit.”

“What necklace?” I ask.

“Christmas present. I didn’t have it for long, but…I liked it.”

She and Alec share a look, Alec’s eyes getting angrier and angrier, but then they break contact and she shoves her way down the hall. We follow, stopping behind her as she stares at her belongings strewn over her floor.

“That rat bastard!” she says, moving everything off her side table. “He took my laptop, too.”

“Do you have your phone?” I ask, thinking it when Alec pulls out his own. Theresa shakes her head.

“Doubt it.” She grapples for a pair of jeans and shoves her legs in. “I’m going to cut off his nut sack.”

I set my jaw. I’ll hold those nasty balls in place while she snips, but Alec steps in front of us.

“You’re not going.”

“Move,” Theresa demands, eyes blazing like she’ll injure Alec just to get to the burglar banger.

He shakes his head, leans against the door, and brings his phone to his ear. Theresa gives him a hard punch to the shoulder and he doesn’t even flinch.

“Hi, I’d like to report a robbery,” Alec says, and I’m glad one of us has our head, because if elevator guy is also the guy who took off with Theresa’s stuff—most likely—then we’d have no chance in hell of holding him down. Unless I use my pepper spray and Theresa uses her Taser. I imagine an assault record wouldn’t look good to the in-laws, though.

“Yeah, it’s apartment 7G at—”

“What the living hell?”

Alec shoves off the door at the outburst, pausing in the middle of Theresa’s address and letting us pass him to look down the hall. Josh Happerfeld in 7J is staring at his door, his phone pressed to his ear, and he yells, “Someone kicked my damn door in!”

That heart pounding starts up again, and I look across the hall at 7H. The door looks fine but it’s ajar, just like Theresa’s. I jerk my head toward my apartment, feeling queasy and panicked, and when I look at Theresa, her mouth is slightly open in apology. As if this is her fault.

“Landon’s movie…” I say, and I’m not even sure it’s coherent, but I take off down the hall, praying my door isn’t kicked in or open. But if it is, the burglar could’ve cleaned the whole house out and I wouldn’t care…as long as Landon’s movie is still safe. It’s an impossible wish, because Landon was working on it last night. Glasses on his adorable work face, and that laptop was sitting on our card table, right by the door.

I’m shaking so bad I can’t get my key in. The door wasn’t bashed in or open, but I’m not ruling anything out until I see inside.

Finally jamming it in the lock, I twist and shove my way in, expecting to trip over a mess or to have my entire world pulled out from under me…but the floor is as spotless as I left it, the TV still hung on the wall, my laptop perched on the coffee table, and I run to the card table toward the hum of Landon’s computer. I pick it up, hug it to my chest, and crumple to a complete heap on the floor.

“Oh, thank the Lord,” Theresa says somewhere near me. I sit with the laptop and try to get the warmth of it to calm my crazy heartbeat. She takes a spot next to me, and I don’t know why I’m the one getting emotional since all my stuff is still here, but I start to tear up, squeezing the computer so hard I make imprints on my arms.

“He would’ve lost everything,” I whisper.

“Well, now we know what you would save in a fire.”

I manage a laugh. It takes a few minutes for me to gain control of my senses, but I finally do, getting to my feet and following Theresa back to her apartment. I won’t let go of Landon’s laptop, though.

The cops show up, and Josh Happerfeld gives a very detailed inventory count of what was stolen from his gaming collection. Skyrim, Injustice, Forza Motorsport 4 and 5, Mass Effect 3, Resident Evil 6, and about a billion others that I’m not sure how the police woman keeps up with.

Theresa reports her missing things, and then gives a description of Johnny, “If in fact that is his real name,” she says. “He’s the big douche bag with the word ASSHOLE tattooed on his forehead.” Needless to say, Alec was much more helpful in describing the elevator guy.

We all have to give reports, and I stick Landon’s laptop on my lap and use it as a desk while I write up mine. I refuse to go anywhere without it.

I hand in my account of what happened to Officer Dawling, someone I’d expect Theresa to flirt with under normal circumstances, but Alec has hovered over her since we found her in bed, and she doesn’t even seem annoyed by it. So I sit back a little bit and be the friend she needs when she needs me.

Something bangs down the hall by the stairwell, and Officer Dawling puts his hand on his gun but stops and goes back to organizing our reports, so I don’t move from my spot on Theresa’s floor.

