by Jordan Marie
“How did it work?” Black asks his mom.
“They caught a mama opossum in the box and carried it into the school so they could compare it up close.”
“Oh no,” I whisper giggling, because I finally understand.
Ida Sue comes over to me and puts an orange colored shake in front of me, and sits down grinning.
“I see you’re getting the picture. The mama had twelve babies on its back and when it took off running down the hall and into the gym room the principal was not happy.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t get expelled from the school,” Black laughs.
“Well, baby boy, they might have except for one small thing.”
“What was that?” I ask still giggling. I take a drink of the shake. It’s not bad—kind of tangy. I definitely taste peaches…I love peaches so I take another one.
“The principal was in the gym room knocking boots with his secretary. His very married secretary.”
“Uh oh. My guess is the secretary’s husband wouldn’t like that,” I murmur.
“Neither would the principal’s wife,” Black laughs.
“Exactly,” Ida Sue agrees. “So, in exchange for discretion from our family and promises that the boys would keep the secret to themselves…” she shrugs. “They just get a couple of days off.”
“This is really good Ida Sue. You’re going to have to give me the recipe.”
“Will do darlin’. The secret is to get the peaches as fresh as possible.”
“Peaches! Mom! Damn it!”
“Black Horn!”
Black goes to grab my shake, but I keep it from him.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Peaches are good for you,” Ida Sue grumbles. “You just drink up honey. My boy has just lost his marbles.”
“That’s the same crap you gave Kayla to try and help get her knocked up,” Black growls.
“To help her what?” I ask.
“Oh that’s just foolish talk. Peaches just help with the blood flow.”
“Then shouldn’t he be drinking it?” I ask.
“Addie!”
“What? It was a simple question, Black Horn,” I defend, hiding my smile behind the glass as I take another drink. “I mean I didn’t go through medical school, but I think blood flow effects your dangly bits.”
“You’re so going to fit right in, Orchid,” Ida Sue claims and I don’t know why that makes me so happy, but it does. “It actually might. To be safe we could have him drink it too. But mainly it’s just to help you be more receptive to his advances.”
“Receptive?” I ask looking at Black and then at the straw and glass.
“You’ll get turned on quicker so Black doesn’t have to stay up for the party quite as long.”
It’s all I can do to keep from laughing—especially when Black starts cursing under his breath.
“I didn’t know you had issues lasting for the party,” I sigh.
“I don’t!” he growls.
“That’s a shame,” I moan, purposely making my voice sound horribly sad.
“Damn it! I don’t have a problem keeping it up! Jesus. I knew this was a bad idea. Just give me the drink and stop encouraging my mother!”
“Ida Sue?”
“Yeah, Orchid?”
“Drinking this drink is all healthy right?”
“Yep. It will just help make Black’s workout a little easier. He’s getting some years on him now, you know.”
“He is a lot older,” I answer with a sigh.
“Son of a bitch, Addie, don’t encourage her.”
I grin at Black and take a sip of the shake.
“Christ,” he groans. “Make me one too, Mom.”
My eyes go round as Ida Sue gets up clapping her hands and practically giddy.
“Black—”
“You want to play, Princess? I’ll show you just how hard I like to play,” he says with a sly grin.
Oh boy.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Black
“I’m not sure it was a good idea to leave Addie alone with Mom,” I grumble. I didn’t want to leave her, Mom insisted and then Petal and Kayla came over followed by CC. I was overruled by women. Addie promised she was fine, but I don’t think it was my imagination that she looked panicked.
“It wasn’t,” Blue mutters, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Asshole! You’re the one that told me she’d be fine!”
“I lied. You can’t be that stupid. You know leaving a woman—any woman alone with our mother is a bad idea, but you left her alone with the whole clan.”
“Shit,” I say with a sigh, knowing he’s right.
“You’re fucked,” Blue adds helpfully.
“I hate you,” I growl, because he’s enjoying this way too much.
“If I were you, I’d hate me too. You left the womb first and obviously I stayed and got not only the good looks, but the brains too.”
“You wish. Shit. I should go back and get Addie.”
“Nah, it’s too late,” Blue says as he pulls into a parking spot outside the local shelter. It’s not enough the asshole is busting my balls, he had to insist on driving too.
“Too late for what?”
“We’re here. Besides, by the time you get back they’ll be picking out wedding dresses.”
“You’re just being stupid now. Addie and I have only had one date.”
“Have you seen how it works in our family? We get a look at the right woman and bam—there’s no dating.”
“Didn’t work that way for Green.”
“Green didn’t get the right woman. He got a bad case of herpes.”
I snort, because he’s not exactly wrong. Green’s ex is a class A bitch.
“What about you?” I ask my brother, interested on how he will answer since we’re getting out of the car and getting ready to go in and see Meadow.
“Some of us aren’t meant to have that one woman,” he says not looking at me, his face stoic.
I let the matter drop, starting to think there’s more to Blue’s attraction to Meadow and their story than I’m aware of. I open the door to the shop and a bell above my head jingles.
“Just a minute!” I hear Meadow call from the back—her voice is somewhat muffled with barking dogs.
