Close to You

  “Oh, you don’t have to—”

  But before I can finish, he’s gone.

  Chapter 4

  ~Landon~

  Now I can’t stop thinking about the last time Cami got laid. It’s not a thought that I’m comfortable with. Since I’ve been home, the thought of anyone else putting their hands on her makes me a little crazy.

  Okay, to be honest, I haven’t been comfortable with other men putting their hands on her in . . . ever.

  But damn it, the next time she gets laid is going to be with me if I have anything at all to say about it.

  And I think I do.

  Damn right I do.

  I climb her stairs and ring the doorbell, frowning at the burned-out porch light. That’s an accident waiting to happen.

  I’ll replace it for her.

  “Hey, Landon,” she says with a smile as she opens the door. “Thanks for bri—”

  CRASH.

  She closes her eyes, hangs her head, and sighs. “Damn cat. Sorry.”

  And with that, she turns and runs for the kitchen, her ass swaying nicely in her jeans, her blond hair bouncing around her shoulders. I step in and shut the door, slip out of my shoes, wet from the rain, and follow her.

  “You’re such a menace,” she hisses at the cat, who simply lies down and watches her sweep up broken glass.

  “I’m so glad to see that y’all are still getting along so well.”

  “Why do I suddenly feel like I didn’t get a cat, but rather he got a human?” She chuckles and shakes her head. “Wait. I’ve always felt like that. I’m his slave, for God sake. Thanks for bringing that by. You can just leave it on the countertop. I don’t want you to step on glass.”

  She’s not looking at me. Come to think of it, she’s avoided looking me directly in the eyes since I got home. I lay the iPad on the counter, shove my hands in my pockets, and lean against the doorjamb, watching her sweep, scoop, and dump the glass.

  When she’s finished, she turns and her eyes widen as she comes to an abrupt stop.

  “You’re still here.”

  I nod. “You know, Cami, it used to be that we had a great friendship. We could talk for hours, just about anything. We laughed. We weren’t uncomfortable around each other.”

  “I’m not uncomfortable now,” she lies, and bites her lip.

  “We never lied to each other,” I continue calmly. “You once knew more about me than anyone else in the world.”

  “Yep, I was your ol’ pal Cami,” she says sarcastically. “And I’m still your friend, Landon, but you’ve barely spoken to me over the years.”

  “I’ve spoken to you,” I reply.

  “Not the way we used to. And I get it.” She holds a hand up. “You made it clear that you didn’t think it was right to have a close friendship with a married woman.”

  It was a cop-out. I just couldn’t stand hearing about the new husband.

  “I should have kept in contact,” I murmur, suddenly regretting my cowardice.

  She frowns and leans her hips against the countertop. “That was a long time ago.” Her voice is soft as she stares at Scoot. “But I missed you.”

  “I did too,” I reply. “I’ve missed you for a lot of years.”

  “I’ve always been right here.” She holds her hands out at her sides.

  “And I’m the one who went away,” I finish for her. “But I’m home now, and I don’t want to keep having this uncomfortable distance between us, Cami. We’re better than that.”

  “So, you want to be friends again?” She tilts her head to the side, her dimple winking at me as she bites her lip. “Not that we were ever not friends, but you know what I mean.”

  “No.” Enough of this talking-in-circles bullshit. I begin to walk toward her, slowly. “That’s not what I mean.” Her shoulders straighten as I approach. Green eyes widen and are fixed on me now. “I want. To take you. On a date.”

  Finally, I’m inches from her, but I’m not touching her. My hands are braced on the countertop next to her hips and I’m leaning in. She licks her lips. Her pupils dilate.

  She’s not immune to me, and damn if I don’t want to boost her up on this countertop and take her, right now.

  “A d-d-date?” she stutters.

  I nod slowly. “A date. Dinner. Conversation.” My eyes skim over her, from her hair to her lips. “The kind of date that might end with a kiss.”

  “What kind of kiss?” she whispers, staring at my lips.