“I can’t believe I’m so stupid,” Theresa says, pacing in front of Alec while he leans against her counter in the kitchen. “I’m going to have to background-check everyone I bring home.”

“You’re not stupid,” he says. “Maybe you were just drunk.”

She pinches his arm, he laughs, and I chuckle.

“I was actually sober tonight. Nice to know my judgment is just as bad with or without alcohol.”

“Did you love him?” Alec asks. Theresa snorts in answer. “Well, then,” he continues. “Just be happy he didn’t steal your heart and your clock radio.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“Liz!”

I jolt at Landon’s voice, scrambling to my feet. His sprint down the hall sounds like a stampede of elephants, and he nearly takes Theresa’s front door out when he plows into it. The largest sigh of relief I’ve ever heard escapes him when he sees me, crosses the carpet, and takes me in his arms.

“You scared the hell out of me.”

“It’s okay…I saved your laptop,” I say into his shoulder. He pulls back and kisses my cheeks, my chin, my forehead, my nose, my lips, a million times over.

“I saw the cops and you weren’t home.” He pries the laptop from my hands and sets it on the couch upside-down, not even giving it a single glance. Then he kisses me more…and more…and I don’t want to stop him, but I can tell we’re making our friends uncomfortable, so I end up squeezing his palms twice, and he squeezes back twice, then I do it again, and he does it again, and we secretly say I love you over and over until Officer Dawling interrupts.

“We’re finished up out here,” he says to Theresa. “Thank you for your statements, and I’ll give you a call if we find your things.”

“Thanks, Officer.”

He tips his hat, and he and his partner head to the elevator. Landon still hasn’t let go of my hand.

I’d feel like one-half of strawberries and whipped cream if I wasn’t so freaked out.

“I don’t think I can sleep here,” Theresa says, rubbing her arms with a cringe on her face.

“You can stay at our place,” I say, and Landon nods.

“Thanks.” Theresa picks up her pillow, strips off the case, and starts trucking down the hallway. Alec scratches the back of his head, and he and Landon share a look before we all follow Theresa.

“You guys take the bedroom,” Landon says when we step inside our apartment.

“I don’t mind the guest room,” Theresa says.

“I’m staying with you.” I cross my arms, because that is my final word. She can’t be alone tonight, because I’m sure her night terrors will be a hundred times worse than normal. “But Landon, I can stay in the guest room with her.”

He shakes his head a firm no. “I want to be close to the door.”

Yep, there will be no arguing. And really, it’s a stupid thing to fight about. So I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him goodnight, then drag Theresa to my bed. Alec and Landon’s voices carry into the room, so I shut the door for privacy. Alec will probably end up on our couch.

“Can I take a shower?” Theresa asks, already stripping from her oversized T-shirt. “I feel really gross.”

I toss a towel at her from our walk-in, and she covers herself and dashes across the hall to the bathroom. While the water runs, I fluff her pillow, make sure it’s extra comfortable, and Landon sneaks into the room and wraps his arms around my waist.

“I wanted to say good night,” he says into my ear. His voice is low and gruff, and I turn around in his hold and give him a hug.

“I’m okay.”

“I know. I’ll just miss sleeping with you.”

“I’ll tell Theresa to keep it in her pants.”

He laughs, and for the first time in weeks it’s a real one.

“Good night, Tumbles.”

He kisses my forehead and leaves, and all I can think about is how lucky we are to have all our things, all of Landon’s movie, and out of everything we could’ve lost today, he was only concerned about me.

Go figure. It’s the first night in weeks that I’m ready to lose our bet.

Chapter 31

Theresa hasn’t left my apartment since the robbery. She puts on a brave face around all of our friends, but I can tell she’s still shaken. Last night she slept with a bat between our bodies and kept waking me up with, “Did you hear that?”

With two days till the wedding, I’m getting nervous about if she’ll be okay in her apartment again, or if she’ll end up bunking with Jaycee or Penny. She hasn’t said anything, and I’m not sure if or when to bring it up. Don’t want to seem insensitive.

Alec twists the lock on the front door of Bed Bath & Beyond and carries the umbrella over our heads while the snow pelts downward. I squeeze in tight and try to keep up with his long legs.

