On those thoughts, I exited a bedroom that had never felt like anything but a huge room, in a huge house, in a luxury community that I sure as fuck didn’t belong in. But that morning, the first morning I’d woken up to a soft, warm Addy cuddled to my side, that huge room felt like something more. Like it was ours. Almost like a home. And from the moment my eyes opened, I wanted to give this huge house to her. I wanted her to fill it with our kids. No, I wanted her to fill it with her laughter—her happiness.
I made my way to the kitchen and more warmth spread. Addy was at the stove with her back to me. That sight filled me with the same unnamable emotion I’d experienced seeing her stuff in my shower. It had nothing to do with her cooking, it didn’t even have anything to do with her wearing a tight pair of workout pants that molded to her ass. It was just her in my kitchen.
Before I could call out my greeting, she set down the spatula and reached for her phone. With her back still to me, she finished what she was doing and set it on the counter beside the stove. Ringing filled the vast space; she was calling someone. I hadn’t moved, not because I was being nosy but because I was moved by some unnamable emotion her mere presence elicited.
It was unfortunate I didn’t tell her I was there.
A man’s deep voice replaced the ringing and that warmth turned into fire.
“Addy,” the guy cooed.
Fucking cooed. At my woman.
“Bass. Hey. Sorry to call so early but I need to cancel.”
Bass? Was that the guy’s name?
“What’s going on, sweetheart?”
Sweetheart?
What. The. Fuck?
“I had some stuff come up. I’m really sorry. We’ll do lunch after next week’s class.”
“Anything I can help with?”
Still motherfucking cooing.
“That’s sweet of you to offer but I have it under control.”
Sweet?
Hell, no. I’d show Addy sweet and it wasn’t some dude’s offer to help her.
I moved around the island, made my way to her, and bent to kiss her neck.
“Morning, baby.”
My greeting wasn’t quiet—the guy on the phone was meant to hear it and Addy caught on immediately. Her head swiveled to the side, her eyes narrowed, and she gave me an adorable annoyed scowl.
“Adalynn?”
“Sorry, Bass. I’m here. Again, I’m really sorry I have to cancel today. Hopefully, by next week I’ll have everything sorted and I’ll be in class.”
“Who was that?”
The adorable went out of Addy’s scowl and her lips pinched. So when she answered this Bass guy, her tone was clearly miffed.
“Trey,” she answered.
“Trey?” Gone was Bass’s cooing and his tone had slid straight to unhappy.
Addy’s shoulders jerked and her gaze sliced to the phone. She hadn’t missed it either.
“Yeah. You might’ve heard me talk about him, he works at—”
“I know who he is,” Bass cut her off then followed up with a question. One he could disguise—total fishing expedition. “Are you working at TC today?”
“Eggs are burning, baby, you want me to turn them off?”
Even though that was the God’s honest truth, Addy snatched her phone off the counter and pushed me back so she could escape.
“That’d be helpful,” she snapped before she walked out of the kitchen.
I turned off the burner, salvaged the eggs she’d made, and felt zero guilt for making it crystal clear we were getting ready to enjoy breakfast—together.
I had the eggs plated and a mug of coffee halfway to my lips when Addy returned. It didn’t take a genius to see she was seriously pissed. Still, I smiled.
There hadn’t been a time when I’d looked at Addy and didn’t think she was sweet, shy, and beguilingly beautiful. But pissed, she was smoking hot.
“What was that?” she asked and marched her fine ass straight to me. Shoulders square, back straight, eyes flashing a new kind of fire—that was extremely sexy—and lastly, her face was set to granite.
Oh, yeah, my little devil was out and she was pissed as fuck.
Totally cute.
Addy wasn’t stupid, nor was I. She’d caught on to my play the second I’d said good morning. There was no reason to deny it, so I didn’t.
“That was me making it clear whose kitchen you’re in.”
“And why would you do that?”
“Because that dude has the hots for my woman. Not only that, but he’s got it bad. Figured it was best to kill any hopes he has that he’s gonna get in there. The sooner the better.