Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,130
out at his temple. “You stupid little bitch. You’re the fucking cold fish but you’re gonna blame me for our sex problems?”
Feeling both exhilarated and sick to her stomach, she said, “I’m not bad or cold in bed. The problem was never me. I just needed a man who knew what he was doing. A man like Preacher.”
“Are you in love with him?” The shock in Harrison’s voice made her urge to punch him even stronger.
“Get out of my apartment,” she said.
“He’s a convict, Addison.”
Shock infused her system, making her spine rigid, and her legs quiver. But beneath the initial surprise, she wasn’t really surprised at all, was she?
You’re not that shocked because deep down you knew. Didn’t you, Addie? The years he skipped over, the way he avoids certain topics or questions. A man like Preacher, a man who grew up the way he did, would have a past and that past wouldn’t be all sunshine and roses.
“How do you know that?” she said.
“Does it matter? It’s true. His real name is Simon Wells and he was a prisoner at New Cassel Correctional Center for armed robbery. He’s a felon and a dangerous one. Is that the guy you want to be with?”
“Get out,” she said. “Leave, Harrison.”
“Your parents are back tomorrow, aren’t they?” Harrison said. “What do you think they’ll say when they find out their precious baby girl has been sleeping with a convicted criminal? You think they’ll be proud of you? You think they’ll just welcome him into the family with open arms? Think, Addison! This little crush you have on him will destroy your life. Do the right thing and marry me. I love you and -”
“I don’t love you,” she said. “I don’t love you and I never will again. Leave right now or I swear to God, I’ll call the cops.”
“Addison -”
“Leave! Right now!” she shrieked.
He winced and backed out of her apartment. “We’ll talk later when you’re not so upset.”
“No, we won’t,” she said. “I hate you. If you come near me again, if you ever speak to me again, I’ll tell everyone in this fucking town about how you let Crystal leash you like a dog and spank you. Do you hear me? Do you think you’ll still make partner at the firm when everyone in town knows all the dirty details of your sex life?”
“You wouldn’t,” he breathed.
“Yes, I fucking would,” she said. “You don’t want to fuck with me, Harrison. I will destroy you and your career.”
She slammed the door in his face, leaning up against the cool wood and trying not to cry as she listened to Harrison’s footsteps fade down the hallway.
She needed to talk to Preacher.
* * *
“Yo, Nix has left and I’m leaving too. You good to lock up?” Nolan said.
Preacher nodded and sprayed his tattoo chair with disinfectant for the second time. It didn’t need it, but the ritual of disinfecting and cleaning was soothing to him.
It also meant giving him a little more time before he walked upstairs to his empty apartment. He cursed under his breath as he wiped the seat of the chair. He used to love his fucking crappy little apartment, just like he loved the fucking food at Nan’s. Now both of them held zero appeal to him.
He wanted to be at Addison’s apartment, wanted to be sitting on her couch next to her while they ate dinner and talked about their day. He wanted to binge watch stupid TV shows with her and then crawl into her bed and fall asleep with every part of him touching every part of her.
He sprayed the seat again and wiped it with hard and savage strokes as the bell jingled over the door, signaling Nolan’s exit. It hadn’t even been forty-eight hours since he’d seen her last and he already felt like he was going crazy. She’d only texted him twice before giving up, and despite knowing that it was for the best, there was a part of him that was hurt she hadn’t tried harder. Hurt that she hadn’t –
“Preacher?”
The bottle of disinfectant slipped from his suddenly nerveless fingers. He left it on the floor as he stood and turned. Addison was standing just a few feet away, looking nervous and uncertain. He had to fight against his immediate urge to scoop her up and carry her upstairs. He wanted nothing more than to strip her naked and bury himself in her soft body, to forget that they could never