Landon's Obsession: An Endless Series: Book 3 (Series 3) (35 page)

     “Did you forget who you’re talking to; my phone would
totally be a Decepticon.” I grunted sipping from my bottle of water. Maya could
call at anytime and I wanted to be completely sober.

     “You have been staring at that phone rather absorbedly for
a while; who are you expecting to call?” Nic asked. Carrie was sitting between
his knees on the floor and he was molesting her hair with his fingers. Jeez,
the guy couldn’t keep his hands off of her. 

     “Seth’s mom, she promised me a date this weekend.” I
grumbled.   

     “You’re face must be missing my fist.” Seth growled.
His girlfriend was sitting on his leg, lap, dick, one or all…whatever, they
were meshed together.

     All this snuggling and cuddling and groping was getting
to me.

     Nadia patted Seth’s chest. “Now Seth, it could be
worse…it could be Evan.” She loved messing with Seth, and I think it was
because she got off on his growls. He didn’t disappoint either; growling he
pinched her leg making her squeal. 

     I rolled my eyes, but inside I was jealous as hell. For
four years I’d buried my feelings under ice and in random hook-ups, but now the
ice was thawed and my chest constricted observing my friends blissful
relationships.  

     “Is that who you’ve been boffing the last three months,
because I know it hasn’t been anyone else?” Evan put his two scents in with a
laugh.

     “Stop talking about my mom.” Seth grumbled.

     “No, I’ve been boffing your mom too.” I retorted toward
Evan.

     He scoffed. “My mom would never do you. She likes men
with big dicks.”

     Carrie shook her head in shock while everyone else
chuckled. “Evan, that is your mother you’re talking about.” Nic rubbed her
shoulder while giving Evan a dirty look for offending Carrie.

     Shit, that guy was whipped.

     Evan ignored Nic, because we were all used to those
looks now, and gave Carrie a bewildered look. “I know, and I can’t have people
thinking that she would settle for someone with such a small dick.”

     I couldn’t let anyone malign my dick. “The only dick’s
bigger than mine are King-Kong’s and Godzilla’s.”

     “Yeah, by fifty feet and three inches.” Amanda
chuckled. “Can you imagine seeing something like that coming at you?” She
shuddered.

     Nadia sniggered and whispered in Seth’s ear. Whatever
she said had him smiling and capturing her mouth in a consuming kiss that I
really didn’t need to see. I hadn’t had sex in three months and watching people
make out hot and heavy wasn’t helping my already drawn tight as a bow string
nerves. Plus, my body had announced quite vociferously that Maya still had the
same effect on me as she had four years ago. Right before I’d left, and that
douche, Gregory, had shown, I’d been sporting a chubby to end all chubby’s.

     The girl turned woman was still gorgeous beyond
compare; her warm, dark brown eye with hidden mysteries still drew me in a way
where I just wanted to drown in them, those plump lips of hers screamed to be
devoured, and her body was still petite, but maybe just a little bit curvier,
and her nearly black hair that had been pinned up looked just as long and
silky.

     Since hitting puberty Maya had been the only female to rouse
more than just my cock, and what she did to my cock no other female had ever
come near to matching. However, it was the emotional deluge that shook me to my
core. Then and now, she made me want more than a dispassionate fuck.

     And what was that fucking douche Gregory to her besides
a boss, a
friend
, and a stepbrother? Just what kind of friend was he?
From the correction he’d pointedly made about them not being brother and sister
I knew he was interested in more than a familial relationship. Hell, just the
way he hovered and looked at her I could garner that.

     Fuck! I did not like the thought of them being anything
other than what she described.

     However, my thoughts shouldn’t be focused on Maya. Nola
was what I should be focusing on. I’d only gotten a brief glimpse of her that
first day, but then I’d viewed that picture of her in Maya’s living room. She
was the cutest kid I’d ever seen; skin a little lighter than Maya’s, cherub
cheeks, miniature nose, huge smile for the camera, ash-blonde hair with long
cork-screw wispy curls all over her head, and hazel eyes…undeniable hazel eyes.

     It shocked me that I wasn’t more freaked about finding
out that I might be a father. While some men would be praying that she was some
other guys, I wasn’t. I wanted her to be mine. The thought that she might be Kris’s
sent white hot rage through me. She had to be mine, she just had to be. I’d had
more nights, and afternoons, with Maya, so the chance of Nola being mine was
higher, but the fact that we’d both wore condoms kind of screwed up those
statistics. All it took was one random swimmer from a faulty condom…but whose
had ended up being defective?

