Chapter 11
Michael
The sound of my patrol car’s tires turning over the asphalt is the only thing keeping me company. I’ve already pulled over three rental cars for reckless driving on their way to the lake. One was going twenty over the speed limit, while the other two were racing each other at breakneck speeds.
After that last one, I needed some time to cool off before I headed back to the station. I’ve been driving the back roads for the last hour. It’s helped me refocus my mind, although I’ve mainly been thinking about Addie.
The memory of her coming apart in that chair has played on repeat for the last three days.
It took all of my control not to fuck her right then and there.
I thought my cock was going to explode in my pants.
All it would’ve taken is one stroke, and I’d have come harder than ever before.
Having her sit on my lap afterward was the best kind of torture.
I hadn’t meant to let things go that far the very first night.
I’d intended to discuss our limits and kiss her until we both ran out of breath.
I should’ve expected Addie to derail my well-crafted plan.
She’s never played by anyone else’s rules.
I fear I’ll need to prepare for every contingency when it comes to her.
I kind of love that.
She never does what I think she will. It’s maddening, and yet I live for the unpredictability of her. You’d think it would drive my well-ordered brain crazy, but something about Addie has always been different.
Something darting into the road has me slamming on my brakes.
A sleek black horse stands on the double yellow lines, staring straight into my cruiser. After I make the call that Mr. Lambert’s horse got out again, I flip on my red and blue lights to caution any driver coming around the corner, then slowly open my door.
“Shadow. I thought we talked about this.” I stand next to my cruiser, my muscles relaxed.
She snorts, clearly telling me she couldn’t give two fucks about our last discussion.
With slow movements, I get closer to the massive horse. Shadow flicks her head, her feet shuffling on the pavement, giving clear signs of agitation, so I stop, heeding her warning. “You’re looking healthy, sweetheart. Has Addie been taking good care of you?”
Shadow tips her head down as if to say yes.
“She’s started taking care of me too. It’s not easy to let people in, is it, pretty girl?
” I start toward the horse again, keeping my voice calm and my steps slow.
“We’re not the easiest to love, are we? Our sharp edges tend to keep most people away.
I’m not sure Addie has ever noticed my broken pieces.
Either that or she doesn’t care if she gets nicked. ”
I’m within a few feet of Shadow, my body to the side of her face so she can easily see me. I begin to raise my arm without hesitation. She’ll pick up on any fear or nerves, but I also don’t move too fast, so she can anticipate my next move.
“We’ve got to stick together, you and I. Not many people can understand how hard it is to pretend we’re okay when we’re the furthest thing on the inside. It’s probably the hardest thing for us to do.”
Shadow lets me rub the side of her neck. She’s holding so still, waiting for me to betray her trust. It breaks my heart to understand this animal on such an instinctual level. I keep my strokes rhythmic, continuing to talk to her until she slowly relaxes.
A soft laugh falls from my lungs when Shadow shoves her nose into my neck. She’s never let me get this close before. Her progress is astounding.
“Are you ready to go back, sweetheart?” I take a small step toward the fence line where Shadow must’ve jumped.
Mr. Lambert put a makeshift gate in the fence line on this side of his property since this seems to be her favorite spot to escape.
It’s a whole lot easier to get her back into the field through a gate than having to get her on a trailer and drive her around to the front entrance of the farm.
Shadow follows me down through the ditch, standing solidly by my side while I open the gate. She doesn’t walk through the space until I do. I can’t blame her for wanting to keep me in her sights at all times. Once she’s through, I close the gate behind us.
In the distance, a four-by-four is flying across the open field. Shadow has already started grazing, but her head perks up when she notices the movement.
Two people sit in the front of the ATV. Mr. Lambert is behind the wheel, and a familiar head of curly hair is next to him.
Mr. Lambert slows the vehicle down when he spots me and Shadow.
There’s quite a bit of distance between us and them.
It takes me a second to realize he did that to keep from spooking Shadow with the speed of the ATV.
“Officer Montgomery,” Mr. Lambert says once they get closer to us.
Addie has her med bag slung over her shoulder, and she heads straight for Shadow. She’s scanning the horse for any outward injury, and I don’t think she’s going to even acknowledge my presence until she finally makes eye contact with me and winks.
