These thoughts were more than I wanted to consider as the shafts of light reached through the room, drifting languid and soft, just like the two of us in the big king bed we’d had installed.
“Good morning,” I said, pulling the woman in my arms closer against me, loving the silky warmth of her skin, the softness of her hair against my cheek.
“Hmm,” she said, wiggling her butt in closer to bend of my hips, putting her smack against my quickly waking morning wood.
“Sleep okay?” I asked. I wanted to roll her over, claim her again, talk to her in a way that showed I knew where we stood, how things were. But I didn’t know. And in the back of my mind, I feared Addison might wake up and declare the previous night a mistake, just as she’d done the moment we’d kissed.
But instead, she reached behind her and began to stroke me, soft teasing touches mixed with firm grasps that had me groaning and sent my hands searching her body. As her fingers teased me, my own hand slipped down her soft belly, to the apex of her thighs, where I took my time doing some teasing of my own. Addie moaned and pressed back against me again, turning her head now to find my mouth.
When I had her writhing in my arms, I flipped her over and braced myself over her, taking a moment just to stare at the face of the beautiful woman beneath me. Was she really here? How was I this lucky?
“Why are you teasing me?” she whined as the tip of my cock pressed against her entrance.
“Just trying to wrap my head around the fact that I fucked the babysitter last night,” I said.
Her mouth formed a little o, and then she poked me in the side, feigning anger. “I was five! I was not your babysitter.”
“It’s hotter if I think of it that way. You’re the sexy and experienced woman, taking advantage of a younger man,” I suggested.
She scowled. “I’m not that much older.”
“It’s just a fantasy,” I told her, though in reality I had all the fantasy I needed right here beneath me. “Let me grab a condom.” I began to roll off of her, but Addie stopped me.
“No, it’s all right. I’m on the pill.” Then she hesitated. “I mean, if you’re . . .”
“I honestly haven’t been with anyone in years,” I told her. “But last time I was tested I was clean. And I trust that my hand hasn’t been messing around on me.”
She slapped my chest playfully, but seconds later, all joking had been put aside as I pressed myself inside her, relishing the feel of every inch of her skin against mine.
I hadn’t lied. It had been years. And spending this time with Addison would fuel years more worth of fantasies if it didn’t work out, which I was pretty sure it would not—especially since I was still pretty sure she intended to go back to New York. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy every single second of it while it lasted.
The feeling of her against me, around me, with nothing between us, was the most erotic thing I’d ever experienced. And her breathy moans, the way her nails dug into my skin—it wasn’t my most impressive performance. And so we needed a couple tries to get it right.
We got out of bed late, and I made coffee in the new kitchen as Addie took a shower. When she came down, I felt almost shy around her, but she came straight into my arms, kissing me like she was mine. And my confidence grew.
“You going to the store today?” she asked when her hands were wrapped around a mug and she was seated at the new kitchen island.
“I am,” I said. “As much as I love my cousins, I don’t trust them enough to let them open and close the store every day. For all I know, there’s another Tanner-sponsored flash sale going on right now.”
Addie’s face darkened at the mention of the feud, and she blew out a long breath. “Can we just agree right now that as far as you and I are concerned, this thing is over?”
“I’ve got no beef with that at all. But you and I were not the ones invested to begin with.”
“True, but maybe we can lead by example.”
“We can try,” I agreed.
“Speaking of Tanners, did I tell you Lottie would like to have Sunday dinner here?”
That was new. From what I’d observed, Lottie hated me and everything about this arrangement between me and her oldest daughter. I put down my cup and tried to imagine having Lottie Tanner here for more than a few minutes to check up on us, as she’d done a few times now. It had been uncomfortable. “Uh, no.”
“Yes, and she wants your uncle to come.”
“Lottie wants Victor here?” This didn’t make any sense at all. The two of them hated each other.
“I guess so. She mentioned that she’d bumped into him when she was digging through records recently.”
“Records?”
“About the house, the land.”
That made sense. Victor had mentioned scouring records so he could prove that the house should belong to the Tuckers only. Fortunately, the trust superseded two-hundred year old land deeds, so it was mostly an exercise in historical trivia for both him and Lottie. “Well, I guess we can invite everyone and see what happens.”
“Okay,” Addie said, looking uncertain. “Mom’s bringing a roast. Maybe we can ask everyone to bring a dish and then you and I don’t have to cook.”
“But we have this incredible new kitchen,” I pointed out.
“And it would be a shame to mess it up,” Addie said.
“Okay, fine. I’ll ask Victor to make his cornbread.” I paused. “Does this mean Emmett and Virge are invited too?” I was pretty sure she wouldn’t want a repeat of what had happened in the store. They’d finally admitted to me what they’d said to her.
Addie’s face fell, but she recovered herself. “Um, I guess so, yeah.”
“I’ll make sure we have enough whiskey. This is going to be interesting.”
“It is,” she agreed.
I kissed her again, long and hard, and then headed off to work. I didn’t strictly have to work there on Saturdays—Emmett and Virge were slightly more competent than I let on to Addie. But I wanted to pick up the things I’d been finishing up in my workshop. Especially if we were about to have company.
26
The German Shepherd’s Sadness
Addison
I spent most of Saturday in a state of dreamy wakefulness, wandering around the house, thinking about Michael. He was humble and unassuming—things Luke never had been—but there was also an edge of sexy confidence to him that I sensed hadn’t been uncovered in a while. And the more I saw of it, the more I wanted.
As I tidied up the bedroom and made more coffee, preparing to spend another day out in the garden, I thought about my plans. Maybe I didn’t have to go back to New York. Maybe, considering the amount of money this house and the car sitting out in the garage were worth, I could envision a new plan. With that kind of money, I could really do anything I wanted. I couldn’t imagine not doing some kind of work, but I didn’t think finance was really my calling. I knew I didn’t want to bake, like Mom, or teach, like Amberlynn. And it was too late to become a doctor like Paige.