Page 62 of Driven to Love

“Ooh, we have the perfect idea for the stagette.” Marti’s grin lit the entire room. Her eyes flickered with excitement.

Nash’s gaze connected with Addison’s. She shrugged. “That’s all Marti. I’m working on the bridal shower.”

“You know. The thing. I told you about it.” Marti prodded.

“Oh yeah. That one.” Addison turned to Nash. “It’s a great idea. We’re going to have a blast.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. What are you doing? A mani-pedi day?” Sawyer asked.

“Sure, we’ll need to polish up before we check out the Sphere.” Marti rubbed her fingernails against her shirt.

“Sphere? As in Vegas?” Nash gaped at the women.

“Shh.” Addison hushed him, cutting her eyes to the open back door.

A moment later, Cade and Laney walked in. He set the burgers on the table. “Grab a plate and dig in.”

“Addison, can you grab the tray of toppings behind you?” Laney pulled a salad from the fridge and set it on the table.

Sawyer sidled up next to Nash with a gleam in his eye. “It’s a good idea.”

A hell of a lot better than a fishing trip up at the cabin. No. Nash shook his head, cutting off his friend’s line of thinking. “We can’t barge in on the girls’ trip.”

“It’s a big city. They wouldn’t even know we’re there.” Sawyer speared a burger with his fork and dropped it on the bun. “Just think about it. We got time. All I’m saying is if we don’t come up with a better plan, it’s a solid choice.”

Nash took a swig of his beer, hoping a better idea would pop up before his friend booked their flights.

Chapter 18

Addison gripped the door handle. Her knuckles turned white from the pressure. Whoa, baby. She placed her other hand on her stomach. If she were being truthful, something about Nash had scared her to death from the moment she laid eyes on him.

She stepped back and shook out her hand. She was being silly. They’d seen each other naked, for goodness sake. Heck, they’d done a lot more than look.

She blew out a breath and opened the door.

“Hi!” The word popped out of her mouth, all bubbly and sweet. Shit. Nothing like overselling it. She stepped back, but Nash didn’t move.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.” At least this time, the word wasn’t at an octave only dogs would hear.

“Addison, I know your fake smile. You pull it out when you’re stressed. What happened?” He glanced over his shoulder, scanning the street, probably looking for trouble.

Her stomach dropped. The tightness in her chest amplified ever so slightly. She wanted more, which would mean opening up to him. And she would, but not yet. She smoothed out her smile. “Nothing happened. Come on in.”

He brushed a strand of hair from her face, searching her eyes, waiting. “Do we need to slow it down?”

Did she? It was too real. Too soon. The scariest part was how well Nash could read her. Lighten the mood. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes. “How do you know me so well?”

He cracked a smile. “You’re like reading an open book. Unfortunately, some words are in code, and I have to decipher them, but other times it’s as clear as a dictionary.”

“Dictionary, huh? Maybe the Urban Dictionary.” She smirked.

On a laugh, he pulled her close and kissed her. “Hmm, maybe later you can talk dirty to me.”

“We’ll see. Come on. I have dinner in the oven.” As she led him to the kitchen, she asked, “Where’s Max tonight?”

“He’s playing at Cade and Laney’s tonight, having a sleepover with his sister.” He followed her into the kitchen.