Chapter 25:

Almost a month had passed by in a blink of an eye and honestly I thought life was going great.

"Embre!" I heard someone familiar calling my name. "No let me go! I have to tell her something!"

What the hell is going on?

Rushing out of my office, I see a security man trying to get Regina back into the elevator and I stopped him. "No, it's okay I know her."

"You see? Now let me go." She shrugged out of his arms before flicking him off.

"Regina, what are you doing here?"

"I have something to tell you." She fidgeted in place and my eyebrows furrowed in questioning. "The apartment is sort of destroyed."

"What do you mean destroyed?" I stayed calm, not wanting to freak out just yet in front of my coworkers.

"Well I sort of left my curling iron on, when I left to go to work- I was running late- and-"

My eyes widen before I lost my shit. "Regina! What about our stuff? How bad is it?"

"It ruined my bathroom and half of my room, but the firemen told me we had to evacuate but that's besides the point.."

"Then what's the point?"

"It's going to take four months."

"Regina what are we supposed to do?" I turned my head to see a bunch of eyes on us- seeing them mumbling things to each other.

Grabbing ahold of Regina's arm, I walked her to my office. "I'm going to have go back home."

"Back to Atlanta?" I asked. Why couldn't she just stay here?

"I know it might sound like perfect-bad-timing but they are sending me over there for work to do cover stories. I already called my mom and she said that it was fine- I was going to tell you when you came back home."

"And what about me?" Going to her parents was a bonus for her and I was getting the worse side of the stick.

"Why dont you come with me? My parents love you, you know that."

"We have two different jobs, my job is here Regina." To say I was a little pissed off was an understatement, but I kept my cool.

"I'm sorry." She wrapped me in a tight hug. "I have to go, I leave in less than four hours."

"It's fine." No it wasn't. "Now get out before I get in trouble." Once she left, I plopped myself down back into my seat.

"This is hopeless." I had enough money now to support myself but with Regina's income and mine we were solid and now I have turned into liquid.

My mind raced like a marathon trying to come up with an idea, I couldn't go back to Houston with my parents. Maybe if I rented out a-

"On what?" His deep rich voice cut through my thoughts like a blade. My head snaps up to look at my intruder. "I heard a commotion outside."

"Everything." I placed my head back on my desk. "Life is just great."

My door closed and I thought he had left but I was mistaken. "You couldn't find a place for us to go on our date? You could have just asked."

Our date, I wanted to smack myself in the face. My mind totally slipped from that. "What's wrong?" He asked me once seeing me still in a slump.

Looking up, he had changed in just a month. He had asked me if I liked beards and I told him it didn't bother me and here we are with his stumble loud and proud and I liked it on him. He looked much older with it. And wearing a dirty brown suit, he stepped further into my office.

"My apartment caught on fire." I looked up to look at him, his eyes widen before settling back. "Can you believe it?"

"Well what happened? Then I can tell you." He sat on my couch that I had placed in here with all my other decorations for this dull office.

"Regina left the curling iron on."

"Then yes, I can believe that."

"Oh shut up." I laughed, before slouching back in my seat. The moment left me as soon as it came. "I'm screwed."

"Well, I would say you could stay at an hotel but that's not very gentleman like."

"I was thinking that." I opened my desk drawer to pull out my wallet to see how much I had in it.

"But." He interjected, and I stopped the process of me opening my wallet to look at him. "I wouldn't like knowing you're staying at a hotel."

"Then how does my car sound?"

His lips twisted in disgust, he didn't like my joke. With a flick of his hand, he motioned me over to him and I went. Sitting down on his left side, his left hand went around my shoulder before the other rested on my right thigh and gave me a much needed hug. "How does my house sound?"

Pulling my head back to look at him, I was mortified by the idea. "You're serious?"

"I wouldn't suggest something like that to anyone." He tucked my loose curls behind my ear that escaped.

"But.. wouldn't that be like a stranger living with you?"

"Embre, how long have we known each other?"

"Uh..." I went into deep thought. "Almost two months?"

I'm glad one of us kept the score, and plus I've known these lips." He kissed me soundlessly. "For some time now."

"Right." I blushed. "So you really don't mind?"

"I don't."

"But, that's weird we're not even boyfriend and girlfriend and isn't that a step in a relationship?"