  “The good kind,” I reply, also whispering.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  I frown. “Why?”

  “Because you’re Mia’s brother.” Her eyes find mine. There’s heat there, but there’s more. Fear? Uncertainty?

  “I’ve been more than that for a long time, Cami.”

  Redness fills her cheeks, and I suddenly feel like a grade-A asshole.

  “Hey.” I tip her chin up so I can see her eyes. “It’s just dinner.”

  “And maybe a kiss.”

  “Probably a kiss,” I say with a grin. “I could just kiss you now to get it over with.”

  “No, that’s okay,” she says quickly, placing her hand on my chest to push me away, but instead she grips my shirt in her fist. “I haven’t brushed my teeth.”

  God, she’s so fucking adorable.

  “Tomorrow, then,” I whisper before I lean in and kiss her forehead. Her skin is so damn soft. Everything about her is welcoming and sweet, and I want to stay and soak her in.

  So I’d better go.

  “Have a good night.”

  She nods, staring at my shoulder.

  “Cami?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You have to let go of my shirt so I can go.”

  “Oh!” She lets go and tries to smooth out the wrinkles, which only makes me hard as a damn rock. Her small hands rubbing all over my chest—covered in a shirt or not—should be goddamn illegal if I don’t get to strip her naked as a result.

  “I’m okay.” I take her hands in mine and kiss her knuckles. “Make sure you got all that glass.”

  “Glass?” She frowns, and I can’t help but chuckle. “Oh! The glass. Damn cat.”

  “Meow.”

  I glance down to find Scoot sitting by my feet.

  “Stop being mean to your mommy.” I point at him, but he just blinks at me. “And both of you be nice to each other.” I wink at Cami as I turn to walk away.

  “Landon,” she says. I turn and raise a brow. “Are you sure?”

  I’m going to do my best to wipe away any of that uncertainty. I smile at her and nod. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  “I know.”

  Cami’s never late. And now I have to fill the next twenty-four hours until I can see her again.

  “HEY BOSS, WE’RE gonna knock off for lunch,” Jay, one of my crew members, says the next day. “We’re just gonna go get some burgers. Welcome to join us.”

  I shake my head and measure out a board. “Thanks, but I’m good. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  The guys stow their tools and head out, laughing and giving each other shit, which is the norm. My crew is tight-knit and reliable, and I get along well with them, despite only being back for a short time. But most of them have worked for my dad for many years. Hell, a few of them taught me in the summers when I’d work for my dad, and not just about drill presses and table saws.

  There might have been a few inappropriate magazines that made the rounds a time or two. I smile at the memory and measure a board.

  “How’s it going over here?” Mia asks as she walks in carrying a covered plate.

  “It’s going,” I reply.

  “I saw the others leave for lunch, so I decided to bring you something to eat.”

  “I’m quite sure you couldn’t have seen that from your kitchen lair,” I reply with a chuckle. “But thanks for the food.”

  “Maybe I wanted to talk to you too,” she says in her direct
way. Mia’s always been the kind of person who speaks her mind. You never have to guess where you stand with her. It’s one of the things I love the most about her.

  “Is something wrong?” I take a bite of her lasagna with white sauce and sigh in happiness. “This is damn good.”

  “I know.” She grins. “I don’t know if something’s wrong. That’s why I want to talk to you.”

  “Okay.”

  “What are you doing with Cami?”

  “I’m not doing anything with her right now.”

  “Don’t be a dick,” she says calmly. Mia can be wildly passionate, or the calmest person in the room. She would have made an excellent pilot.

  As it is, she’s a scary woman.

  “Why don’t you tell me what your concerns are?”

  “My concern is Cami. I saw you yesterday, Landon. You weren’t just doing your harmless-flirting thing that you usually do with her.”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  Her big brown eyes narrow. “You know, Cami is maybe the sweetest person I know. She’s giving and loyal and she’s the best person to have in your corner.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “And she’s had a crush on you since the beginning of time. And you knew that. So don’t do the flirty thing with her and then turn around and date someone else under her nose the way you used to do when we were teenagers, Landon. It’s mean and she doesn’t deserve that.”

