Like Harrison’s going to agree to that. He won’t even clear a drawer for you or give you any closet space and how many nights a week do you stay at his place? You had to beg him to let you leave some toiletries in the guest bathroom. Don’t you think it’s strange that Harrison didn’t want to move in together, even after you got engaged?
She paused on the front steps of the porch, trying to ignore the troublesome niggle at the base of her spine. Okay, maybe it was weird that she and Harrison didn’t live together, but Harrison liked his space. He always had. She knew that and she respected it. Would it have been easier for her if they’d lived together? Of course, but Harrison deserved to have his needs met as well.
Besides, a proper lady didn’t shack up with a man. A proper lady –
Oh my God, enough with the proper lady shit. What happens if Harrison can’t get over his personal space thing after you’re married?
She ignored her inner voice. Harrison would be fine once they were married. They’d be living together, but it wasn’t like she’d be glued to his side the whole time they were at home. She knew what he needed, and she could give him space even if they were living together.
She climbed the steps and juggled the bottle of wine and her overnight bag in one hand as she dug through her purse for her keys. She needed to make a note on her phone to talk to Harrison about the playlist for the DJ. He’d emailed her twice now. If Harrison didn’t sit down and take a final look at the playlist, she’d have to send it as is. Oh, and she absolutely could not forget to set her alarm for the morning. Her parents were paying for the wedding flowers, and she was meeting her mom at the florist to make the down payment. Shit, she also needed to book the girls in for their final dress fittings and –
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She needed to stop thinking about the damn wedding and concentrate on seducing Harrison tonight. A girl had needs and while she and Harrison didn’t have what she’d consider a rousing sex life, a month-long dry spell was unusual, even for them.
She glanced at the overnight bag, a blush rising in her cheeks. She’d told Gracie and Kira that she’d bought a pretty chemise and some massage oil for tonight and that part was true. What she hadn’t mentioned was that she’d also purchased some silk scarves with a matching blindfold and a wand vibrator.
Her cheeks grew even hotter. She’d ordered them online and she’d had to ask Harper to look at the website with her. She’d been completely overwhelmed and lost just looking at the first page. Harrison would kill her if he knew she talked to Harper about their sex life, but she had to talk to someone, right? Besides, she didn’t give Harper details, just mentioned that she’d wanted to spice things up a bit.
For a moment, she had the urge to just turn and walk away. Get back in her car, drive back to her apartment, put some HGTV on the television and make bracelets until Harrison texted her that he was finished with work. It was infinitely easier than asking Harrison if he would be interested in tying her to the bed, blindfolding her, and using a vibrator on her.
Nerves made her stomach hurt. God, what was she thinking? Harrison would lose his mind if she showed him the items she bought. A proper lady didn’t buy sex toys. A proper lady didn’t ask –
Addison, stop!
She stopped. She could do this. What she was asking was barely a two on the kink scale. It would be fine. Harrison was a young, red-blooded male. He wanted her to be a proper lady and brought up that point a lot, but appearances were important to him. That didn’t mean he wanted her that way in the bedroom.
You know that isn’t true, Addie. He harps on you being a proper lady about everything. Hell, he won’t even -
She shut that thought down immediately. It didn’t matter that he didn’t do that. Lots of guys didn’t, right? She didn’t need that to be part of their sex life. Hell, for all she knew, she could hate it.
Yeah, well, Harrison won’t even give you the chance to find out if you like it or not. That doesn’t seem fair. In fact, a lot of things he says and does, doesn’t seem fair. Are you sure he’s the one for you? Really sure? Because you seem to be spending a lot of time lately fantasizing about a certain tattoo artist.
Guilt made her stomach churn. She was a horrible fiancée. What kind of woman fantasized about someone other than her future husband? What kind of woman… masturbated to the thought of a man who wasn’t her fiancé? A horrible woman, that’s who.
She was awful and she was… hell, she was emotionally cheating on Harrison and he deserved to know the truth. She would tell him this weekend, she decided. She would sit him down and confess that she sometimes had small fantasies about other men –
About Preacher, you mean. If you’re gonna confess your sins, Addie, at least be honest about them.
She ignored her inner voice grimly. She would admit to Harrison that she occasionally had some less than pure thoughts about no one in particular and ask him to forgive her. He would because he loved her.
What if he doesn’t forgive you? What if he’s hurt and upset and breaks off the engagement?
She jabbed her key into the lock. He would understand and if he didn’t – well, she would beg him for his forgiveness. Harrison was her soulmate. They were meant to be together and it was time she stopped her shameful lusting after Preacher and remembered who she was and what she wanted in life.
She stepped into the house and shut the door behind her. The house was dark, like she expected, but… she cocked her head and stared down the hallway at Harrison’s bedroom. The door was shut but light shone out from the crack at the bottom and… she took a few steps forward… what was that noise?
Still holding the wine bottle and overnight bag, she walked slowly down the hallway. The sound was growing louder, an almost rhythmic thwack followed by a loud grunt of pain. Was that – was that Harrison?
The sound of her heartbeat in her ears suddenly drowned out the rhythmic thwacks and painful grunts. She turned the knob, pushed the door open, and stepped into the bedroom. Her breath whooshed out of her in a painful rush and she was incapable of drawing in a new breath.
Harrison was naked, and on his hands and knees on top of the bed. A leather dog collar was buckled around his neck and a leather leash was attached to it. She stared in stunned silence at the naked woman standing next to the bed. She was holding the leash in one hand and a leather crop in the other. She was staring down at Harrison and hadn’t even noticed Addison standing in the doorway.
“You’ve been a very bad boy, Harry,” she said before smacking his bare ass with the crop. Harrison made another grunt of pain as he lifted his head and stared directly at Addison. His entire body jerked, and his eyes bulged comically.
“Addison?”
“I’m not your sappy sweet fiancée!” the woman shouted before whacking his ass again with the crop.
Harrison howled with pain and held up his hands. “Crystal! Stop! Goddammit, stop!”
“Quiet, bad boy!” The woman hit him a third time.
“Potato! Potato, goddammit!” Harrison shouted.
The woman immediately dropped the crop and took a step back from the bed. “You’re safe wording? Harry, baby, what’s wrong?”
“Addison,” Harrison scrambled off the bed and Addison stared at his rapidly wilting cock, “what are you doing here?”