Page 33 of Fear of Love (Falling #3)

LANDON

W here was she?

I spent the last hour watching Lydia flirt with every available hockey player in the room. It took everything in me not to march over to her and go caveman on her ass. The urge to keep her glued to my side was so strong. But now I couldn’t seem to find the blonde that occupied my head nonstop.

Spotting Josie, I made my way toward her. Out of everyone, she’d know where Lydia went. On my way, I found my mom mid-conversation with Coach Barnum, laughing about something. The sight had me narrowing my eyes, but I couldn’t focus on that right now.

“Hey, Jo,” I said as soon as I was close. “Have you seen Lydia?”

“Oh, she texted me about five minutes ago and said she left.”

My jaw clenched at her words. I had to stop myself from asking if she left alone or not. The thought of her with someone else pissed me off. We hadn’t flat out said we were exclusive, but it was pretty much implied. It was one thing to flirt in front of me but another to take someone home.

“Thanks,” I grunted. I was too focused on leaving to see Josie’s questioning glance as I stalked off. I didn’t bother to say bye to the others as I headed for the elevators.

I wasn’t sure if going to Lydia’s place was the right decision but I didn’t care. I spent all day keeping my distance from her and reached my limit. Seeing her touch another man’s arm while laughing like he was the funniest guy on the planet had me seeing red.

I didn’t mean to snap at the poor kid getting my car, but all I could focus on was getting to Lydia’s place. I needed to remind her that she could ignore me all she wanted in public, but I was the only one who belonged in her apartment.

The ride to her place seemed to take forever. I hit almost every red light, which made the short drive even longer. Pulling into the parking lot, I forced myself to take a moment before I did something stupid, like storm in there and check her place from top to bottom.

After a moment, I stepped out of the car and stalked for the building. I noticed Lydia’s car, so she definitely was home. The concerned part of me that was worried about her driving home in the dark eased.

I was beyond impatient as I waited for her building’s elevator. I was seconds away from taking the stairs when the doors finally opened. I was almost scot-free, the doors nearly fully closed, when a hand slipped through and stopped them.

Clenching my jaw, I stayed off to the side as a young couple entered. I had to stand there as they whispered to one another, giggling like I wasn’t present. When they started to kiss, I wanted nothing more than to throw myself out of the elevator.

Maybe this was my punishment for being a dick and showing up to Lydia’s place after she flat out ignored me all night.

When the doors finally opened to Lydia’s floor, I shoved past the couple. I wasted no time in striding toward Lydia’s door. I didn’t even hesitate before I knocked. I jammed my hands in the pockets of my dress pants to stop myself from doing so multiple times.

A second later, the door opened to a pissed off Lydia on the other side, her gorgeous green eyes blazing. She was still in her dress from the party, the fabric wrapped around her body like a glove. Those pretty red lips set in a hard line as she glared at me.

God, I loved when she looked at me like that. With that fire front and center. She could burn me for all I cared.

“What are you doing here?” Her tone was biting.

“You left.”

“Yes.” She gripped the edge of the door. “Anything else?”

“Why?” Apparently, I could only speak in one-syllable words. Those eyes narrowed at me.

“Why does it matter?”

“Because.” Because I want to know if someone is in there with you. Because not being able to touch you tonight when you looked like that was torture.

“I left because I wanted to. Now if that’s all…” She went to push the door shut, but I stuck my foot out.

“Is anyone else in there with you?” The question left my mouth before I could stop it. I told myself I wasn’t going to ask, but sometimes my big ass mouth didn’t listen to my brain.

At my question, Lydia’s nose flared.

“Are you kidding me right now?” She pulled the door open to face me fully.

“You don’t get to come here after ignoring me all night and ask if I brought someone home.

” She lifted her finger and poked my chest. “Maybe I did bring someone home. Maybe he’s on my bed, waiting for me to get down on my knees and su?—”

My control snapped. Stepping forward, I crowded against her, forcing her to step back into her apartment. I kept moving until I could kick the door closed behind me.

“Landon.” Her voice lacked some of the anger from before. I knew she was willingly letting me crowd her because if she truly didn’t want me so close I’d still be out in the hallway.