My lips twitch with a smile before I can smother it.
“Mr. Lambert,” I finally acknowledge.
“How did you get her back into the field?” he asks.
“She followed me over to the fence line on her own. She even let me pet her a little today.”
Addie and Mr. Lambert both stare at me in shock. My neck starts to feel hot at their attention. I squeeze my hand into a fist to keep from fidgeting with my collar.
“Well, that’s surprising,” Mr. Lambert says, breaking the tension.
I shrug it off as if it’s not a big deal. It is. Mr. Lambert can’t even get too close to Shadow. She tolerates his presence for a bit because she knows he’s going to give her the good snacks, but after that, she keeps her distance.
I hang out while Addie does her thing with Shadow. I have no idea what she’s checking for or how she’s able to do her job in the middle of a field with the sun beating down on her. Sweat is running down my temples, and my uniform is stifling.
Addie, on the other hand, looks gorgeous.
Her well-worn jeans hug her ass in the best ways, while half of her brown hair has been pulled back into a bun.
Her smile is radiant as she murmurs to Shadow.
I think she’s telling the horse everything she’s doing before she does it, but I can’t quite catch all the words she’s saying.
Once Addie is done, she turns to Mr. Lambert. “She’s looking great. I’m happy with the way she’s starting to fill out. She’s also not favoring that right hoof anymore. It’s a good indication her strained muscle is healing well.”
“That’s good news. Now if she’d just stop escaping, we’d be all set.” Mr. Lambert chuckles. He doesn’t seem too put out by Shadow’s antics.
“I’ll walk her back to the barn if you want to give me that bucket of feed we brought,” Addie offers.
“You sure? That’s a long walk,” Mr. Lambert counters.
“I’ve got my boots on. I’ll be good.”
Mr. Lambert studies her for a minute before nodding. “You know I appreciate it. It’s hard on my knees to walk that far. I’d say we should just let her be, but I don’t want the thunderstorm rolling in tonight to spook her. She seems to like being in the barn during the storms.”
Addie smiles at him. “I’ll get her settled. That’s probably why she made a run for it today.”
We say our goodbyes, and Addie and I watch Mr. Lambert head back to the house.
“Have I ever told you how sexy you are in your uniform?”
I whip my head to Addie. Her chocolate-brown eyes are full of mischief as she scans me from head to toe. Reaching out, I bring her hands to settle on my chest. I press on them to silently tell her to keep them there while I grip the strands of hair at the base of her neck.
Then I drop my head down to press my mouth to Addie’s plush lips.
Fire races down my spine, pooling low in my abdomen while our tongues dance together.
Using the hand not in her hair, I grip Addie’s waist and pull her into me.
It’s going to take a while to get used to the feeling of someone’s body pressed against mine.
I don’t know what it is about Addie, but it’s like a craving.
My therapist would likely tell me I’m touch-starved.
The way she’s grinding against me is a drug I won’t ever be able to quit.
My pants are starting to get tight when something brushes against my face.
Shadow snorts, making Addie and me jump apart. We both start to laugh as Shadow stares at us, an almost disapproving look on her face.
“Sorry, sweet girl.” Addie giggles. “But can you blame me? Look at him.”
Shadow tilts her head at me, and if it weren’t physically possible, I’d swear she’s rolling her eyes.
I raise an eyebrow at Addie. “I’ll see you later?”
“Absolutely, handsome.”
I watch Addie and Shadow walk away. Addie is talking a mile a minute. I have no doubt she’s telling Shadow everything about our relationship. It makes me laugh and wonder how the hell this has become my life.
Everything feels brighter with Addie around. It always has.
My phone starts ringing in my pocket, and I thank everything holy that it didn’t ring while I was trying to get Shadow back into the field.
My stomach drops when I see Ryan’s name on my screen.
Fuck.
Not even a bucket of ice water could cool me off the way seeing my best friend’s name does. This thing between Addie and I is moving at light speed, but what does it say about me that I don’t want to tell her brother about us?
I could give every excuse under the sun as to why, but the truth is, I’m a coward.
Because if he’s against our relationship, I’ll not only lose the love of my life, I’ll lose my best friend too, and I’m not ready to take that chance just yet.