"A hotel it is then." He removed his hands from around me before he made his way to stand up but I stopped him.

"No, no it was just a question, thank you." It was sweet of him to offer. "But are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Sure sure? Like positive sure?" I didn't want him taking it back.

"Are you trying to tell me something? Don't tell me I'm dating a serial killer."

"No, I just don't won't you changing your mind." I shrugged, living with me is almost like living alone. "Well Regina said that it destroyed her side mostly, so my stuff should be good, hopefully."

"When we're done here we can drop by and see."

He gives me a small kiss on my cheek, leaving my skin warm in it's awakening. "You look cute when you're angry."

I gave him a look. "I wasn't angry," I countered back, being pissed off and angry were two different stages, at least for me. "Now get out so I can work," I say, pushing him towards the door, he barely budged. "Take your muscles somewhere else mister, I'm trying to work."

"Are you demanding me?"

"That's right, now shoo," I say, waving my hand towards the door.

"Can I get a kiss goodbye?"

"No, but what you can get-" I went to go retrieve his files. "Are these." Plucking them from my hand, I smiled at him before standing on my tip toes to place a kiss on his cheek. "That will be all sir."

"Such a tease." He rolled his eyes before exiting my office. Four to almost five hours later it was seven o'clock in the afternoon and being tired was an understatement.

"That's enough for today." Landon said, placing his last paper on the gigantic stack. Flipping my notebook closed, everyone literally sagged into their seats. I was starting to regret having this job from all the meetings.

"Have a good day everyone." He dismissed them. He made a routine for us, as we watched everyone- except us leave the room.

Pushing my chair away from the table, preparing myself to stand, I was cut off by Landon's hand snapping down on the handles of my chair, his eyes piercing mine. "Except you."

"And what did I do?" I played coy, sitting back in my chair. "I'm not fired am I?"

"You can keep your job." He made sure of that. "But right now I want something far more interesting than what we just did."

"I thought the meeting was interesting." I looked offended, but it was all a joke.

"I saw you trying to stay awake, I'm surprised you didn't slap your head on the desk."

"Well I am tired.." He made a humming sound in the back of his throat before leaning down to capture my lips with his and I stopped the act instantly.

I didn't quite feel him pluck my notebook from my hand but I did hear it smack against the surface of the desk as he pulled me up into his arms.

His warm hands went in the inside of my blazer before traveling up. He wanted me to feel exactly how he felt and my hands tightened around his shirt.

"I missed you." He mumbled against my lips, and I pulled away to look up at his lustful eyes.

"Me too."

He grinned before picking me up and tossing the chair I was sitting in to the side, it rolled chaotically. He placed me down on the meeting table before attaching his lips back to mine. This time it was urgent as if he was a mad man starving and I kept pace with him to the best of my ability.

Removing my hands from the back of his neck, I placed them behind me on the table. "Landon." I was literally out of breath just saying his name. "We have to stop."

He pulled away from completely, gathering himself together again. "I'm sorry, I stepped out of line."

"I didn't mind it." I laughed as I hopped off the table. "You get a little bit carried away."

"It's hard to when I have to look at you like this all day."

"Yeah." I picked up my notebook and pen. "Don't boost my ego, it's hardly settled in the medium."

"When it should already been in the high." He never ceased to stop complimenting me and it made my self esteem much better.

"I don't know what you are looking at then." I laughed. "Now come on, I have somewhere to be."

He pulled my wrist and I rolled my eyes playfully before turning with a smile on my face. "Yeah in my arms."

"Very smooth."

"You make it easy." I couldn't resist not giving him another kiss before exiting the room. "Meet me by my car." He ordered me.

"Or you can meet me by mine." I turned and winked at him, he always seemed to be thrown off guard with me. He was bossy, but I was my own boss.

Gathering my things quickly after seeing the lights flicker off to the building, I made my way out of the building followed by the reception lady and him- talk about awkward.

I always got the worst end of the stick coming to work no matter how early I showed up, I never got a perfect spot to park.

My car was parked all the way in the back and I was contemplating if I wanted to take off my heels but then my feet would be dirty from the wet puddles that surrounded the streets.

