by Gen Griffin
“I don't think-.” Ian started to shake his head.
“We should,” April Lynne cut him off before he could protest. “Let's burn that bitch's house down and leave her homeless.”
“I don't know,” Ian said. “My kid does live here.”
“Your kid ain't here now,” Joe said. “And you got enough money to replace all of the kid's stuff.”
“It will make it easier for us to get custody of Hannah Mae if Katie loses her house and has nowhere to go,” April Lynne said.
Ian felt vaguely nauseous. “I just don't think it's a good idea.”
“I do.” April Lynne looked straight at Joe. “Let's burn it.”
“Hell yeah, I love this bitch.” Joe grinned at April Lynne as he grabbed a gas can out of the bed of the truck. They had stolen it when they'd stolen the mowers. It still had almost a full five gallons of gas in it.
“Guys, I don't think we should do this,” Ian said.
“Stop being such a pussy,” Lowery said to him.
Joe walked up the steps of the porch and began pouring gasoline on the wooden boards. “I bet it won't take ten minutes for this place to go up like a match.”
Chapter 19
“I don't want to go home,” Katie said.
The ride back to Possum Creek had been almost deathly silent. The only noise in the truck was the radio, which had been turned on to a country oldies station that was sure to play all of their most depressing songs at two a.m. on a Friday night. They were currently less than five miles from Katie's house and they had barely spoken five words to one another since getting in the truck.
“Where do you want to go?” Addison asked from the driver's seat.
“I don't care,” Katie said. “I just don't want the night to end like this. I don't want to fight with you.”
“We're not fighting,” Addison said.
“We're not okay,” she said. “You're mad at me.”
“I told you that I loved you and you didn't believe me.” Addison had rolled down his window despite the chill in the air. “You still don't believe me. I can see it in your eyes. Total disbelief wasn't exactly the reaction I was looking for.”
“Can we please go somewhere and talk?” Katie asked. “Somewhere quiet with a lot of alcohol, preferably?”
“Are you actually going to talk to me?” He took his foot off the accelerator.
“Yes,” Katie promised.
Addison hit the brakes on his truck and then performed a big, sloppy U-turn in the center of the road. Ten minutes later the truck was rumbling down a familiar dirt road. Katie wasn't surprised when they bypassed the house and drove all the way down to the creek, parking beside the houseboat.
“Let's go swimming,” Addison said as he cut the motor.
“It's too cold to swim,” Katie said with a shiver.
“The creek is spring fed. It's 69 degrees all year round. The water will be warmer than the air is.”
“I don't have my swimsuit with me.”
“Who needs a swimsuit?” Addison got out of the truck and headed for the porch of the houseboat without waiting to see if she was going to follow him. He knew she would.
Katie took a deep breath and opened the truck door. She trailed Addison into the old houseboat that had been permanently anchored on the side of the spring-fed swimming hole. He pulled a bottle of rum out of the freezer and twisted the cap off. It didn't surprise her when he skipped the cup, opting to drink the liquor straight from the bottle.
He held the liquor bottle out to her when he'd drank what he wanted.
“I'm already kind of wasted,” Katie muttered. “I don't know if this is a good idea.”
“It's a fucking terrible idea,” Addison informed her. “Just like every other part of tonight.”
Katie sighed and took the rum from him. Even pissed off, he was stunningly gorgeous. Over six feet of nicely toned muscle, golden tan skin and those blonde curls that were really far too pretty for a boy. He'd let his hair grow out a little too long again and it fell in blonde ringlets that were just begging to have fingers run through them. Katie wondered what it would be like to be free to do just that. To bury her fingers in his hair and play with those curls. To wrap her arms around him and cuddle into his chest. To kiss him again. To kiss him anytime she wanted to. The savor the taste of his kisses.
Until he dumped her for the next girl. Which would take all of about five minutes.
Katie lifted the rum bottle to her lips and chugged until her eyes were watering. She gasped as she lowered it and he made a face at her.
