“Addison!” His throaty cry of release sent Addison over the edge. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her and she clung to him, kissing him, never wanting to let him go.
I Want to Know What Love Is
T
HE INTENSITY OF HIS RELEASE SENT REID’S HEART RAC
ING
. Stunned, he stayed buried deep within her silky heat. Dipping his head he took one sweet nipple into his mouth, and when she cried out he kissed her, on and on until his arms started to shake. Reid rolled to his side, pulling Addison close, spooning. He held her against him, trying to gather his scattered thoughts into one big explanation of where they should go from here, but then tossed it aside. Tonight he was not going to think but instead give himself the luxury to simply
feel
.
Sliding Addison’s hair to the side Reid kissed her neck. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Like my legs could carry me,” she said with a throaty laugh.
After cleaning up in the bathroom he headed out the other door to the kitchen, desperately needing a bottle of water. He grabbed one for Addison and then grinned at the uneaten dinner. After finding a tray he piled the plates with food and headed back into the bedroom.
“Ah, my hero again,” Addison said as he approached with the feast. She came up to a sitting position. The sheet covered her breasts but he could see the lush outline beneath the white cotton.
“At your service, madam.”
“Oh . . . so you’re my slave?”
“Absolutely,” Reid said. “Your wish is my command.”
She scooted into a cross-legged sitting position. “Well, now, I like that. I like it a lot.” When she reached for a chicken leg, the sheet slipped. With a little squeal she tugged it upward.
“You’ve got to be kidding. I’ve seen every inch of that super-sexy body of yours.”
“I know, but . . .” A pretty pink blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks. She shrugged, making her breasts brush against the sheet.
Reid felt a sexual stirring in his blood and was surprised how quickly his depleted body responded to the sight of her naked in his bed. But he wanted her to enjoy her dinner and so he reluctantly asked, “Would you like me to get you a shirt?”
Ducking her head, she nodded. “Please.”
Reid had no problem parading around naked. He slipped from the bed and opened the chest of drawers, locating a short-sleeved Western-cut plaid shirt instead of a T-shirt, thinking he’d like to do that snap-popping thing on her later.
“Thank you,” she said, and shrugged into it.
“You sure look good in my shirt,” he told her with a grin.
“Are you quoting the Keith Urban song?”
“Yes. So you really do like country music?”
“Why do you seem so surprised?” she asked as she dabbed at her mouth with the napkin.
Reid swallowed a bite of potato salad. “I don’t know. I guess it goes back to my preconceived opinion that you were a Hollywood socialite with your nose in the air.”
Addison shook her head. “You couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
“I know that now. I’m sorry.”
“Well, I had the image of big-bellied farmers in baggy overalls, spitting tobacco. So I was dead wrong too.”
“I do own some overalls,” he admitted. “But I also own a tux.”
Her eyes widened.
“What—you can’t picture this country boy in a tuxedo?”
“Wrong, I totally
can
and it’s getting me all hot and bothered. Don’t you know that you have the kind of look that could grace the cover of
GQ
?”
Reid waved a chicken leg at her. “Yeah, right. With a pitchfork in my hand?”
“Those blue eyes, that sexy stubble.” She reached over and caressed his cheek. “Those dimples, and don’t even get me started on that hot body of yours, Reid.”
“Seems like you’ve given this some thought,” he teased.
“In passing,” she said, but laughed. “But, seriously, I have to tell you that it’s refreshing that you don’t obsess over your looks or body. It gets really old and exhausting. Luckily my parents believe in health and fitness but not some silly obsession with never aging or having an ounce of body fat.”
He chewed on a bite of chicken. “Will your parents be visiting soon?”
“Right now they’re in Hawaii on a second honeymoon,” she said, but glanced away.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling homesick?”
“No, not really.”
He put a hand on her arm and squeezed. “Oh, wait. . . . Don’t tell me. Are they taking the honeymoon that you would have been going on?” He asked casually and out of concern, but the thought that she had almost married someone else bothered him.
“Yes.”
“Do you miss him, Addison?” He didn’t want to fall for someone who still loved someone else.
