Because of Us (My Best Friends Brother)

TWENTY | Come back to me.

POV | Belle

The next few days were hard. I’d never seen Landon so quiet, so in himself. Words seemed to be a thing of the past with him. All he wanted to do was bury his face in my neck and hold me close. I let him every time and never questioned it.

When we got home that night, Landon cried. Something in him snapped and it was too much to bear. Ethan helped me walk him up the stairs where I gently tugged off his clothes before slipping in beside him. I asked Ethan to stay the night in the guest room just in case. He didn’t hesitate to say yes, I knew he wouldn’t.

He was looking at Landon the same way I was. He could see the pain, the anger, the tears. If I wasn’t mistaken he seemed hurt himself, like Landon’s wounds were his own. I knew Ethan and him had grown close, but it wasn’t until that night that I saw the admiration in his eyes. The sad smile that held so much love. Ethan loved Landon, just like I loved Landon. The realisation made my stomach fill with butterflies.

Landon deserved it. He deserved so much more than the way he felt right now. So having two hearts to support him made me happy.

After two days of silence I finally woke to Landon’s groggy voice whispering ‘Morning my love’ tenderly in my ear. The goosebumps that surfaced along my skin at the sound tingled. His husky tone vibrated against my neck all the way to my core. Warm hands gripped my waist from behind, tugging me tightly against him.

Though his hands always reached for me when I was near, for the past two days they hadn’t held nearly as much energy as they did right then. I’d missed his touch. This touch. The one that was strong yet tender. Rough yet delicate. I turned in his grip, immediately reaching for his face and pulling it to mine. Two days without his lips was enough, hearing his voice made me want to swallow him whole. Trap it inside my mind so I’d never have to go without it again.

By the third day Landon was back at work. The smile had somewhat returned to his face though I could still see the distance in his eyes. He was fighting with something in the back of his mind. As much as I wanted to ask, I didn’t. I knew in time he would tell me. I trusted he would.

After all, I knew what it was like to hold something so damaging close to your heart. I understood how it could consume you. How it could take from you. When Landon found out about my mum, he listened. He gave me time and space. And he was always there for me no matter what. So that’s what I would do for him. I’d wait, I’d be there. And when he was ready, I would listen.

As I watched Landon leave on the third day, excitement ran through me. He may not be ready to talk, but I was ready to make him smile. Making my way back inside I ran upstairs, bursting into the guest room that was still occupied by Ethan. When I’d asked him to stay he told me he would stay as long as I needed him to. Three days later, I still did. Only now I was interrupting his slumber with a smile.

He moaned, wiping his hand down his face before looking at me through hooded eyes. I stood at the end of his bed, watching the blanket slip as he stretched. I couldn’t help but admire his chest as his skin pulled tight. Ethan may not have been as big as Landon, but he was certainly just as well defined.

Noticing my stare he chuckled, opening his arms wide to me with a cheesy and sleepy grin. Crawling up the bed, I closed the space between us. Accepting his arms as they wrapped around my shoulders.

“Good morning Blue-Belle” he yawned. Placing a gentle kiss on my hair. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

I pulled away enough to look up at him, matching his cheesy grin and wiggling my eyebrows. “I have an idea, but it requires heavy lifting and I have not a single skill in that department” he laughed, tucking me back under his chin.

“Mmm and what is this idea?” He asked through a half yawn.

“I want to surprise Landon” I admitted. Ethan this time pulled away intrigued. For the past three days I had planted myself by Landon’s side, Ethan however had kept his distance. Watching from a far as I soothed his open wounds. Now I was pulling him to the front lines to attack. And by attack I meant lift. And by lift, I meant redecorate. Ethan chuckled at the idea but excitement still filled his veins.

He growled out, giving his muscles one final stretch as I drummed my palms on his chest. “Up and at ‘em” I jumped from the bed rushing from the room to go and put on coffee. Today Landon was going to smile. I was adamant he was going to take a break from the memories that swarmed his mind. Even if only for a short moment. That was my only goal.

It didn’t take long for Ethan to make his way downstairs in a simple pair of blue jeans paired with a fitted white tee. I handed him his coffee in a to-go cup and entered the directions into his GPS. I already knew what I wanted to get so shopping was quick and easy. The hard part was setting it all up. But that’s what Ethan was here for.