“Would you like that?” I kept walking until her back was flush with the wall. “Would you like crawling on your knees for another man?”

Her eyes sparked fiercely as I set my hands on the wall beside her head. With each breath, her chest grazed mine.

“Do you think another man could make you come like I do?” I wedged my knee through the slit of her dress and between her legs, forcing her to part them. The fabric of her dress inched up, more of those gorgeous legs on display.

I pushed my knee against her pussy, earning a soft gasp.

“Think any of those men you flirted with tonight deserve to hear your moans?” I asked, voice low and tight. Once again, Lydia narrowed her eyes at my words.

“You don’t get to be jealous when you’re the one who ignored me the moment you walked into the room.” She couldn’t disguise the hurt in her voice.

“I wanted nothing more than to press you against that bar and kiss you, especially after seeing you in this dress.” My eyes raked down her body, my blood heating.

“Yet you didn’t,” Lydia shot back.

“You told me you don’t want the others knowing about us. That we should keep our distance in public. Pretty sure if I had kissed you the way I wanted all of our friends would know.”

A few nights ago while the two of us were eating greasy take-out food on the couch after a few rounds of sex, Lydia said she didn’t want anyone in our friend group to know we were seeing each other. She wanted to keep it just between us. I agreed, not wanting to hear it from my brothers.

But it was her idea to keep our distance. Something I hadn’t realized would be so hard. She had no idea the hold I had on myself not to walk right up to her and drag her home with me.

“I…”

“That was your rule,” I reminded her.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t need to flirt with someone, either,” Lydia replied sharply.

“Me?” I gave her a look. I wasn’t the one going from guy to guy, laughing and touching as they flirted.

“Yeah, the leggy brunette,” she said, her jealousy unmistakable. I felt a grin creeping in before I could stop it. “Why are you smiling?”

“You’re sexy when you’re jealous.”

“I am not jealous. You’re the one who came barging into my apartment, thinking I was with another guy.”

My eyes roamed her face as I kept her caged against the wall.

She was trying to hide it, but I could see the hurt and anger on her face.

She had no clue that I hadn’t thought about, talked to, or looked at another woman in months.

It was hard to do when my thoughts were filled with the blonde in front of me.

“She’s the wife of one of the players on the team, and her son is in one of the little leagues at my rink,” I explained.

“What?”

“The brunette. I wasn’t flirting with her. She wanted to thank me for letting her son on the team,” I continued.

A flicker of realization and relief crossed her face. I couldn’t bring myself to be upset at her for jumping to that conclusion, because honestly, seeing her jealously stirred something strange in me. I kind of liked it. No one has ever been jealous over me before.

Lydia was too proud to apologize and that was fine by me. I planned on making her come so many times tonight, those other guys wouldn’t even be a memory.

“You can flirt with whoever you want, but just remember,” I moved my knee upward, pressing it against her pussy as my hand came down to bracket her throat. Applying pressure, I leaned in. “I am the only person that knows how to make you come so hard your body gives out.”

I loved the look Lydia got when she was turned on. The way her green eyes got this glazed film, lids hooded as she stared at me. Her lips parted, cheeks a soft pink. She pressed her center down on my knee, clearly liking how it felt.

I needed her to come. I needed to remind her who owned her body. Brushing my lips against the shell of her ear, she shivered.

“Ride my knee,” I commanded in a whisper. “Keep those eyes on me,” I said when her eyes dipped to look at my leg. She met my gaze as she started to move her hips.

Lydia was used to being in control every hour of every day. But in moments like these, when she finally let go, there was nothing more intoxicating.

There wasn’t a more beautiful sight than Lydia pressed against the wall with my hand around her throat, grinding against my leg as she slowly came undone.

My dick strained against my zipper, begging to be let out, but it would have to wait. I wanted to watch Lydia come all over my knee and fingers before I fucked her.

“That’s my girl.” Using my thumb and middle finger, I squeezed the sides of her throat, hitting the correct spot to cut off just a little bit of airflow. Her pulse fluttered under my fingertips.

“There you go. Keep grinding that pussy on my knee.”

My own breathing picked up, watching her get off. I could feel her wetness soaking through my tan dress slacks. She brought her hands up to grip my forearm. The same one that was attached to the hand holding her neck.