     It was ironic; I’d been so vigilant in my protection
because of conniving females, but now I hoped that it was my sperm that had
knocked up Maya.  

     I was pulled from my thoughts by the ringing of my
phone. I jerked the screen around and my heart skipped at the unknown number.
“Landon McKay.” I answered.

     There was a small pause. “Landon, this is Maya.”

     The skip of my heart tripled. Jumping up I strode from
the room and heard everyone go silent behind me as I did. “Maya! I’m so happy
you called.”

     Another pause. “Really?” She sounded surprised.

     “Yes. I’ve been on pins and needles here.” I paced the
foyer. “If you’d taken much longer to call back I probably would have made
another surprise visit to you.”

     There was another pause and I wondered if I’d said too much.
Was I sounding too stalker’ish’?

     “Do you still feel the same way…about Nola?”

     Her straight to the point inquiry froze my synapses for
a second. “Yes!” I answered, slapping myself inwardly. “Yes, I do, Maya.” The
knot in my stomach relaxed knowing that she wanted me in their lives. I slumped
down on the stairs.

     I heard her sigh over the phone. “Okay…then I guess we
should set up a time for you and Nola to meet.”

     “I’m ready when you’re ready.” I’d go over there right
now if she suggested it.

     Pause. “Do you want to come over tomorrow?” She asked
hesitantly.

     That would have been my second choice. “What time?”   

     “How about around lunch time, twelve o’clock?”

     “Sounds good.” I agreed.

     “Okay…well…we will see you tomorrow then.” She declared
in an awkward tone.

     Shit, I wasn’t ready to hang up with her yet. “Maya,
thank you for agreeing to this.”

     “You are a way better choice for a father than your
brother.”

     A spasm of pain weaved through my chest. “So, am I just
the better of two choices?”

     “No, not at all Landon.” Her instant reply eased the ache.
“While I don’t know you that well any more, I believe you still have those same
decent qualities I perceived years ago. Stepping up as you’re doing right now
illustrates that.”

     Gratification filled me at her words, but at the same
time I didn’t feel I deserved that kind of tribute. “I never realized I had
those qualities…now or four years ago.”

     “You did…do, your ego just obscures it sometimes.”

     I thought I heard a smile in the voice. “It is pretty
big.” I said this suggestively wondering if she’d catch it.    

     There was a pause and I knew she caught my innuendo.
“Yes…well, try to keep that
ego
under wraps and then my mama might come
to see those qualities I see.”

     My gut bottomed. “Your mother’s going to be there?”

     “Not tomorrow, that’s just for you and Nola, at least
that’s what I told her, but soon she will corner you, and it would be best if
you two could get along.”

     My breath whooshed out in relief; it was a small
reprieve. “We never had a problem getting on before.”

     “That was then, when she was paid to get along with
you; she’s not too happy with you right now. I’ve been working with her, trying
to explain your side of things, and while I’ve made some progress it’s going to
be up to you to completely turn her around.”

     I could hear her apprehension. “I will be on my best
behavior when I see her. I promise.” As I finished reassuring Maya I heard a ‘
Mommy’
yelled in the background. The sound tugged at my heart.   

     “Just a minute, baby girl.” Maya yelled back. “Landon,
I have to go, but I will see you tomorrow.”

     “Twelve o’clock sharp.” I affirmed.

     “All right…well, bye then.” She stammered.  

     “See you soon.” I said huskily. There was another small
pause before the line went dead. I immediately saved her number on my phone.

     Setting the phone down on the step I hunched over and
rubbed at my head and neck. One tension filled wait was over, but now I had
another to look forward to. I was going to meet my daughter tomorrow. Fuck and
Wow!

     “Get your ass in here and tell us what the hell that
was all about?” Noah yelled.

     I rolled my eyes at Noah’s demand, and now that I think
about it they had been pretty silent during my phone call. They’d probably
listened to my entire one-sided conversation. I tried to recall what I’d said.
Had I said anything about Nola?

     Rising I strode back into the living room. “Were you
guys listening?”

     Carrie was the only one to blush guiltily. The rest of
them just stared at me in acute interest.

     “Who’s Maya?” Nic asked, not wasting any time.

     I blew out an enormous sigh and slumped back down in my
recently vacated chair. “Maya is a long story.”

     None of them looked discouraged by that.       

     Did I want to finally tell them what was going on in my
life?

