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“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
