The back door of the house creaked loudly as it opened to reveal David and Trish standing in the middle of the kitchen. Trish was sitting on the counter in a skimpy nightie. Her long black hair was tousled and her thighs were wrapped around David's waist.
“Hey, what's for breakfast?” Addison walked into his best friend's house as if he lived there.
“Trish is. My breakfast. Get out.” David kept his arms tightly around his fiance. Trish was clearly aware that the back of her butt was not completely covered by her nightgown, because the first thing she did upon seeing Addison was reach for the hemline to pull it down.
“Oh my god, take it to the bedroom. I'll cook if y'all have food.” Makinsley pushed passed Addison and walked into the kitchen, surveying the brand new appliances that Trish had purchased shortly after her grandfather had died. The big double door stainless steel refrigerator was almost too big for the kitchen. The stove was the best quality that David's money could buy. “Nice setup,” Mak said.
“Jesus, did you bring everyone?” David reluctantly let Trish go. He glared at Addison as he surveyed the veritable crowd that had just filed into his house. Addison, Makinsley and Kerry, still handcuffed, were all standing in the narrow doorway.
“My stove died.”
“You mean your two burner hot plate?” Trish asked with a roll of her eyes. She traced her fingers down David's toned abdomen with obvious reluctance and then stepped away from him.
“I have a headache,” Kerry whined. He was wearing a slept in button-down shirt and khakis that looked like they hadn't ever seen an iron.
“You shouldn't have eaten all the jello shots.” Mak walked over to the fridge and opened the door to inspect the contents.
“Y'all were having loud sex on the other side of a very thin wall from me. I needed something to help me sleep.” Kerry wrinkled his nose with obvious disgust. “And now we come in here and Trish and David are having sex in the kitchen. Is that all you people do? Have sex?”
“Um, why are you in my house?” Trish shot Kerry a truly nasty glare. “And why are you in handcuffs?”
“You haven't told her yet?” Addison looked questioningly at David.
“Told me what?” Trish turned to him curiously.
“No, I haven't had the chance. We didn't get home until three, remember?” David eyeballed Addison with annoyance. “She was asleep. I didn't want to wake her up.” He put one arm around Trish's shoulder and pulled her into his chest. “Last night was one of those nights.”
Trish cuddled into him. “One of those nights as in y'all went out, had a few drinks and had a great time or one of those nights as in the alligator farm had another break out and someone got eaten?”
“The second one.” Makinsley was making herself at home in the kitchen. She'd pulled eggs, sausage, milk and several fresh green peppers out onto the counter. She'd found the cutting board and was dicing a tomato and an onion into very small, tidy pieces.
“Really?” Trish frowned at David. “I thought y'all were having fun. What happened to having a few beers at Leon's, shooting pool and then coming home?”
“We were having fun. We had some drinks and then Addison-,” David scowled in Kerry's direction, “-Addison realized he had forgotten his favorite pen at the sheriff's department. He decided he needed to go get it so we went with him.”
“His favorite pen?” Trish raised one eyebrow skeptically as Makinsley began pouring the contents of the bowl into a frying pan. It was becoming obvious that she was making omelets.
“That's our story and we're sticking to it,” Addison joked. He walked over to the dining room table and sat down in one of the high backed wooden chairs. He gave Trish an appreciative and slightly lecherous smile. She looked damned good in that nightie. Not that he wanted to be with her, he thought involuntarily as yesterday's conversation with Katie came rushing back into the forefront of his mind. Shit. How had he fucked that one up so badly? Why had he even tried when he'd known there were no possible good outcomes for admitting the truth?
“Of course it is.” Trish caught Addison looking at her nightie and tugged the skimpy skirt down. The gesture didn't do much good. It was just too short and had never been meant for covering anything.
Makinsley finished the omelet and set it on a plate in front of Addy. He took a tentative bite. Much to his surprise, it was good. Not that he was going to argue about a home-cooked meal that he hadn't had to cook. He smiled his appreciation and absently wondered why he couldn't force himself to fall in love with Mak? Being in love, or even deeply in-like, with Mak would certainly have made his life a hell of a lot simpler.
“They broke into the jail because they wanted to scare me,” Kerry said. He stayed standing just inside the doorway. It was obvious he didn't want to be inside the house.
“No, we didn't,” David corrected. He quickly gave Trish a re-cap of the night's events. He ended with the explanation about how Kerry was now officially in Addison's custody until he could be cleared of the murder charges.
“Oh jeez,” Trish said as he finished. “Y'alls night sounds even worse than ours. Maybe.”
“Last night sucked.” Makinsley flipped another two omelets onto plates and set them on the table. She looked over at David and Trish. “Are y'all going to eat or not?”
“Sure. Thanks.” Trish headed to the table with David on her heels.
“No onions on mine,” Kerry said.
“Does this look like a Waffle House to you?” Mak asked as she finished a fourth omelet and put it on Addison's plate. He'd already finished the first one. “You eat what I cook or you don't eat. I'm willing to bet Trisha won't cook for you.”
“You're right.” Trish took a tentative bite of her own omelet and then smiled. “This is really good.”
“Thanks,” Makinsley said.
“I can't eat onions. I'm allergic,” Kerry said.
Mak put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You're pushing your luck, Kerry. I'm hungry and I'd like to eat my own breakfast. I really didn't cook breakfast because I wanted to feed you. I wanted to feed me and Addy. Trish and David get breakfast because they own the kitchen and its their food. It would be rude, even for me, to cook myself breakfast in their kitchen and not fix them something too. You, however, don't have any redeeming qualities.”
“You don't have to cook for him,” Addison told her. “Sit down and eat your omelet.” He stood up and passed Makinsley his now empty plate. She put her own food on it and went to the table, choosing to sit beside Trish, who looked a little startled.
“There's cereal in the cupboard,” David said as he sat down in front of his own plate on Trish's other side. “Try not to spill the milk.”
Addison reached into the cupboard and pulled out a box of stale cheerios that he knew had been in the house for quite awhile. He set the box in front the seat he'd just left at the table. “Here you go.”
“Do I get a bowl?” Kerry asked as he headed for the chair. He had a difficult time pulling it out far enough so that he could sit down.
Addison pulled one out of the cupboard and plunked it down on the table next to the cereal box. “Help yourself.”
Kerry held out his handcuffed wrists. “Addy, set me loose. I can't eat like this.”
“I don't know about setting you loose. You could be a dangerous murderer.” Addison was looking at David as he spoke, not Kerry.
David grinned. “Oh, I'm definitely scared of him. He has to be in restraints if he's going to be in my house.”
“Sorry Kerry. It's David's house. I have to abide by his wishes.” Addison shrugged as he pretended to be apologetic.
“Y'all are such assholes,” Kerry grumbled. He had managed to pick up the cereal box and was shaking it over the bowl. Nothing came out because the bag was held shut with a plastic clip. Everyone watched as Kerry struggled to undo the clip. He finally got the clip loose and turned the box upside down again. Cereal covered the table and scattered onto the floor.
“You are so not getting any milk,” David said as his cell phone started ringing.