Chapter 22
Addie
He’s different.
Something happened during game night and Michael hasn’t been the same since.
There’s a lightness to him that wasn’t there before.
Maybe talking with Ryan and getting everything out in the open with my family allowed him to settle into this new relationship.
He’s as intense as ever, but there’s no longer an undercurrent of worry threatening to undo all the progress we’ve made.
“Hellooooo.”
A hand waving in my face snaps me out of my thoughts. “What? Sorry. Did you need something?”
Penny’s knowing smirk teases me. “Who are you daydreaming about?”
“Who says I was daydreaming about anyone?”
“I know a besotted woman when I see one.”
I roll my eyes and grab my lunch out of the microwave. The tiny break room at the animal clinic is barely big enough for our small staff to fit in at one time, but it has everything we need to be comfortable.
Penny sits next to me at the table, pulling things from her red checkered lunchbox while I dig into the leftover pasta Mom made last night.
Her stare is penetrating, but I pretend I don’t notice.
“Come on.” She groans. “You’re not going to give me anything?”
I feign ignorance. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re an asshole.”
I crack up at that. “All I’m going to tell you is I’m happy.”
“I suppose that’s all that matters.” Penny looks like a kid whose toy was taken away.
“Izzy had her puppies the other day.”
Penny perks up immediately. “They’re coming in this afternoon, right?”
“Mm-hmm. Along with Izzy’s dad, Titus.”
“Woo, that man. He gets me every time.”
I snort. “I know. I love watching you trip over your words when he’s around.”
“Shut up.” She heaves a heavy sigh. “He’s never given me the time of day, as much as I’ve tried.”
“I’d imagine he’s got too much on his mind right now. You know his mother just got diagnosed with dementia. He had to move her into the senior living home in town because it’s progressed so quickly.”
“Aw. That’s so sad. And now he’s got a litter of puppies to take care of too.”
“The puppies probably give him a distraction in all this mess.”
“That’s true. Doesn’t he have a kid?”
I raise my eyebrows. “I hadn’t heard that. We should put together a care package for him.”
“Good idea. I’ll text Cheryl,” Penny says of our town’s biggest gossip. She might collect all the tea, but she’s also one of the first people to help anyone in need of some extra love.
We continue to gossip about everyone in town. I missed so much while I was away for college, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed catching up on the goings on.
“Who are we talking about?” my aunt Sara asks when she walks into the break room.
Her brown hair is piled on top of her head, and she’s wearing the cutest puppy scrubs.
She always wears hilarious patterns on Fridays.
Apparently, it drove Uncle Ben crazy when he first took over the clinic.
I wish I could’ve seen the two of them before they got together.
Susan has told us that sparks as well as tempers flared on the first day.
“A girl I went to high school with. She’s the assistant to a movie star now, and we were imagining what that would be like,” I tell her.
“Stressful.” Aunt Sara plops down next to me at the table.
“No kidding. But can you imagine the connections she has now?”
“I wonder if she’s met Leo,” Penny muses.
Sara and I give each other a look before busting out laughing. The rest of the afternoon goes by in a flash. Titus is adorably flustered with his crate of puppies, but Izzy is as healthy as can be.
Penny and I are working together to clean up the clinic when my phone buzzes in my pocket.
Michael
I have more homework for you.
Me
Uh-oh. I can’t decide if I’m eager or dreading it. The last time you gave me homework, I had to get very honest with the man I’ve had feelings for since I was a kid.
But it ended with you coming around my fingers so…
I shiver at the memory. I’d never experienced anything so powerful before that night. It was incredible.
True. Okay. I’m in. What’s my homework?
I want you to put together a list of your top five fantasies.
What kind of fantasies?
Anything you want. The more detailed, the better. Anything goes, as long as it doesn’t involve one of my hard limits. If it’s on a soft limit list, we can discuss it.
When do I need to get this back to you?
Let’s discuss it in a week.
How the hell am I supposed to narrow down my fantasies to five? I’ve had too many to count at this point. And how detailed does he want me to be?
I’m staring at the list of fantasies I’ve written when my phone rings. My body is overheated just thinking about doing these things with Michael, and I haven’t even decided if these are the ones I want to share with him.
I pounce on my phone, hoping it’s Michael, and am only vaguely disappointed when it’s not. “Hey, Zane! How are you?”
“I’m missing you, that’s how I am.”
I laugh. “I miss you too! I hate not getting to see you for our weekly coffee dates.”
“Same. I wish we still lived near each other.”
“It’s not even an hour to Sonoma. We could hang out more often,” I point out.
“I suppose. You have the life you’ve dreamed of since I first met you. I don’t want to get in the way of that.”
“You could never be in the way. I wish there were a way for you to move here. Maybe I can ask around for jobs you could do.”
“Nah, you don’t have to do that. I’m just in pity mode tonight. I shouldn’t have dumped that on you.”
“You’re one of my best friends, Zane. I always want you to come to me when you need to talk.”
“I’m very grateful to have met you, Adalaide.”
“Right back atcha.”
“Okay, new topic. Tell me all about your hunk of a man.”
I giggle like a schoolgirl. “There’s not much to say. He’s everything I ever wanted him to be and more.”
“He’s treating you well?” The stern question makes me smile.
“Better than well.”
“Good. I’ll kick his ass if he doesn’t.”
I chuckle at the image of lean Zane against muscular Michael. It’s quite hilarious.
“Hey!” he protests. “I could get a shot in. Once. Then he’d probably destroy me.”
Laughter takes over me, making Zane huff in annoyance.
“I do not find this nearly as amusing as you. Muscles aren’t everything, you know.”
I suck in a breath to get a hold of myself. “No, you’re right, muscles aren’t everything. Michael does have the added skill in fighting though, so I think you’re outmatched in every way.”
“I get no respect around here,” Zane teases. “You try to defend a girl, and she laughs at you instead.”
“Probably because she doesn’t need defending. She does appreciate the sentiment though.”
“Good.”
“Come visit me in a couple of weeks. Let’s actually get something scheduled instead of saying we should hang out and then not doing it.”
Zane laughs. “Once I have my work schedule, I’ll let you know when I can come see you.”
“Good. We’ll talk later.”
I hang up with Zane and turn back to my list. I’ve narrowed it down to seven, and I’m pretty sure I can combine a couple. He can’t fault me for squeezing every ounce of pleasure I can from him.
I’m having a tough time imagining how he’ll make some of them happen, but he told me anything goes, and I’m taking him at his word.
My face is flaming by the time I’m finished detailing every fantasy I have. I should send these to one of my favorite romance authors. They sound like they came straight from a smut book.
Is that bad?
Should I have held back some of the dirtier stuff?
No.
After what happened at the lookout, I don’t want to hold anything back.
But what if my fantasies are too much for him?