by Vivian Wood
“I’m going to come,” she sputtered. “Fuck, I’m close.”
She gripped his head and dug her fingers into his hair as she came against his tongue. He felt the gush and lapped up the flood between her thighs.
Gently, he kissed her swollen clit as the waves started to subside. She shivered, but didn’t stop him.
“Gentle,” she whispered.
“Will you come for me again?” he asked.
Addy moaned in response.
“Come for me again, Addy,” he said, and slipped a finger into her.
She gasped. Her body responded with a squeeze to his forefinger. The second time was slower. He could tease her, bring her close to the edge, and back off right before she came.
“Please,” she urged finally through gritted teeth.
“Please, what?” he asked with a smile.
Her clit was engorged. He’d managed three fingers inside her and still she pushed up against him, demanding to be fucked with his hand.
“Please let me come,” she begged.
He fucked her with his fingers, slow and steady, while his tongue flicked firmly against her clit.
“Oh, Jesus!” she started to cry. “Jack, yes! Jack, I’m coming. I’m coming…”
He felt the pulse against his fingers as she climaxed again. Her cries rang through the forest. She tasted even sweeter the second time around.
When he finally pulled himself up and lay beside her, Addy’s eyes were half-closed.
“I needed that,” she said as she caught her breath. “But, hey?”
He looked toward her. Addy leaned up on her elbow.
“There are so many reasons it can’t ever happen again,” she said. “We’re on the same page, right?”
“Uh, right,” he said, surprised.
But I made you say my name, he thought.
Addy started to get dressed in that ridiculous getup. In a minute, she was fully clothed and had started back toward the trail without him.
18
Addy banged her bare knee against the coffee table, but grit her teeth and continued to scrub furiously at the surface.
There’s no way he’s going to get to me, she thought.
“You okay?” Jack asked.
He was sprawled across the couch enthralled in the Patriots game on his laptop.
She refused to answer—or give him the satisfaction of rubbing her throbbing knee. Instead, she dropped to all fours and picked up the discarded Red Bull can she’d spotted that morning under the couch.
Men really are pigs, she thought.
Jack crunched into a handful of cashews as she moved to the counter that separated the living room and kitchen. She scrubbed at the gray and white counter aggressively. Some of the sticky streaks were almost impossible to remove.
What the hell is this? she wondered.
Addy figured after years of working in a restaurant, she’d seen and cleaned it all.
“You know, if you’re mad, you should just say so,” Jack called from the couch.
She whipped her head around and looked at him. His eyes were glued to the screen. He tossed the can of nuts, lid still removed and nowhere in sight, onto the coffee table she’d just cleaned and wiped his salted hand on the couch.
A rage whirled inside her, on the edge of explosion.
“I just cleaned that,” she snapped.
“Huh? What?” He glanced at her briefly, but the cheers from the screen pulled his attention back to the game.
“The table? The couch you just wiped your disgusting hand on? I just cleaned that.”
Addy slammed the bottle of cleaner on the counter and took the two steps to the couch to stand over him.
“Oh. Sorry, I’ll clean it later,” he replied.
Yeah, right.
“Hey! You wanted me to talk, I’m talking to you,” she said.
“I wanted you to say if you were mad! Not nag me about cleaning. This is my first afternoon off since—well, you know. Calm down.”
“Calm down?” She felt the anger that had been whirling inside her start to leak out. “Calm down! Don’t freaking tell me to calm down! I’m the only one who cleans this place, and—”
“Nobody asked you to.”
“What?” She shook her head in wonder.
“I said nobody asked you to. Forget about it, I’ll hire a cleaner,” he said with a shrug. “You should relax.”
“Hire a…” Addy couldn’t believe it.
Everything really was that easy for him, wasn’t it?
Not only didn’t he care that she’d been the only one cleaning up their place for the past few weeks, it was so easy for him to just replace her just like that.
“Must be nice,” she finally said.
“Huh?”
“I said it must be nice! To have money to just throw around like that.” She stormed into the kitchen and threw the cleaning supplies into the cabinet.
“Hey!” Jack jumped at the sound. “What, are you pissed again that I can afford a certain lifestyle?”
“You think I’m mad because you have money?” She nearly laughed. “That’s why you think I’m mad?”
“Well, since you won’t tell me why, I have to guess! I was trying to help you out. You seemed pissed off that you ‘had’ to clean, so I figured—”
“I’m not mad about the cleaning, Jack!” She could hear the trill in her voice, but couldn’t stop it. “I’m mad because—oh, never mind.”
She stomped into the bedroom as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.
“What the fuck,” she heard him mutter as she slammed the door.
Addy pulled off the shorts that reeked of bleach. Her breath caught when she saw the angry red bruise that had already blossomed on her knee.
That’s just great.
Part of her listened for the sound of Jack’s footsteps in the hall as she wiggled into jeans and a clean t-shirt, but they never came. Just canned sounds of some ridiculous game drifted in from the living room.
Addy took a deep breath and finger combed her hair out of the topknot.
