true, but he didn’t care. The thought that some fucking cowboy had his hands all over Addison was filling him with pure rage. He stalked out of the yard, climbed onto his bike, and roared down the road in a cloud of exhaust fumes and dust.
* * *
“Addison?”
Addison looked up from her glass of wine and smiled at the man sitting next to her. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“I asked if you wanted another glass of wine.”
“Oh no, thank you. I’m good with this one.”
“Okay.” The man gave her a generous smile and she studied his tanned face and white teeth. He was handsome enough – okay, fine, he was downright sexy and his tall, lean body was the stuff that sex dreams were made of – but she felt nothing for him.
She looked around discreetly for Grace and Kira. They had gone to the ladies’ room half an hour ago and hadn’t returned. They’d only been here for a couple of hours, but she was ready to go home. This was a mistake. She couldn’t think of anything but Preacher and it wasn’t fair to the handsome and very nice cowboy sitting next to her.
“Your friends are on the other side of the bar studiously pretending to ignore us,” the cowboy said with another smile. “Go on and join them, I won’t be insulted. Disappointed but not insulted.”
“I’m sorry, uh…”
Shit! What was his name?
“Nathan,” the cowboy said.
“I’m sorry, Nathan,” Addison said. “It’s not you, it’s me.”
He made a face before laughing, and she blushed.
“Oh God, I’m such an idiot. Listen, you’re really good looking and nice but… this isn’t right for me.”
“What isn’t right for you?” Nathan said.
“Finding some random cowboy, taking him home, and riding him,” she blurted out before giving him a horrified look. “Oh God, tell me I didn’t just say that out loud.”
Nathan grinned again at her. “You did.”
She took a big swallow of wine before closing her eyes and breathing deeply. “My dirtbag fiancé cheated on me. My friends convinced me that what I needed was to have sex with a random guy. I thought they were right but I – I can’t do it. Not with you.”
“Ouch,” Nathan said.
“No!” Addison squeezed his forearm. “No, not because there’s something wrong with you. There isn’t. You’re funny and smart and handsome and wow, do you smell good, but there’s this guy and…”
“Still got a thing for your dirtbag fiancé, huh?”
“No. There’s another guy. He’s a tattoo artist and I feel like I’m cheating on him just talking with you.”
“So, you’re dating someone else?” Nathan’s confusion was written all over his face.
“No. We were having casual sex and he was giving me some sex pointers because my fiancé said I sucked in bed. Oh shit! Forget I said that last part.”
Nathan laughed and she blushed furiously. “You’re really easy to talk to and I don’t drink very often so two glasses of wine is, uh, making me say things I shouldn’t.”
“Let’s get this straight. You’re having casual sex with a tattoo artist but now you’re here trying to have casual sex with me? Which makes you feel like you’re cheating on the tattoo artist?”
“Yes. Which is stupid because Preacher is finished with me,” Addison said. “I asked him for some lessons, and he gave them to me and then he – we ended it.”
“Ah.” Nathan leaned back in his chair and tipped his cowboy hat back on his head. “Well, if you’re thinking you haven’t had enough lessons, I’m more than happy to help out.”
Oh God, her face really was gonna burst into flames.
“Oh, and casual sex is just fine with me. I’m not looking for anything permanent either.”
“I’m sorry,” Addison said. “I can’t.”
“Right – you’re smitten with the tattoo artist.”
“Smitten?” She laughed. “I’m not trying to be rude, but how old are you? You don’t look like you’re from the fifties.”
He grinned and squeezed her hand playfully. “I’m probably an old man compared to you.”
“How old?” she said.
“Thirty-five.”
She shrugged. “That’s not old. I’m twenty-five.”
He winced and let go of her hand. “And now I feel like a dirty old man.”
“Ten years is not that big of a deal.”
“Doesn’t matter anyway,” he said. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about taking me home and riding me? Which, I am definitely agreeable to, by the way. Even with the age difference.”
She sighed. “Honestly, Nathan? I wish I was attracted to you.”
“Sorry, Addison.”
“Yeah, me too.”
She glanced across the bar. She saw Grace and Kira sitting at a small table