out of town for business, but never here, never publicly.”
“But?”
Shaking my head, I inhale a deep breath. “I want more with you. You’re young enough to be my daughter, your son is young enough that he could be my grandson, but it doesn’t matter.”
“For you, is this only physical? I have to ask.”
I don’t even have to think about her words. The truth is plain as day. The answer starts to come out of my mouth before she even finishes asking the question completely.
“No. Is being physically attracted to you part of why I want to be with you? Yes. Is it the only reason? Absolutely not.”
“I just had to hear it again before I said what I was going to say next. And I hope you believe me when I say that I have never, not ever asked anyone this before.”
I hum, curious as to what she’s going to ask me.
“Stay the night with me, Landry.”
Chapter Seventeen
LANDRY
I don’t respond to Tennessee immediately. She doesn’t really let me either. Instead, she practically bolts from the table after asking me to stay and starts to clean up dinner. I try to help, but she won’t let me. Then she takes Holden into the bathroom to bathe him.
Standing, I look out her living room window at the street below. I start thinking about the traffic, how heavy it is or isn’t for a Saturday, avoiding even thinking about her question. I don’t know how long I stand at that window. The sun begins to set, and then I feel Tennessee’s hand touch my arm.
Turning my head, I tilt my chin to look down at her. She doesn’t say anything right away, instead, she lifts her hand and wraps her fingers around the side of my neck. It’s her first move and her body trembles next to me.
Sliding my hand around her waist, I grip her tightly as I tug her closer against my chest. Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth against hers. “I shouldn’t stay. Holden…” My words trail off.
Holden is in the only bedroom in the apartment. It’s in this moment that I decide, if we’re going to really do this, her living situation has to change.
Tennessee shifts her face back and away from mine. She shakes her head once. “We share a room. Yeah, I thought that could be a problem.” I watch as she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip and her gaze flicks over to the sofa, then back to me.
“We can watch a movie, maybe? It’s still early.”
She sounds hopeful and although movies aren’t really my thing, if I went home, I would probably just sit around and pine after her like a lovesick teenager. So, a movie, with her body pressed up against mine sounds a hell of a lot better.
“A movie, then.” I grin.
Her lips curve up into a smile and she lets out a sigh. “Okay.” Her hand falls from my neck, and her fingers lace with mine as we turn and make our way over to the sofa.
Sinking down onto the couch, I get this feeling in my stomach, butterflies. I can’t remember the last time I felt this way. Like a lovesick fool. I’m not even sure I felt this with Susan. Our relationship was one that just happened. We were young and in lust, but I never felt… nervous around her the way I do with Tennessee.
Tennessee brings her legs up, her feet resting on the cushion of the sofa, her body pressed against my side. Lifting my arm, I rest it on the back of the couch. I have never felt more like a teenager than I do in this moment. I halfway expect her mother to round the corner at any given moment.
It doesn’t take us long to pick a movie. Thankfully, she doesn’t suggest any rom-coms or tear-jerker romances. Instead, she picks an action flick, something on the sci-fi side. Before the beginning credits even begin to roll, she curls to the side of me, placing her head on my shoulder and her arm around my middle.
Sliding my arm down from the back of the couch, I rest it across her and curl my fingers around her hip. Tennessee lets out a sigh and I swear to fuck my balls ache immediately. I shift in my seat slightly, careful not to move too much so that she doesn’t slide away from me.
The movie gets started, but I can’t think of anything other than how it would