“If I'm that bad, why not just go home and forget about me?” He asked.
“It's not you. Well, it's partially you. Like, eighty percent you.”
“No shit.” He stretched out his broad shoulders. “You're mad at me.”
“I was,” Katie acknowledged. “I don't know if I still am.”
“I don't know why you would ever have believed a word that came out of Makinsley's mouth. You know how she is. She was already pissed off at me at the wedding. She was probably just looking to do as much damage as possible.”
Katie pursed her lips. “She hit me with it when I was already feeling awful,” she admitted reluctantly. “Ian cheated on me at Gracie's wedding.”
“I know,” Addison said.
“Everyone knows,” Katie pointed out. “Every freaking person in Possum Creek knows.”
Addy didn't say anything. There wasn't anything to say.
Katie leaned against the edge of the tiny kitchen counter. “I'm sorry, okay?”
He eyed her skeptically.
“I'm sorry,” she repeated. “I'm sorry that Makinsley made me watch Ian and April Lynne make out and then told me how pathetic I was. I'm sorry that I believed her when she said you thought...” She trailed off because she couldn't quite bring herself to say the words.
“You should have known it was a lie,” he said. “Think about us, Katie. Seriously. You're my ride or die girl. You always have been. Not Mak. Not even Gracie. When the shit gets bad, you're always the one by my side. You're the only one I want by my side when everything starts going wrong.”
“I would have assumed that was Breedlove,” Katie teased, trying to lighten the mood.
He made a sour face at her. “You're a hell of a lot prettier than Breedlove.”
“Not by much,” she replied. “I'm not that pretty. I never will be. I'm not a ten. I'm not even an eight. On a good day, I'm probably about a four.”
“I don't know if I agree with that.” He ran his eyes up and down her figure, visibly checking her out.
“Mmm, sure you do. Let's be honest here. I'm short, flat-chested and basically forgettable. As far as women go, I'm cute with the right outfit and the right makeup.” Katie spun around in front of him and nearly stumbled in her heels. She hadn't realized quite how drunk she was.
Addy caught her by the arm and then pulled her into his chest. “You're cute all the time. I also think there's more to a girl than just a pretty face and a nice rack.”
“Sure, like good legs and a nice booty. I don't have either of those.” She knew she should probably pull away from him, but she couldn't quite work up the motivation. Instead, she placed both of her hands on his chest and stared up into those beautiful turquoise eyes of his.
“Nothing wrong with your legs or booty. Trust me, I've spent enough time looking.” Addison settled his arms around her waist. “Why are you making this so damned difficult?”
“Why are you being so damned difficult?” she countered.
“I'm not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Why?” He asked. “Because I won't let you tear yourself to pieces?”
Katie sucked in a deep breath through her teeth. “I'm not pretty.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I'm not Gracie.”
“Never said you were. Besides, Gracie's my sister and that would be creepy.” He kept his hands on her waist. The warmth that was radiating off of him made her wan
t to snuggle into the cotton of his worn soft shirt. She resisted the urge.
“I'm not Trish.”
“No, you're Katie. I kind of like that about you.” He licked his lips. “And since when do you care if other girls are prettier than you?”
“I don't. I got used to girls being prettier than me a long time ago.”
“Uh huh. Then why are you making an issue of it right now?”
“Because you are prettier than me,” Katie blurted the truth out before she could think better of it.
Addison blinked at her. “Huh?”
“You're a ten. I'm a four.”
“I really would rate you as more of a six or seven,” he mused, ignoring her comment about his own looks. “Maybe an eight when you dress up.”
“I couldn't pull off an unbiased eight if my life depended on it,” Katie corrected. “But we're not talking about me. Or, we are, but we're talking about me in reference to you. You're hotter than I could ever be.”
“I'm flattered,” Addison joked with a slightly bitter tone. “Y'all have all been giving me shit about my looks for years. Breedlove and Cal say I'm pretty. Gracie says I'd have made a very attractive cross-dresser.”