     Yeah…I did. I wanted people…my friends, to know that I
had a daughter. It might not be an actual fact yet…god I hope it was…but to
everyone else she was no matter what.

     “Maya is the mother of my child.” I announced.

     They all stared at me in astounded silence, but I knew
the silence was only temporary.

     “Holy Shit! You got a chick pregnant!” Evan exclaimed.

     Irritation stabbed at me at Evan’s careless wording.
“Maya isn’t a
chick
, she’s the mother of my little girl.” I growled.

     Evan’s brows shot up and then down in a frown.
“Wait…you know what you’re having already. How far along is this…girl?”

     This was going to shock them even more. “Four years
along.”

     Another round of stunned expressions.

     “Holy shit!” Evan exclaimed again.

     Nic leaned forward with a confused frown. “You got a
girl pregnant four years ago? So, this happened when you were still in high
school?”

     I nodded. “Yeah, the summer after I graduated. Maya was
only seventeen though.” My chest constricted. There were so many other
questions I wanted to ask Maya…and I knew the answers I received were going to
be just as difficult to hear as everything else I’d heard.

     The girls all gasped at that announcement. I’m certain
they were all putting themselves in Maya shoes, and how they would have freaked
out at finding themselves pregnant at that time in their lives.

     “Did you know she was pregnant back then?” Carrie asked
tentatively. There was a look on her face that said she hoped I hadn’t, and I
knew it was because she didn’t want to think I’d left Maya to deal with this
alone for four years.

     My lip twisted up at her hopefulness. “No, I didn’t
know, and I wished to god I did.”

     “This girl kept the pregnancy, and your child, from you
this whole time? Fuck, I’d be pissed.” Seth grunted with displeasure.

     It hadn’t even crossed my mind to be pissed, at least
not at Maya. I was just sad…sad all around…about everything. “She had a good
reason to keep it from me. I was an asshole and a half to her.”

    
Major understatement.

     Evan blew out a snort. “You’re an asshole to all the
women you sleep with. It hasn’t stopped them from chasing after you. Shit, I
can’t believe she didn’t come after you for your money.”

     I inhaled through another sharp pain. “Maya’s not like
that, and she wasn’t a one night stand. She was my girlfriend.” Yet again I got
a round of raised eyebrows. They knew my cynical attitude toward women and how
I stayed away from any kind of commitment. After what I’d thought Maya had done
it had only gotten worse. “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking…but yes, I did
have a girlfriend, and it was for about two months…two of the best months of my
life.” I uttered the last part in a raw gravely tone, and I didn’t miss the
differing levels of added astonishment on everyone’s face at my declaration.
Everyone that is except Nadia…she only watched me with a deep intensity. I
wondered if she was connecting the dots.

     Shaking off my despondency I finished my story. “Maya
was the daughter of our housekeeper. She was different than anyone else I knew,
but unfortunately my cynicism ran too deep. I saw something that I read
completely wrong and I dumped her in a very brutal manner. So to reiterate, she
had a very good reason to not tell me about the baby.”

     I didn’t want to reveal what had happened to Maya. It
wasn’t to protect my brother, but because I wasn’t certain Maya wanted it
exposed to everyone. She might end up around my friends and I wanted her to be
comfortable with them.

     Nadia’s eyes went wide with shock and I could see that
she’d definitely put all the dots together. She gave me a sympathetic look and
pressed her lips together letting me know that she’d continue to keep her mouth
closed.

     “What you saw…does it have something to do with your
brother?” Noah asked with a narrowed eyed look.

     My friends might not know the story, but they weren’t
stupid. They were also connecting certain dots. “Yeah, my fucking brother had
something to do with it.” I gritted out.

     I watched as Seth looked at Nadia who gave him an
apologetic look. He gave her a single nod of understanding and a kiss. It
didn’t hit me till now that our secret might have put some strain on their
relationship. I regretted that it might have but at the same time I appreciated
her silence.

     “That’s why you’ve been acting like a manic-depressive these
last three months, and why you missed so many classes, isn’t it?” Nic declared
with sudden insight. “You’ve been looking for her?”

     I nodded. “She actually lives here in Charlottesville
but has been out of state for the last few months and just got back a few days
ago. It’s been a bit…stressful waiting for her return. I at first just wanted
to apologize for jumping to conclusions and how I had acted…but then I found
out about Nola.”

     “Zat’s your little girl’s name…Nola?” Nadia asked
softly, her Russian accent pronounced.

