Fool's Gold (11 page)

“Of course.” She moved closer as the men entered.

Nate looked Adams up and down. “You’re Vernie’s father, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” the man replied.

He was portly and appeared tightly stuffed into his business suit. Not the typical Cattle Valley resident, as far as Addie could tell. She watched and waited for Ryan to speak.

“Mr. Adams is gone on business several nights a week. His wife passed away a while back, which leaves Vernie alone more than is probably prudent.”

The man took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. “I assumed, since the boy was seventeen, he could look out for himself. I wasn’t aware of the type of people he socialised with in Sheridan. Everyone in Cattle Valley is so pleasant and open-minded. It’s hard to realise, just a few miles down the road, there are people who still don’t like gays and think causing them trouble is a fun evening’s activity.”

Addie blinked. “This was a hate crime?”

Ryan shrugged. “Mainly, this was a group of kids with too much time on their hands and not enough supervision.”

“I’d say it was pretty hateful,” Nate spoke up.

Ryan raised a hand. “I agree, but I don’t think the kids were out to hurt anyone.

Apparently, they hung out here a few nights, and the last time, they filmed themselves trashing the place. Still have the video, right here on Vernie’s confiscated cell phone.” He held it up.

“Let me see that!” Nate stood next to Ryan as he played the short video.

Addie looked over Nate’s shoulder for a second, but when the action started, she realised she didn’t want to see it. The whole thing turned her stomach, and she looked away.

“Fool kids!” Nate exclaimed. “I can’t believe they filmed it. Makes denying it tough.”

Ryan snapped the phone shut. “Vernie isn’t naming anyone else, yet. But I suspect he will be after his father is through with him. You see, Mr. Adams has offered to pay for the damages. And Vernie is going to work this summer to pay it back. So, if he doesn’t want to be the only one paying, it’d be in his best interest to spill some names.”

Addie saw Adams pull out his chequebook.

Ryan looked at her. “He’ll cover your insurance deductible, plus a few thousand for lost income and inconvenience. So, if you’ll come up with a number, please…”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I, uh, gee. I don’t know.”

Nate leaned over and whispered, “The kid’s going to pay for it. Make it a high enough number to teach him a lesson.”

She did some quick figuring in her head.

“Ten thousand?” Nate suggested.

The number shocked her. A chunk of it would be eaten up by her insurance deductible, but she hadn’t expected to get anything, let alone that much, extra. “Oh, I couldn’t. Seven or eight, maybe?”

“Eight thousand,” Ryan said firmly, nodding.

Adams wrote the cheque while Addie stared. “Payable to?” he asked without looking up.

“Addie Murphy. Adeline Murphy,” she corrected quickly.

“Sweet Adeline.” Nate sang quietly to the tune of the old barbershop quartet melody.

She rolled her eyes at him then glanced back at Adams. He tore off the cheque and handed it to her. “I assume this brings us square? I don’t want to hear later that more money is due.”

“Of course not.” She frowned, accepting the payment. As she looked at the paper, her frown slowly faded.
Eight thousand dollars
. She finally had money again. Better yet, now that she had the deductible, she could collect the insurance payment and replace the stove and mattresses. “Thank you, Mr. Adams. I appreciate your taking responsibility for this matter.”

He muttered something incomprehensible and turned to leave.

Ryan smiled and gave her a quick wink. He looked at Nate and shook one finger, which Nate immediately grabbed. Ryan tugged it loose good-naturedly and with another wink—

this one aimed at his partner—he left.

Addie and Nate stared at each other quietly until they heard Ryan drive off with Adams. “Oh my god,” she whispered.

“Oh my god!” he yelled loudly, and they both burst into laughter. He hugged her, and they swung around in a circle.

“I can’t believe this! A couple of days ago, I didn’t have a dime or any hopes of restoring this inn. Now today…” She wiped a tear from her eye.

“You’re loaded!” Nate whooped.

She chuckled. “Not exactly loaded. But it does mean I can finish furnishing this place.”

“And pick up your car.” Nate nodded.

She squinted at him. “What do you know about my car?”

