"And I would … keep my promotion?" I whispered, thinking this all sounded too good to be true.
"I don't see why not."
"What's the catch?" I asked with a laugh.
"No catch. What happened was a mistake. Losing you would be a huge loss to the company. We really want you back, Heidi."
My heart stuttered, and I felt faint. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah," I said with a nod. "I'll take a ten percent pay raise for my emotional discomfort, and I'd like a real office."
Jensen laughed boisterously. "Oh, man. I see why Landon loves you."
I shrugged. "Didn't hurt to try."
He nodded and extended his hand. I put mine in his, and we shook.
"Done."
"Oh my God," I whispered. Then, I saw Landon striding toward us, and I couldn't help it. I dashed toward him, throwing myself into his arms. "Oh my God!"
"What?" he asked, his voice half between concern and excitement.
"Jensen just gave me my job back."
"Heidi, that's amazing."
"With a raise and an office!"
Landon laughed. "You outmaneuvered Jensen Wright. Bask in the glory of that feeling, love. Happens only once in a lifetime."
"God, Landon," I said. I pulled back and sighed heavily. "I am really so sorry for this week."
He held up his hand. "You don't have to apologize to me. I can understand exactly how you felt. I'm sure I was not nice to anyone the week after I injured my back."
"Yeah, I know. It's a reason but not an excuse. I should have believed in you and trusted you. Blowing up like that was just … reactionary. I hurt, so I was blind. It didn't matter how much I loved you or any other thought. Just the pain. I don't ever want to feel that again. I don't want to lose you over something like that."
He pulled me closer and planted a kiss on my lips. "The truth is, you never lost me. I've been right here all along, and I always will be."
I knew that now.
The fog that I had been walking through all week cleared, and I could finally see what was in front of me. Landon Wright was the best damn thing that had happened to me. We might have had our ups and downs, but there were no longer any barriers between us.
"Do you want to get out of here?" I asked.
He grinned. "I'd like nothing more."
He held out his arm, and I placed my hand in the crook of his sleeve. Without a backward glance, we left behind our friends and family and the entire party. With the week we'd had, I wanted to get away from the crowd and fall back in love with him.
He had valeted the Mercedes, and we waited until the valet returned it to us. Then, he drove me across town. He didn't even ask, Your place or mine? He just drove to my apartment and helped me inside.
I didn't know how he knew that I wanted him to come to my place instead of his little tree house. But I wanted to erase the negative memories I had here with him.
My hands slipped under his tuxedo jacket before I even got the door closed. He laughed at my eager behavior, but when I kissed him with everything I had in me, his humor evaporated. I wanted him and needed him like nothing else. I'd felt warranted in my anger over the last week, but I wanted to forget that it had ever happened.
"Heidi," he murmured against my mouth.
"Mmm," I groaned, tossing his jacket to the floor.
His hands were clutching my slip dress. And it was the thinnest material possible, so he was actually digging into my skin. And, fuck me, I wanted him.
"I want to savor you."
"I want you to fuck me."
He slipped his tongue across my bottom lip. "I want to taste every inch of your body."
"I want it rough and fast."
"I want to make you come so many times, you see stars." His fingers met the slit of my dress and eased up to my hips where I was without panties for the night.
"Harder," I practically breathed against his lips. "Much harder."
"And only remember my name." He moved his hand between my legs and stroked my pussy before exploring my clit.
I purred at the touch, my body heightened with arousal. "Take me," I pleaded. "Own me."
"You're not the kind of woman who can be owned," he told me as he did a damn good job of owning my body.
"Prove me wrong," I groaned.
"Fuck, I missed you."
"I know. It was awful."
"I wish I could fucking throw you over my shoulder and carry you into the bedroom. This injury is … " He shook his head.