Page 44 of Falling for Fury
Out of the system. Get her out of your system.
The feelings she stirs up inside me are ruining my focus and my sex life. I flick my head over my shoulder and see that Hannah has now moved on to Caleb. Great. Now Addison has ruined that, too. I pull out my phone and open SoulSwipe. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find another match that can get this Addison bullshit out of my head.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” Of course, the first profile in my search of ‘closest singles’ is the tiny demon that haunts my dreams. I drag a palm down my face and look over my shoulder to make sure she doesn’t magically appear and see me as I click on her profile.
‘Law Student & Bar Tender–Just looking for some fun.’ Goddammit. This woman. She is practically advertising herself as a target. Does she not pay attention to crime statistics?
You don’t even pay attention to crime statistics. But that is not important.
Addison finds herself back in my area of the bar, and I throw the phone in front of her and she stares at it. A pink blush reaches her cheeks as she pretends to be unbothered.
“And?”
“Fun?”
“I know the concept is apparently new to you, but sometimes people enjoy it.”
“Fucking random strangers and putting yourself in danger?”
“No, you fucking idiot—fun.”
“And you think you’ll find this with Eric?” She rolls her eyes and huffs a humorless laugh.
“You know, I offered you fun, and you left a Noah-sized hole in the wall from running so quick. Just because you couldn’t handle it doesn’t mean I can’t.”
“I never pegged you for a hit-it-and-quit-it type of girl.”
“I’m a whatever-I-want-to-be type of girl. I don’t need you or anyone else trying to boss me around.”
“Oh, I think you like being bossed around.” Her blush deepens, and I watch her tongue closely as she licks her lips. Those raging green eyes lock onto mine as she leans forward on the bar. The energy between us is enough to get me hard, let alone the passage between her breasts that sits in my eyeline as she leans closer.
“You’ll never know.” She looks at me through long dark lashes, her voice a tease as I grip my beer and restrain myself from grabbing that ponytail and tugging her lips to mine.
“Is that a challenge, shortcake?”
“No, it’s a fact. Missed opportunity for you, and unfortunately, I’m no longer interested.”
The way her breath comes in fast, and the way she has to lick and bite her bottom lip, tells me differently. I take stock of her features. An arrogant smile pulls across my face as I relish in this discovery. Oh yeah, she still feels this tension between us, too.
“We’ll see about that.” I wink at her and throw a tip on the bar as I head back for the table with the guys. After a few steps, I throw a grin at her over my shoulder, pleased to find her watching from where she stands behind the bar, head tilted. Definitely checking me out.
Addison
Four hours. Four long and draining hours I have sat on this bed, nose buried in the Copyright Act 1976 making me wish I could pour acid in my eyes because I think that might be less painful. The only positive right now is that from my position on the bed, lying on my stomach, resting my head on a pillow, and looking out the floor to ceiling window of my bedroom, I can see the sun setting over New York. Painting the sky in purples and blues, it sends a warm glow through my bedroom, bouncing off my clean white walls and white furniture. I try to keep my room minimal, plain white bedframe and side tables. There is a desk in the corner by the closet, but the bed is much comfier. And comfort is a necessity when my brain feels like it has completely dried and shriveled, leaving nothing but air in my head.
“You taking a break soon, Ads?” Casey says as she strolls through my open door and plops herself on my bed. I slap the text book and laptop closed and roll onto my back, stretching as I go.
“Yeah, I think that’s exactly what I need.”
“Perfect, dinner is up, anyway.” She perks up and skips out to the kitchen, calling out to Rosie as she goes. Casey is our resident chef. She is constantly in the kitchen, if not baking up delicious and healthy treats, its gourmet meals that would rival any grandmother’s secret recipe.
“I’ll grab the wine!” Rosie calls back, to absolutely no one’s surprise.
We settle at the dining table and Rosie pours us each a glass. “Oh my god, your chicken pesto pasta is my fave!” My stomach growls in appreciation and my mouth waters at the scent.
“How’s that book going, Rosie? Have you finished the edits yet?” Casey asks as I shovel the most delicious food you’d ever taste into my mouth, refusing to come up for air.
“Amazing! We’re almost finished with the first few chapters. I’m so psyched about this one and the MMC–oof. Girls. You want to heighten your standard for men? I’ll give you an advanced copy and you can make notes because this one is elite.” Casey and I chuckle and sip wine as Rosie tells us about the book she’s editing. I hear my phone ping and I grab it from my pocket. Rolling my eyes, I swallow the groan that travels up my throat as I see who has messaged me. This guy will not leave me alone. Just let me get over you in peace. I can’t enjoy any other date because tall-dark-and-handsome shows up—in person or in my brain—and they all seem to pale in comparison.