He covered his mouth with one hand. “Oops, sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. But you have to keep in mind, Adeline, this is a small town. Everyone pretty much knows everyone else’s business. We sort of knew you didn’t have the money to pay Gill. Personally, I would have let Mel pay him, but that’s just me. I’m all about staying fit, but I’d rather not use walking as my method of transportation if I don’t have to.”

She screwed up her face. “Have you seen my car? If anything could make you prefer hoofing it, that might be it.”

“Well, yeah,” he grinned. “You have a point, Adeline. I just would never have said it first.”

“You’re too kind, Nate. But if you keep calling me
Adeline,
I might deck you. So, tell me, do you know a good place to buy a stove?”

Mel rolled over and stared at Addie, still fast asleep beside her. It was early, and there was no reason to wake her friend. Since she’d replaced the mattresses at the inn, Addie slept like a log. Mel wasn’t sure if it was due to the lack of lumps in the new bed or, more likely, the decrease in stress. Things were finally going Addie’s way.

Nate had driven them into Sheridan in Ryan’s
SUV
, with Addie’s long shopping list of items she needed for the inn. Between the three of them, they managed to find everything and arranged to have the large items delivered. Mel couldn’t remember seeing Addie happier than she’d been that night.

Now, with everything in place, the inn was ready for business. They simply needed guests. Mel’s parents were coming to stay the following weekend, and she suspected they might be Addie’s first customers.

She watched Addie’s chest rise and fall slowly with each breath. In the matter of a few short weeks, Mel had become totally enamoured with the proud, beautiful woman. Addie had her quirks, namely the unconventional spiked, red-streaked hair and heavily lined eyes, but Mel thought she was cute. True beauty came from within, and Addie had the warmest heart and soul Mel had ever encountered, especially considering everything she’d been through in her life.

Thinking about it made Mel anxious to see her parents again. She’d always known she was lucky to have such a wonderful support system. Addie’s familial situation confirmed it.

Mel’s folks would love Addie, she just knew it,
because
I love Addie
.

The thought came out of the blue and surprised her, at first. But as it settled over her consciousness, she knew it was true, good and right. “I love you,” she whispered to the sleeping form next to her.

Addie mumbled something and flopped over onto her stomach.

Mel looked at the smooth lines of Addie’s shoulder blades and naked back, and a stirring rose inside her. Addie’d slept long enough.
It’s time to wake up
.

She pulled the covers off and piled them near the foot of the bed. Starting with one shapely calf, Mel placed tiny kisses on Addie’s flesh, working her way higher. She nuzzled each round butt cheek, and Addie stirred but didn’t waken. Mel smiled and kept going.

She kissed a trail up the straight line of Addie’s spine, moving to one side and then the other to nuzzle her shoulders and neck. By the time Mel was completely prone on top of her, Addie opened her eyes.

“I was having a lovely dream,” she murmured. “The most beautiful woman in the world was making love to me so softly and gently, I thought I was in heaven, lying on a puff of clouds.”

Mel leaned up to speak into her ear. “Not heaven, exactly, but your very own charming bed and breakfast inn. And as for the other part, will I do?”

Addie turned her head to smile. “I was right! It is you. The most beautiful woman in the world. Kiss me, beauty, and prove to me I’m awake.”

Mel reached down and placed a gentle kiss on Addie’s lips. “Need to pee or anything?

‘Cause I’m not done with you, yet.”

“I’m good.” Addie settled back into her pillow.

“Yes, you are. Close your eyes, go back to sleep. I’m just going to play here for awhile.”

She scooted lower on Addie’s body.

“Yes, ma’am. Like I could really go back to sleep…”

Mel chuckled and moved lower, spreading Addie’s thighs and climbing between them.

Her smooth, round ass looked pale and perfect in the early morning light. Mel was going to savour it, driving Addie to the very edge of euphoria, before reaching for the double ended dildo she’d stashed under the mattress and fucking the sweet girl’s brains out.

She widened the fleshy cheeks and nestled her face between them. The dark, puckered hole between was too tempting to ignore, and Mel circled it with her tongue. Addie squirmed, and Mel smiled. Her torment was only just beginning.

She slid her tongue to the opening and wiggled it in. The tight outer ring resisted, but Mel pushed past it. The sphincter relented and sucked her tongue in with a force that drove Mel wild. She wished her tongue was longer and could go deeper.

