“Let me check my calendar,” Olivia said.
“I’ll wait.”
“Who are you talking to?” Maddox asked.
Addison pulled the mouthpiece away and sat up. “Olivia.”
Maddox chuckled and shook his head. “You know that’s when Tommy’s going to be here.”
Addison forced a confused look on her face. “Oh, it is? I completely forgot.”
“What did you say, Addison?” Olivia asked.
Addison moved her phone back to her mouth. “Oh, nothing. Maddox was talking to me.”
“Oh. So, if my current case is finished and I can get one of the other partners to take a small case, I should be able to make it work.”
“That’s the best news.”
“Are you sure I won’t be in the way?”
“Nope. You can stay in my old apartment above my office. No one is renting it right now, so you can have your own space.”
And no one was renting the Carson brothers’ apartment either. The Carson brothers owned the building next to hers. Being neighbors had worked for her and Maddox. It might influence Olivia and Tommy, too.
“I like that idea.”
“Yes. This will be so much fun.”
Olivia laughed. “Whatever you say. I’d better go. Tell Maddox hi for me.”
“Olivia says hi,” Addison relayed the message and held out the phone.
“Hi, Olivia,” Maddox said loud enough for Olivia to hear.
“See you next month,” Olivia shouted.
“Okay, but I just have to warn you—”
Addison quickly brought the phone back to her ear. “Sorry, Olivia, gotta go.”
“Wait. What was Maddox going to warn me about?”
Addison fake laughed. “Just the boys. They’re a handful. Please say you’ll still come.”
“I’ll still come.”
Addison looked over at her husband, who had his hands on his hips. She smiled at him. “Okay. We’ll talk later. See you soon.”
“See you soon. Bye.”
Addison ended the call before Maddox could say anything else and flopped onto her back, her heart racing.
“Addison, what did you do?”
“Nothing. I invited Olivia here for a break.”
The bed dipped as Maddox put a knee on it. “Did you purposely invite her for when Tommy will be here?”
Addison winced. “I plead the fifth.”
“That’s lawyer talk for guilty.” Maddox lay down next to her.
“So what if I did? Those two need to hook up.”
“Isn’t that for them to decide?”
Addison rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to tie them up and force them to have sex. But if they happen to be around each other and get a little turned on…who am I to stop them?”
Maddox shook his head and laughed. “This is going to be a disaster.”
“No, it won’t. You’ll see.”
“Okay, but don’t get mad at me when I tell you I’m right.”
“I won’t because you won’t say that.”
“Whatever you say.” Maddox rolled on top of her. “Now, speaking of being tied up and sex…”
Addison threw her arms around his neck. “What do you have in mind?”
1
Tommy
I exited the airplane and pulled out my phone, turning off Airplane Mode. The first notification that popped up was a text message from my friend Maddox.
Mad Dog: Sorry, running late. The baby wouldn’t go to sleep, and I didn’t want to leave Addison alone with both kids crying.
I shuddered. Two kids under three. Mad Dog was crazy. It wasn’t any wonder he’d jumped at the chance to have me visit.
Don’t get me wrong. He loved his wife and his two boys, but I also knew him well enough to know that he was probably climbing the walls.
I could relate. Since my forced retirement from the Navy around four months ago, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had picked up a few odd jobs here and there, but they were boring and nothing like being a SEAL.
So, when Mad Dog had invited me to Iowa, I’d booked my plane tickets for as soon as the orthopedic surgeon said I would be cleared for a vacation.
My phone buzzed as another text came in.
Mad Dog: I’ll probably be an hour late.
Eh. It was just an hour. That was what I got for getting into town late at night. I’d sat longer in the same position, waiting for a signal to take action. Sitting in an airport bar, drinking a nice beer, was like a holiday compared to being overseas and hiding from the enemy.
Me: Text me when you’re close. I’ll meet you at the curb for Arrivals.
I turned off my screen and slung my carry-on over my shoulder. I didn’t wait for Maddox to reply. I knew he had my back.
I headed for the nearest place that sold alcohol. Unfortunately, the Des Moines airport wasn’t very big, even with its international status, and I didn’t have a lot of options. The food court was out, so I headed upstairs, where I found a bar.
I took a seat, ordered a draft beer, and pulled out a book.
I was two chapters in and half a drink down when I felt someone approach me.
“Whatcha reading?”
One would think that a person holding a book would be a good signal to leave them alone. More often than not, it wasn’t.
I marked my page with my thumb and glanced up.
A woman stood before me in an outfit that looked way too uncomfortable for traveling. She wore a short dress with a plunging neckline that wasn’t exactly airport attire. Most people I knew dressed for comfort before getting on a plane.
“Do you really want to know what I’m reading?” I asked.
She put her hand on her hip and laughed. “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
I shrugged. “Why? It’s just a waste of time.”
“I like you,” she said.
“Okay.” I didn’t care if she liked me or not.
With her platinum-blonde hair, fake nails, and heavy makeup, she wasn’t my type. Plus, the chances were high that I would never see her again.
She slinked toward me and ran a long fingernail down my arm. “You’re so big.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I was six feet three inches and heavily muscled, thanks to genetics and the military. Although I had retired, I kept up my daily workouts and tried to eat healthy. My knee might have taken a shit on me, but the rest of my body was still in its prime as far as I was concerned. Forty was the new thirty, and I was only thirty-eight.
“Are you big…everywhere?”
Sometimes, I liked when I got this question because I was big…everywhere. But tonight, I wasn’t in the mood, so I pretended to be confused. “I don’t follow, ma’am.”
She laughed and pulled out the chair next to me.
Great. I should have just told her I had a tiny dick.
She leaned close to me. “You know what I mean.” She leered down at my crotch so much that I wanted to cover up my lap. She looked back up at me. “Are you hung like a horse?”
Well, now, there was no way I could play dumb. “No, ma’am. Just average.”