Chapter 11
Holy hell! The man could kiss. She never doubted Nash would be a good kisser, but her lips were on fire.
“You infuriate me.” His whispered words shot right into her soul.
“Good.” The feeling was mutual. She laced her fingers into his thick hair and tugged his mouth back to hers.
His fingers burrowed into the soft flesh of her hips. He broke the kiss. His forehead rested against hers. “I’ve been wanting to do that for months.”
She shouldn’t have let him do it now. The rational part of her mind had shut down the moment he called her a good girl. She blamed her lack of control on her weakness for hot men.
He placed a kiss on the sweet spot behind her ear. That was the moment the rest of her brain stopped working. A purr escaped her lips as she trailed her fingers down his bulging biceps. At his delicious forearms, she let her nails scrape the sinuous cords of muscle hiding below that tanned skin.
Seconds. Minutes. She’d lost all track of time… and dignity.
He pulled back. The faint ringing of his phone brought her back to reality. The breeze from the ceiling fan cooled her overheated body. Goosebumps covered her arms, a poor substitute for Nash’s touch.
Addison turned from him. She checked her appearance in the car’s window. The woman in the reflection didn’t have an ounce of lipstick on anymore, and her eyes held more glaze than a donut from Sweet Kneads Bakery.
She rubbed a hand over her mouth. Her shirt hung loosely over one shoulder, her ever-perfect hair looked to be styled by a raccoon.
“Get it together.” She straightened her clothes. At least they were still on, just a little askew.
Nash slipped an arm around her. She flinched, and he dropped his hand. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. I need to get going.” She reached for her keys, then froze, staring at them in her hand.
“Come on. I’ll take you home,” he said as he started putting his tools away.
“It’s okay. I can call—” She dug in her bag for her phone.
“Addison.” His stern voice snagged her attention. “Get in the car.”
Damn. Her panties were wet, and not from the humidity. She blew out an exaggerated breath. “Fine.”
Nash backed the car out of the building. He was quick when he got out and closed the overhead door. The way he scanned his surroundings had her doing a quick survey of the street as well.
“What are you looking for?” she asked when he got back into the car.
“Not sure. But something about your vandalism has me on edge.”
She tripped her car locks as they pulled out of the lot.
Nash turned left at the corner.
“Hey, I live on the other side of town.”
“I know. But I have to make a stop first.”
She needed space from Nash and scooched over, leaving as much room between them as possible on the bench seat. She should have called her mom.
She crossed her arms and watched out the window. The sun was low on the horizon now, and all she could see were shadows and oncoming lights. They must have been in the shop longer than she realized. Her cheeks heated.
Get over yourself. You kissed Nash. It means nothing. So what if this non-date with him was the best date she’d had in weeks?
She looked anywhere but at him. The dash. The carpet. All of it was pristine. “Did you do the restoration?”
“Yeah, with my dad.” He focused on the road. No elaborating. No smirk of pride. Nothing. Very un-Nash of him.
And…? She wanted to pry, but thought maybe his father had died.
Or took off like hers. She bit her tongue.
An awkward silence grew between them. After months of praying that he would shut up and just leave her alone, he finally had—and she hated it.
She didn’t know how many more minutes of this strained silence she could take.
“Did he pass away?” The words burst from her mouth.
“No. Nothing like that. My parents live in the Cities. Last year, Dad had some medical issues that affected his ability to drive. That’s when he gave me the car.
He always said it would be mine someday.
I just didn’t think it would be this soon.
” He paused, deep in thought. They drove in silence for another block before he shrugged off the melancholy mood.
On reflex, Addison reached across the seat and rested a hand on his knee. “I’m sorry.”
He laid his hand over hers, and she froze.
Her gaze bounced from their hands to the road, then back to Nash’s face.
If this were any other man, she would snuggle in and enjoy the ride, no worrying. But this was Nash, and the evening was so messed up. Her car, the kiss… before she could overthink it more, she flipped over her hand and threaded her fingers with his.
He threw her a questioning look, but didn’t pull his hand away.
“It’s an olive branch. That’s it. Friends. Remember?”
Nash nodded once, then pulled his attention back to the road. “Yes, ma’am.”
That damn sexy smile tugged at his lips.
Pull your hand away. She should… and she would… in a minute.
He turned another corner and stopped in front of a two-story home. The teenagers from the other night were hanging out in the front yard. Nash dropped her hand and got out. “Hey, guys.”
The boy with the ball cap and a puppy under his arm waved to the others. This must be Leon and Trish’s house. But, who was…?
“Hey, Dad.”
Dad? She looked closer at the boy. How had she missed it the first time? The eyes. The jaw. Even the hair.
Holy shit. Nash had a son.
“Did you have a good time?” Nash moved the seat forward, and the kid crawled into the back. Up close, Addison would put him in his early teens.
“Great.” He turned to her. “Hi, I’m Davey.”
“Hello, Davey. I’m Addison.” She shook his offered hand. The boy was polite. She’d give Nash that.
“This is Max. Do you want to hold him?”
“I’d love to. He looks like Daisy.” She took the sleepy puppy. He curled up in her arms, and her chest warmed. “What a sweetie.”
“Are you Dad’s girlfriend?”
“Whoa there, Davey. Not the way to start a conversation. Addison and I are just friends.” Nash put the car in drive and made a U-turn.
Davey shrugged. “Just askin’.”
Addison chuckled. “We work together. I had some car trouble tonight, and your dad was nice enough to give me a ride home.”
“Do you like baseball?” Boy, the kid shifted topics faster than Lu pounced on his food.
“Yes. I do.”
