Page 33 of Forbidden Harmony

“Close your mouth, asshole,” Preacher saidwhen Gideon continued to gape at him.

“What the fuck, Preacher?” Gideon said. “Youseriously had sex with Addison Moore last night?”

“Yeah. She came into the shop just as itwas closing and wanted a tattoo.”

“Okay, even that’s fucking weird, but howthe hell did you go from her wanting a tattoo to having sex?”

Preacher glanced around. None of thetables near them had locals sitting at them, but he lowered his voice anyway. “Itjust happened. I finished the tattoo, she hugged me, and then she kissed meand then we had sex.”

“There’s so much more to this story thanyou’re telling me,” Gideon said.

Preacher cracked his knuckles and drank twobig swallows of beer. “Fine. Here’s the entire fucking story, you nosybastard.”

Ten minutes later he was finished tellingGideon about Friday night at the pub and Sunday afternoon.

He drank another swallow of beer to easehis dry throat. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me she and that lawyer hadbroken up?”

“One, I thought you knew, and two, I didn’tthink you’d care. I had no idea you were into Addison,” Gideon said.

“I’m not into her,” Preacher said. “Wefucked, it doesn’t mean anything, and it’ll never happen again.”

“She’s not your usual type,” Gideon said.

Preacher just shrugged. The little schoolteacherwasn’t his usual type and maybe that’s why he found her so damn hot. Maybethat’s why he couldn’t stop thinking about her and had masturbated three goddamntimes this morning to the memory of fucking her.

Being in her pussy had been better than allof his fantasies about her. She was tighter and wetter than any woman he’dfucked before. All day he could barely concentrate on tattooing, and he’dstared at that goddamn tattoo bed so many fucking times, that Nolan had finallyasked him what the fuck was up.

“You really shouldn’t sleep with her again,”Gideon said. “You’re a good guy, but she just got out of a long-term relationshipand you two are,” he paused, “very different.”

“I know,” Preacher said. “Jesus, Gideon, Idon’t want a fucking relationship with her. I told you, it was just sex and it’snot going to happen again.”

Of course, it’d be nice if he could stopthinking about fucking her again. Just the memory of her sweet little pussyhad him half-hard right here in the goddamn pub. He knew where she lived, knewher apartment number. Maybe he could stop in and pretend he was checking onher tattoo or some shit like that, and –

And what? You hurt her when you fuckedher, remember? You were such an impatient asshole that you hurt her. If youthink she’s ever gonna let you near her pussy again, you’re crazy. You’vefantasized for months about fucking the little schoolteacher and when youfinally get the chance, you screw it up. You’re such an asshole.

Guilt replaced the lust and his dick went limpimmediately. Shit, hewasan asshole.

“Jesus, the next few barbeques are gonna beawkward as shit,” Gideon said.

“No, they won’t,” Preacher said. “We didn’ttalk much before this and now I guarantee you, she’ll avoid me. She regrettedfucking me the minute it was done. Women like her don’t let men like mebetween their legs.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Gideon said. “This, ‘I’mnot worthy of someone like Addison Moore’ is complete bullshit. If you’d just letsomeone get close to you other than me, you’d realize that there are plenty ofpeople who would care about you if you’d let them. Your past doesn’t defineyou. How many fucking times do I have to tell you that?”

Preacher just grunted, but, like always, therewas a sense of relief at hearing what Gideon had said to him a hundred timesbefore. Maybe it would only take another hundred times before he started tobelieve it.

“The only reason I’m saying to stay awayfrom Addison is because she’s been with Harrison since they were teenagers andthey’ve only been broken up since the spring. There’s no way she’s ready to bein another relationship yet,” Gideon said. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Preacher laughed. “Only you would worryabout me being the one to get hurt by her.”

Gideon didn’t laugh. “It’s because I loveyou, man.”

Preacher could admit that it’d taken him abit to get used to how freely and without any reservation or self-consciousness,that Gideon told him he loved him. After a lifetime of neglect from his parentsand betrayal from men he thought were friends, his relationship with Gideon hadevolved into the most important one of his life. If it wasn’t for Gideon, he’dbe in a fucking prison cell again right now. He knew that as well as he knewhis own name.

And, as fucking cheesy as this sounded, hewould die for Gideon Walker. The sheriff had saved his life in more ways thanhe could count, and Preacher could spend a lifetime trying to repay the favour.

“Yeah, I know. I love you too,” he said, alittle amazed all over again that he truly meant it and by how easy it was tosay. “But you have to stop worrying about me like you’re my goddamn mother. I’mnot going to get hurt by Addison Moore. She doesn’t mean anything to me and I sureas shit don’t mean anything to her.”

“All right. Did you hire that Nix guy?”

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