Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,10
Grace studied the dark purple mark at the base of her neck. “Preacher, you dirty boy.”
“I can’t believe I made out with Preacher,” Addison said.
“He kissed you first,” Grace said.
“Yeah, but he pulled back right away and then I practically threw myself at him.”
“Didn’t look like he minded,” Grace said. “Why do you look like you’re going to barf?”
“Because I made out with Preacher! Oh my God, Gracie. Harrison is the only guy I’ve ever kissed and I… I had my tongue shoved into the mouth of a guy whose name I don’t even know! I mean, his real name can’t be Preacher, can it? It can’t be. What kind of mother names her kid Preacher? And what kind of woman kisses a guy whose name she doesn’t even know!”
She could hear the hysteria in her voice, and she knew she was overreacting but the numbness she’d felt when she told Harper about what happened this morning had completely disappeared. It’d been replaced by confusion and embarrassment and, God help her, just the tiniest bit of lust.
She drank the rest of her wine in three large swallows before grabbing the bottle on the small table between their chairs and pouring herself another full glass. Screw it, she’d Uber home tonight.
“Simon,” Grace said.
“What?” Addison stopped with the wine glass to her mouth, her hand visibly shaking.
“Preacher’s real name is Simon.” Grace glanced at the fence that separated their yard from the neighbours, as if she thought Preacher might be peeking over it. “I don’t know his last name though.”
“How do you know his first name?”
“Gideon told me. But,” Grace took a drink of beer, “you can’t tell Gideon or Preacher that I told you. Gideon told me with the understanding that I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I feel like knowing his actual name might help you stop freaking out.”
Addison took a deep breath and then a sip of wine. Weirdly, knowing his name did help a little.
“Better?” Grace said.
“Yes.”
“Good. Listen to me, you’re not a slut, okay? Last night you had a very traumatic and scary experience that Preacher rescued you from. It’s natural in that moment to have some strong feelings for the person who saved you and if the overwhelming feeling was lust… so what? You have a crush on Preacher, it’s not surprising that you made out with him.”
“I don’t have a crush on him,” Addison said.
Grace rolled her eyes. “Addie, c’mon. You’re not with Harrison anymore. It’s perfectly fine to admit you have a crush on Preacher. Hell, what did Harper say? Half the women in this town – single and married – masturbate to fantasies of him in their bed.”
Her face red, Addison watched as Tank stood, circled a few times, and then stretched out in the soft grass again. “Yeah, okay. I have a small crush on Preacher.”
“Plus, you were determined to have rebound sex last night, so sex was on your mind anyway, right?”
Her blush deepening, Addison said, “Maybe, uh, Preacher should be my rebound person.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, honey.”
“Yeah, I know. Preacher can have any woman he wants. I doubt sex with me has ever crossed his mind. He was probably just drunk last night.”
“Well, that’s some horseshit.” Grace took another swig of beer. “The sexual tension between you two is off the charts, and I don’t think Preacher is the kind of guy to kiss a woman the way he was kissing you if he didn’t want to bang their brains out.”
“Unless he was drunk.”
“You had your tongue shoved down his throat, was there an overwhelming taste of liquor?” Grace said.
“Don’t be crude, Gracie.”
“Answer the question, Addie.”
“He tasted like whiskey, but not, um, crazy strong or anything.”
“He wasn’t drunk. And the reason I said it wasn’t a good idea is because we all hang out together and the two of you having casual sex could get awkward. I don’t want the band broken up.”
Addison smiled a little. “You make a good point.”
“Addie?” Grace leaned forward and stared solemnly at her. “Your little crush on Preacher is just that, right? A crush?”
“Of course, it is,” Addison said. “One, I just ended a long-term relationship, and two, it would never work between Preacher and me.”
“It wouldn’t,” Grace said. “Preacher is a good man, probably better than any of us even realize, but you two have incredibly different lifestyles. Not to mention he doesn’t show any indication that he wants to settle down. He’s lived here almost three years and we’ve never