Page 25 of Falling for Fury

The look on Addison’s face when she saw me was worth the surprise. Despite the war of emotions happening inside me, I managed to reel them in enough to appear casual. Seeing her giggling with her sisters, with the breeze flowing in through the front doors blowing her long hair around her face, helped calm me, like all my worries, all my stress, just dissipated. Still there, just less shitty. The reaction to her isn’t just mental, it’s physical. Like my body knows when she is around. Readjusting a semi this entire week is going to get annoying, borderline creepy, so I really need to sort this fucking thing out. Hopefully, the deal with EcoX keeps me busy, that will be dependent on Matt actually letting me steal his time.

Getting under Addison’s skin might be my favorite pastime, though. Maybe I can provoke her instead of flirt with her. Keep it friendly.

Like her fury doesn’t turn you on.

It was hard enough trying not to text her, leaving the ball in her court. I nearly lost all self control after a few beers, a warm shower plagued by thoughts of her, and the way she feels pressed up against me. Addison is good. Great, in fact.

Fresh start.

It is better for everyone involved if we don’t get into anything serious, though. I won’t do serious, can’t do it. I just… I don’t know how much I can hold back with her. We barely know each other, and I feel myself drawn into her orbit. I am constantly thinking about her, and when I’m not, god, I just want to be in her presence. The few minutes we spent in a verbal sparring match downstairs was enough to get me out of my head, enough to distract me from my worry, only making my need to be around her grow. Like right now, when I feel like every other aspect of my life is holding on by a thread, to be with her and talk to her, like that Monday night walk home from Pucks. Just to make the world feel still for a few moments.

We walked in silence together up the stairs before I realized I have no idea which room is meant to be mine. She must have picked up on my faltering steps, looking around to work out where I would be sleeping, and she explains, “The room next to mine is usually always free. You can take that one.” She practically grunts the sentence, clearly unimpressed with being forced to sleep near me. I nod and pull a polite smile on my face as she shows me to the room.

“Here. Bathroom is down the hall on the left. There is also a bathroom downstairs around the corner behind the staircase, but that is the bathroom Vicky and George use… I would advise against using it,” she whispers the ending of that, failing to hide her smile.

“Thanks. This place is huge. How many people usually stay here?”

“There are seven bedrooms. Vicky and George always have the guest wing downstairs. Mom and Dad take the master upstairs, which is down the other end to the right. Back when we were kids, Ava and I shared a room, Jessie shared a room with Aiden, Vicky and George’s eldest son, and Violet, their daughter, who is my age, would share with Riley. We had two spare rooms for any other friends or guests that came. Ava and Matt now share our old room, this one is the one Riley and Violet used to sleep in, and you’re sleeping in Jessie’s,” she says, almost bored, like she had that whole speech rehearsed. “Oh… he won’t mind?”

“Nah, he doesn’t come to these things anymore. Or at least, he hasn’t in the last two years, and apparently isn’t again this year.” Interesting.

“Well, thanks for showing me.”

“No problem.” She gives me a tight nod before entering her room and quickly closing the door. I remain staring at the space she vacated, feeling a cramp in my chest that I don’t understand. I can tell myself till I’m blue in the face that I don’t want anything serious with Addison, but her barely treating me like a friend makes my skin itch. I decide I am not going to over analyze and enter my room.

Everyone heads into town for a picnic lunch, Matt informs me. A ten-minute walk from the lodge around the lake, Matt begged me to join. “The girls spend the whole time gossiping. Can you please give me something else to talk about? Leave work here, we’ll talk it over after lunch.” An easy enough invitation to accept, which had nothing to do with seeing a certain blonde haired, green-eyed strawberry shortcake again.

On the way out of my room, I hear voices at the bottom of the stairs, and I catch the end of a conversation as I make it to the top. “…he almost kisses me on Monday and then by text, he just left it at, see you soo—” and I lock eyes with Addison at the bottom of the stairs talking to Riley, before she finishes her sentence. Her eyes grow wide as her face goes pink. She stumbles on a cough, lowers her head, and makes quick work of heading for the front door as I leisurely stroll down the stairs. Riley, to my absolute delight, has no idea why Addison hasn’t continued her story and is pestering her to continue.

“Hello? Then what?! Did you plan a date?!”

She wanted me to kiss her? Please let me be the ‘he’ in this story. I don’t know if my ego can take it being someone else.

“Shh Riley, shut the fuck up,” Addison whisper-shouts while jabbing her sister in the side, and I stroll up behind Riley as they wait on the front porch. Oh yeah, I’m definitely the ‘he’ in this story. The size of my smile takes up my whole face, and I can’t do a thing to hide my smugness.

“No, please, don’t stop on my account.” Riley spins and her eyes dart up to mine, eyes that are almost as green as Addison’s, but seem to lack the sparkle Addison’s carry. As she looks between Addison and me, with my devilish grin plastered to my face, I throw a wink in Riley’s direction, and I can see the lightbulb flick on.

“Ohhhhhhhh hahahaha.” Riley’s realization turns into a hysterical laugh, and Addison covers her face with her hands and stifles a grunt.

“Kill me now,” she whispers to herself.

We make for the lake and the path around it that apparently leads into town. Riley has darted off, spotting Ava, Matt, and Mia ahead, mumbling something about playing with Mia, leaving Addison and me alone to stroll casually past the lake. The walk is mostly silent, but the energy between us is electric. My body feels like it buzzes with exhilaration at my proximity to her, despite her clearly wishing I was anywhere else.

As we make it into town, the streets are surprisingly quiet, the light breeze rustling the trees, the sun beating down from its full height in the clear, blue sky. We round a corner of a building, Addison leading the way, indicating the picnic area was just around the corner, and I unintentionally ignore the rest of her sentence as I watch the way her hips move as she saunters off in front of me. Very much enjoying the view as I am stopped short in an attempt not to walk right into the back of Addison.

That’ll teach you for staring at her ass.

“Oh, this day could not get any worse,” Addison grunts. In confusion, I look up over the top of Addison’s head to the direction she’s glaring and see a relatively skinny guy, who looks to be about twenty-five, staring in the direction of the woman in front of me. His hair is blond and slicked back in a way that reminds me of every rich-kid douche in the movies. His eyes manage to quickly flick to mine and his entire body changes, like a lion who has sensed a threat.

Perhaps a house cat is a better description.

“Addy? What… what are you doing here?” the guy says as he approaches Addison. Reading how uncomfortable Addy gets makes my back straighten, and I take a few steps closer to her… not sure what my plan is here, but surely less damage the closer I am… Right?

“Jake. Hi. Yeah, sorry, it’s… well, it’s that time of year… the family trip?”

There is that damn word again. ‘Sorry.’ She is apologizing for being in the same place with this guy? I think fucking not. Wait, Jake. The ex Jake?

“Right, of course. I forgot you’d be in town.” There is an awkward pause and a heavy pit sours in my stomach as I recall the little Addy told me of her ex.

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