Page 49 of Protecting Addison
Ricky smiled. “True.”
“Big bad Navy SEAL or a deadbeat dad…no comparison,” Addison said.
“Hey…hear that?” Ricky asked, tilting his head to the side.
Addison frowned. “No? I don’t hear anything.”
“Exactly. The kids are asleep. With luck, they’ll stay that way. Whaddaya say we head to our room?”
And just like that, Addison clued in to what he was hinting at. “Yes.”
“Yes?” Ricky asked.
In response, Addison stood and held out her hand to him silently.
He stood as he took her hand, and then he was leading her down the hall to their bedroom. He shut the door firmly behind them and turned to face her. “Be sure, Addy.”
“I’m sure,” she told him, feeling anticipation flow through her veins.
“Go ahead and use the bathroom first,” he said, his gaze glued to hers.
Addison backed away from him toward the bathroom, only turning around once she was through the door. Inside, she took a deep breath then quickly used the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She was finished in minutes, more than ready for what was to come.
Ricky was standing where she’d left him. In the middle of the room, staring at the door behind her as if he was afraid she’d turn back around and slip out the bathroom window or something.
“All done,” she said, feeling a little awkward.
Ricky finally nodded and on his way past her, stopped to kiss her temple before continuing into the bathroom.
The second the door closed behind him, Addison spun toward the dresser. She pulled out her sleep shorts and top and whipped off her clothes. She made it under the covers just as the bathroom door reopened.
To her surprise, Ricky walked out completely naked. Addison had a feeling her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t help it. She’d seen the man wearing only his boxers, butnothingcould have prepared her for the sight of him without a stitch of clothing on.
He was sexy, stacked, and intimidating.
She was a thirty-something mother. Yeah, she was tall and slender…but almosttooslender. She’d always wished she had more curves. The last thing she wanted was to be worrying about what she looked like right now, but she couldn’t help it when she was faced with Ricky’s utter perfection.
He didn’t hesitate to walk to the bed and pull back the covers. He climbed in and scooted over to where Addison lay frozen, leaning on an elbow next to her.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“Hey,” she returned.
“We don’t have to do this if you aren’t ready,” he told her, obviously reading her body language.
“No, I want to. I just…Ricky, you’re perfect.”
He snorted. “Hardly.”
Addison licked her lips nervously.
One of his hands rested on her breastbone in the middle of her chest. “Breathe, Addy. Let me make you feel good. We can just do what we did this morning. There’s no pressure here. None. Understand?”
And just like that, her nerves dissipated. This was Ricky. The man who didn’t blink when he had to change pee-covered sheets. The guy who patiently read the same book four times in a row to Yana because she demanded it of him. Who volunteered to go to Ellory’s school for Career Day even though he and his team were in the middle of planning what was probably a very dangerous mission to some far-flung spot in the world. Who stood up to Ellory’s bully. Who refused to leave three orphans in a war-torn country. Who got married not only help those kids, but because he knew she needed insurance for her daughter.
Ricky might have a body sculpted by hours upon hours of working out and doing dangerous things, but it was his heart that she was in love with. Even if this man gained a hundred pounds and had a beer belly, he’d still be the only man she wanted in her life…and in her bed.
Putting on a brave face, she sat up and pulled her top over her head before lying back down. This was the first time she’d bared herself to him, and she couldn’t help but hold her breath.
