“Just for a little bit,” she said. “Catch me in five.”
She closed her eyes and drifted off.
Tucker was disappointed to not be resuming the activities that had just gone before. It was one thing to come together once, but he didn’t want to hold it to that. He wanted to do so much more with her. As he lay here, his head back, the dog relaxed on the floor beside him, Tucker realized how far the three of them had come in such a short time. And, sure enough, only a few minutes later, she rolled over, looked up at him, and yawned.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he murmured.
She smiled. “I power nap,” she said, sitting up on her knees. She looked at him, grinned, and said, “Now, where were we?”
His heart leaped with joy, as he raised his arms above his head to lay them on the pillow. “I’m pretty sure,” he said, “you were about to do something to me that was absolutely heartbreakingly and dastardly lovely,” he said with a confusion of adjectives.
She chuckled out loud. “Maybe,” she said, her hand sliding over his long length. “And maybe I would just explore this beautiful prime example of male flesh in front of me.”
“Feel free,” he gasped, as her hand closed around him again. “Do with me as you will.”
“No arguments?”
“Hell no,” he said, groaning as she slipped her hand up and down, squeezing, stroking, coming over the tip with her thumb, his hips already surging.
“I do see that you’re tense though.”
“Absolutely not,” he said.
She leaned down, kissing his nipples. “Anything I do, I promise,” she said, “I’ll make it good.”
And make it good she did. By the time they were done with this second round, he was the one shuddering in place. He groaned. “I think you finished me.”
“That’s good,” she said. “It’s supposed to relieve stress. But now I need to sleep.”
“We both do,” he said firmly. He reached a hand down the side of the bed to find Bernie’s muzzle reaching up. He smiled and whispered to both his ladies, “Go to sleep, baby. Go to sleep.”
And he closed his eyes and did the same.
Chapter 13
When Addie woke the next day, she hadn’t realized just what a fun outgoing day it would be. They ended up meeting the newlyweds for breakfast, going to the beach at lunch, and then attending the reception held in Tampa that afternoon. It went all through until dinner, which was part of it. By the time it was over, and everyone said their goodbyes, she and Tucker had been firmly encapsulated and introduced as a couple. Addie was fine with that, and the wedding couple appeared to be okay with it too. Matter of fact, Addie was more than fine with it, and, throughout the entire day, Bernie had been at their side.
Finally it was their turn to say goodbye. Tucker and Addie walked over to Rodney and Molly.
“We’ll head back now,” Tucker said. He leaned over, kissed his sister, shook hands with his brother-in-law, and said, “Welcome to the family again, not like you need it after all the years you’ve been there for us,” he said. “I’m just glad you finally got this done.”
“Me too,” Rodney said. “Also keep an eye out because, as far as I understand, Rural’s still not been caught yet.”
“Not a problem,” he said. “We’ll keep a close eye. You too.” At that, Tucker and Addie and Bernie hopped into the truck and headed back to her house. When they finally neared her place, she said, “Do we need to pick up any groceries?”
“You have to work in the morning, don’t you?”
“I do,” she groaned. “I don’t like working for a living.”
He burst out laughing. “I think most people would agree with you there,” he said, “but it is a necessary evil. Unless you find your dream job.”
“I guess,” she said in a disgruntled voice. “Too bad I don’t have enough money where I could just stay at home.”
“And then what?”
“I don’t know. I guess that’s the question, isn’t it? I’d be bored stiff.”
After they parked, she hopped out, stretched, and said, “What a hell of a weekend.”
“But a good one.”
They walked to the front door, busily talking about how the reception had gone and how much fun it had been. She pulled out her key, turning it, only to wonder if the door had already been unlocked. She stepped inside without saying anything about it and froze. Tucker came in behind her and froze right by her side. Immediately Bernie started barking.
“Shut the dog up,” the gunman snapped, holding the gun on her sister, who sat frozen on the couch. “Shut her up, or I’ll shut her for you.”
Immediately Tucker put a hand atop the dog, easing her back. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Take it easy.” Bernie’s butt hit the ground, and she sat there, growling deep in the back of her throat.
Addie moved forward. “You must be Rural. What are you doing here with my sister?” she asked the two of them.
Her sister glared at her. “I can’t believe you’re the one who went behind my back to save that stupid dog,” she said. She turned to the gunman and said, “The least you could do after the way you’ve treated me is to shoot it.”
He shook his head and asked, “What have you got against the dog?”
“It hates me,” she said, sneering. “It also bit me.”
“Well, maybe that’s a good thing,” he said. “From everything that’s come out of your mouth since I’ve been here, it doesn’t sound like there was a whole lot to like about you.” Before Bernie could speak again, Rural ordered Addie, “Get over here.” Her sister glared at Addie, while the gunman waved at Addie. “Hurry up.”
She looked at Tucker, who pulled her toward him, while Tucker slammed the front door hard. He glared at the gunman. “You haven’t had enough yet?”
Rural snarled. “It’s because of you guys that I’m here. What the hell were you doing at the restaurant?”
“Same thing you were,” Addie said, stepping in front of Tucker. “We were looking to see if you or your partner had left any evidence behind.”
“He was such an idiot,” he said. “Now I’m the one left to pay the price.”
“If you hadn’t fired at the police, it wouldn’t have been so bad,” she said, “but maybe not, since you killed your partner.”
At that, her sister stood and gasped. “You killed someone?” She glared at Rural. “What kind of asshole are you?”
He glared back at her. “Shut the fuck up and sit down.”
She sneered at him. “Or what?”
In a fit of temper, he turned the gun and placed it against her temple. “Or I’ll pull the trigger, just like I did with my partner.”
The color left Bernie’s face as she slowly sagged in place. She looked at her sister. “Addie, you won’t let him talk to me like that, will you?”
Addie stared at her sister. This was so bizarre. Then everything with her sister was full of drama. The gunman was one thing—and should have been the biggest issue—but, true to form, her sister was making this all about her. “I doubt I could stop him, since he’s the one with a gun. Besides, what are you doing here?” she said. “And how did you get in?”