Page 38 of Stolen Goods
Okay, that was a little dramatic. But still, she was tired of missing things, of letting her life fly by, of waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect man or the perfect opportunity. Twenty-five years had gone by, and so far, none of those perfects had shown up. Addy didn’t want to wait twenty-five more.
She wanted to live.
She would live.
The pumpclicked, signaling the tank was full. As she looked up to place the nozzle back in its holster, three things happened all at once. Thad walked out of the mini-mart with a booklet tucked under his elbow. The man at the pump across the way turned and did a double take, eyes going wide. And Addy let go. This little adventure, as messed up and dangerous as it might be, was the only one she had—she wasn’t ready to lose it just yet.
What would Bonnie do?she thought, returning to Thad’s earlier comment. If she were someone else, not Addison Abbot, but someone brave, what would she do? And then it hit her.WWBD?Not what wouldBonniedo, but what wouldBritneydo—she’d go full “Toxic.”
“David!” Addy shouted, not thinking, just doing. “David!”
Thad glanced up at the sound of her voice, brows twisting into a knot. Then his gaze slid to the side, toward the man still staring in his direction—the man starting to lift his cell phone higher and higher, as though to snap a pic.
Addy was having an out-of-body experience—no, an out-of-Britney experience. One thought circled her brain.Hide his face. Hide his face. Hide his face.
So she did.
She marched up, grabbed hold of his cheeks, and hid Thad’s face…with her own. At first he stiffened, taken off guard. But then he wrapped his arm around her waist, dug his fingers into her hair, and kissed her more thoroughly than she’d ever been kissed before.
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Thad
She tasted like summer rain, unexpected and refreshing, the sort of storm that made Thad want to run barefoot on the beach, lift his face to the sky, and smile with all the possibilities—a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a very long time. The world slipped away as he chased after the elixir in her lips, hungry and demanding, as though if he tried hard enough he could steal some of that magical positivity bubbling beneath her skin.
Addison sighed against his lips as he gripped the back of her head, tilting it toward him. Her fingers crept into his hair, nails scraping hungrily over his scalp as she pulled him closer. Thad wrapped his arm around the small of her back in a vicelike embrace, leaving no air between them. She melted against him, full breasts pressing into his chest, body as soft and voluptuous as he’d imagined. He gripped tighter, sliding his tongue between the folds of her lips. She gasped. He swallowed the sound and—
Beeeeeep!
“Get a room,” a gruff voice called. “You’re blocking my car.”
Thad snapped his head back, but no other bit of him moved. He couldn’t do anything but stare at Addison, at her slightly swollen lips, at the attractive pink flush enlivening her cheeks, at the sexy daze hiding beneath her hooded eyes. She was so goddamn beautiful it hurt—because he knew, whatever this was, it was fleeting.
Beep! Beep!
“Come on!”
Thad swiveled his head and took a step back, keeping his hands on Addison’s hips—to help steady her, of course—as he met the man’s gaze.Well, he’s no longer suspicious. Pissed, maybe, but not suspicious.
“Sorry,” Thad called out smoothly. He shrugged and lifted the edge of his lips into a self-satisfied yet apologetic grin, angling for a sort of boy’s club understanding. “We’re on our way to Vegas to elope. She can’t keep her hands off me!”
Addison immediately came back to life. Thad barely managed to jump back before her hand came swinging for his cheek. He wasn’t sure if she was acting or not, but either way, it helped.
He turned toward the man and rolled his eyes, muttering, “Women.”
The man laughed, easing up on his tense body language, as they shared a look of brotherhood.Mission accomplished.
“Anyway, sorry again.” Thad capitalized on his moment of victory.
“No trouble at all,” the man said. “She’s a good woman. Hold on to her.”
Funny how he’d managed to surmise all of that from an overtly public display of affection and a near slap in the face, but that was an amazing thing about people, a little trick Thad had learned over time—never overshare. Give people just enough information to ease their minds and then let them do the rest. The most convincing stories were the ones people came up with on their own.
“I intend to.”
The words came out believable.
A little too believable.