Nash glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. A smirk tugged at his cheek. Obviously, he heard about her date with Corey, the superfan.
“Do you want to come to my game tomorrow?” Davey leaned in, and reached out to pet his dog, now climbing up Addison’s shoulder.
“Davey, I’m sure Addison is busy tomorrow.”
“He’s right. I have some wedding stuff to do with Laney. But next time, I’d love to.”
“How about Sunday?” Hope filled his face.
Shit. How could she say no to those eyes? Nash must have gotten away with murder as a kid.
She shouldn’t, but the look on his face was harder to resist than the adorable puppy in her arms.
She nibbled on the inside of her cheek. How bad could it be? A couple of hours in the sunshine. It’s not like she had to spend the whole day with them. She glanced at Nash, his face a portrait of stoicism, then back to Davey. “Sure. Just tell me where and when.”
“Dad can give you a ride. Can’t you, Dad?”
Nash locked eyes with his son in the rearview mirror. “Yes.”
That one word. No “I’d love to” or “If I have to.” Just a cryptic, one-word answer. Addison spent the rest of the drive trying to interpret Nash’s response. Six blocks later, she shook herself. What did it matter?
Because that kiss changed something. She knew it, and so did he. Were they coworkers, friends, or sliding into something more?
No. No. NO! Her inner voice screamed when it felt her resolve slipping. Learning Nash was a father changed nothing. Even if he had a polite son and the cutest puppy ever.
She couldn’t even think about that kiss.
Liar. It’d been hovering in the back of her mind since it happened.
Nash turned onto a street a few blocks away from hers.
She raised a brow, but didn’t comment. It had been years since she’d been down this street. It was a quiet, older neighborhood with big yards and mature trees, unlike the newer development she lived in.
He pulled into the driveway of a modest home with a well-kept yard. He clicked a button above the mirror, and the garage door opened. “Davey. Let Max out when you go in and then get ready for bed. I’m going to run Addison home, then I will be back.”
She blinked. This quaint house with wooden shutters was Nash’s? Not where she pictured him living. Not even close.
“Will do. Nice to meet you, Addison. See you on Sunday.” He took the dog from her arms and hopped out of the car.
“Nice kid,” Addison said when Nash backed out into the street.
“He’s a good kid.” Nash stopped at the stop sign. “I have a general idea where you live, but not the exact address.”
“Turn left.” She gave him her address.
After a couple of blocks, he said, “You don’t have to go to the game on Sunday. I can make an excuse for you.”
“What? Why wouldn’t I go?” She wasn’t one to cancel once she committed to something.
“For starters, I know you don’t love baseball.”
“Not true. I like baseball. What I didn’t like was the obsession over sports.” She’d played softball throughout high school, not that he needed to know that.
He nodded, but didn’t say anything else. When they reached her house, Nash turned off the engine and stepped out of the car.
“What are you doing? I can make it to the door by myself.”
“I’m checking your house.”
“Seriously. I’m sure there’s no big, bad bogeyman waiting inside.” Surely, Lu would take anyone out who tried to enter his domain… especially if it was around dinnertime.
“Humor me.” He held out his hand. When she didn’t give up her keys right away, he wiggled his fingers. “Gimme.”
“Fine. But you’re overreacting.” She dropped them into his palm.
“Wait in the car.”
“Really?”
Nash shot her a look that would have a nun doing his bidding.
“Okay. But beware of Lucifer. He can be testy when it’s mealtime.” She climbed into the car but left the door open.
He snickered. “You have the devil as a pet? Why am I not surprised?”
“Just wait and see.” Lu detested every guy Addison had ever brought home. Heck, he barely tolerated her. She’d lay odds that Nash would come out of her house with a few scrapes or new holes in him. Addison grinned as she watched him enter her front door.
One. Two. Three. She listened for swearing. A minute passed. Nothing. She frowned. He better not have harmed her attack cat.
A minute later, Nash stuck his head out of the doorway and signaled it was safe to enter.
She got out of the car, slammed the door, and stomped up to the house. As she got closer, she noticed Lu was zigzagging through Nash’s legs. Did she hear purring? The traitor.
“What did you do to my cat?”
“Nothing. He’s a good boy.” Nash reached a hand down and pet Lu’s head. The purring grew louder.
“That’s what I mean. He hates everyone. Lu’s the meanest cat I’ve ever seen. But he likes you.”
Nash shrugged. The jerk. His magic charm not only worked on women but cats too. Figured.
Addison slipped passed him and kicked off her shoes. “See. All’s fine.”
Just then, her phone rang. She checked the number. Unknown. She sent it to voicemail.
“Who was that?” He scooped Lu into his arms and stroked his back.
Addison glared at her cat. The feline just snuggled into Nash’s chest and closed his eyes. “Put him down before he wants to go home with you.”
“Jealous?” Nash smirked. The man was evil. That’s why Lu liked him so much. Two of a kind.
“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Good. You shouldn’t be. Now quit avoiding my question. Who called?”
“Probably spam. They can leave a message if it’s important.” She took her cat from his arms, careful not to touch Nash. She’d gotten too close once, and her lips still tingled from his touch. “Come on, Lu. It’s time for dinner.”
Nash got the hint and opened the door to leave. “I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty on Sunday.”
She stopped mid-step. “You don’t need to.”
“I am. End of discussion. Tomorrow morning, I’ll see if I need to order parts for your car.”
She sputtered. “Really, you don’t have to.”
“I know. Now go feed your cat. Goodnight, Addison.”
The last thing she saw before he closed the door was that sexy smile.
“Well, shit.” She scrunched up her face. Something told her that this friendship with Nash was going to get a lot more complicated.