If Addison thought she could outrun me, she had no clue who she was dealing with. The rain intensified, and the instant I secured my phone in my pocket, I spotted her by the side of the road, looking for an exit. Anger filtered through me, but decreased as I took her in, my steps carrying me in her direction. Blonde hair glued to her scalp, a see-through white shirt, thanks to the downpour. I was grateful for the early darkness the gray clouds provided.
When my eyes found her, a renewed surge of happiness waltzed through me. She came back. For me. To me. But then she did her little disappearing act, and the specs of joy turned to wrath.
This woman.
How could she infuriate me so much and yet call to my heart like nobody else ever did before?
I sighed.
Before she could climb into the cab that halted before her, I circled her waist with my arm.
“Not so fast, sweetheart,” I whispered into her ear, relishing the shivers that worked through her body. Fuck, I’ve missed you too.
My pulse quieted.
My entire body relaxed.
Yes, we were both still in sync with each other.
She cocked her head until we faced each other. “Let me go.”
I encouraged the driver to keep going after I slid a twenty-dollar bill into the half-cracked window. “The lady doesn’t need transportation.”
Addison tried arguing, but the driver sped away after I tapped the rooftop twice.
“Wilde, where did you think you were going?”
“Home,” she said, fighting my arm around her.
“Home? Not a chance. Why are you here?”
She closed her fists, fury illuminating her blue eyes.
I huffed my annoyance before releasing her. “Fine, you’re free.” I lifted both hands in surrender. “Better?”
She adjusted her now-fully-transparent shirt, her eyes throwing flames at me, singeing me down to ashes.
Heat, wild and untamable, rushed through me.
I softened my tone. If it were just up to me, I’d have been already balls-deep into her. “Can you please explain why you’re in Chicago right now? I don’t recall you telling me you were coming.”
She clenched her hands tighter, raised her chin, ready to launch an attack on me. “Oh, so you’d have had time to hide your side-piece. Nah. I prefer to learn I’ve been replaced sooner than later.”
I raked my fingers through my hair, unable to reel in my laughter. Addison Wilde had a jealous side, and for a reason I couldn’t explain, it boosted my ego. And my desire to get her naked.
“Geez, you think it’s funny?” Her irises turned into missiles. “Lots of promises, few kept. The guy I fell for said he’d find his way back to me. You sure were convincing. You got me hooked, almost believed you for a while. Enjoy the destruction, big guy.”
“Are you done?” I asked. The entire time her rant lasted, Addison had eaten every bit of space between us. Yep, the connection hadn’t faded. Whatever she fed her mind, her body knew better.
A groan left her mouth, and she swiveled to leave, but I clutched her wrist. Her pulse hastened, and I felt every thump.
“Wilde, you said you fell for me? Care to tell me more?"
She cursed under her breath. “No, I didn’t say such a thing.”
“Pretty sure you did. Want me to play it back to you?”
Her eyes doubled in size. “A replay? Are you high? Stop with the nonsense.”
I mimicked her stance and rested my fists on my hips. “Am I? Talking nonsense?”
Her arms flew to wrap around her. “Enough. Not having this discussion with you. I didn’t fall for ya. Now move. I’m outta here.”
“Where would you go? You know no one else in the city except me.”
“Wrong again. I have friends. Anyway, as I said, I’m going home.”
“Jesus, you can’t fly back tonight. Not in this state,” I said, gesturing to the length of her drenched self. “Names?”
“Names of what?”
“No. Who. People you know in town.”
“None of your business. Go back to your lady friend.”
I raised one brow. “Lady friend?”
“Would you prefer fuck-of-the-day?”
“Fuck-of-the-day? Wow, I’d like to see how Jace’s sister would react to be called that. Go ahead and ask her boyfriend if you wanna know if she’s worth it.”
Addison blinked, confusion clear in her expression.
“Ask him. You two already know each other, anyway.”
“Stop sidetracking. I saw you two together.”
“Nah, you think you saw something. It’s an imagined deduction. Your personal spin on a situation you’re not privy to. For your personal knowledge, Elisa is Barry Hamilton’s girl.”
“Oh.”
“Yep. Oh. Never assume things about me, sweetheart. That’s not how I pictured our reunion to be. You’ve said your piece. Coming home with me now?”
“This conversation is over. I’m out of here.”
She attempted another escape. We were both soaked, and I craved a hot shower and dry clothes. Before she could step away, I scooped her over my shoulder, balancing her suitcase in my free hand.
“Tuck, put me down.” She kicked the air, and I only tightened my grip around her.
“Houdini, you’re done acting-out tonight.”
“Tuck,” she growled. “Let me go.”
“No.”
Minutes later, we entered my building, Addison still cursing down my back, punching my ass cheeks.