Headlights flash in our direction, and both Alec and I squint through the flurry to Landon’s car as he pulls up and rolls the passenger window down.

“I’ll take that beautiful woman if you don’t mind,” he says with a grin. But it’s the grin that’s not really a grin. More like he’s trying to hold his lunch down.

Alec hurries me over and keeps the umbrella over my head while I get in. “Thanks!” I call out over the weather.

He nods and turns to leave, but Landon stops him, “Hey! Would you mind heading to our place and keeping Theresa company for a bit?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks, man.”

Alec shuts my door and jogs off to his car. I turn to Landon, swiping at my snow-covered coat. “Where are we going?”

“I want to show you something.”

The snow lightens as we head downtown. Landon rarely drives in the city, so as I’m warming my fingers by the heater I start taking wild guesses on where we’re going.

“You’re not going to get it,” he says after my fiftieth guess. He’s giving me a real grin now. “And we’re here.”

I look at the building I totally knew we were going after guess three, but I was having fun.

“I thought you were done shooting.”

“We are.” He cuts the engine and squeezes my hand twice. “Come on.”

I squeeze back before unbuckling and stepping out. There’s about a pound of ice melt on the cement, so I’m not too worried about falling as we make our way up the stairs and into the side studio at the school.

It’s pitch black, so Landon and I both pull out our phones and light up the hallway to a door a few feet down. He unlocks it and lets me in first, snapping the light switch on the side wall.

“Pretty awesome,” I lilt, letting my gaze drift over all the high-techy stuff. Four giant screens light up with parts of Landon’s movie, and the one in the middle is open to a Google account. I jolt when Landon knocks a zombie doll off the chair in the back. He quickly sets it on its perch. I try to move my eyes from the freaky thing.

“It’s ready,” he says, tucking his fingers into my coat from behind. He helps slide it off, then he takes care of his. “I just have to push send.”

“The Walking Stiff? It’s done?”

“Finished final edits four days ago.”

I trail my fingers over the keyboard, checking the desk chair for any more freaky dolls before I sit down. “And how long has it been sitting in this email to the festival judges?”

“Four days.”

I smile and turn to him running his hand over the back of his snow-covered hair.

“Why don’t you just send it?”

“I’m nervous.”

“It’ll be great.”

He shakes his head and takes a seat next to me. “It’s just…no one has seen it except for people who’ve been involved. So they’re obviously biased—”

“Can I watch it?”

“You think you can be unbiased?”

I laugh a little and gaze at the top screen, which is paused on a scene of Chantal swinging a shovel at a zombie with one leg. “No. But I bet it’s more nerve-wracking for you to let me watch it, right?”

“Definitely.”

“Then if you can let me, you can let a few judges.”

He studies me for a moment, and I give him a cheesy grin that makes him crack a smile. “Okay…” he says, and reaches over me and hits the play button.

“Not now,” I say, hitting pause. “I’ll watch it tomorrow with Theresa while you’re entertaining your parents. That way you’re not hovering over me. And it could be a good distraction for her…if you don’t mind.”

He shakes his head and pulls the USB out. “I don’t mind.” He kisses my forehead, lets it linger and melt the cold from my skin. “Thank you.”

I take the USB and tuck it into my coat pocket, zipping it so it stays safe from the weather. My hands are cold, so I blow into them before Landon takes them into his own.

“How are you warm all the time?” I ask. He answers with only a shrug, and then he blows into my palms, warming them almost instantly, yet it still makes me shiver. Something awakens in the pit of my stomach, and I can almost…almost…feel the flutters of angel butterfly wings.

“Hey, Liz?”

“Mmm?”

“I…I need to talk to you.”

“Okay.”

His pointer finger trails up the center of my wrist, tracing my veins, giving me the shivers with its equal amount of tickle and pleasure.

“Why do you want to marry me?” he whispers.

“What?”

“Why do you want to marry me?”

I flick my gaze to his, refusing to blink and moisten my eyes even more. The butterfly is dying as fast as it was born. Is he seriously asking me this now? Two days before our wedding? He should know why I want to marry him, because I hope he wants to marry me for the same reason.

“Because…I love you.”

“I know.”

“Then why would you ask me that? Did your parents tell you to cancel the—”

“If they did, I didn’t listen to them.”