     Even though my gut was twisted with nerves at the
thought of meeting this little girl tomorrow an unexpected smile pulled at my
mouth, and a warm feeling filled my chest. “Yeah, I get to meet her tomorrow.”

     Evan was shaking his head looking confounded. “You seem
so…acquiescent. How are you not freaking out about finding out that you have a
kid, that you’re a dad? I think I’d be walking around in a stupor.”

     Nic nodded as well, staring at me intently. “Yeah,
you’re manner does seem a bit composed. You thought you were just going to
apologize to this girl and then you find out you’re a father. Why aren’t you
looking more freaked out?”

     I huffed out a short laugh. The emotions inside me were
all over the place, it was difficult to find just one to freak out on. “Oh, I’m
a bit freaked out, but I also can’t wait to meet her.”

     The girls all smiled like I’d said the sweetest thing,
while the guys shook their heads in bewilderment. If I was on the opposite side
of this conversation I would probably be wearing the same expression, but this
wasn’t happening to them, it was happening to me, and I seemed to be adhering
to Maya’s philosophy that Nola was the one good thing to come out of this whole
damn situation. I had to find something good from it.

     “Well, it’s great that you’re taking responsibility for
your child, Landon, and that you’re happy about her. Many guys would be looking
for a way out of this kind of situation by demanding blood and DNA tests.”
Amanda announced with slight rancor.

     I frowned. I was doing that but it wasn’t so I could
refute that Nola was mine. I wanted to prove she was. No matter what I was
claiming her.

     “Nola’s mine.” I stated firmly.

     The girls all beamed at my assertion.

     Evan stood up with a smile and an offered fist. “Well
shit, man, you’re a dad. That’s just fucking…bizarre, but if you’re happy about
it than I’m happy for you.” I bumped it with a return smile.

     “So, when do we get to meet her?” Carrie asked in
excitement.

     My mouth quirked at her enthusiasm. “
I’m
just
meeting her tomorrow, so it’s hard to say. Maya and I still need to discuss
things.” A lot of things.

     “Is she okay...I mean; is everything okay with you
two?”  Nadia asked with concern, amending her question.

     I gave Nadia a small smile for her compassion. “She
seems good, and we are amicable right now. I’m just ecstatic that she’s letting
me near both her and Nola.”

     “Are you hoping to start something back up with this
girl?” Evan asked with a curious frown.

     I rubbed at the back of my neck in agitation. I hadn’t
let myself go down that road of reflection because I thought Maya for sure hate
me, but even though that didn’t seem the case that didn’t mean she would ever want
to get back together again. There was an ocean of history and hurt between us.

     But I couldn’t deny that Evan’s question had my heart
thumping in my chest. In fact, it had been jack hammering since I’d gotten my
arms around her once again. 

     “I don’t know. We have a lot of past to deal with. I
don’t even know if she’s in a relationship at the moment.” I wasn’t certain how
close she was to that Greg guy, and there might be someone else in her life I
didn’t know about. I knew zip about her life now. I jerked up out of my seat in
agitation. “Listen, I’m going to head up to my room. I need to think about a
few things.”

     They all stared at me with expressions of understanding
and that just made me itch with more anxiety.

     “Sure, we’ll see you later then, and good luck with
tomorrow.” Nic stated as I turned to go.

     I turned back to them at the entryway continuing to rub
at my neck in awkwardness. “I just wanted to say that I appreciate you all
being there for me these past few months. You knew I was going through
something shitty and you were sensitive enough to know I didn’t want to talk
about it.”

     “Hey, we’re there for you, man.” Noah declared with a
grin. Everyone else nodded in agreement, except Evan, he was shaking his head.

     “I don’t know what you’re talking about, dude, I am soo
not sensitive; perceptive, or insightful maybe, but not sensitive. That’s chick
talk.”

     Nadia snickered. “But you are sweet, Evan. Like a jelly
filled donut sweet.”

     Everyone laughed while Evan looked horrified. “What the
hell are you talking about? I am not sweet or jelly filled.” He exclaimed
puffing out his chest.

     I shook my head and left the room with a half-smile as
they all began debating Evan’s sweetness level. I knew they’d gone that route
because they’d noted my discomfort and wanted to distract from it, and I
couldn’t be more grateful…I couldn’t deal with any further emotional
declarations.

     Hell, my emotions were as raw as they could get right
now with everything I was dealing with, but I’m damn certain it was nothing
compared to what Maya had gone through, and what I was making her relive. The
sadness and despair in her eyes when she’d revealed what had really happened,
and not knowing who her daughters father is…Fuck, all I’d wanted to do was grab
her and kiss her eyes, her nose, and her lips and wish like hell it could erase
every horrible thing my brother and I had done to her.

