She smiled as I gathered her arms and placed them above her head. I crawled over top of her, pinning her once more. I just wanted to feel the warmth of our naked bodies as the night air clung to our skin.
I kissed her left breast, just above her pert, pink nipple. “That’s an investment.” My lips traveled to her collarbone. “That’s another investment.” I kissed the tender underside of her neck. “And another investment…”
She laughed, melting away the day’s tension. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“One day these investments are going to mature,” I explained. “And I’ll cash out.”
“Cash out?”
“Yeah, cash out. Marry you.”
Her hand flew to my face, cupping my jaw as she stared at me exactly the way she did when we first realized we had absolutely no control over what was happening between us.
“Funny way of putting it, but I think I get it,” she said with a laugh.
“It’s good seeing you again,” I said. “The real you. Not the crazy you.”
“Same here. I was worried about you for a little bit. You get kind of scary when…”
“When the things I love have been ripped away from me? Yeah. It goes way back. I’m sorry.” I pulled her close, kissing her soft lips again and reveling in their sweet taste.
“What are we going to do until our parents’ divorce?” she asked, her face suddenly falling.
“Let’s not worry about that.” I stroked the side of her cheek. “Let’s just enjoy this. Right here. Right now.”
She lay in my arms all night, and we talked until two or three in the morning, keeping our voices low. At some point I must have fallen asleep in her bed, because the next thing I knew someone was knocking at her door.
“Addison?”
I popped up. “Shit, Addison. Your mom’s out there.”
“Fuck,” she said, springing to action. We both glanced down at the floor where our clothes were strewn. “Get in the closet.”
I flew to the closet, sliding one of the mirrored doors aside and stepping in, pulling it shut slowly and quietly.
“Addison, are you awake?”
“Hold on, Mom. Coming,” I heard her yell back. A minute later, her mom’s voice grew closer, as if she were seated on Addison’s bed.
“It’s nine o’clock. Aren’t you going to get up? I think Coco talked about going for a jog on the beach. It’d be nice of you to join her.”
“I will,” she said.
“Have you seen Wilder?” I heard Tammy Lynn ask. “He wasn’t in his room this morning.”
Shit.
“Um, no, I went to bed last night after the game. I haven’t seen him. Sorry.”
“Mmhm.”
“What?”
“It’s just that every time you’re around him, you just act so strange. I can’t put my finger on it, but I have noticed it. I don’t know him well enough yet to know if he’s always so smart-mouthed, or if he’s pulling out all the stops for us.”
I stifled a laugh.
“You sure nothin’s wrong, baby?” Tammy Lynn asked once again. “You know you can tell me anything.”
Come on, Addison. Tell her. Now’s your chance.
“I’m sure, Mom. Everything’s fine.”
“What do you think of Vince, sweetie?” Tammy Lynn asked, her tone suddenly chipper. “You like him so far?”
“Yeah. I mean, he seems to make you happy.”
“You think we’re a good match? He’s just so different from my usual type.”
“He’s not covered in leather and tattoos and he doesn’t drive a motorcycle, but I think it’s safe to say he’s a step up. Why? Are you having doubts?”
“No, no,” Tammy Lynn insisted. “I was just curious as to what you thought.”
Silence filled the space between them for a little too long before the sound of shuffling feet moved toward the door.
“Get washed up, sweetie, and come down for breakfast. Hopefully Wilder shows up around here somewhere.”
“Maybe he passed out on the beach. He seemed kind of drunk last night,” Addison said.
“Who knows?”
The click of the door shutting brought Addison over to the closet. “Oh, my God. That was close.”
“You should’ve told her.”
“What are you talking about?”
“About us. She asked if you were okay. You should’ve been honest.”
Addison’s shoulders fell as she clasped her hands across her heart. “She’s so happy. I can’t ruin that for her. I’m sorry. It doesn’t change how I feel about you. Nothing could change that.”
The euphoric high from the night spent holding her in my arms evaporated into thin, sea salted air. I didn’t have a right to be mad at her. She hadn’t made any promises, and I’d hushed her when she tried talking about the future.
“Don’t be mad.” Her blue eyes pled with mine as she reached for me, placing a warm palm on my crossed arms. She drew near and leaned up on her toes, planting a soft kiss on my lips. “Please don’t go home today. You’re here. Just stay. Let’s make the best of it. We’ll figure things out when we get back home.”
A week had passed since we all returned from Florida. I’d yet to show Wilder a property, but I’d seen him once in passing on the street. I was headed back to the office from a client meeting and bumped into him, so we stopped into a little coffee shop and got a warm beverage and had a friendly chat.