“Go ahead, sweetheart, get that angst out. The way I see it looks a lot like you spread naked on my bed with my face between your legs. If that’s your definition of preliminary, I can work with it. We should try roleplay next.”
Leo, the concierge, held the door open for us. “Welcome back, Mr. Philips. Hi, Ms. Wilde. I’m happy to see you again. I wish you two a great night.”
“I’m not staying,” she barked.
“Well, we’ll see,” I said, pressing the button to my floor after we entered the elevator car.
Only when it started moving did I lower my furious woman down to her feet.
“Happy?” she asked, her face flushed and her wet hair all over the place.
I grinned. And my dick stirred in my pants. “Absolutely.”
She punched my chest, but I caught her wrists on the second attempt. “You can’t do that. Take me hostage,” she screamed.
“I beg to differ. I know how much you enjoy the chase. And the game.” Her dilated pupils offered me all the confirmation I needed. “Stop pretending this fight didn’t turn you on as much as it did to me.” I pointed a finger at her chest. “Tell me. Why are your breathing so fast, Wilde? Do I bother you that much?”
She groaned. “I gotta go.”
The elevator door opened to my floor, and baiting Addison with her baggage in my arms, I got her to follow me inside my condo.
Puddles of water pooled at our feet.
“Gimme a sec.”
Moments later, I returned with towels and handed her one. “With or without?” I asked.
She frowned.
I explained. “Shower. With or without my company? There’s this trick I’ve mastered that always helps to put a smile on your face. And my dick has tricks of its own you can’t seem to resist.” She rolled her eyes. What’s with the attitude? “Fine. Tonight, you do you. Just tonight, though. You get one free pass.”
Before she could argue, I took her suitcase to my bedroom.
“I’m not staying,” she repeated.
“Wherever you must go, you can’t, soaked in a see-through shirt.”
She gasped, taking in the sight of her red bra through the fabric for the first time. With her arms folded over her chest, she spun until her back faced me.
Stepping behind her, I locked my arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. Addison went rigid before relaxing against me.
“Whatever the reason you’re here, I’m glad you came.” Chills lined her back. My lips connected with her moist nape once more. “Go, shower. I’ll make some tea to warm you up, and we’ll talk.”
Fight left her on hearing my words. She nodded and murmured a “Thank you,” breaking the silence. In my closet, I fished for a sweater.
“Here. Wear this.”
She rummaged through her suitcase for a pair of shorts. “I brought clothes.”
“Wear this,” I repeated, my tone not open for discussion.
Addison closed the bathroom door behind her without another word. Hurrying to the guest room, I showered in the en-suite in record time and returned to the kitchen.
Multiple questions popped into my head. Why was Addison in Chicago? Who were her mysterious friends? In the hundreds of hours we talked and opened up about ourselves, she never mentioned anyone.
Dressed in a pair of cotton shorts and my sweater, Addison joined me. Every remnant of my ire died at the sight of her. She looked both beautiful and vulnerable. Her hands stayed inside the arms of the shirt, and she avoided my eyes and went to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows to admire the city. The rain had decreased in intensity, and we could make out the lights of the buzzing nightlife below.
Taking the spot next to her, I breathed at ease in her presence.
We stood there for a long while, both of us looking at the dark body of Lake Michigan in the distance.
After a moment, I cleared my throat. “Her name is Elisa. We’ve known each other forever. She is Jace’s sister. We had dinner together.”
She said nothing, glancing away, sipping her tea.
“We met because I asked for her help. Not because I was looking for my dick to get sucked. Already told you my words are important to me. Don’t picture me as the villain in our story because I’m not.” I heard her sharp intake of air as I explained, “She’s a realtor.”
Addison remained silent, and I sidestepped until I faced her and blocked her view.
“Wilde, you’re something.” I exhaled my annoyance. “Jesus, I’m moving. Selling this place.”
“You are?”
“Yes. Because I have plans. For the future. Let’s talk about you first. Why are you here? You never said.” For the first time, I noticed dark flecks near her pupils. “Or perhaps you missed me too?”
She closed her lids, pushing me out, preventing me from seeing the expectations in her eyes. Or reading her inner thoughts.
She scrunched up her face and finally spoke. “Just know I’ll be okay with whatever you choose to do. No pressure. We can discuss it. Don’t go overboard or make crazy promises you won’t be able to follow through.”
I erased the gap between us and tipped her chin up. “Open your eyes, sweetheart. Look at me when you tell me what you flew here for. I gotta know, Wilde.” My lips were a hair’s breadth away from hers. One tiny move forward and they could be mine. We shared the same air, and heat spiraled around me.
I drew in a cleansing breath meant to calm the excitement bouncing inside me.
With a large smile painting her lips, her next words changed the course of our lives forever.
“Congratulations, you’re going to be a daddy.”