     I wasn’t allowed that fucking privilege anymore
though…no matter how much I wished it. 

Chapter Four

MAYA

     The door bell rang exactly at twelve o’clock telling me
Landon was right on time.
Great
! I contemplated leaving him hanging for
five minutes, but instead blew out an aggrieved breath and made my way toward
the front door.

     A smile was curving his mouth when I opened the door
but it turned into surprise as he took in my appearance. “Uh…what hel…heck
happened to you?”

     Even in my harried state I couldn’t help but be pleased
that Landon had corrected his language, and it kind of surprised me that I
hadn’t had to address him about it first. He had a real love with swear words.

     I looked down at my purple stained shirt and pants with
a grimace. “Nola spilled her grape juice on me seconds before you got here.”

     “It looks like it was the entire glass.” He said with a
small smile as his gaze trailed down my front again. I noted how his stare
seemed to focus on how the wet material clung to my chest. My stomach clenched
and heated, and of course my breasts reacted to his attention, swelling heavily
while my nipples hardened instantly. My sex wasn’t far behind, rippling with
pleasurable contractions.

     
God, I’d forgotten what that felt like!

    
I backed up and nervously pulled the shirt away
from my suddenly overheated skin. “Yeah, Nola doesn’t do half measures. Come on
in.”

     “Mommy!”

     My agitated state escalated. Waving Landon in I turned
back toward the kitchen. “Come in, I need to get back to Nola.”

     I heard the door close behind me as I rushed back to
the kitchen. Nola had stayed in her chair like I’d asked her with a puddle of
grape juice on the floor under her. Grabbing some paper towel I knelt down on
the ground to sop it up.

     “Mommy, I’m sorry.” Nola stuck out her bottom lip in
distress, her eyes glassy with impending tears.

     I gave her a smile of reassurance as I kissed her cheek.
“It’s okay, baby girl. It was just an accident. Remember when I dropped that
bowl of cereal and it went all over the place. I made a way bigger mess than
you did.”

     Nola’s lip retracted and she smiled. “Yeah, it went
everywhere. It got…” She stopped and gazed over my head with wide eyes. “Who’s
that?”

     I inhaled deeply at that loaded question. Looking over
my shoulder I saw Landon staring at Nola with a dazed and wondrous expression.
Nola had features similar to mine as a child, and you could see the hint of
African American from her kinky hair, but her eyes were hazel like Landon’s—
and
his brother’s
—and her hair was dark ash blonde.

     “God, Maya, she’s perfect.” He exclaimed.

     Many people had commented on Nola’s unusual and
stunning features, and I loved her wholeheartedly just because she was my
daughter, but I found myself snorting at his observation. “Does this look like
perfect to you?” I gestured to the grape puddle.

     He seemed to have to tear his gaze away from Nola to
take in the grape juice all over the tile. The corner of his mouth quirked up.
“It’s a perfect purple mess.”

     “I says I was sorry.” Nola pouted again, eyes huge in
puppy dog distress.

     Landon’s face contorted in agonized distress. “Oh
shi…man, I’m toast. She’s going to wrap me around her little fingers.” He
groaned.

     My brows shot up at his heartfelt exclamation, but his
confession wasn’t too surprising. Nola had everyone wrapped around her finger.

     “What’s fat?” Nola pointed at Landon and I suddenly
took note that he had something in his hand.

     Landon raised his arm, holding up a bag of Lego’s. “I
brought you a present?”

     I couldn’t help grinning at the question in that
statement. It wasn’t difficult to see that he was apprehensive about her liking
what he brought her.  

     Nola smiled and clapped. “Really…” She looked at me in
excitement. “Is it my birfday?”  

     My grin twisted. “No, it’s not your
birthday
.
Landon just wanted to get you a present.”

     Landon stepped forward, around the juice puddle,
setting the bag on the table. “Do you like Lego’s?” He asked anxiously.

     “Oh yes, I got some already, but I like to build high.”
She raised her arm to demonstrate.

     Landon’s face softened. “I do too. I try to get it as
high as me.”

     Nola wiggled in her seat in excitement. “Me too.”

     “Maybe I could help you next time?” Landon’s query
squeezed at my heart. He didn’t sound like he was just offering for the sake of
it, it sounded like he really wanted to spend that time with her.