When she pulls open the door, I let out a long, low wolf whistle. “Girl, I don’t know how you do it, but you make jean shorts and a tank top look like one hundred percent sin, every damn time.”

She signals for me to be quiet and says into the phone, “I’ll call you back, Willow.” A pause as she listens and then a solemn, “I promise.” She disconnects and opens the door wider for me to come in. “How did you get up here?”

“Your door guy is a fan. I’m pretty sure he’s downstairs calling Exposé Magazine right now.” I wish I were kidding.

“Well, at least he has good taste in music.”

She’s awkward. Won’t look at me. This is what she was afraid of. Not me though. She’s crazy if she thinks I’ll let her make this weird. I close the door behind me as she flits off to the kitchen to get coffee mugs down.

“You about done?” Leaning back against the butcher block counter, I cross my arms over my chest.

Her head snaps up. “Done with what?”

“With this weird shit you’re doin’.”

“I’m not being weird.”

I don’t answer, just look at her with a bland face, waiting for her to be truthful with herself.

“Okay. I’m being weird. I just don’t know how to be now…now that we…” Struggling to find a word or label, she trails off and waves her hand back and forth between us.

“Say it.”

Huffing, she puts the coffee mug down. “Fine. Now that we’ve slept together.”

“That’s funny—I don’t remember sleepin’ at all.” There’s no use fighting the smirk working its way across my mouth. “I remember you screamin’ my name and tellin’ me you fantasize about me. That I do remember. Vividly.”

Addy just glares at me, a flush creeping over her skin. I jerk my chin in the direction of the coffee pot. “I’ll take cream and sugar, Sugar.”

With a shake of her head she pours our coffee, handing me mine. “You’re infuriatin’, you know that?”

I wink and take a sip from my mug.

“So, what brings you here? You’re supposed to be in the studio.”

“Just came from there. Apparently the new receptionist the temp agency sent over had a family emergency. His wife went into labor.”

Addy meets my gaze over the rim of her coffee mug not even a little fazed by this.

“So I went to the office but you weren’t there. Nelle said you were working from home so here I am.”

“But why?”

I didn’t actually know the answer to that. No, that’s a lie. It’s because I wanted to see her. I wanted to hear her laugh and inhale her sweet scent. I wanted a chance to kiss her again, and if I’m honest I was hoping she’d let me strip her down and fuck her in a proper bed this time.

“Need your help. My mama’s birthday is next week and I need help picking something out for her. She doesn’t like flashy. Bought her a new car one year. She returned it, got a cheaper model and donated the difference to her church,” I say chuckling at the memory.

Addy grins. “Probably didn’t even tell you, did she?”

“Nope. She sure didn’t. So are you finished with work? Can you help me?”

“Do I need to change?” I take the opening she gives me to look her over. Hair down and wavy, little pink tank top with a lace up front,tiny jean shorts, just long enough to not be indecent, but just barely, and a pair of black Chucks on her feet, that sexy black bird tattoo high on her foot making me smile. “Sugar, the only way you could look any better is if you were naked. And I’m okay with that too.” If the tightness in my pants is any indication, I’m more than okay with it.

“Uh uh. That was a one-time thing.” I raise my brows and she corrects herself. “Two and a half time thing. We can’t keep messin’ around like that. What if we have a bad fallin’ out? We still have to work together.” She places her hands on her curved hips. “What if your mama finds out? She hates me. She won’t like it at all. And what if Jimmy Don or anyone at the label hears? It won’t look good for me.”

“You done now?” I ask, taking a step closer, swallowing up the space between us.

“No. I have a million reasons. I can go for hours.”

“So can I.” Biting my lip to keep from laughing when she rolls her eyes at my innuendo, I go on. “That’s a whole lot of what-ifs.” I wrap my arms around her and tuck my fingertips in the back pockets of the tiny shorts, since that’s all that will fit in there. “You’re crazy if you think that was a one-night thing. I haven’t even shown you my best moves yet.” Bending so that I can reach her better, I kiss the very corner of her mouth, smiling when she turns into it. “I’m not askin’ you to change your name, Sugar. I’m not askin’ for more than to be the one you call when you wanna have a little fun. Want you to be the trouble I can get into.”

She still doesn’t look convinced. I’ll have to work on that today because now that I’ve had a taste of Miss Addy Mae Masterson, I want more.

“Let’s go, Sug. If we don’t get out of here now, we won’t be getting out of here at all.” I waggle my eyebrows at her and release her so she can get her things.

“Where did you have in mind?” Addy asks as she slips on her sunglasses.

“There's a bunch of shops she loves downtown.”

“Here downtown?” she asks, surprised.

