Chapter 7 #2
I heard footsteps approach on the concrete, and when I turned to face her, I quickly attempted to school my features to mask that I was openly checking her out.
Again. I couldn’t help it. I took her in from head to toe.
Her long brown waves were pulled up in a high ponytail, her face free of makeup.
She was wearing a gray fitted long-sleeved shirt that showed off the curves of her perfect tits.
My eyes continued to track down her body.
She had on tight black riding pants that hugged her in all the right places and accentuated her long, lean legs.
And then there were the tall black riding boots.
Fuck me. Riding boots were now on my list of sexy-as-fuck things a woman could wear, or maybe they were just sexy on her.
She cleared her throat, pulling me from my daydream of fucking her right here in this barn.
“You like what you see, Adler?” She smirked. Busted.
I went back to brushing Tex, ignoring her loaded question, which only made her laugh. I guess we’re back to openly flirting again. She walked to the tack room to grab the saddles and bridles. After we finished grooming Tex and Cash, we got them tacked up, Tex in Western gear and Cash in English.
I followed Addison and Cash outside to the mounting block to get on.
Once I hopped on Tex, I settled in the saddle and took hold of the reins.
It had been a long time since I had sat on a horse, and damn, it felt good.
Addison smiled over at me. “Damn, Adler, you look good on that horse.” There she is.
The banter I was missing from earlier was back, showing me that we were moving on from what transpired between us last night.
I chuckled. “Yeah? You like what you see, James?” I threw her words back at her. Her head fell back in laughter, the sound settling my anxiety over whether we crossed the line last night to a point of no return.
Addison wanted to take the horses out on a little trail ride through Walker’s property.
We rode side by side in a comfortable silence, just enjoying the scenic views.
Then she looked over at me and broke the silence.
“So, were you really this big playboy out in Cali? As I’ve gotten to know you, it’s hard for me to imagine you that way. ”
“In a way, I guess I was. I was young, single, and from a very well-known, wealthy family. Women wanted my money and my name. It came with the territory. The women I was with knew what it was, and all they would get from me. I didn’t trust any of them from that world to have anything deeper.
But I didn’t lie or give empty promises to anyone. ” I shrugged.
She looked down at Cash for a bit, processing my answer. If I wasn’t looking so closely at her, I would have missed it, but I saw a bit of jealousy flash across her face. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Did you ever want anything deeper?” she asked.
“No. I was just focused on school and getting out of California.” She nodded and went silent again. “What about you? I’m sure you had all the guys falling at your feet here?” I smirked.
She laughed, and God, I loved the sound. I was desperate for it. “Not really. I had the usual high school boyfriends, but then I left for the East Coast to go to school. I was so focused on riding and getting my degree, honestly.”
“Have you had a serious relationship?” I asked, now curious about her past.
“Yeah, actually, I was engaged before I moved back.” She looked over at me as if to gauge my reaction.
I froze, not expecting that answer. Why did it piss me off that she was engaged before? She continued, noticing the look on my face. “We met in school, were together for eight years. I caught him cheating on me, so I called it off, and now I’m home.”
I felt the anger build, coursing through my veins, at her confession.
What kind of man in his right mind would cheat on her?
That dude was lucky enough to call her his, and that was what he did with it?
Realizing I had been quiet, I spoke up. “Sounds like you’re better off.
Any guy capable of cheating on you is a piece of shit,” I growled, the words coming out more harshly than I realized.
She blinked at me, clearly thrown off by my aggression, but then she smiled. “Thanks. I think so too.”
We turned the conversation to lighter topics as we finished our trail ride, and I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed and happy just hanging out and talking with someone.
It had been almost a week since I last saw Addison, and it was killing me.
I craved her in a way I had never felt before.
I was a desperate bastard, needing my fix of her.
I was hoping physical, naked type of things would have evolved after our little phone sex episode, but no such luck.
We texted often, but between my nonstop work schedule and her getting her business started, there weren’t a lot of opportunities to hang out.
Part of me thought it was probably for the best because after hearing Addison’s confession about her ex, I wasn’t too sure she could handle casually hooking up right now.
The other part of me was selfish as fuck and didn’t care. I wanted her. Luckily, Archer was arriving today, and I hoped that would help distract me. As I was finishing up with my last round of patients for the day, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
Addison:
Hey, you! Thanks for telling me about Richard’s horses. I went and saw them today. They’re both perfect for my lessons program! He gave me an unbelievable deal. Claims he just wants them to be loved on and have a job to do.
I chuckled to myself because I paid Richard for those horses to give to Addison for her program. I knew they would be great, and I also knew that Addison would never accept a free horse, so I had Richard put a stupidly low price tag on them.
That’s great, glad it worked out. It sounds like everything is coming together.
Addison:
It really is. I have 6 clients who have already signed contracts to move their horses in once I’m officially the owner of the property. I also have 4 kids who will take lessons on the new school horses, thanks to you! I owe you.
You owe me nothing, James. Happy to help.
Addison:
:)
I was watching some college football when I heard a knock at my door. Coal lunged off the couch, barking as he ran to the door. I pulled it open to see my brother standing on the other side. A huge smile spread across his face as we gripped hands and slapped each other on the back in a hug.
“Good to see you, brother,” Archer said as he made his way in with his bags.
“Back at ya. Glad you could get your ass down here and hang out for a while.” I led him to the kitchen and grabbed a beer for him out of the fridge. He set his bags down as we moved over to the couch to watch the game and catch up.
“So, what’s been going on?” He glanced around my living room. “I will say, this place is pretty fucking nice, and the town is a lot nicer than I imagined.” He chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. Archer was always such a snob. “Glad it’s up to your standards, princess. Things are good. The practice is busy. I like living here. Everyone is nice.”
“Good deal. What about the women?” He waggled his brows. “They nice too?”
I chuckled. “Definitely not bad. I actually have, uh, been spending time with Walker James’s sister.”
Archer barked out a laugh. “Spending time? What the fuck does that even mean?”
“We hang out. I’ve helped her out with some horse stuff. She’s really cool.”
“Have you helped her out with anything else?” He smirked.
I didn’t want to tell him about the other night when we had phone sex. He would have a field day with that.
“I mean, there’s clearly an attraction there.
She’s gorgeous, but she ended an engagement, like, four months ago to a douchebag who cheated on her.
Plus, her horses and her brother’s horses are my patients.
She’s opening up a hunter/jumper training facility, and her barn as a whole will be my client.
A big one at that. There’s just no way I can go there.
It isn’t smart. I don’t do relationships.
” I sighed heavily. Saying it all out loud just confirmed why I couldn’t go there with Addison.
“So why not just casually hook up? Why does there need to be a relationship?” Archer asked before taking a sip of his beer.
“I’m not sure she’s in the right headspace to do casual right now.”
“Why don’t you let her decide that for herself?” Archer cocked a brow.
I thought about his comment for a moment. He had a point. After what had happened between us thus far, it seemed like she could be open to just having fun. Maybe that was what she needed after a broken engagement.
Archer sat there and studied me for a moment before breaking the silence from his unanswered question. “You really like her.”
I scoffed. “She’s just a good friend.” That I think about constantly and who is hot as fuck, I thought to myself. “But like I said, nothing can happen there. The practice is my priority.” I took a long pull from my beer, unsure of who I was trying to convince at this point.
Archer rolled his eyes at me. “Well, I hope to meet this good friend of yours while I’m here.”