Page 48 of A Sweet Mess

“Good?” he said.

“So,sogood.”

Aubrey exercised a heavy dose of restraint at the gift shop and kept her purchases to an olallieberry refrigerator magnet for Tara and a jar of olallieberry jam for herself. Landon casually strolled the shop, stopping here and there, then lined up at the register. She waited for him by the door, dying to know what he’d gotten, but she kept her curiosity to herself in case he asked her about her purchases from the glass store.

Landon tucked her into the passenger seat, then slid into his seat and turned to her. “You want to see what I got?”

“Yes.”

He pulled out his find with a flourish and dangled it in front of her nose.

“What is that?” Aubrey said, drawing back to get a better look. Then she burst into a belly laugh. “Is that an olallieberry pie air freshener?”

Grinning broadly, he broke open the plastic packaging and hung the cartoony pie behind his rearview mirror. He looked so mischievous and gleeful that Aubrey bit hard on the inside of her cheek to stop from mooning over him. This adorable and carefree Landon might be worth risking everything for.

The stars filled the sky, and a sliver of a crescent moon lit the road on their drive back, and Aubrey retraced the details of the day, committing them to memory. Landon drove at a leisurely pace. Perhaps he wanted to prolong the day as much as she did. It really was a perfect day, and a part of her wanted it to lead into a perfect night.

Unable to shake off the dangerous path of her thoughts, she stole sideways glances at Landon, turning away with a blush only to look back again. Every time he caught her staring, he made her heart perform acrobatics with his sexy dimple. He could probably see what she wanted plastered across her face, but she couldn’t stop staring.

When his cell phone rang, she jumped as though she’d been caught being naughty. Aubrey’s heart plummeted when she heard Aria weeping on the other side.

“Landon, please. I need to talk to you.”

Before she could hear any more, Landon transferred the call to his handheld.

“Where are you?” He paused and nodded as though Aria could see him through the phone. “It’s okay. I’ll be there soon.”

When the call ended, tension blanketed the quiet happiness that had permeated the car. Landon seemed distracted, and Aubrey pulled on her lower lip, torn between concern and curiosity.

“Is everything okay?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes.” He glanced at her and then turned his eyes back to the road. “No. She needs someone to talk to, but she’ll be okay.”

“Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

Landon smiled a little and gave her knee a squeeze, but his mind was elsewhere. Aubrey wished they could’ve enjoyed the rest of their evening together and then immediately felt like a brat. She’d only known Aria for a little more than a week, but Aria was her friend and she needed Landon’s help. Aubrey couldn’t believe how selfish she was.

The remaining drive to the villa dragged on for what felt like hours. The car had barely rolled to a stop when Aubrey jumped out and ran for the front door. If she lingered, she might want to hold on to him. Besides, he’d never leave Aria in tears to stay with her. Their one night together wouldn’t—and shouldn’t—trump ten years of friendship.

Too busy lecturing herself, she didn’t hear Landon behind her and jumped when he grasped her arm.

“Are you okay?” A frown creased his forehead.

“Yes, yes. Of course. I’m just tired.”

“Get some rest, then.” But his gaze bored into hers, seeking the truth behind her transparent lie. “I’ll be out for a while. Will you be okay?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” she said, tilting her chin up. “Good night.”

“Hey, wait.” As she stepped toward the door, Landon tugged her into his arms. “I had a wonderful time today. Thank you for coming with me.”

“You’re welcome.” Her smile wobbled in the corners. “It was lovely.”

They stood with their gazes locked, and his arms loosely wrapped around her waist. Their smiles dimmed as the space between their bodies became hot and charged like a stormy night in the tropics.

“I should go,” he said, but he made no move to leave and stared at her lips.

“Yes, of course.” She tried to step back, but his hands tightened on her waist. Aubrey cocked her head to the side. She really hadn’t wanted to keep him from Aria. “Landon?”

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