“No. Georgetown.”

“Oh, me too. I can stop at a couple of my favorites while we're there.”

“We'll see,” I tease, pulling my own shades on as we head to the parking garage.

The ride back to Georgetown is done with Addy on the phone handling some business at the recording studio with another of their clients. I guess I didn’t realize how much she actually handles there. As I’m pulling onto Eighth Street, she’s finally slipping her phone into her purse.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes. I’m sorry about that. We signed this new band just recently. All girls, totally awesome. You would not believe how many people in the industry give them shit. All the time,” Addy says, her aggravation apparent.

“How so?”

“Just any way that they can because they’re women.”

“Wow. So what can you do for them from here?”

“Not much. They’re actually on tour right now. They’re on their way to Canada for a few shows. The crew I hired to accompany them is basically trying to call the shots because they’re just women, and clearly these guys don’t know how to deal with them being in charge.” She puffs out a breath in irritation. “And that isn’t going to fly. I’m going to send Arrow and Lawson to handle it I think. People will see those two goons and run the opposite direction.” She laughs.

“We can go back to your office if you need to work,” I offer. I say “we” because watching her like this is hot as hell. She’s in her element. It reminds me of that first day I met her and she took not an ounce of shit from me. If I wasn’t so bitter about the whole label thing and hungover from the night before, I’m pretty sure I would have tried convincing her to come home with me that very day.

“No. No. That’s what cellphones are for. As long as you don’t mind it if I have to take another call.” Addy glances over with a hopeful face.

Giving her a sly grin I reach for her hand and place it on the bulge biting into my zipper. “You take all the work calls you want. Hearin’ you all fired up has me feelin’ a certain way.”

“Does it now?” Loosened up and a little less “what iffy” than she was at her place, she gives my cock a firm squeeze, and a rub for good measure, making me groan.

“You keep that up and I’m gonna take you home and let you be in charge of me for a while.” I’ve half a mind to drive away right now. I can get my mama something another time. Addy must not be as lust-addled as I am right now though.

“As nice as that sounds, it’s time to shop.” She hops out of the truck like she didn’t just have her hand on my dick and stands there grinning at me like all innocent like.

Leaning across the center console, I look over my sunglasses at her. “Now you know good and well that you have me harder than a diamond cutting glass and you’re gonna just stand out there smilin’ at me?”

Smile wide, she gives a little curtsy and shuts the door.

“You’re meaner than you look, Addy Mae,” I call out.

Getting out I do my best to adjust myself without drawing much attention and round the truck to where she stands. “So, where first, mean girl?” I ask, taking her hand and waiting to see what direction we’re going to be headed. When she tries to disentangle her fingers from mine, I hold tighter.

My brows drawn, I chide, “Oh, it’s okay for you to put your hands on my cock but not for me to hold yours in public?” I don’t even know why I’m making a big deal of it, but I’m all in now. Jenny used to always give me shit for my lack of PDA. With Addy, a woman I’ve known for a few weeks, I’m acting like a school boy with a crush.

“It’s not that, I just…I don’t know.”

“Do we need to have another talk? You using me for my body, Addy Mae?” I pretend to act hurt.

“Oh my God.” She laughs. “I’m just trying not to make this more than it is, and you make it hard with simple things like this. Sweet things. “ With a shrug of her shoulders, she looks over past me, at her feet, across the street. Anywhere but at me.

And still again I don’t know why I’m pushing this. I should be happier than a pig in shit that she doesn’t want more. But it bothers me. All my life I spent giving women as little of me as possible because they always wanted so much more than I was willing to give, and here I’m the one pressing for more even when I made it clear I didn’t want anything but a little fun. Little trouble. Somehow I’m giving her hell for not holding my hand. I’m not going to look too deeply into the why’s of that. Probably won’t like what I come up with.

“You about done?” I ask her once again thinking that this is going to be a frequently asked question.

“Fine, give me your damn hand. But seriously, if I get attached, you’ll only have yourself to blame.” She pokes a finger in my chest with mock sternness.

I shouldn’t push because I don’t want her attached. But I’m past that. “Trust me, if you get attached, it won’t because I made you hold my hand.” I wink and slide my sunglasses back on my face.

Not wanting to draw attention to us, I try to blend. I don’t look around and my sunglasses help me to not make eye contact with people. Addy must notice.

“You know. If you want to be in disguise, you should not wear your typical Beau McCrae uniform of T-shirt and jeans with a baseball cap. I’m totally gonna have you wear a cowboy hat or something next time. Then you really won’t be recognized.”

Twisting my hat so it’s backwards, I follow her into a knitting store whispering, “It’s not the hat that gives me away. It’s my buns-of-steel ass.”

