Page 165 of Taste of Addiction

“What are you thinking about?” he asks, placing his hand on my thigh.

My hands join his, and I give it a squeeze.

“Just the good memories we have had this year.”

“Oh yeah? Tell me.”

“Remember when you tricked me into going on that first date with you?”

He chuckles. “I do remember, but you have the story a bit wrong.”

“Of course you would say that.”

“It was not a trick. Nic really was planning to go on the date and try to see if you were another FBI informant. I knew you weren’t by—”

“How horrible of a liar I am.”

“Yes, exactly. But he needed to visit Penny who was having a difficult time in Seattle, plus meet with a few associates for business.”

“Then why not just cancel or find another guy to help me test-drive the agency?”

“Because I’m a jealous man and because in the beginning, I needed to find ways to quench my thirst and get my fix of you in a controlled setting. I had to learn to cope with my taste of addiction, because I knew from that night forward, one taste would never satisfy me. You were who I craved. Still are. I would have done anything in my means to have you.”

“I’m glad you showed up that day to pick me up and not Nic. Plus, he’s too much of a nice guy for me.”

The car vibrates with Graham’s laughter. “Oh wow, my baby bro sure has you fooled, doesn’t he?”

“Nic is the most laid-back person I know. If he lays back anymore, he will be dead.”

“Oh, Angie, your naivete is beautiful to me.”

I look over at him even though it is pointless. “Please don’t ruin this image I have of your angelic brother.”

“You know I’d do anything for you, right?”

“Pretty sure you established that when I took you shopping for frozen pizza.”

“And candy. Don’t forget about your compulsive need to have something in your mouth to suck on.”

I smack his arm, but not hard enough to cause a wreck. “You make it seem so dirty.”

“I have been on the receiving end of watching your mouth molest a lollipop—multiple times.”

“Remember when I called you to have video sex while you were—”

“At my freaking business meeting, sitting around a conference table, sporting a hard-on?”

“Yes! That’s the one.”

He bursts out laughing and I join in. “You are one of a kind, Angela Renee McFee.”

“You bring out those sides to me that I never knew were there. I buried myself for years in my grief. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

He clears his throat but remains silent. We slow down and take a couple of turns.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, sweetheart, of course not. You keep saying that I changed your life for the better.” His voice catches, and I wonder if he is crying. “But I want a chance to tell you how I feel too.”

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