The front office smells amazingly clean. I would have thought it being a shelter it wouldn’t. It looks sparkling though. Meadow has to clean constantly to get it looking this way I bet. There’s a candle burning on the counter of the reception desk and the scent reminds me a little of Addie. Then again, everything reminds me of Addie these days.
I stand there waiting, Blue comes up to my side. I look at him through the corner of my eye and notice he looks… angry. His face is almost rigid, and he’s staring straight ahead. There’s so much tension in him, it makes me nervous. I elbow him.
“What?” he barks, his voice quiet, but rough and angry.
“Try and put a smile on your face, you’ll scare Meadow to death. What’s wrong with you?” I chastise.
He lets out a large troubled breath and looks down at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck again in agitation. “Old demons, I guess,” he mumbles, not bothering to look up until Meadow comes in.
“Sorry about that. One of the new pups got out and—” Meadow comes bustling out of the back wiping her hands on a paper towel, looking pretty but frazzled. She’s got long burnished copper colored hair that is a wave of tight small curls that reminds me of Julia Roberts in her younger days. Odd, but I remember Blue used to watch that damn movie about college kids trying to kill themselves to see if there was life after death all the time. I forget what it’s called, but he never missed it. He always had a thing for Julia when we were younger.
Seems my brother has a type.
Meadow stops talking when she sees me and Blue standing there. Her dark brown eyes go round with shock. She is a pretty little thing. She probably doesn’t stand about 5’4” barefooted, we tower over he
r, but I don’t think that’s what she is reacting to. Her gaze is centered on Blue. Her mouth falls open and she says nothing else for a moment, she just stares. I clear my throat trying to get her attention, because it seems her and Blue might be in a staring contest and neither one makes any moves to talk. Normally, I’d just watch and observe but I need to get back to Addie and see what her and the rest of the women are doing. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re fitting Addie for a wedding dress. That bothers me, I won’t lie—but, you would think it would panic me more than it is.
Maybe Blue is right….
“Black, Blue how… uh… nice to see you both.”
“Is it?” Blue asks.
“What?” she asks, startled.
“Is it nice to see us?”
“I… Of course. What can I help you with?” she asks, avoiding his stare and I can’t say as I blame her.
My brother is intense. There’s more emotion behind his attraction to Meadow than I ever realized. I file that knowledge away for future reference.
“Nothing,” Blue says, putting both his hands on the counter and leaning in towards Meadow. This time I jerk around to watch him too. “There’s nothing you can help me with, Doe. It’s my brother that’s here to see you.”
Doe? The nickname is interesting, but not quite as interesting as the way Meadow reacts to the name. She literally jumps. That’s when I see anger flare in her eyes. You’d have to be blind to miss it. She immediately dismisses him, I can see it in the way she tightens her body and turns away from him. Blue's hands tighten into fists as he watches her. Oh there’s definitely a big story here. I’m going to have to get my brother to open up… somehow…. Or get mom after him…
“What can I help you with Black?” she asks me, her voice still tight, but at least there’s a smile on her face.
“I’ve lost my dog,” I answer, trying to get my mind off my brother—who is currently gripping the side of the bar so tight it may break—and back on the reason I’m here.
“Oh no. When? We haven’t had any new strays come in lately. Suzy Marlowe brought in six puppies that their dog had. She keeps doing that. I’ve given her coupons to get her dog fixed several times, but she never has. I just can’t understand people. We’re a no kill shelter, but we’re running at capacity. I’m having trouble finding forever homes for the dogs we have. People just don’t understand what an epidemic pet neglect is getting to be. We got over twenty cats alone brought in last week. It’s sad…” she says, her voice soft and melodic—sweet even, but full of sadness. You can tell she really believes in her job and is bothered by the way things are. It’s admirable. Then again, Meadow was always standing up for what she believed in. That’s how she got involved with her ex-husband. She stayed way too sheltered. Everyone knew her ex was bad news, but she had no idea. There’s lines on her face and maybe a few scars that makes me think maybe she does now.
“It is. This wouldn’t be a stray and I really doubt he would have been brought in here. Honestly, he could have been brought to any shelter in Texas.”
“Oh my…”
“Yeah. I’m hoping you can help me locate him. Like maybe there’s a shelter pipeline you can send his picture through? Anything?”
“That’s a lot of shelters, Black,” she warns me. “You need to prepare yourself….”
“I have but Meadow, I have to try. My ex-girlfriend got rid of Kong, and I’ve got to at least try and find him.”
She puts her hand over mine, as if to comfort me. Blue growls and she jumps, immediately taking her hand away.
“I’ll do my best,” she says, still not looking at Blue. “Do you have a picture of Kong? And anything that might help us locate him? I assume you didn’t have a chip implanted, that would have made things so much easier.
“A chip?”
“Microchip. They're implanted rather easily in the pet and helps you to find them and several other uses,” she says taking the picture I have of Kong.