Addy sputters out a laugh drawing looks from some of the little old ladies milling about.

“Shhh, you’re gonna get us noticed.”

She straightens, “Sorry.”

“So you knit?” I ask, curious as I glance around the store filled with blankets and booties and sweaters, hats, stuffed animals, you name it.

“Oh God no. I just love the stuff in here. Honestly, I’m the most uncreative person on the planet.” She shrugs. “I can’t sing or play an instrument or draw or make things. I’m good at other things, just nothing that includes creativity.”

“Oh, you’re good at one thing for sure,” I say softly enough for only her to hear.

“You’re trouble, you know that?”

I pull my bottom lip in between my teeth and try not to laugh.

“Does your mom knit?”

“No. I don’t think she can sit still long enough.”

“I believe that. Does she drink tea? They have great teas here. You can make her up a little basket.” At my blank look she says, “I’ll help you make a basket.”

“That’s what I needed to hear, Sugar.”

“Just don’t tell her it’s from me. She might donate it to the church like she did her car money.”

We both laugh because I can’t deny it.

“How did you find this place?” I ask her. It’s pretty unique.

“Well, I went to Canada to visit Willow and she’s obsessed with this little place there called Spun which is a bakery, bookstore, and yarn store that also offers classes and stuff. I fell in love with it and started looking for something similar nearby and this is what I found.”

I nod and point to a purple shawl thing. “How about that?”

“It’s beautiful and it’s light, so she can wear it whenever,” she says, brushing a hand over the pretty scarf.

“I think she’ll really like it. Okay, now go pick some tea so we can get out of here. I think I’m growin’ a vagina.”

An hour and a half and three more stores later, we have some pretty cool stuff for my mama and for Addy. “Let’s drop this stuff in the truck and get some food,” I suggest. Shopping will apparently make a man hungry.

“Oooh, yes. And then maybe ice cream at Scoops.”

“We might could do that.” I chuckle at her excitement.

Once the bags are locked in the truck, we take off walking down the street, hand in hand. A gentle breeze blowing around us catches Addy’s long hair, blowing it across her face and tickling my arm from time to time. Still doing my best not to make eye contact with anyone, I keep my focus on her as much as walking will allow. That’s all I need. Fall flat on my face because I can’t keep my eyes off Addy and her tits teasing me with every step she takes with their slight jiggle and sway.

“Anywhere you want to go?” she interrupts my dirty musings.

“Up to you since I dragged you along with me.”

“Why don’t we head over to Austin Avenue and go to Wildfire. Which by the way happens to be the name of that all-girls band I was telling you about. Seems fittin’, right?”

The whole while she’s talking I’m watching her profile. She doesn’t even realize how gorgeous she is. Just like this. Hair blowing on the breeze, dressed in a simple top and shorts. I’m not even sure if she has makeup on. If she does it’s not so you’d notice. I stop walking, reeling her back into me when she keeps going a handful of steps. There is no way I’m going to make it through dinner without getting my hands on her. My lips. What I really want I can’t have in public, so this will have to do. Ever since I got some of Addy Mae Masterson the other night, I feel a little addicted to the taste of her sweet, sinful sugar. Maybe I should be worried about getting attached. Not that it’s ever been a problem before.

Leaning against the brick wall of the storefront behind me, I give another tug, bringing her flush against me. Addy looks up at me questioningly.

“What’s the matter? Did someone recognize you?” Her tone is hushed, as she conspicuously glances around, thinking she’s being sly.

“Nope. I’ve just gone long enough and you’ve been teasin’ me something fierce with these shorts.” Tugging on the hem of the frayed denim, I look down into her upturned face, wishing I could see what was behind those sunglasses. I’m going all on body language right now, and the way she clutches at my T-shirt and leans into me, I’m certain we’re on the same you-better-kiss-me-like-you-mean-it page.

I cup her ass and lift her off her feet so that she has to hold onto me. Hands snaking over my shoulders and into the hair at my nape, she’s the one smiling down on me now. “Now who’s drawing attention?”

“Sugar, I don’t care who’s watchin’. They just better hope that I can keep some control and not strip you down in the middle of downtown Georgetown.”

With her hair hanging around us in a curtain, she smiles, lowering her lips to mine for a soft lingering press of a kiss, quick flash of tongue. Just the tiniest taste. Just enough to leave me wanting so much more. She’s playing with me now.

“I’m pretty sure you can control yourself until you get me back to my place.”

“Your place? No, ma’am, that would take a saint. You should know by now, I’m no saint, Sugar. I’m a sinner. The best kind though.”

“Then you better take me to church, Beau.”