Page 8

Chapter eight

Landon

ESPN notification – Five best Colton Beaumont plays—Paving the way to the Hall of Fame.

ESPN notification – Top three preseason letdowns: 1. Max Clark. 2. Landon Beaumont…

Three days later, Landon directed the movers where to put the boxes and pieces of furniture, trying to listen to what his sister said to him over the phone. Failing. He glanced across the hall to where Ikaika had gone to shower and play video games; Landon had denied his offer of help since he’d already hired the company to assist him.

The apartment was the mirror image of Ikaika’s, taking up the other half of the top floor. A long entryway cut to a hallway with a guest bathroom and bedroom. In the hallway was a set of stairs leading down to the owner’s suite with a closet that could house his many suits and a bathroom so big, it was obscene. But his favorite part by far was the massive kitchen on the main floor with its island stove and space for sitting. He would have to get some bar stools for it.

Maya sighed, reminding him he was still on the phone with her. “Are you even listening to me?”

“No,” he admitted.

“Landon! I was talking about how much therapy has been helping me the last few months and how I think it might benefit you too.”

Landon frowned. That did not sound like something he would enjoy in the slightest. He was just about to voice that sentiment when one of the movers called to another one downstairs.

“Landon! Do you have people over?” Maya gasped. “Do you have a girl over?” He could practically hear her eyebrows waggling like she was getting the latest gossip, but alas, he hadn’t touched a woman since…

He glanced across the hall.

The week-long dry spell was unusual for him but he wasn’t about to talk to his sister about that.

“Also no. I’m moving.”

“Oh, right! Text me your new address please. I’ll send you some gifts.”

“I don’t think that’s neces—”

“Consider it an ‘I miss you and I’m sorry I haven’t been able to come see you as much’ present from me.”

Landon sighed, knowing she wouldn’t stop until she got his address. It had been two years since she’d moved to Charleston to live with her boyfriend, and because of it, their visits had become less frequent. He knew she felt guilty about it. “I’ll text it later. Can I call you back when I’m done here? I can’t focus on both things right now.”

“Always pushing your little sister and biggest fan off the phone. Fine. Call me when you’re free. Don’t think I’m going to let you out of having a conversation with Colton that easily though. I need the hatchet buried immediately. I’m tired of all this division in the family.”

“Yes, fine, will do.” That was not a conversation he wanted to touch with a ten-foot pole, so the longer he could put it off the better.

“Love you to the moon,” she said, their mother’s favorite words and the ones inked on his left hand.

“Love you to the moon,” he repeated.

Landon slid the phone into the pocket of his sweatpants. He wondered if Keala would catch him in the process of moving. He had planned to tell her about it since she seemed so annoyed at the prospect of him being friends with Ikaika, but he hadn’t seen her since Monday. Ikaika hadn’t been joking when he’d said she was very, very busy.

She would find out soon enough. He couldn’t say he wasn’t counting down the days.

Landon didn’t like it, and he couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but there was something about her that made him want to see her again. He’d thought after a few days the knowledge of who she was paired with her disdain for him would melt the feeling away. He wasn’t the type of guy who fed off chasing women; on the rare occasion a woman wasn’t interested in him, he was already looking at other options.

This was different. This was thinking about kissing her against the wall of Ole Faithful. About the needy moan she had let out when he’d bitten her lip. This was picturing her lips wrapped around his cock as he fisted himself in the shower. It was different, plain and simple.

The reason? Neither plain nor simple and entirely incomprehensible.

And he hated it.

“Where’s this one go?” James, one of the movers, asked, holding up a labeled box. Landon gave him a charming smile anyway, pointing in the direction of the kitchen.

It was going to be another few trips before everything was in, and then he would take the weekend to unpack it all. There wasn’t all that much anyway, and practice on Saturday and Sunday wouldn’t be as long or as difficult as usual.

A part of him hoped Keala would come home soon so he could finally see her again.

Maybe he wanted to see that pretty glare trained on him too.