I stare at myself in the mirror. If I thought the last four months were hard, it’s nothing compared to being in the same room as her and not being able to touch her.
When I first saw her walking into the store, it was like my dreams were coming true. Addison, in a wet, white T-shirt with no bra. Holy fucking wet dream. I seriously thought I was hallucinating from being so tired. I grip the sides of the sink and hang my head. And after all she’s been through, how screwed-up am I to go there?
I snag my overnight bag that I grabbed from my apartment before coming here from off the floor. Putting on my sweat pants, I think about Addison touching me with her foot. I can see it in her eyes that she still needs me. That connection isn’t lost.
Be patient, Roberts, she’ll come around.
Patience. That’s hilarious. I once thought I was an impatient man. I usually got what I wanted when I wanted it. I guess I haven’t ever been tested. The past year and a half, I’ve been nothing but tested. I think I deserve an A+.
It still burns me that nobody told me about Lexi staying with Addison. I can already see how much Lexi means to her. I can’t say I’m not a little jealous. Not of Lexi, though. Just that she’s been able to help Addison where I couldn’t.
I take off my shirt and run my fingers over my scar from the bullet in my chest. It kills me to think that Addison might be in danger again. I sigh, wondering if this is going to be a common occurrence. I need to figure out a plan to get Addison out of town with Lexi. Of course, she’s hell-bent on staying, but I don’t think my heart can handle her getting hurt again. It’s barely hanging on right now.
As I shave, I come up with an idea. I call Max and see if it’s even possible. After I get the go-ahead, I make a few more calls. Anxious to share my plan with Addison, I walk into the living room and she’s still sitting on the couch messing with her phone. When she looks up, her expression shifts.
She slowly stands up and walks toward me. Her hand softly glides across my scar. I inhale sharply, closing my eyes. Her touch sends a bolt of electricity through me, waking every cell in my body. She looks up, a pained look in her eyes. I know what she’s thinking.
“It’s not your fault,” I whisper, putting my hand over hers.
“I know,” she says. “But it still doesn’t take away the pain I feel for what happened to you.”
“Sweetheart, don’t do this to yourself. I’m okay.” Without thinking, I take her hand and kiss her palm. She runs it against my clean-shaven face.
Back away. She’s not ready.
I mentally know she’s not ready. If I continue, it’s only going to backfire. But physically, I need her touch. I crave her smell. I desperately need her. I blow out a slow breath, removing her hand, and kiss the top of her head. I want all of her. I just need to be patient.
There’s that word again. Always a fucking test.
I turn to walk into the kitchen and grab another water. I’m suddenly parched. “So, I have a plan for Lexi,” I say, sticking my head inside the fridge. I welcome the cool air, leaving the door open a little longer than necessary. When I stand back up, Addison is leaning against the counter, arms crossed.
I wink at her and smile. “Do you want to know what the plan is?” I say, leaning against the opposite counter, twisting the cap off my water and emptying the cool liquid in one gulp.
“What I want is for you to put a shirt on,” she says coyly. “I see you’ve been working out a little extra these days.” Her eyes flicker down to my bare chest.
“Had a lot of extra time on my hands.” I shrug, pushing off the counter. “Am I too distracting?” I say, teasing her as I walk past her. As much as I like her staring at me, if she keeps looking at me like that, I will fail this test.
When I walk back into the kitchen, I yank on my shirt.
“Much better,” she says, now sitting on top of the counter.
I lift my brow. “Much?”
“Better that I can have a conversation with you without having dirty thoughts.”
“Mmm … I like dirty thoughts, especially with you in them.” I flash a huge smile. Shit, this isn’t helping my situation. My mouth starts moving before my brain can catch up with what it’s saying.
“Well, let’s just keep our dirty thoughts to ourselves.” She giggles. God, I’ve missed that sound. “So, tell me about this plan you have.”
“We leave tomorrow morning at seven,” I say.
“What? Where are we going?”
“We’re taking Lexi to your aunt’s house.” Addison’s eyes go wide as she hops off the counter.
Confusion is written all over her face as she looks around. “Did I fall asleep at some point that you had time to plan this all out?”
“It just took a few phone calls. Max is taking us on his jet so we don’t have to have Lexi’s name on a flight list.”
“Did you–”
“I have everything taken care of,” I say, cutting her off. “It’s all approved and Max will have the plane fueled and ready at seven. All we need to do is be there, ready to go.”
She takes a few moments to absorb it all. I can tell the second my plan has been foiled when she narrows her eyes at me in silent accusation.
“I am not staying there with her,” she states matter-of-factly. “I’m coming back to help with the case.”
“Addison, that’s not your job.”
“Actually, we have his DNA now, so yes, it is my job,” she says, her voice hardening. She stands in front of me with her hands on her hips and she bites the inside of her cheek. She’s so seductively hot when she gets mad, and she has no idea.
I grab her by the upper arms and lean down in her face. “You frustrate me, woman,” I growl.
“Hey, pot, meet kettle,” she says sarcastically, standing taller.
I let her go and pace the room. “Fine. Don’t stay,” I say, throwing my hands up in the air.
“Now that we got that out of the way …” she says while I shake my head in defeat, “did you call my aunt, too?”
“Yes.”
“I bet she is so excited to meet Lexi,” she says excitedly. “Lexi will love it there with the horses and cows.” My resolve dissipates seeing how excited Addison is. I just wish she was excited enough to stay with Lexi and show her everything herself. I should have known better.
“Well, since you felt the need to make us leave at the ass-crack of dawn, I need to go to sleep.” Addison jokes as she walks toward the spare bedroom.
“Where are you headed?” I ask, following her.
“Making sure you have everything you need in here,” she says, stopping in the doorway.
“I’m not sleeping in there.”
She tilts her head. “Um …” She pauses, looking up toward the ceiling. She’s flustered, and I love it. Looking back to me, she exhales quickly and says, “So, where are you planning on sleeping?”
“Are you hoping I’m going to say in your bed?” I whisper in her ear. I see her body shiver. Not that I would, but her reaction makes my dick stand at attention.
“No,” she says, her voice vibrating. She pushes me away as a blush creeps up her cheeks.
I wink. “Sweetheart, I’m sleeping on the couch. This is too far away from you and Lexi.”
She turns to walk away. “You can figure it out, I’ll see you in the morning.” I watch her sexy ass sway, and I’d bet a million dollars that she’s swaying a little more right now, knowing I’m watching.
“So gorgeous,” I whisper.
She stops in the doorway, looks over her shoulders, and blows me a kiss. I don’t want to look like a fool and act like I grab it, but I want to.