“Then…why would you ask me that?” I ask again. Landon keeps his eyes locked with mine, and I hope he says something else.

Change the subject.

Tease me.

Flirt with me.

Or something or anything because I’m not sure how to get into this conversation when I don’t know all the answers other than that I love him. All we need is love, right?

The Moulin Rouge! soundtrack is playing somewhere in my head.

Landon’s mouth twitches, and he rolls his chair closer, pressing his knees with mine, holding my hands and tracing finger hearts on my palms.

“You said you were scared on your list thing,” he says to our hands. “But I don’t get what you’re scared of…and that’s scaring me.”

“I’m not scared,” I lie. I’m petrified.

“You are.”

“No.”

“Please tell me why you’re scared.” He sighs, bends down, and kisses the center of my palm, and those angel butterflies I’ve missed so much come back with a vengeance.

“That right there, Landon.” I point accusingly at him, and he looks at me completely dumbfounded. “That’s why I’m scared.”

He taps his face, brows pulled in confusion. I shove from the chair, pull at my ponytail, word vomit rising up my throat, and when Landon stands I release it in a flurry.

“We’re peas and carrots!”

His eyebrow rises. “Peas?”

“And carrots.”

“I thought peas and carrots were a good combination.”

“I don’t want to be peas and carrots.” I toss my hands out, accidentally knocking one of the creepy zombie props.

“Okay, what do you want to be?”

“I want to be strawberries and whipped cream.”

He still looks confused as hell.

“Ugh, we’re an old relationship! When was the last time you kissed my palm like that? We don’t go on dates like we used to. We don’t flirt or seduce each other. The only reason we do that lately is because—”

“We’ve been off sex.”

“Bingo.”

His confusion starts to dissipate. “And you’re afraid when we start having sex again, we’ll skip over the other stuff?”

“We’re going to be married and hardly touch each other and have to work and work and never have any fun and we’re just going to be okay with it because that’s how life is and that’s how relationships go, but I don’t want that. I want our marriage to be…fun. I love joking around while we fool around. I want to hold hands everywhere we go. I want to make out in the back of a movie theater, steal kisses in coffee shops, have sex over every inch of our apartment or house or wherever we live. And I’m scared marriage will change the fun part of our relationship. The part that keeps us young, keeps us in love, and I’m terrified you’ll wake up when you’re fifty and realize you’re stuck with the decision you made when you were twenty-seven, and we haven’t touched in months, we don’t go out. I just want to know when that happens…that you’ll still…”

I pause, the last five months catching up with me. The stress, the planning, being cut off—it never let me forget what I’m terrified of. And when the first teardrop falls from my cheek to my wrist, Landon coaxes me to look at him.

“I’ll still what?” he whispers, his own fear reflecting in his gray eyes.

“You’ll still love me.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, burrow into his chest, and hold on to him like he’s the only thing keeping me standing. His thumbs swipe at my cheeks, push away the tears, and I feel him shaking his head above mine.

“You say all those things like they’re bad.”

“They are.”

“Not to me.” He pushes me back to look in my eyes. “If you want to sleep instead of have sex after a twelve-hour shift, I’m okay with that. If we’d rather watch four hours of TV in our pajamas instead of going out, I’m good with that, too. Whenever we’re not having sex, I’m going to be satisfied just being in the same room with you.”

“But—”

“If you couldn’t have sex, who would you want to…not have sex with? Because I’d want that person to be you.” He takes my left hand, tugs at the diamond on my finger before kissing the knuckle. “That’s why I gave you this. Whatever we’re doing or not doing, I want to do or not do that with you.”

“I want to do or not do everything with you, too. I just…”

“Lizzie, I’m always going to hold your hand, and I’m always going to kiss you goodnight. Even when we have kids or when we retire. You don’t have to be scared that I won’t love you through everything. I’m not.”

“Then what are you scared of?”

“That you’ll wake up one day and realize you deserve so much more than I can give you.”

My heart thuds and melts, and now I’m the one who needs to reassure him. Because he should never be afraid of that.

“Can you promise to make me laugh?”

He nods.

“And promise that we’ll have fun?”

He nods again, this time with a smile so devastatingly handsome and beautiful, it chases all my nerves away, making them take flight into somewhere in the darkness above us.

“Then you don’t have to be scared either.”