Anything For You (The Connor Family 1)

“I’m not letting you go back out there until the rain stops.”

“What are you going to do to keep me out of the rain, kiss me some more?”

His eyes snapped fire. “Don’t think I won’t.”

I swallowed hard, trying to figure out my next steps. I really did need to change out of these clothes.

“I’ll go find you something in Val’s room if you don’t want to change into yours,” he said.

“That’s not appropriate,” I countered.

Something flashed in those green eyes. “Let me make this clear. You’re changing into either Val’s clothes or your own because I won’t let you give yourself pneumonia. So, what’s it gonna be?”

Needing to move, I paced the front porch. The cold was seeping into my bones.

Landon cleared his throat. “Your clothes are completely transparent.”

I stopped pacing, looked down at my chest, and immediately crossed my arms over it. Oh, crap. This explained why he’d been looking at me like he wanted to eat me up before kissing me. He still looked at me like that. Embarrassment clouded around me. I felt naked.

“Why didn’t you tell me that before? I’d have come out of the rain sooner.”

“I didn’t realize you’d ditch your work ethic for anything.”

Landon smiled, and laughter bubbled out of me.

“If the price was flashing you my boobs, I would. I have priorities.”

“You’re flashing more than that.” He swallowed hard, and I remembered with a pang that I wasn’t wearing jeans. I looked down at my pants. They were transparent. Since I was wearing a thong today, I’d been parading my ass in front of Landon.

When I looked up, I couldn’t meet his eyes. “I’ll go shower and put on my spare change of clothes.”

He nodded, and I felt his eyes follow me as we entered the house. I retrieved my backpack from the foyer and swung it over my shoulder, making a beeline for the bathroom.

I took a long, hot shower, but my entire body was still buzzing with adrenaline. My mind was so full of Landon and his kiss that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. I wondered if he was also taking a shower right now. He’d been all wet too, after all. The mere possibility that we might be naked at the same time was messing with my senses.

I stepped out of the bathroom in fresh clothes, keeping my old ones in front of me with both hands. I’d wrung them out, but they were still wet. I needed a plastic bag to wrap them in before stuffing them in my backpack. As I approached the living room, I heard Landon’s voice.

“Adam, forward me the entire e-mail exchange, and I’ll make up my own mind.” A pause, then “Of course I trust you, but I don’t like making decisions knowing only half the conversation.”

I slowed my pace, not wanting to walk in on him mid-phone call. Leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes, smiling as I replayed the kiss in my mind, and all the passion it held. It was the result of all that tension we’d built the night before during our dance. We’d both needed to release it. Now I could go back to daydreaming about him in that off-limits sort of way you daydreamed about a movie star.

When I couldn’t hear him talk anymore, I went to the living room. He’d changed too, and a vision of him in the shower flashed in my mind. Crap. Maybe I could go back to safely daydreaming about him on Monday, when the memory of the kiss subsided, when I couldn’t still feel his taste on my lips. For now, I had to put some distance between us.

“I need a plastic bag for the clothes or I’ll get my backpack all wet,” I said.

“Sure. Let’s go to the kitchen and find one.”

While he searched and crouched to check the lower drawers, I did my best not to perv at his ass. On second thought... why not? I’d already established today was an exception. Why not get a good look at Landon’s backside while I was at it? It was muscular, strong....

Unfortunately, he found a plastic bag all too soon. I took it from him, careful not to touch his fingers. I was already on a slippery slope with my wandering eyes; who knew what his touch might prompt me to do.

“Well, I’d better get going.” I clutched the full plastic bag to my chest. “I checked the weather report and the rain won’t stop soon. I fastened the cover to the ground, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“So why were you so adamant to stay in the rain and finish whatever you were doing?”

“Ah, I was being a bit overzealous, wanting to double on the spikes in a few places, but this isn’t a tornado, just a storm, so it’s not really necessary. I can get a little... lost in my own head when things go to hell. Thanks for pulling me out.”

“I do that too when the shit hits the fan. Get trapped in my mind.”