Walking to the edge, I heard a car reeving before my hand could even touch my door handle. Turning with my hand placed on my hip, I eyed him. "What are you doing?"

"You said to meet by your car." He lowered his shades. "I'm just following orders."

"You're blocking me in." He didn't need a reminder to know that he did.

"Get in."

"What?" I took my hand off my hip.

"I said get in." He lowered the window down even more. "G-E-T, I-N."

"W-H-Y."

"Because I'm not letting you ride by yourself, and that's too much for me to follow you then you to follow me to my house, so let's make it one trip sweetheart."

"What about my car?" My words skipped over his sweet nickname for me but my heart didn't. "I can't just leave it here."

"But you can."

"Can not."

"Then I guess we'll sleep here." Rolling my eyes, I tucked my car keys in my purse. Opening his car door, I slipped into his plush seat. "Now was that so hard?"

"Very." I closed the door and stripped myself in. "Can we go?"

"Okay Miss Attitude." He placed his shades back in place, before putting the gear in drive.

"Why do you have on shades? It's night time."

"Technically it's still the afternoon, if you see over there." He pointed. "You can still see the sun setting."

"Yeah and if you see over there." I pointed to where the moon was. "There's the moon."

He looked to me before looking back to the road. "Your point?"

"Annoying." I mumbled but obviously he heard me as his white teeth shined from his smile.

Pulling up to my apartment about twenty minutes later- grateful for no traffic- we both get out to go up to my apartment and sure enough there was a evacuation note left on the door, with yellow tape stretched from one edge to the other.

Landon stripped another paper that I didn't get a chance to read, he scanned it once before handing it to me.

A note left behind:

I already packed your things- its the least I can do with me being careless :) I left them in the trunk of my car, it's popped open just a little for you to get in since, I'm going to have it shipped out anyway tomorrow.

- Love Regina.

Folding the paper, I directed both of us to her car. And sure enough it was popped up but it wasn't noticeable to the naked eye unless someone eally paid it attention.

Pulling out all of my suitcases, we rolled them to his car. I tried to help put them in but he moved my hands away from suitcases telling me to get back in the car, and not wanting to ruin my nails or his manhood, I agreed.

Once he got back in the car and turning it on, my eyes widen at the time on the dashboard. "Crap."

"What?" He looked over to me.

"I forgot our date." I threw my head back, resting it before sighing.

"Embre it's fine, you had a long day-"

"No it's not, I forgot about it so that means I forgot about you and-"

He grasped my hand into his, rubbing his thumb soothingly against my skin. "It's fine." Taking a deep breath, I relaxed hearing his words of reassurance. "And besides, I have you all to myself now."

We fell into silence and it didn't bother either of us.

And that's when my sleepiness hit me, and with my hand still in his as he drove. I blanked out.

"Embre wake up." I heard his voice and those were not the words I wanted to hear.

"No." I moved away from him shaking my shoulder.

"You have to wake up." I ignored him, wanting sleep to find me again. "Okay you leave me no choice." Then I'm attacked by hands.

My eyes snap open to see what's going on and I end up bursting into a fit of laughter. "Stop! Okay, Okay I'm awake." I laugh, trying to get him to stop tickling me.

"Good." He stopped to allow air to come back to my lungs.

"You're a jerk."

"You asked for it." Crossing my arms across my chest I huffed. "Come here." His hand touched my side, and I jumped.

"Are you sick?" I asked out of the blue.

"No, why?"

"Because you're always cold."

"I'm sorry?"

"No." I shook my head. "It's not a bad thing."

"Are you going to keep stalling or are you going to give me a kiss."

"I'm breaking so many rules right now." I mumbled to myself. "From kissing you without a first date, to now moving in with you."

"Temporarily." He reminded me. "Unless something changes along the way"

"What?"

"Nothing."

Silence invaded our privacy again but this time it was a soothing silence. "You know." I interjected. "You're my new favorite feeling." I looked over to him to see him staring straight ahead, lost in thought and it took me a lot of courage to just utter those words.

His eyebrows creased down before looking over to me. "You're mine too." His eyes held so much emotions then what I thought. His eyes scanned over me before clearing his throat. "Let's go."

He gets out the car first and I'm left with my thoughts for a moment- ignoring how quickly he got out- before I stopped dead in my tracks when looking at his house.