He’s right, she had to admit. Why the hell are you wasting your time and energy picking up this place, anyway? It’s not like it’s your real home. Or a real marriage.
She grabbed her wallet, phone, keys and refused to even look in his direction as she made a beeline for the front door.
“Hey!” Jack said from the couch. “Where are you go—”
Addy slammed the door behind her with a satisfying bang. It cut him off completely and thankfully, she could no longer hear that godawful noise. Her heart rate began to lower as she fired up her little car and headed straight for the closest bar.
Hi, Addy. Haven’t seen you in forever. What’ll it be?”
Addy briefly remembered being partnered with the bartender for a science project in middle school.
“Uh,” Addy glanced at the time. Just one in the afternoon. “House white, I guess.”
She wanted a cocktail, something hard, but the last thing she needed were rumors swirling around town that she was a drunk.
By the time she’d finished half the first glass, the edge—compliments of Jack—had started to soften.
“Long day?” Addy jumped at the voice. When she looked up, Rosalie was beside her. “Mind if I join you?”
Addy shook her head, unable to speak. Rosalie had clearly just come off a grueling shift, but as always she still managed to look perfect.
The staple red lipstick was expertly applied, and the chignon’s wisps of escaped hair framed Rosalie’s delicate jawline perfectly.
“I’ll have the same,” Rosalie told the bartender, and gestured at Addy’s wine. “So. Jack’s off this afternoon. What are you doing at a bar alone?”
Addy began to blush. Crap. This wasn’t going to look good.
“I just…”
“Needed some alone time?”
Addy gave a soft laugh.
“Something like that.” She finished the last of her wi
ne.
“Hold on,” Rosalie said. “Is that your first glass?”
“Yeah.” Maybe people will think I’m a drunk even with wine.
“I need to catch up.” In a single swallow, Rosalie downed her entire glass. “Ugh, couldn’t you have been drinking liquor or something?”
Addy laughed aloud. The first genuine laugh she’d had in a while, she realized. “I wanted to, but thought that might not look good at one in the afternoon.”
“Oh, who cares what anyone thinks?” Rosalie asked. “I just got off a shift from hell, and I’m guessing this is your first afternoon off in a long time. Two shots of Patrón, bartender.”
The girl with the jet black hair and full sleeves of tattoos who ran the bar didn’t even blink as she poured.
By their second shot, Addy had softened completely. Part of her couldn’t even remember why she’d picked that fight with Jack.
He came from money, she reminded herself. And what, he’s just supposed to start slumming it now that he’s with you?
“So, tell me,” Rosalie said.
Even in her buzzed state, she didn’t lose that special grace. Her cheeks had turned pinker and her smile was bigger than normal. It gave her a softness that enhanced her beauty even more.
“Tell you what?” Addy asked. She could hear a slight slur in her speech.
That’s what you get for drinking on an empty stomach.
“Why you’re here alone,” Rosalie said. “The real reason, not the PC one.”
“Oh.” Addy blinked and cradled the little empty shot glass in her hand. “I dunno,” she finally said. “I just needed to get away.”
Rosalie raised her brows.
“With how much both of you work, I’m surprised you don’t take every chance you get to be together. I remember how it was with our sched—sorry, forget I said anything.”
“It’s okay,” Addy said. “I mean, I know you two were together. It’s not like pretending otherwise will change that.”
“It’s still awkward. I get that. I wouldn’t be stoked either if I were in your place.”
“What do you mean?”
“If my husband worked with his ex all day. Especially the kind of long, odd shifts the hospital requires,” Rosalie said with a shrug. “Plus, it’s your turf, after all.”
Addy laughed. “My turf?”
“You know what I mean,” Rosalie said with a laugh. “I mean, this is your hometown. And then you have this whirlwind romance with a new man in town, just to have his ex show up and throw a wrench in the whole thing. It’s got telenovela written all over it.”
Addy shrugged.
“I’ll admit, it was kind of weird at first. The whole thing, not just you,” she said quickly. “Trust me, it wasn’t in my life plan to marry someone I’d only known for a short amount of time.”
More like less than twenty-four hours, she thought.
“The greatest things in life are rarely planned,” Rosalie said. “But can I tell you something?”
“Sure.”
“Honestly, if Jack had ever looked at me the way he looks at you? Just once? He and I wouldn’t have had a problem.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Part of the alcoholic veil lifted briefly. Addy was aware that this was important, but she couldn’t quite find it within herself to surface to soberness.
“It means he’s in love with you!” Rosalie said. “It’s obvious. With Jack and me, it wasn’t ever like that. I mean, I think we both pretended and maybe even hoped one day it would evolve into that—into love—but it just wasn’t in the cards.”
She shrugged.
Addy laughed.
“You’re crazy,” she said. “And drunk. And so am I. This probably isn’t the best time to be having deep conversations. ”
Rosalie shook her head and peered into the empty glass. “You’ll see.”
19
The stars have aligned.
Jack looked at his phone and smiled at the text from Philip. Ellipses skittered across the screen.
Neither of us are scheduled until Thursday. You and Addy up for an overnight hike? There’s a group of us going.