Katie couldn't help laughing.
“Mak says I'm not as handsome since I took that bullet through the shoulder. She says the scar ruins my chest.” Addison eyed Katie for a minute. “Want to see? Does the scar ruin the view for you?”
She stared at him in surprise. She didn't know where she'd thought the conversation was heading, but this hadn't been it. “No.”
“Really? You haven't even seen it.” Addison released her carefully so that she didn't stumble and then he yanked off his t-shirt and tossed it unceremoniously onto the floor. His chest wasn't as tan as she remembered it being, but his washboard abs were still just as perfect as ever. A light dusting of golden blonde hair covered his perfectly toned pecs. An angry, still pink scar was centered between his left pec and his shoulder. The bullet wound had healed well, but he probably wouldn't be doing any modeling gigs without his shirt on.
Katie reached up and gently touched the scar without thinking about it. “I'm just glad you're not dead.” She leaned forward and carefully brushed her lips across the scar in the gentlest of drunken kisses. “You scared the crap out of me.”
He choked out a bitter laugh as he reached for her. “I'm alive. You still haven't answered my question.”
“The scar doesn't bother me,” Katie whispered as she pulled back before she melted into his chest. Cuddling with him would not help her think straight. “You should know that. It's cosmetic, which means it's not important.”
“Then why the hell do you think I care about the cup size of your bra?”
Katie frowned at him. “Not the same thing.”
“It's cosmetic, not important.” He parroted her own words back at her.
Katie let out a small huff. “You are missing the point.”
“I didn't know you had a point.” He picked up the rum bottle and took a swig. “Enlighten me.”
Katie bit her tongue. She had a point. Several of them. She just didn't know where to start and his bare chest was distracting. The bullet wound definitely did not ruin the view. Mak was nuts.
Addison sighed. “Here, I'll help you. This is the part of the conversation where you tell me how you're married to Ian and then spend the next forty-five minutes trying to convince both of us that you still love that worthless whiny, lying, cheating bastard.”
Katie reached out and snatched the rum bottle out of his hand. She didn't need to add any more alcohol to her system, but anything was better than having to respond.
“Nothing?” Addison eyed her skeptically. Katie did not want to talk about Ian and her own past stupidity in regards to him. She tried to focus on Addison and found her eyes drifting down to the little silver barbells that pierced each of his nipples. She still didn't know what had prompted Addison to pierce his nipples in the first place, but every time she saw him shirtless she had an overwhelming urge to play with those little silver barbells.
“Come on Katie, tell me you don't want me.” His arms were crossed over his muscular chest. “Tell me that you'll never love me as much as you love Ian. I'll walk away if that's what you really want from me.”
Katie turned her back to him and tried to pull her thoughts together. She wasn't having much luck. Especially not with him shirtless. It was time to get some fresh air.
Still holding the rum bottle, Katie left Addison inside the houseboat and walked out onto the porch. The night air was bitterly chilly against her skin, but she bent down next to the water and stuck her fingertips in. Addison was right. The water was a good 20 to 30 degrees warmer than the air.
She sat down on the edge of the porch and began unbuckling her shoes. She slipped them off and set them on the edge of the wooden deck. A shadow fell over her and she ignored it. She knew Addison was leaning in the doorway watching her, but she didn't want to care.
“Thought you said it was too cold for swimming?” He asked.
Katie stood up and very intentionally took hold of her dress by the hem, pulling it over her head and then taking the time to painstakingly fold it into a very neat square. She made sure to keep her back to Addison as she reached for the clasp of her bra and released it. She folded her size 32-A bra in half and laid it on top of her dress. A moment later, her panties joined the pile. She knew Addy was still behind her as she carefully pinched her nostrils shut and then jumped off of the deck of the houseboat and into the water.