“I suppose I do in some ways.” She lifted one shoulder. “It’s weird to have someone in your life, care about them, and have it all go so wrong and then to no longer see them, speak to them, and have to figure out where to file the good memories.”
“I understand. Life sure is unpredictable. Sometimes it’s hard to know which fork in the road to take.”
“I do think that I’ve learned from it, though.”
“What did you learn?”
“What love . . .
isn’t
.”
Reid reached over and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, lingering on the petal-soft skin of her cheek.
“Love isn’t simply having fun. And it isn’t just friendship or even passion.”
“So, then, what is love?”
“All of the above. It’s caring so much about that person that you’d do anything to make them happy and support them in so many ways. You’ve seen your parents work together to keep this farm. My dad took a step back to allow my mother to shine. I see it with my cousin Mia and Cameron. She misses him so much, but baseball is his dream and she loves her job and so they somehow make it work even though it’s got to be really hard. Uncle Mitch left Chicago and moved here to Cricket Creek to be with his wife. Nicolina is more important to him than power or money.”
Reid nodded, thinking he’d been so wrong about her. “You didn’t really answer my question. But you don’t have to, Addison.”
“Reid, I can tell you with absolutely certainty that I am not in love with Garret. In fact, I never was. I realize that now. He falls into the category of what love isn’t.” She gave him a level look but remained silent when he wanted to know more. She handed him a strawberry.
Instead of taking the strawberry from her he brought her hand to his mouth and took a bite. She finished the rest of the strawberry and then reached for another one.
“So . . . have you ever been in love, Reid?”
“There were a couple of girls in college that I dated for a while.” He shrugged. “I guess I thought so at the time, but nothing became serious, much to my mother’s sorrow.” Reid shook his head. “Poor Mom. She is so anxious for a grandbaby. But twins run in her family. My grandmother is a twin. So she might get two for one after Sara gets married.”
“Well, I’m an only child, so I’m the only hope.”
It occurred to Reid that she’d make a good mother, patient and loving. He’d never talked to a woman about having kids before but, then again, he’d never really thought about marriage. He’d also never had a picnic in his bed with a woman either. Or had the urge to cuddle or massage tired feet. But he wanted all of those things with Addison.
Reid inhaled a deep breath. He wasn’t thinking; he was finally feeling. Did he have it in him to take that scary-ass leap of faith?
Yes, he did. But should he tell Addison how he felt?
“Reid, hey, don’t look so freaked-out. We can stop talking about children. I don’t know how we got on the subject but it’s clearly wigging you out,” she said in a lighthearted voice, but there was a rather forlorn look in her eyes. She fell silent.
“You’ve got it all wrong.”
“It’s a pattern with me,” she said with a small laugh. “So, are you going to enlighten me?”
Reid gave her pretty face a searching look. He decided that he’d wait to tell her what he wanted and how he felt. He wanted to give her time to forget about the past and build trust between them. Besides, showing her was much better than telling her, anyway. Reid wanted to treat her in the manner she should have been treated all along. Instead of being expendable or used, Addison deserved someone who would treasure her for all that she’s worth.
“Reid?” She tilted her head to the side.
“No, but I am going to kiss you.” He leaned in and captured her mouth in a sweet, lingering kiss. “Addison?” he whispered in her ear.
“Mmm?”
“Last one in is a rotten egg.”
She opened her eyes. “Last one . . . ? Oh, in the hot tub?”
“Yes, I’ve got it heating up.” Reid scrambled from the bed and held out his hand.
“What about the food? We didn’t eat it all. I don’t want to waste any of it.”
Reid nodded, liking that about her as well. “You’re right.” He tugged on his boxers and then started gathering up the leftovers.
Addison helped him put everything away, looking so damned cute walking around in his shirt that he wanted to scoop her up and make love to her again, but he knew she would benefit from the hot tub and so he refrained. Barely.
“Okay, now . . . last one in is a rotten egg,” he said, and took off like a rocket.
“Hey, no fair. My feet hurt,” she shouted after him.
Reid stopped in his tracks and turned around.
