Fool for You (Southern Bride 7)

I let out a disbelieving laugh. “You are so far off the mark about us having sex last night.”

Lady came running up to me with a toy that I absentmindedly picked up and threw.

“I like how you didn’t disagree with me about your feelings, though. Tell me I’m wrong, Emme.”

I spun my body around and stared out into the backyard. I had almost kissed Landon this morning. I touched him. Touched his lips and leaned in for a kiss. If my stupid phone hadn’t rung, I would have totally kissed him.

“I almost kissed him this morning,” I blurted out.

“Whaaaat?” she said with a mixture of disbelief and excitement. “Spill it all, now!”

Closing my eyes, I drew in a breath and let it all tumble out. “Okay, something weird was going on with me yesterday. I felt things for Landon I hadn’t ever felt before. Well, I’ve felt them before, in dreams and fleeting moments when we were younger. Like that time he kissed me in middle school. Then last night we snuggled up on the sofa and it felt so good. So right. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“Anyway, I fell asleep, and he fell asleep, and I woke up this morning in his arms on the sofa, and Lady was all snuggled up, and for a crazy moment I wanted…I wanted… I wanted something more. Hailey, when I opened my eyes and saw him, some weird jolt of something hit me and nearly knocked me off the sofa. Then I touched him!”

“Okay, ewww, gross. That is my brother.”

“Not like that, you pervert,” I whisper-shouted. “I traced my finger along his jawline. Lord, he is so handsome. Then I sort of, kind of, let my finger move over his lips, but he was still asleep, and for one crazy, insane moment…I almost kissed him. Lord, I almost kissed my best friend.”

She laughed. “And what is wrong with that? Shouldn’t that make Landon the perfect guy? Don’t they say you should fall in love with your best friend?”

A rush of pure panic hit me so hard it felt like I couldn’t breathe. “I have to go.”

“Wait, no! You’re going to call me with this bombshell and then tell me you have to go? Are you going to tell him you wanted to kiss him?”

I gasped. “God, no, and don’t you dare say a word to him! It was a crazy moment, and I’m lonely and horny and haven’t had sex in a year. That’s all it was.”

Good Lord…I’m totally lying to her and myself right now.

“Well, it just so happens that I’ve heard rumors my brother is pretty damn good in bed. Wait, I just grossed myself out again.”

There was no way I was going to admit I had heard the same stupid rumors. And I wasn’t going to remind myself how I felt every time I’d heard those rumors. “I’m ending this call!”

“Wait! But what if—”

I hit End and rushed into the kitchen. The shower was still going, so I quickly got out all the ingredients and started to make the egg wash I needed for the French toast.

“This is crazy. It’s stupid. Silly. You don’t have feelings for him, Emmerson. You didn’t want to kiss him. You simply wanted affection. Someone to…someone to…”

I looked up and stared out the window. Someone to feel a connection with. Someone to desire in a way I had never experienced before. I’d felt all of that with Landon this morning. Lord, if I was being honest with myself, I’d wanted to crawl on top of his amazingly fit body.

A bark came from the backyard, and I realized I had left poor Lady outside.

“I’ll let her in,” Landon said as he walked by in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. My mouth fell open as I took in the aforementioned amazingly fit body. It wasn’t like I’d never seen him without a shirt on. Hell, I’d seen him wear less than that, but it never made me want to offer up my body in the middle of my kitchen before.

I looked away quickly.

“Man, I’m glad you talked me into leaving some extra clothes in the guest bedroom.”

With a nod, I replied, “Yep. Me too. Did you have any, um, shirts?”

He smiled and held one up. “Yep.”

“Great. Maybe you should, you know, put it on. For Lady’s sake.”

Landon’s eyes drifted down to the puppy sitting at his feet, who was staring up at him in the same way I imagined I had been staring only seconds ago.

Yeah, I know what you mean, girl. He’s hot. He’s sexy. He has a body to die for, he’s… he’s Landon!

“You want me to put a shirt on for the dog’s sake?” Landon asked.

I nodded and put his French toast on a plate before motioning for him to get the syrup. “Syrup and butter.”