Chapter 20
The water was cold, but not as cold as Katie had hoped it would be. She focused on swimming as far as she could under the water. It felt good to wash away the sheen of sweat she’d built up dancing in the bar. She surfaced and purposely didn't look for Addison as she took a breath and then ducked her head back under water. Katie raked her fingers through her hair until she felt the last of the sweaty buildup wash away. When she came back up for air, Addy was treading water in front of her.
“Feel better?” He purposely looked down at her itty bitty breasts and made a point of staring.
She swatted at him with her left hand. “Hoping the cold will help me clear my head.”
Addy snorted back a laugh. “Is it working?”
“Depends. Are you naked?” Katie immediately regretted the question.
“I was wearing jeans. What do you think?” He was smiling teasingly. Little drops of water were running down his perfectly chiseled abdomen. His chest was solid muscle with just enough meat padding him to keep him from looking like he was carved out of stone. His nipple rings glinted in the moonlight and Katie plunged herself back underneath the water. The creek just wasn’t cold enough to deliver a decent shock to her system. Maybe if she stayed underwater long enough the lack of oxygen would override her clearly desperate hormones.
She surfaced again. “Why do you have to be so sexy?”
“Me?” Addy shrugged at her. “It just comes naturally.”
“Must be nice to be you,” Katie replied.
Something flickered in Addy’s eyes. “I wasn't done with our conversation.”
“I know,” Katie admitted. “I was trying to decide whether or not to tell you that I left a voicemail on Ian's phone earlier tonight telling him that he and I are over and I want a divorce. I told April Lynne the same thing so I'm pretty sure Ian's gotten the message by now. I'm single, Addison.”
Addison's eyes widened in the moonlight. “You're really divorcing him?”
“I am.” She dunked herself again, smoothing her hair back out of her face and then coming back to the surface to face him. “I've had enough of Ian's bullshit to last me for the rest of my life. Tonight was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.”
Addison nodded, but he didn't say anything.
“I'm going to file for divorce,” Katie spelled the words out for him. “It has nothing to do with you. Or Sully. Or anyone else other than myself and Hannah
Mae.”
“Okay,” he said. He reached for her. She intentionally paddled backwards away from him. He followed her, swimming with broad, lazy strokes.
“I just can't keep working 70 hours a week to support a guy who won't even meet me halfway.”
“Understandable. If he'd been my husband, I would have left him years ago,” Addison joked in a strangely flat tone.
“I should have left him years ago,” Katie confessed. She shook her head at him, sending drops of water flying everywhere. “I look back on my relationship and I can count dozens of times when I should have just called it quits. I don't know why I've held on this long.”
“You're loyal to a fault,” he said.
“Maybe. Maybe I'm just dumb.” Katie floated onto her back and stared up at the night stars. The air was impossibly cold against her wet cheeks.
“You're not dumb.”
“Oh, I'm plenty dumb. If I were smart, I wouldn't be here right now.” Katie stood up and eyed Addison. The water came nearly to her chin, which made it chest-deep on him. “I'd be home in my bed crying my eyes out and filling out the divorce paperwork I printed off the internet last week when I found a pair of April Lynne's underwear under the passenger's seat of the S-10.”
Addison cringed. “That's gross.”
“I'm pretty sure she intentionally left them there for me to find. Let's face it, you know whether or not you've forgotten your underwear when you're getting redressed after having sex in a car.”
“Yeah. I imagine you'd feel a draft. Especially considering how short April Lynne likes to wear her skirts.”
Katie swam back across the swimming hole until she reached the houseboat with Addy a few feet behind her. She'd set the bottle of rum on the edge of the deck. Now she pulled it down and took a sip of it. The liquor made her feel warmer inside and helped her work up the courage to say the words that were on the tip of her tongue. “Addison, I can't deal with being cheated on.”
“I wouldn't expect you to.” He held out his hand and gestured for her to give him the bottle. She passed it to him.
“You don't keep girls.” There. The words were out.