Yes, thank God, he thought.
When Jack had seen the schedule, he knew it was supposed to be a gift. Nobody who worked the ER got two consecutive days off. He should have been grateful, but instead all he could think about was how awkward it would be at home.
Addy was still pissed as hell, and he didn’t have a clue why.
Just tell me where to meet and what to bring, he texted back. Addy can’t make it, work.
Addy’s whole “will they or won’t they” bullshit was getting out of control. At first, he’d been into her whole angry housewife ploy. And then he realized it wasn’t a ploy.
Angry sex was hot, and for a while he’d thought maybe that’s what she was into. However, when she’d returned home buzzed from the bar the other afternoon, it was clear she wasn’t playing games.
Philip texted him an address downtown and Jack quickly stuffed his camping backpack full of his gear.
This is exactly what you need, he thought as he tossed his tent, bag, and gear into the back of the Jeep. A night under the stars, a few beers with friends, and a drama-free, Addy-free evening.
He started to smile as he headed downtown.
Why have I been so stressed out, anyway? he wondered. So what if Addy’s acting crazy? It’s not like we’re really married.
Jack bounded into the meeting place, a little diner known for catering to the numerous campers that passed through the area. He stopped short when he saw Rosalie and Addy side by side in a booth.
“What, uh—”
“Hey!” Philip appeared at his side and clapped him on the back. “I thought you said Addy couldn’t make it?”
“I didn’t think she—”
“She got the day off,” Rosalie purred up with a smile.
“She… okay. And what are you…”
“I invited everyone from work,” Philip said. “Can you believe all the new kids got two consecutive days off?”
“I invited Addy when I ran into her getting coffee,” Rosalie said.
“And I’d just given up my shifts so Dawn could make a little extra. Perfect timing,” Addy said with a smile.
But Jack at least knew her well enough to recognize it was forced.
Shit. I can’t back out now, he thought. What were they up to? And since when were Addy and Rosalie friendly?
“The crew’s all here.” Jack turned to see Jeremy approach, a backpack slung across his shoulder.
“What—” Jack searched for the words to figure out what the hell was going on, but nothing came out.
“Jeremy! Hi!” One of the nurses that had just started last week jumped up and wrapped her arms around him.
God, does it ever stop? Jack wondered.
Jeremy slung an arm around the girl and surveyed the group.
“This should be fun,” he said. His eyes lingered on Jack.
“Let’s figure out the car situation. Jack, your Jeep is four-wheel drive, right?”
“Yeah, but I removed the back seats, so there’s just room for two.”
“My Range Rover is four-wheel drive,” Rosalie piped up.
“I’ll go with Rosalie to keep her company,” Addy said.
“Awesome, okay if I ride with you?” Philip asked Jack.
“Uh, sure.”
“Everyone has the address that works with the GPS, right?”
As Jack tore through the town with Philip in the passenger seat, he tried to untangle whatever mess he’d stumbled into. Philip only talked about the trail, the details of his favorite camping site, and gossip from work.
Was he in on it, too? Whatever “it” might be?
The group arrived en masse and everyone immediately started to sort out tents and equipment. Jack had to admit the place was beautiful. Deserted except for them, the lush greenery framed a crystal clear stream seemingly untouch
ed by humans. He could see all the way to the depths.
“Jack!” Philip’s voice made him jump.
“Huh, what?”
“I said, how many people does your tent sleep?”
“Oh. Just two.” Immediately, he regretted his words. Obviously, he’d be alone with Addy in his tiny tent.
“Oh, alright. You and Addy then, and then I think my tent sleeps…”
He shook his head and went back to staring at the pristine landscape.
“Okay! Everyone ready?” Philip asked. “The hike should just take about an hour round trip, and that’ll give us plenty of time to finish setting up the tents when we get back. Jack, you wanna take the lead with me?”
He was grateful at the offer. Addy and Rosalie whispered together in the middle of the pack as the group started toward the trailhead.
What were those two up to?
“Hey,” Philip said quietly as they started the incline. “What’s up with you and Addy?”
Shit.
“Marital woes,” Jack finally said. “No biggie, though.”
“You want to talk about it?” Philip asked. He glanced behind them, but Addy and Rosalie were in their own world yards behind them, chattering like schoolgirls. “If I can help—”
“I said it’s no big deal,” Jack said. “Can we just enjoy the trail?”
Philip clamped his mouth shut. Five minutes later, he started to talk about work, and Jack settled into the safe subject, thankful to forget about Addy for a few hours.
By the time they circled back to the campsite, Jack had almost forgotten that Addy—not to mention Rosalie and Jeremy—were right behind them.
The brief but challenging hike had given the adrenaline junkie in him a little high. When he saw Addy’s tanned legs before him as he hunkered down over the little tent, he looked up with a smile on his face.
To his surprise, it seemed like the fight in her had been drained.
“Can I help?” she asked.
He glanced around to see if someone was nearby, if there was a show they needed to be putting on. But everybody else was busy setting up their own tents.
“I’ve got it, but thanks,” he said.
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “You’ve got it all figured out by yourself.”
