Page 61 of Just Another Chance

I wish I could believe her, but I have a bad feeling that won’t go away.

And that terrifies me.

When Saturday finally arrives, I’m a damn nervous wreck while Addie is cool as a cucumber. Owen is at the loft with an entourage of bodyguards– a cop, Sierra, Kayla, Nash and Sawyer. And, of course, my state-of-the-art alarm system. I know he’ll be safe. It’s not Owen I’m worried about right now.

It’s Addie. I just can’t shake this bad feeling that’s been plaguing me for days.

We’re at her apartment and the undercover police officers arrive early in the morning. By 8am, she’s wired up and telling me to go.

“I’ll be fine. This is all going to be over soon,” she whispers in my ear.

I kiss her hard, drinking deeply, as though it’s the last time my lips will ever be on hers. My thoughts are turning morbid fast and I’m on the verge of calling this whole thing off when Addie grasps my face in her hands and looks up at me with sparkling brown eyes.

“My answer is yes, Mr. Beckett. As soon as this is over, I will happily marry you and have more of your babies and spend the rest of my life showing you exactly how very much I love you.”

“Ah, Christ, Addie,” I whisper, pressing my forehead against hers. “Please, please be careful,” I beg.

“Always,” she answers.

We kiss one more time and then the cop escorts me out the back door and down to the waiting car which will drive me back over to my loft. I get in, my stomach sinking in dread, and as we drive away, I hope I didn’t just make the biggest mistake of my life by leaving her to do this alone.

Fucking fuck.

The last time I felt conflicted like this, I had just agreed to have dinner with my father’s associate’s daughter.Chella.And we all know how that turned out.

But I have to trust the police and Addie.

Everything will be alright.Everything will be alright. Everything will be alright.

The mantra keeps repeating in my head until I’m back at the loft and quickly surrounded by my family. Sawyer clasps a hand over my shoulder and squeezes it, as though reading my worried thoughts.

“She’s gonna be okay, bro.”

“Yeah,” I say, wishing I believed it.

As the hours pass, we’re in constant contact with the undercover policemen and Detective Freeman who is in Addie’s apartment with the others. I’m pacing more and more, going crazy because everything seems so quiet.

Like the calm before the storm.

By 9pm, nothing has happened. I tell everyone to go home, thank them for hanging out with me all day, and assure them that Owen and I will be fine. Freeman says they will wait at Addie’s apartment until 10pm then drive her back here to me.

By 10:15pm, Addie is in my arms and I’m so grateful. After all that worrying, Dragari didn’t even show up. I thank the officers and we speak to Detective Freeman for a few minutes.

“It happens,” Freeman says with a shrug. “Sometimes they get this sixth sense that something isn’t right. Or maybe he got busy harassing someone else.”

“So, what happens now?” Addie asks. “I was hoping this would end today.”

“Now you stay with me,” I say, my arm tightening around her waist.

“He’s right,” Freeman says. “I recommend the three of you stay here and be aware of your surroundings. Keep the alarm on and my phone number on speed dial. As far as we know, Dragari has no idea you’re staying here, Ms. Hayes. We’ll keep an undercover officer stationed outside your building for the next couple of days and see if he shows up tomorrow or Monday. Hopefully, we’ll get lucky.”

After thanking Freeman, I let him out and lock the door behind him. Then I show Addie how the alarm system works and tell her the code. She glances up at me, surprised. “That’s my birthday,” she says.

I nod. “Yeah, it is,” I admit. It’s late and Owen has been asleep for hours so it’s just me and Addie. “I never fully let you go, sweetheart. It was impossible.”

I capture her lips in a long, slow kiss and she presses against me, answering back with a whimper and the warm, welcoming stroke of her tongue. When we finally pull apart, I’m aching for her. It’s been a few days and I’m dying to be inside of her. Our lives have been stressful lately, but tonight I’d like to take care of Addie and show her just how much I appreciate her being so brave today.

Now that Owen is here, our sex life isn’t able to be as free and we can’t linger like we used to before. So right now, I’m going to take full advantage while I can. Sliding my hands up under her nightshirt, I grip the elastic of her panties and tug them down her slim thighs. Her breathing speeds up and I kiss her passionately, backing her up until her legs bump into the couch.

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