Page 75 of Unraveled Love

“I’m also your ass,” I whispered. “I love you, and it kills me that you didn’t have that kind of family where you knew that and were accepted for you, but in all honesty, yes, my parents will love you. They’d tolerate you and put up with you for the simple fact that I love you because they’re supportive like that, but they’ll love you because of who you are, your sweet spirit, your strength, and my mom will get an absolute kick out of your sass. My dad will like that you actually enjoy shooting guns and make me happy. And the dogs? As soon as you feed them bacon, you’ll have their hearts forever, just like you have mine.”

By the time I was done, her eyes were filling with tears and her chin wobbled. I’d spend every day, the rest of my life, showering her with all the nice words she’d never received growing up, not because it was a chore, but because not only did she deserve them, they were as easy to say as breathing.

And then, I’d reinforce it all with action.

Showing her how much I loved her.

And I’d start right then.

I slid my fingers into her silken hair and brought her mouth to mine. She tasted like cherries and wine and fresh air as I slid my tongue across the seam of her mouth. She opened, pressing the tip of her tongue to mine.

We stayed there in the chair, wrapped in each other, kissing until our mouths were sore and talking more about our lives growing up in between breaks with crackers and cheese and more drinks, until the sun started to set and our appetites demanded more than carbs and dairy.

It was the best afternoon I’d ever spent, and I wanted a thousand more of them with Addi.

I’d even buy the damn Adirondack chairs if I had to in order to make it possible.

26

Addi

If I had thought I was climbing the walls in Shawn’s townhome, that had nothing on what it was like to be stuck in a mountain home with five other guys, four of them on a mostly rotating basis with absolutely nowhere to go and nowhere to be and nothing to do except go mind-numbingly blank at every single sporting event they insisted on watching.

It’d been days and we hadn’t heard anything. The warrant served at Elusive hadn’t brought Landon out of hiding from wherever he was, but fortunately, it’d been shut down. The cops were now looking for him. We were at a standstill, and with every passing day, I was beginning to wonder when we’d ever be able to return to Raleigh.

I was anxious to get back to work, and to reconnect with Shannon and the other women I’d hoped were becoming my friends.

We’d been there five days, but they were dragging so long and moving so slowly I was starting to feel like I was the main character in the movieGroundhog Day. Every morning was the same: I woke with Shawn’s side of the bed empty but a hot cup of coffee on my nightstand, like he could sense the exact moment I’d wake up.

He rose before the sun and worked out then spent some time making sure the grounds were safe and there was no sign of Daniel.

I didn’t have nightmares every night, but I’d had them the first two. Since then, I blamed Shawn, and I silently thanked him, because I was pretty sure he wore me out so hard and thoroughly before I fell asleep even my subconscious couldn’t find the energy to dream or think about anything.

I’d told him as much the previous day when I woke up and finally made it to the kitchen after a quick shower, and it earned a smug smile from him.

“That hasn’t been the plan, but it’s a nice side effect.” He kissed me so thoroughly I completely forgot Cort and Briggs were in the living room until one of them cleared his throat and the other coughed around the wordsGet a room.

Sex with Shawn was amazing. He didn’t take in bed; hegave. He made it all about me, taught me what he liked with patience mixed with a side of bossy that always left me not only wanting to give him everything he demanded butlovingthe way he responded when I listened.

Which was exactly why I was now upstairs in the bedroom, digging through my suitcases, searching for the bikini I knew I’d packed at one point so Shawn and I could spend some time in the hot tub, something we hadn’t yet done.

“Aha!” I declared once I saw the black strings of my swimsuit. I dug it out of the bottom of the bag and fisted the barely-there pieces. After I was dressed, I grabbed a couple towels from the bathroom, wrapped one around my body, and rolled my shoulders back.

Now, I just needed all the confidence I could fake to walk into the room with five muscled, burly, no-nonsense men who only had sports and murder on their mind and convince myself not to blush so bad my skin ended up matching my hair color.

I could do this. I was bored out of my mind, hooked on Shawn, and even though we’d already had sex before lunch when I was upstairs and he dragged me in from the balcony where I’d gone to escape reruns of NASCAR races, I wanted more of him.

I’d never met a man so ethical, so stubborn, so willing to compromise when it was important to someone else and someone who had such a deep-seated need to protect. Yet at the same he came alive when he was giving to others—and I wasn’t just talking orgasms.

Shawn thrived on making those around him comfortable, safe, and happy.

Perhaps it made me selfish to not only enjoy it so much but enjoy the way he gave to me though I didn’t give back enough.

But I figured Shawn was competitive enough he’d always ensure he one-upped me in the giving department. It was simply the kind of man he was.

Because he loved me, I could walk down into that room, forget about all the other men who would see me, focus solely on Shawn, and find confidence that I knew as soon as I stepped inside the living area, his focus and eyes would only be for me.

Decision secured, I double-checked to ensure the towel was tight around my chest, only the strings of the bikini tied at the back of my neck visible and curled my hands into fists. My shoulders rolled back, and I knew as I walked down the stairs, loosely cupping the handrail, my confidence not only bolstered but also faked to the max, I walked the walk like the supermodel I never was but had learned to imitate during all my years of cotillion. My head was held high, my eyes straight ahead, and as soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, someone cleared his throat, and there was movement to my right.

---