saw her.”
“You couldn’t miss her. She was wrapped in plastic.”
“Your costume looks great, too. You should have won the contest.”
“Thanks. My friend came in second place.”
Landon paused for a beat. “The bird?”
I nodded. “Peacock.”
“Right. She looked awesome.”
“So why aren’t you dressed up?”
Landon chuckled sheepishly. “I’m dressed as a guy visiting the zoo.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I must say, that’s not very creative.”
“I ran out of time. Worked late.”
“Too bad. You would have made a good-looking tiger with me.”
“Does that mean I would have had the hottest girl in the club as my date?”
I giggled, unsure what to say next. Part of me wanted to launch myself at Landon, wrap my legs around his waist, and ram my tongue down his throat. However, I knew that would come across a bit too strong. But I really liked him. I liked the way he made my body react, all fluttery and dizzy, and it was incredible to have forgotten about Gabe for an entire evening.
I was shocked by how badly I wanted Landon to pull me against his body and crush his mouth to mine, and that need created an odd sense of guilt inside of me. Guilt I didn’t want to give in to. Not again.
The silence stretched into a few moments, and we found ourselves staring at each other awkwardly.
“I really want to kiss you,” he said finally.
My lips started to tingle. “I want you to kiss me, too.”
“Well then, it looks like we’ve come to an agreement.” Landon’s voice had dropped an octave. He adjusted one of my tiger ears, then let his hand trail down the side of my face. His palm felt slightly rough. He was so strong and masculine, it made my stomach tighten.
My voice trembled. “You should hurry up and do it, then.”
“You got it.”
Landon’s face came toward mine slowly, his other hand cupping the other side of my neck, his thumb running along my jawline. When his lips touched mine, they were a thrilling mix of tender and anxious. I could feel his pulse through the thin fabric of his T-shirt when I brought my palms up to his chest. He tilted his head to the side, opening his lips tentatively and sending a rush of excitement down my spine. I’d missed this, the thrill of kissing someone new. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled myself closer, deepening our contact and losing myself in the moment.
I’m not sure where along the way we started making out, but we sure did. Right there in the alley. And it was fabulous. We kissed, intermittent with short periods of conversation, until The Lotus closed at two a.m.
Kim came stumbling around the corner of the building with a flood of people emerging into the night and a very inebriated Betsy hanging from her arm. “Violet! I thought you’d left. I was worried.”
I peeled my face away from Landon’s and grinned sheepishly. “Uh…sorry. Guess I found that distraction.”
Betsy raised her heavy head and gave me a lopsided thumbs-up. Kim observed her girlfriend and snickered. “I’ve got to get some food in her to absorb some of those drinks. She’s gonna wind up with the spins.” She eyeballed Landon, whose lower half of his face was smudged with some of my tiger makeup. “We’re going to Mildred’s Cafe for breakfast. Want to join us?”
Landon pulled apart from me. “I’m a distraction? From what?”
I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a peck to his lips. There was a soft tug in my chest, but I pushed the guilt that was creeping up on me to the back of my mind. “I, uh, had a good time. You know…kissing you.”
I could have sworn he blushed underneath the orange-and-black streak I’d left on his cheek. “Me, too.”
Landon’s fingers ran through his messed-up hair, and I noticed they were trembling. “So…want to do it again sometime? I mean, after dinner and a movie, preferably.”
I grinned. “Come to breakfast with us.”
The sparkle returned to his brown eyes. “Can we make out after breakfast?”
I pretended to think. “Possibly…”
Landon stepped closer to me, and he touched my waist. “I’m kidding. Sort of. I’d love to come to breakfast with you guys. We can take my bike and meet your friends there.” He gestured to a silver Harley Fat Boy parked a few yards down the sidewalk.
Oh, snap. This guy was making it very easy to push thoughts of Gabe to the back of my head. At least for the night.
Chapter Six
August 2, 2005
Gabe and I