Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,5
fucking tattoo,” Nolan said from his spot behind the counter. “You see that tiger in his book? Fucking sick, man.”
“That’s good,” Gideon said. “You offer him the job?”
“Not yet.” Preacher glanced at his watch. “I’m done for the day. You want to grab a beer?”
“I can’t. I’m working the late shift this weekend,” Gideon said.
“You’re the fucking sheriff,” Preacher said. “Get one of your peon deputies to work the late shift. Isn’t that the benefit of being the sheriff? You get the day shift?”
Gideon laughed. “It’s called being part of a team. Besides, the night shift isn’t that bad. I gotta go. Later, buddy.” He clapped Preacher on the back before leaving the shop.
Nolan grinned at Preacher. “Hey, I’m free. I’ll hit the bars with you if you want.”
“Not going to a fuckin’ bar,” Preacher said. “That shit’s too loud for me. I’m going to the Beaver if you wanna go.”
Nolan laughed. “Jesus Christ, Preacher, you’re such an old man now.”
“Yeah, yeah, you comin’ to the Beaver or not?”
“Hell, yes.” Nolan grabbed his phone and followed him to the door.
Chapter Three
“Honey, we can just go home.”
Addison studied herself in the dirty, spotted mirror before applying a bit more gloss to her lips. “No, I’m doing this, Gracie.”
“Look,” Grace leaned against the counter, “I know me and Kira and Harper all said the best way to get over Harrison was to get under someone else, but if you don’t want a night of rebound sex, you shouldn’t do it. Like, don’t do this because we say you should.”
“I’m not.” Addison made herself smile at Grace, trying to ignore the way her head pounded and throbbed. “I promise, Gracie.”
“Are you sure?”
Man, she hated that her friends knew her so well.
“I’m sure. Brad’s into me, right?”
Grace’s face wrinkled like she’d eaten something bad. “Yeah, he’s into you.”
“Good. So, I’ll sleep with him tonight.”
“He’s kind of a douchebag, Addie.”
“He’s totally a douchebag.” Addison smoothed down her dress and tugged at the pearls around her neck. “Which makes him perfect for rebound sex. I absolutely, positively will not want to date him, even if he’s amazing in bed.”
“He does have a great body,” Grace said.
“He’s a firefighter, of course he has a great body. Probably good stamina too. That’s important, right?”
She hated how dumb she sounded. She’d been with her lying, cheating dick of a fiancé for how many years, and she was remarkably naïve about sex. She’d known that she and Harrison hadn’t had the most… rousing sex life, but she’d really had no idea just how bad she was in bed.
Her cheeks flamed bright red and the bathroom suddenly seemed too loud and too bright. A woman came out of a stall, washed her hands, and checked her makeup before leaving all while Addison stood frozen at the counter.
“Addie?” Grace said. “Honey, you okay?”
“Fine.”
Pain danced along the front of her skull, making her feel a little sick to her stomach.
“You don’t have to -”
“Enough, Grace!” The headache made her short-tempered and irritable. “I’m doing this. I need to know if I’m… if I’m as bad in bed as Harrison said I was. Okay? You don’t know what it’s like to hear your fiancé, the man who’s supposed to love you, tell you that you suck in bed. You have no idea what I’m going through right now so just stop!”
“All right,” Grace said.
Grace was the one with the temper, but her voice stayed calm and she didn’t look angry. Addison reached out and took her hand, squeezing it tight. “I’m sorry. I was being a bitch.”
“No, you weren’t,” Grace said.
“I was and I’m sorry.” Addison toyed with the pearls around her neck again. “C’mon, let’s get back to the table so I can put my rusty flirting skills to use on Brad.”
“All right.” Grace kissed her forehead. “But if you change your mind at any time, just let me know and we’ll leave.”
“I won’t change my mind,” Addison said.
* * *
She wanted to change her mind. It wasn’t just because of Brad’s bad breath or the way he acted like he was God’s gift to women. It wasn’t even because her headache had grown exponentially worse in the last hour or so.
She wanted to change her mind because Grace was right – this wasn’t her. She wasn’t the type of girl who had random sex with a guy and then never talked to him again. She was a nice girl. She was a…
Proper lady?
She cringed at the term, could almost hear Harrison saying