“I forgot.” When he hurried back with the intention of scooping her up in his arms, she scurried past him, laughing over her shoulder.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Reid quickly caught up and snaked his arm around her waist. She squealed when he picked her up, but he silenced her with a kiss. “So, you don’t play fair. I’ll have to remember that.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to be a rotten egg.”
“Baby, there’s nothing rotten about you,” he said as he carried her out to the back deck. After setting her down he folded the cover back from the hot tub. Steam rose in the air, and when he turned the jets on she sighed.
“Oh, this is going to feel amazing,” she said, but then looked at his boxers. “Oh, my swimsuit is in the cabin.”
Reid arched an eyebrow and then took off his boxers. “Naked is the only way to go.” He took a step closer to her and tugged at the shirt, exposing her body one snap at a time. He eased the shirt over her shoulders and let it slide to the deck and then pulled her in for a kiss.
“Oh my gosh. Can anybody see us?”
“Nobody but the bears.”
“Bears?” she squeaked.
“Just kidding.”
“Okay,” she said, but looked right and left, making him chuckle.
Reid stepped into the tub and then held out his hand to assist her. “Careful, it can get slippery.”
Addison took his hand. “Ahh, you were right—this feels heavenly,” Addison said after she sat down in the bubbling water. She eased onto the bench seat and leaned back. “Oh yeah, this is the ticket. I feel as if my bones are turning to Jell-O.”
“You can thank me later.”
Addison laughed. “Oh, I plan on it,” she said with a smile that held all sorts of promises. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the edge of the tub. Moonlight caressed her face and shoulders and the delicate column of her throat. The gurgling water played peekaboo with her breasts, giving him tantalizing glimpses. Her mouth looked pink and wet from the spray of the water and her cheeks were flushed from the heat. She’d piled her hair up in a sloppy bun but loose, dark tendrils clung to her neck. Reid watched her, drinking in the sight but allowing her to relax, when he wanted to scoot over there and slide his naked body against hers.
The feelings he tried so hard to suppress seemed to grow deeper by the minute, expanding and reaching into places he didn’t know existed. He’d been semiserious a couple of times, like he told her, but what he left out was that no one brought out the feelings of protectiveness, possessiveness, and flat-out desire. He’d never had a woman occupy his thoughts the way Addison did or make his heart race just from looking at her.
Addison opened her eyes and their gazes held, locked. His heart thudded when, without speaking, she closed the gap between them and straddled his lap. Her skin felt like wet silk sliding against him. She came up on her knees and held on to his shoulders, offering her breasts. Reid cupped them in his hands licking, sucking, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples until her breath came in short gasps. He felt her thighs tremble and she sank into the water, wrapped her arms around his neck and fell into a long, hot kiss.
Reid wanted to thrust upward and take her right there, but he didn’t have protection and so he held back. She kissed his neck while moving erotically against him, letting her breasts slide against his chest, and then slid her fingers in his wet hair, kissing him once more. Reid caressed her back, cupped her ass, letting his hands explore her wet, warm body.
The jets suddenly went silent, leaving only the light sound of water lapping with their movements. Moonlight spilled over them and the music of the night lingered on the gentle breeze.
“Let’s take this inside,” Reid said in her ear.
“Yes . . . please.”
“Ah, sexy and polite too. What more could I ask for?” Reid teased, and she laughed. But, truly,
what more could I ask for
? He felt his guard slipping away. Where she had come from and who she had been engaged to no longer seemed to matter. “Uh, unfortunately, I forgot towels. Do you want me to run inside and get you one?
“No, I’ll brave it,” she said, “but we’ll get the floor wet.”
“A small price to pay,” Reid said and then scooped her up.
“I can walk!”
“I like having your naked body in my arms.”
“Just hold on tight, huh?”
“And never let go.” He hadn’t meant to say that part out loud. Instead of giving her time to think about it he hurried into the cabin, dripping wet and laughing all the way. After grabbing two big, fluffy towels out of the linen cabinet he handed her one. “I brought your bag in here in case you needed anything,” he said. “I’ll give you some privacy.” He cleared his throat and said, “You’re welcome to spend the night.”
“Do you want me to?”
“Absolutely.”
She smiled.
“Good, I’m going to turn off the hot tub and lock up. Do you want anything?”