Burn For You (Boys of the South) by Marquita Valentine Page B

found out that I don’t like myself very much when I veer off that path. I tried to be like my dad, like my brothers, and like everyone assumed I was, only to discover that casual hookups left me feeling empty inside.
    A little worry line appears on her forehead. “Are the two of you getting back together?”
    “In a perfect world, we would have never been apart, but like you said, what’s done is done.” I have no idea why I’m revealing this part of me to her. “Mia is the most important person in my life right now, and I can’t do anything to jeopardize being with her.”
    Landry smiles, beautiful and blinding. She squeezes my hand, and her gaze gets all soft. “So very nice to have met you again, and gotten to see this side of you. Most people probably don’t know it even exists.”
    She’s so right that it’s scary. I let go of her hand and wink. “I prefer my public persona.”
    “That includes bare ass pictures on Google?” This time she winks, and it’s all I can do not to grab her, kiss her, and strip her out of her conservative clothes. The urge to hear her sigh my name, to be the one to make her moan and scream, and claw my back while I sink my dick deep inside her rides me hard. I can almost taste it.
    “You can let yourself out.” I know I can’t follow her, because I can’t trust myself. “I’ll give Kimmie a really good reason as to why I can’t hire you, okay?”
    She nods before practically running to the front door, her heels clicking on the marble floor.  I breathe in and out, slowly, until I can’t smell Landry’s perfume or shampoo, or whatever she uses to smell so fucking edible.
    Thank God, Mrs. Williams won’t be here for another two hours. By then, I should be back to normal, and Mia will be up, distracting me from thinking about what could have been.
    It’s for the best , I tell myself as I grab Mia’s monitor and head to the garage to get the tables I need for tonight’s poker game with my buddies. But a not-so-small part of me wonders if I had a woman like Landry in my life, would I be going through the shit I am now.
    Then again, I wouldn’t have Mia. I smile and silently berate myself for whining. My daughter makes everything worth it.

Chapter Seven
Landry
    “I didn’t get the job.” I stick out my bottom lip and shut the door behind me.
    My momma makes a tsking noise and gives me a quick hug. “I’m sorry, honey. I just knew you had it.”
    “I thought I did, too, but the other lady who was up for it had more experience.” Not to mention, Beau wouldn’t make her all hot and bothered, or question her sanity and morals.  Or maybe he would...
    I plop down in the chair beside my little brother. He’s busy playing Minecraft on his tablet. I wave a hand under his nose. “Earth to Jamie.”
    He turns, muttering, “I’m building a house.”
    “Don’t forget to check the basement for zombies.”
    My dad grunts. “I thought I said no electronics at supper.”
    Jamie turns off his game and hands it to our mom. “Yes, sir,” he says meekly, but I’m not fooled. He doesn’t want to be grounded, or he’ll suffer from withdrawal. Bless his little addicted brain.
    After blessing the food, I get right down to business. “I’m not letting this setback keep me down. A girl I know from school is cleaning houses down in Myrtle Beach. She said I could stay with her and go half on everything, including what we earn cleaning.”
    “Take your time, sweet pea,” my dad says. “Graduation was barely a week ago. There’s no need to rush into anything.”
    Still, I feel like a loser. Who wants to come back and live with their parents when they’re a healthy adult and fully capable of working? “Thanks, Dad. But I don’t want to be a burden to you guys, and the grace period for my loans ends in less than six months. The countdown’s already started.” I stab a hunk of lettuce and an olive.
    My parents give me twin sympathetic smiles, before they change the