“No… I guess I never thought about it. I never thought I’d need it. Kong was always with me…”
I feel so stupid. Hearing Meadow talk brings home just how hopeless this whole thing might be. I need to realize that I most likely will never see Kong again. The knowledge burns in my gut. I’m not a violent man but I could choke Linda cheerfully.
She’s put me through hell. Am I really ready to trust Addie? Do I have a choice?
I don’t think I do… the pull is just too strong.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Addie
“You’re awful quiet,” Black says as we’re driving back to my car.
It’s been a full day with his family. I enjoyed meeting them all. Petal even drove me to pick up Kong earlier. I was going to get my car and just go home from there, but Ida Sue said no. I’ve learned when Ida Sue says no… you go with it. I smile as I think of the mini-fit she threw just because I was going to go home. She demanded I not get my car—stating Black would take me to it later. Then, she demanded I get Kong and bring him to her. She said something about she needed time to bond with her grand-dog. His mom is a trip, but I love her. She made me stay for dinner even after Black got back. It was fun and exhausting. His family is hard to describe. They’re like a tornado and hurricane of crazy all rolled into one big huge bundle.
“I’m just tired.”
“Did my family…” he trails off like he doesn’t know exactly what to say.
“What?”
“Freak you out?” he finally asks and I giggle.
“Well when your mother offered to take me wedding dress shopping, I was a little worried.”
“Damn it. I knew she’d try something like that!” he growls and I bust out laughing.
“I was kidding! She didn’t, I promise.”
“Well there’s a miracle,” he says with a sigh.
“We’ve only just met, Black,” I tell him shaking my head.
“I’m not sure that matters, Addie.”
“To your mom? Of course it matters. I could be a horrible person.”
“I think you’re perfect,” he responds and I feel all warm and flushed inside.
“You haven’t seen me in a bad mood yet,” I joke, feeling embarrassed.
“I don’t know, the day you came in the office and slapped me, I think you were pretty pissed off.”
“Well yeah, I thought you lied to me… No, I thought you were married,” I correct myself.
“And you didn’t like it,” he says, taking his eyes off the road to glance at me briefly.
“I hated it,” I admit with a stark honesty that makes me feel uncomfortable, but somehow I even find the courage to add, “I like you.”
“I like you too, Addie.”
“What are you going to do about it?” I ask, and maybe I’m playing with fire. I find I don’t really care. I do like Black. I like everything about him and I even found myself loving his crazy family full of names like crayons for the boys and flowers for the girls. I even loved his mother. For all of Ida Sue’s crazy flower child, down-home nonsense, she’s loving, sweet, and she would do anything for her children. She made me feel part of a family—and I haven’t felt that in a long time. So, I don’t want to play games with Black. I don’t want to beat around the bush.
I just want him.
“I could follow you home,” he suggests and my heart speeds up.
“My father… he’s not supposed to be home, but there’s a chance he could show up early.” I warn him, wishing things could just be simple. Especially when Black’s face goes tight and I start to think this is where the evening ends.
“It’s kind of dark,” he says. I blink at the sharp turn of conversation.
“Yeah,” I answer, puzzled.
“We’re blocked by the groomers and your car really,” he says and he gets a sneaky grin on his face that causes my body to tingle.
“I… you mean here? In the car?” I ask him.
“I need you, Addie. There’s only so much a man can take
,” he says. I take a breath and then unlatch my seatbelt. He reaches down and hits the button pushing his seat back. Then, he lifts the fold down console between us. I swallow nervously and he grins. “I ever tell you I love the dresses you wear?” he asks.
“I don’t think so,” I tell him.
“Hold onto my shoulders,” he orders. I do and I duck my head in close to his as he all but lifts me on his lap—scooting out so there’s room for my knee against the door. Once I’m sitting in his lap, he wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls my mouth to his and kisses me deeply.
His tongue plays with my mouth, slowly teasing it and I get so lost in the things that he’s doing that I don’t even realize when he has the front of my dress unbuttoned.
“Are you sure about this?” I whisper, looking around, not wanting to be seen—but not wanting this to end either.
“We don’t have to go all the way, Princess,” he promises, as he slides my dress off my shoulders. He doesn’t take it off my arms, he slides it down, until I can’t actually move my arms much at all. When I try to move them down further, he doesn’t let me.
“I like that you’re at my mercy,” he whispers, his eyes bright with a light that feels dirty and exciting—all at the same time. He unlatches my bra, letting my breasts free. “Damn, Addie,” he rumbles. Bringing his hands up to cup underneath each breast, squeezing them in unison. He pulls on my nipples, stretching them and the sensation sweeps through me, causing me to grind against his lap.
He bends down to run his tongue around the darker skin surrounding my nipple. I moan as he gets so close to it, but never quite touching the nipple itself.
“You even taste like strawberries,” he whispers against my skin, his hot breath adding another layer of torture.
“Suck on me,” I gasp, shameless but needing his mouth; definitely needing more than he’s giving me.
“Like this, Addie?” he groans and then he sucks my nipple hard in his mouth—so hard it’s almost painful. His tongue helps press it to the roof of his mouth at the same time his hand slides inside my dress and pushes my panties to the side.