  “I wouldn’t do that to her.”

  “You have done that to her,” she says, getting heated now. “I know that you’re not thrilled to be home, and that you didn’t want to leave the Navy, especially the way it all went down. But don’t start something with Cami because you’re home and bored and want to fill your time with someone that you know will hang on your every word.”

  “I’m not sure who you just insulted more; Cami or me,” I reply, and toss the disposable plate of food in the trash, not able to eat any more. “But I do know that if you were a dude, I’d be decking you right now.”

  “I’m not trying to insult anyone,” Mia replies. “I’m being honest. I don’t want you to hurt her.”

  “I don’t want to hurt her either, Mia. We haven’t even been out on a date.”

  “But you’re taking her to dinner tonight. She told me.”

  I want to ask her what Cami said, but that sounds way too much like high school. “The crush wasn’t always one-sided,” I admit quietly, then shove my hand through my hair and pace away from her, my boots echoing through the space. “But we were young, and then I left.”

  “And then she got married,” Mia says, completing my thought. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “No one knew. Well, except for Dad.”

  “Dad?” she asks, surprised. I nod.

  “Dad saw the lust written all over my face when she was around.” I sigh. “And he warned me that she was too young. And he was right.”

  “So you left.”

  I nod again.

  “And now you’ve decided to scratch an old itch?”

  “Watch yourself, Mia.” My voice is hard.

  “Hey, I’m just asking. We’ve always considered her family, but now that her folks are gone, and her brother and sister moved away, I feel even more protective of her.”

  “I’m going to see her. Get to know her. I like her, Mia. Not because I’m bored or I think she’ll hang on my every word. Hell, she’s barely looked at me since I’ve been home.”

  “She notices you,” Mia says.

  “I want her to do more than notice me,” I reply.

  “It feels like it’s moving fast. You just got home, and I know it’s been rough on you.”

  “It’s getting easier,” I reply, surprised to discover that it’s the truth. “And it’s not fast, Mia, I’ve known her forever. But, something I’ve learned through all of this is that life’s damn short. I could have died up there.” I swallow hard as tears fill my sister’s eyes. “And in those seconds when all hell broke loose and I knew I’d have to eject, Cami was my only regret.”

  “Oh, Landon.” Mia wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight. “I hope that whatever you both want to come from this is what happens. I love you both. I don’t want to see anyone with their feelings hurt.”

  “You’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t bring me lunch again tomorrow.”

  “You only ate half.” Her eyes flare as she pulls away. “You threw my food away.”

  “You pissed me off,” I reply with a shrug.

  “I have to work.” She turns to walk away, then stops and looks back at me. “She loves sunflowers. She says they always look happy.”

  “Where am I supposed to find sunflowers in February?”

  “That’s not my problem,” she says with a laugh.

  “You always were a pain in my ass!” I call after her, but she just waves and keeps walking.

  “Love you too!”

  I frown, suddenly wishing I hadn’t thrown the last of that food away, and pull out my phone to start calling florists.

  If Cami likes sunflowers, then she’ll have sunflowers.

  IT’S BEEN A long day. Maybe that’s because we had a tool malfunction, requiring me to drive out to another job site to get another one. Maybe it’s because I know I’ll get Cami all to myself in just a few hours and that’s making the seconds drag by.

  Either way, I’m itching to get the hell out of here.

  “I’m gonna run next door for some water,” I tell my guys, and saunter over to the restaurant.

  Who am I kidding? I want to get a glimpse of her. I’m pathetic.

  But I don’t want to change it.

  I walk through the door and smile at Addie. “How’s your day, Blondie?”

  “I can’t complain,” she says with a smile. “Lucas is here. He’s back at the bar. I told him you were next door, but he said he wanted to say hi to the girls first.”