I smiled in Landon’s office sitting atop the wooden desk, watching as Ethan moved the final leather bound chair into place. He wiped the sweat that beaded his forehead with the back of his hand before resting it on his hip. “How about now?” I nodded.

“Perfect” I jumped off the desk. But as I went to take a step towards Ethan I curled over in pain. A cramp pulsing through my core so painful I think I almost threw up. Ethan rushed to my side holding both my arms before helping me back up onto the desk. I took in a deep breath, wincing at the pain that continued to strike up my centre.

“You okay Bluebelle?” He looked over me warily, examining my skin for any indication of an injury. I waved him off.

“I’m fine, just a cramp” I lied. Truth is the pain had been coming and going for weeks. I had been mentally noting every time the pain returned but there was no pattern or cycle to follow. I told Landon I was due for my period but in all honestly I’d never really tracked it. Just kinda played the whole monthly bleeding by ear. And with no Zoe near me to sync cycles I sure as hell had no idea.

“Belle you don’t look the best” Ethan stated pressing the back of his hand to my head to check for a fever.

I shooed his hand feeling the heat already filling my cheeks. “I promise I’m fine, just need to lay down”

He looked at me for what seemed to be minutes before he hooked his arm under my leg, hoisting me into his arms to carry me to bed. It took all the strength in me not to wince as he walked. I knew if he saw he would call Landon, who would call every hospital in a five mile radius to find a doctor who would see me at my bedside.

Laying me on my bed he got me water and painkillers before leaving me to rest. Before he could turn away completely I reached out to him “Keep this between us please?”

“Belle…” he warned.

“I promise I’ll tell him, just not yet, I want to surprise him first” I pleaded, pushing out my bottom lip and creasing my brows.

“Promise?”

“I promise”

***

The front door opened and closed. Hours had passed, the sky dusked making an orange hue pool through the windows. Reflecting off the walls inside as the sun continued to set. I smiled down at the food I’d prepared. Pesto pasta. I wasn’t an ‘A’ grade chef, but if there was one thing I knew how to make taste good it was pasta. The trick? Cheese.

The sound of keys hitting the bench made me look up. Landon stood lazily against the counter, a soft smile on his lips as he took in the scene before him.

I’d covered the coffee table in the lounge room with a soft grey cloth, bowls of pasta and bread covered its top. Along with a bottle of red wine, glasses and wood wick candles that crackle like a bonfire. The lights were off, only the flickering candles and the sun's glow lit the room.

Letting his jacket fall from his shoulders, he reached up unbuttoning the first few buttons on his dress shirt. Making his way to me slowly, the hunger. In his eyes turning from the food to me. Pressing his hands to my hips, he gripped me tightly. Pulling me flush against him as he lent in to steal a kiss. It was soft and short, yet my toes still curled from the feel.

“Welcome home” I whispered against his lips “I made us dinner.” His lips moved against mine again, this time to smile.

“It looks amazing love” I melted into his words. The deep husky tone sweeping over my brain like smoke, clouding every clear thought I had. Days without his voice had me feeling like I was hearing it for the first time all over again.

A minute passed of me swooning over Landon before he guided us towards the food. Sinking down onto the pillows that covered the floor he pulled me to his side. I reached forward, pouring us each a short glass of red which Landon happily took from me.

“What are we celebrating?” I shrugged feeling the blush creep over my cheeks as he watched me intently, stroking the skin along my jaw with his knuckles.

I lent into his touch, letting his hand fall to my chin. His thumb tracing my bottom lip admiring them as I admitted “Us”

“To us” he whispered, tapping his glass against mine. Our eyes never breaking contact as we both took a sip. The wine was sweet with hints of pepper and spice. I let the rich velvety liquid glide down my throat with a moan. Landon watched me behind his glass, eyes lingering on my neck like he was about to devour me whole.

Resting my glass on the table I collected the bowl that sat before him. Twirling a fork through the strings of pasta before offering it to him. He chuckled, resting his glass next to mine before accepting the food. He rolled his eyes closed, sucking the fork clean with his lips. I had to bite my lip at the sight of him relishing the taste, a whimper caught in my throat.

When his eyes opened something dark flashed in them, he quickly suppressed it leaning in for another bite.

“How was work today?” I asked, making chit chat as we ate beside candlelight. Landon eyed me, reaching for the other fork twirling it through the food in my hands.

“Morale is still up from winning the contract so it wasn’t too bad” He smiled, lifting another spoonful of pasta into his mouth. “How was your day beautiful?”

