Chapter 10
TEN
Addison
I didn’t know why I was so jittery and shaky as I shut my car door and walked up to Ridge’s house. I’d had most of the day to prepare for this conversation; it wasn’t like it had been thrown on me moments ago. But I still felt so lost in my thoughts, and that only got worse when he opened the door.
My eyes did a quick sweep—I couldn’t stop them.
Gray sweatpants. A baseball hat. A white T-shirt that clung to his arm muscles and chest with just the right amount of bagginess in the waist.
Is he serious? Of all the things he could have put on, he chose the sexiest outfit ever?
Sigh.
“Addison, come in.”
The sound of my full name was almost startling.
He held the door wide enough that I could slip inside. But not too wide because my shoulder swished against his chest, and with that, I got a tease of his hard pecs and a hint of his scent.
God, that scent. I swore I’d smelled it all day in my classroom and even when I’d gone home to change and eat dinner before coming here.
I waited in the foyer, frozen as I glanced up at the second floor. “Daisy isn’t here, is she?”
“She’s with her mom.” He shut the door and moved beside me. “Can I get you anything to drink? Some rosé perhaps?”
I followed him into the kitchen, where he picked up a short, stemless martini glass and took a sip from it.
“I don’t know,” I said softly.
Because I really didn’t.
Was drinking really the best decision tonight? Ridge was dangerous enough to be around sober; my attraction to him was so intense, and I didn’t want to lose my senses by adding a buzz into the mix.
But one glass? I could certainly handle that.
“You have rosé?” I asked.
“It’s what you drink, so I picked some up after work.”
“That’s so thoughtful of you.” And it was that thoughtfulness that added to this breathless feeling that wouldn’t, no matter what, go away. “Thank you. I would love some.”
He went to the wine fridge and grabbed the bottle, which he opened and poured into a glass. Once it was in my hand, he said, “Why don’t we talk in here?” and he took his martini into the living room.
I sat on the opposite side of the couch, putting plenty of space between us, squeezing the glass with both hands. “Let me start.”
I’d been focused on my lap, and I slowly looked up at him. Even his gaze was lethal. The kind of stare that could probably earn him whatever he wanted with anyone he wanted.
“I’m sorry I didn’t reach out to you. To just be totally honest with you?—”
“The truth is all I want to hear, Addy. Let’s cut any bullshit and just lay it all out there.”
I nodded. I wanted that, too, but that admission didn’t make the words come out any faster. “The truth is, I set up my classroom on Saturday, worked at the club on Saturday night; worked from home on Sunday, getting the rest of my lesson plans done, and Monday—today—was school, where I saw you.”
He lowered his hat, giving me even less of his gaze—I felt it; I just couldn’t see it.
“But did you want to talk to me? That’s the real question.”
I let that inquiry simmer. I let it build. And then I said, “I thought about it. A lot.”
“And you decided against it?”
I shook my head. “I just wasn’t ready.”
“Because?”
“I’m working at a strip club, Ridge. It’s not something I’m ashamed of; it’s also not something I’m proud of. But it wouldn’t feel right going on a date with you while I’m dancing for other men, putting my boobs in their faces, straddling their laps, pretending to ride them for money.” My stomach started to turn. Not from my responsibilities—I’d accepted those—but at the thought of going out with Ridge while doing all of that at work.
“I don’t have a problem with it.” He rested his hand over the visor of his hat. “Not at this moment anyway.”
“I’ve heard stories from the girls at the club. Dating nightmares. They told me that once a stripper gets into a relationship, they end up quitting because their boyfriend doesn’t like them dancing. I can’t be in a situation like that—I need the money.”
“Who said I’d give you that ultimatum?”
“I just assumed?—”
“Exactly.” He took a drink and then set the empty martini glass on the table beside the couch. “Once you have the money, what does life look like then?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Different, I hope.”
Everything would be different once I sent my sister the remainder of what I’d promised. I could then just focus on the balance of my student loans and outstanding bills, which I’d probably be paying off for the rest of my life.
“But there’s a whole other angle of this that we haven’t discussed, and that’s Daisy.” I folded my legs, holding the glass in front of my feet. “I’m her teacher.”
“I know.”
“And I take that job more seriously than anything.” I felt my head drop, my eyes close. “I’m in a situation where I don’t know what to do. Technically, I should probably go to the principal and discuss this with her because it puts?—”
“No.”
I looked up. “No?”
“Your credentials are incredible, Addy. You’re more than qualified to teach my little girl.” His legs widened, and he pulled up one of his pant legs, showing his ankle and sock. “I want to believe that regardless of what happened or what happens between us, you’ll always put Daisy first. That I can count on you to give her the best education possible.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered, the words coming out like a sigh. “Absolutely. Always. That goes without saying.”
“Then, there’s no reason to tell the principal or to switch her out of your classroom—something I had to consider, but I wanted to hear your take on things first.”
I took my first sip. “I promise I’ll give everything to your daughter—in the fairest, most equal manner.”
“Good.”
“But, Ridge …” My throat was burning. My hands and body were still shaking. My emotions were raging against each other, and I didn’t know why. What I had to say should be so easy. It should come with no hesitation whatsoever. That just wasn’t the case. “I think that what went down between us the other night”—I swallowed, waiting for the tightness to leave my throat, but it didn’t—“it shouldn’t happen again.”
“Because my daughter is your student?”
I went to nod, but my head felt so heavy, so I had to say, “Yes.”
He extended his legs over the ottoman, one of his arms going behind his head. Slowly, a smile crept across his face, like a facial hard-on—it was that hot. “All right, Addison.”
There was my name again.
I took another drink, hoping the feeling in my chest would subside, and it still didn’t.
It didn’t matter what I wanted. What I could see potentially happening between us. What I felt.
I couldn’t date a man while I was stripping. That would be wrong of me on every single level.
And I couldn’t date a student’s father.
What would Daisy’s mom think? She’d probably have me reported to the school board and have Daisy yanked from my class, and the entire school would be talking about me.
I couldn’t risk that.
My job meant far too much to me.
“I want to focus on Daisy,” I told him. “I want both of us focused on her.”
His head was moving, but it was more of a bop than a nod. “She’s my daughter. I’m always focused on her.”
I drained a little more of my wine. “Then, you understand where I’m coming from?”
For the second time today, I felt like I was naked.
But this time, there was no spotlight above me or song playing through the speakers. I was just sitting here, nude, and dripping from his stare.
“I appreciate that you’re concerned about her,” he said. “That’s something I want in a teacher.”
He hadn’t really answered my question. But I wasn’t going to push for more.
I wasn’t sure I could even handle his answer.
“Thank you.” I finished the rest of the wine. “I think I’d better get going.”
He slowly stood and held out his hand, which I stared at, unsure what it was for, but part of me wanted to grab it and hold it and use it to pull me closer to him.
What the hell am I even thinking?
“Your glass,” he said when I hadn’t uttered a word or moved.
“Oh … right.” I cleared my throat and handed it off to him and walked toward the back of the living room to turn toward the front entrance. But first, I looked over my shoulder to say, “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around the school, Ridge.”
Another smile came over his mouth. This one was even sexier than before. “You sure will.”