  “Awesome, thanks.” Lucas has been my best friend since we were in the second grade and he gave me a black eye over a G.I. Joe. We went into the Navy at the same time, went to boot camp together, then flight school. He’s my closest friend in the whole world, and there’s no one else I’d rather have as my wingman.

  But when I walk into the bar, I want to lay him flat.

  He’s hugging Cami close, his lips pressed to her cheek. And one hand is planted squarely on her skirt-covered ass.

  “It’s so good to see you,” Cami says with a smile, and pulls back to cup Lucas’s face in her hand. “Landon will be happy to see you.”

  Landon will be happy to see him unhand Cami.

  “You look beautiful, as always,” Lucas says, and that’s all I can take.

  “Hey man,” I say, and move in to shake my friend’s hand, effectively pulling him away from Cami. “When did you get to town?”

  “This morning,” he replies as he eyes me with concern. “Decided it was time to come check on you, since I couldn’t make it over to Italy.”

  “I’m fine.” Now. I wasn’t for a while.

  “Well, you can tell me all about it tonight while we drink too much beer and embellish flight stories.”

  Cami has discreetly backed away, talking quietly with Kat.

  “No, I can’t. I have a date tonight.”

  “Of course you do,” Lucas says, barking out a laugh. “Didn’t take you long to snag some hometown bimbo. Do I know her?”

  “She’s me,” Cami says, surprising me. “I’m the hometown bimbo.”

  Lucas looks from me to Cami in surprise. “No, really.”

  “Really,” I reply with a smile. “So you’ll have to come over to the job site next door and fill me in on your fictional flightscapades.”

  “Hey Cami, I don’t really think you’re a bimbo—”

  “It’s okay,” Cami says, waving him off. “I’m sure the others he’s dated have been bimbos.”

  “I’ve always liked you,” Lucas says.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” I say to her, and grin when sh
e nods and elbows Kat, who makes gagging noises.

  “Is Kat single?” Lucas asks as he follows me out of the bar.

  “Pretty sure she is,” I reply. “But not positive.”

  Lucas continues to chuckle as we walk into the construction zone. “Cami?”

  “What’s wrong with Cami?”

  “She’s a kid.”

  “She’s almost thirty,” I reply, and motion for him to follow. “Hardly a kid.”

  “Well, she’s hot, I’ll give her that.”

  “She’s a lot of things,” I reply. “And we should change the subject now. What are you really doing home?”

  “I’m checking on you,” he says, his face sobering now. “I want to know how you really are.”

  I sigh and pick up a hammer. “I’m better than I was.”

  “Have you wrapped your head around being home for good yet?”

  That’s the thing. I don’t know. It was never my plan to be home for good. I was going to be in the Navy until I retired, and then probably still work for the Navy.

  Civilian life is as foreign to me as living in Italy was when I first got there.

  “I’m fine,” I repeat.

  “You scared the piss out of me. Literally,” Lucas says, and rubs his hand over his mouth. “What happened up there?”

  “I don’t know,” I reply, and shake my head slowly. “I don’t remember much of it, thankfully.”

  “Brain injury?”

  “No, the doctors call it a traumatic injury.” I smirk. “I don’t recommend ejecting out of your plane, man.”

  “So noted.” He sighs. “So this is what you’re going to do now? Construction? Have you been medically cleared for this?”

  “I’m cleared,” I reply. “And as for now, yes, I’m going to help my dad out with the construction. Long term? Who knows?”

  “I’m only here until tomorrow morning. Are you sure you can’t take a few hours to hang?”

  “I’m sure. You should have called, man. I’m not ditching Cami for your ugly ass.”

  “Fine.”

  I toss him a measuring tape. “But while you’re here, you can make yourself useful.”

  “You’re an ass.”

  I laugh. “That’s not the first time I’ve been called that today.”

  I HAVEN’T BEEN nervous to pick up a date since I was sixteen fucking years old. But here I am, palms sweaty, sitting in my car outside of Cami’s house.