could find her. “Except, she might be here or in France.”
“I could try to look her up.”
My feet freeze in the snow as I suck in a heavy breath of frigid air. Someone slams into me.
“Oh, I’m sor—”
“Don’t fucking stop walking in the middle of the sidewalk,” the guy spits out in a heavy New York accent as he walks around me. My face burns with embarrassment and I step close to the red brick building, out of everyone’s way.
“She said sorry, asshole,” Addie yells out to him. He sticks his middle finger in the air without turning back. “Screw him,” she waves him off, stepping next to me. “Some people are unhappy human beings. So, what do you think?”
“About that guy?” I ask, terrified.
“No. About me trying to find your mom.”
Oh, that. I play with the ends of my hair. “I… um… I’m not sure.” My stomach flutters with possibilities, both good and bad. Mainly bad. She’s never tried to see me before, why would she want to see me now? But what if she does?
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“No,” I blurt. “I’m not upset. It’s scary. She left me. And I worry about how my father would act if I found her.”
“It’s totally up to you. At work, I could easily look her up.”
I blow out a long-winded breath. Even if I didn’t contact her, at least I would know where she is. “Okay.”
“Okay, you want me to look?” she asks, slowly.
“Yes, let’s find her.”
Chapter Seventeen
Ryker
“Whiskey, I’m home.”
I freeze in the middle of the entryway. The words hit a spot in my chest I wasn’t expecting. A peek into my future. Coming home to a family. Kids spilling out of their rooms and running for me. A wife wrapping her arms around me.
Holy shit.
I shake the image out of my head. What is this girl doing to me? It was bad enough the shit I got from the guys today, but now this? I need a drink.
Setting a tumbler on the kitchen island, I toss in a couple pieces of ice and then wiggle off the top of one of my favorite whiskeys. The amber liquid coats the ice. As I bring the glass to my lips and take a sip, over the rim I spot Aspen walk in the living room.
The drink might as well be water because every one of my senses focuses on the gorgeous woman. I slowly drop my hand, placing the drink on the counter. How did I get so lucky?
“Drinking without me?” she asks, walking up to me.
Her beauty renders me speechless.
“Wow. I don’t think you’ve ever not had something to say.”
My tongue coats my bottom lip as if I can taste her on my lips. “You took my breath away.”
She lifts my drink and I watch intently as the glass rests on her plump red lips. I watch her neck as she swallows. She hums. “That’s tasty.”
My eyes roam her body again. A long-sleeved black shirt fits snug against her petite frame, outlining the curve of her boobs. The black skirt is short and fuller, sporting a leather belt that wraps around to a bow. I run my finger along her above-the-knee suede boots, to her bare skin, up to the edge of her skirt. The itch to move higher grows into a dizzying current racing through me. “The boots are fucking sinful.”
“You like?”
“Like is not the word.”
She chuckles.
I stare into her eyes, not used to the smoky makeup that adorns them. She blinks her long lashes. They look longer with mascara on them and makes her amber color stand out. “I’m glad you didn’t hide your freckles,” I murmur.
Her chocolate hair drapes over her shoulders with soft waves. I shove my hands in my pockets so I don’t reach for her and wrap my hands through the silky locks.
Taking a couple steps backward, I hitch my thumb over my shoulder. “I should go get ready.”
Before I bend you over the table and fuck you until the desperation radiating through my veins is out of me.
I’m proud of myself. I only stuck my hand up her skirt once in the car. When I felt satin, I knew I needed to stop before I reached the point of no return. And end up back at my place.
I tried to pick a smaller restaurant, one where the paparazzi rarely hang out waiting for their next victim. Except, as soon as we arrive, there’s a gathering of people. I drop my head when