“Good, I finally managed to finish that book I was reading” I answered.

“Another one to add to the pile you need to read to me” He joked. We danced around the topic that was burning at the tip of my tongue. The one thing I wanted to ask but all the same wanted to be respectful of. A gentle silence fell over the room before Landon placed the food on the table. His hands found one another in his lap.

“You can ask me Belle” Landon’s voice was weak. Even though my tongue burned with questions I knew he was only saying this for me. The mere thought of talking about it seemed to be putting him back on the edge I had so desperately been trying to pull him away from. So I played dumb.

“Ask you what?” This time my voice betrayed me with its high pitched tone. Landon turned to me with a look, one that said what we already both knew.

I opened my mouth in an attempt to defend my naivety, but nothing came out. There was no point in arguing. Not when he said it “About her Belle”

Though Landon sat like I rock I carried the panic in me. I wanted to know. So desperately did I want to know about his pain, but I didn’t want to tread so close to the edge just to get an answer. It wasn’t worth it, nothing was worth seeing him like that again. Even if he didn’t want to admit it I could tell it was too soon.

“I don’t want to ask” I slipped closer to him. Running my hand up his chest till it rested over his heart. “I want to wait for you to want, to tell me” His hand found mine on his chest. Our fingers intertwined as his racing heart became a steady thrum.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to want to talk about her” He shook his head, his hand tensed but his heart kept its steady pace.

“Then just tell me about you, about what you went through. But only when you’re ready” his heart picked up again but not from panic, but because of me. Well that’s at least what I wanted to think as he let go a breath of relief.

Lifting myself to my knees I pressed my lips to his, stealing a kiss before I stood “C’mon”

“Where are we going?” He asked, accepting my hands. Laughing as I tried pulling his large frame from the ground with my tiny one.

“I’ve got a surprise” I breathed out finally getting him off the floor and pulling him up the stairs.

Standing before his office doors he pushed his hands into his pants pockets. Smiling down at my excited face as he waited patiently. With how he was watching me I half wanted to drag him to a different room, or better yet, press myself against the wall and let him take me from behind.

I swallowed my desires that crept, telling myself it was just from the lack of intimacy the past few days. Turning back to the doors I flashed him one last wink before opening them up and stepping inside. He followed behind me, eyes scanning the room from left right.

The room was painted a dark blueish grey that continued all the way onto the ceiling. A wooden chandelier hung from its centre, the golden hue of its lights extenuating the knick knacks that filled the built in shelves. One end of the room had a dark leather chesterfield sofa, with two matching winged armchairs and a table at its centre. The other had a large antique mahogany desk, a leather bound executive chair behind it.

Stepping further into the room, Landon traced his finger across the leather of the wingback chair. The shock in his eyes settled to something darker, something more desirable. I watched the way they flickered, with me in their reflection, dancing on their flames.

"You did all this for me Princess?" I swallowed as he spoke. Locked in his stare, walking backwards as he continued to stalk forward until my backside met his desk. My arms flung backwards atop the wood as if to steady myself from the sudden object. Landon's lips curled up, him pushing forward until he towered over me. Trapping me between him and the desk.

"E-Ethan helped with the heavy stuff..." I stuttered as he lent down. His hands grazed under my ass, teasing the skin of the back of my thighs making me quiver. His face leveled with mine, breath touching breath, watching me as if he could see my whole body throb along with my clit.

Gripping my thighs he pulled me up onto his desk, pulling my legs apart to step between them. My chest heaved, stomach pulling tight cursing the small amount of distance he kept between us. I fought the urge to push myself forward, though his hands holding my thighs wouldn't allow it. Dropping his head, he grazed his nose along my neck. From the bottom of my ear and down to my collar bone. I tilted my head back, pushing my chest forward, whimpering wanting more.

FInding the dip in my throat, he began tracing a single line upwards. His warmth breath fanned my skin as he trailed higher "Mm, you did so good. I love it baby" The praise made me roll my hips, desperate to break his hold on my thighs. He chuckled. Following the line he nose drew, he licked a path down my neck.

"You keep being a good girl and wait here for me" I moaned, desperate for his hands and mouth as he retreated. Leaving me throbbing and wet, frozen in place from his command. A command I would follow for the rest of my life.

'I would wait for you every day Landon' I thought 'Just as long as you always come back to me...'