THE BENNETTS' CHRISTMAS (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family #6) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,115

much else. She’d guessed that winning him back wouldn’t be easy, but at least now, she had a chance. She honestly hadn’t known what to expect when she arrived in town.

Now she knew she loved him so much that she’d do whatever it took to win him back, even if she had to fight for him. And she’d do it the only way she knew how—the way he’d taught her. In the same way he’d gone after her heart, she intended to recapture his. Right now, he didn’t seem all that happy to see her, and she knew he didn’t want to hear what she had to say. But she would handle him—she had to, although she wasn’t sure how. She’d never handled a man in her life.

Unable to resist temptation, she glanced over her shoulder to glance at where Landon sat. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him looking at her. Her body grew hot as she recalled other times that he’d looked at her that same way. Her gaze drifted over him and she felt a pang in her heart with each lingering visual caress across his face.

He was such a handsome man, but there was more to him than mere surface beauty. Landon Chestnut was a man any woman would want. He knew how to make a woman feel both feminine and safe. He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of guy. How stupid she’d been to even think of letting him go and waiting for something that might never come later. He loved her and she loved him. That had to be enough.

A few moments later, she returned to the table with a full plate. He didn’t say anything when she sat back down across from him, or when the waitress came with her tea. Once the woman walked off, she realized Landon had already finished eating. He had no reason to remain at the table with her. Would he leave?

To keep him there, she decided to start a conversation. She didn’t know what else to do. “What did your family think about you not being home for Christmas?”

He had been glancing around the restaurant and her question caused him to refocus his attention on her. The moment he did so, she felt her body throb. Her reaction to him hadn’t lessened any.

He took a sip of his coffee. “I didn’t ask them what they thought.” Then he put his cup down and asked, “What do your parents think of you not showing up in Atlanta? If I remember right, those were your plans.”

She held his gaze and was glad that he was finally talking to her. “Yes, those were my plans. I told them something important had come up, something I had to take care of. I didn’t give them any details.”

When the waitress appeared and asked if he wanted a refill on his coffee, Monica held her breath. If he didn’t, that meant he’d likely leave her sitting here alone. She released a deep breath when he nodded and held out his cup.

Monica wanted to believe the reason he was still sitting here was because he still wanted her. And she needed to let him know that she needed him, too. Not just for today but for the rest of her life.

She was about to say something, when he took a sip of his coffee, then licked his lips with his tongue. She immediately recalled other things that tongue had done, to her mouth as well as other parts of her body.

“Is anything wrong, Monica?”

She snatched her gaze from his lips and met his eyes. He’d obviously caught her staring at his mouth. Drawing in a deep breath, she decided to be honest with him. “Yes, there’s something wrong. There’s a lot wrong. If you have some time, I’d like to tell you what those things are.”

For a minute she thought he’d tell her he didn’t give a damn about what was wrong with her. But thankfully, he instead, said, “I have time. So what’s bothering you?”

Monica gave him an appreciative smile, then she glanced around. “Is there someplace we can talk privately?”

Landon glanced around as well. “I doubt it.” He then looked back at her, as if that was the end of it. It was obvious he wouldn’t be suggesting they go back to two obvious places—his room or hers.

She decided to take the initiative to do so. “We can talk privately in my room, Landon. Unless you don’t trust yourself alone with