When she’d gone as far as she could, Mel leaned back and watched the muscles tighten and close as she withdrew.
Hold on.
Not quite done there yet
. She dragged one finger through Addie’s pussy, lubricating it with the juices pooling there. With just the right amount of pressure, she inserted the finger where her tongue had been and pushed it forward.

Addie moaned and bucked her hips.

Mel recognised it as a groan of pleasure and kept going until her finger was fully seated. “Nice,” she murmured.

“Feels so good.”

“Yes, it does.” She pulled it out slowly and pressed it back in, working into a seesawing rhythm. Quickly wetting a second finger with the juices trailing down Addie’s thigh, Mel added it to the hole and reamed her lover with deep, thrusting strokes.

“Ah, god. So fucking good. I’m coming.”

“Come on,” Mel encouraged.

Addie buried her face in her pillow and cried out loudly, her body shaking and quivering its release.

Mel leaned forward and grabbed a mouthful of ass cheek, sucking it firmly to leave a red, love bite.

“Damn!” Addie lifted her head, speaking over her shoulder. “That was fucking incredible. I wouldn’t have thought sex with you could get any better, but somehow, each time, it does.”

“Sweet talker.” Mel eased her fingers from the clutching anus and cleaned up with a nearby towel, before grasping Addie’s thighs and flipping her over. “On your back, woman.

You’re about to be royally fucked.”

“Oh, yeah?” Addie’s eyes lit up.

Mel grinned and reached under the mattress, pulling out the two-ended rubber dong.

“Oh, yeah. You and me both.” Pushing Addie’s legs wider apart, she eased one cock into her lover’s wet pussy.

Mel’s was just as wet, and she had no trouble rising up to impale herself on the other end. Their pussies came together in the middle, and both of them groaned.

“My lord,” Addie’s eyes rolled back in her head. “Nothing ever felt better than this.”

“I thought you’d like it.” Mel ground her hips down. “We’ve just used fingers and tongues up until now. I probably should have asked, some women might not—”

“I’m not ‘some women’,” Addie cut her off. “I don’t care for men, but I love being fucked by a woman and her thick, gorgeous cock.”

Mel chuckled. “Good. I have a strap-on that’s sexy as hell. We’ll try that, next time. It allows for a hard, fast fuck. But I thought this first time, we both might enjoy this.”

“Hard and fast isn’t everything.” Addie looked into her eyes. “That’s one thing I love about having sex with another woman. There’s not the whole macho ‘I’m going to take you now’ bullshit. It’s soft and gentle…until we don’t want it soft and gentle anymore.” She reached for Mel’s arms and dragged herself up so they faced each other. “Kiss me.”

Mel’s mouth captured hers, and their kiss was soul-wrenching and passionate. Four hands explored four breasts as they slowly rocked their pelvises together, When the build-up was too intense, Mel released her and grinned. “I’m going to take you now.”

Addie ran her hands through her hair and stretched her arms over her head. “Go ahead, baby, and next time, I’ll take you.”

“Sounds perfect.” Mel maintained eye contact as she drove her body down on Addie’s.

The rubber dildos were positioned to rub both of their clits, and Mel knew her side was doing a fine job. “I’m close.”

“Me, too.” Addie stared at her. “Fuck me again, and we’ll come together.”

Mel rose, thrust a final time and saw Addie’s face contort with pleasure.
She’s there
.

Letting go of her own control, she threw her head back as waves of sensation roared through her. Her nerve endings prickled delightfully, and an intense orgasm rocked her system.
Each
time different and always better
. Emotions got the better of her, and when she could breathe, she reached for Addie and kissed her firmly. “I love you,” she repeated over and over between kisses.

Addie grappled for her face and held her cheeks as they kissed, then kissed some more.

Mel was in no hurry to be finished. She ran her hands over Addie’s back, touching and caressing everywhere she could reach.

Eventually, she had to shift her body. She released Addie, rose up carefully and set the rubber contraption aside. She dropped on the bed next to her lover and placed her head on the woman’s shoulder.

Addie wrapped her arms around Mel. She hadn’t spoken, and the silence was growing deafening.

“I love you, Addie.” Mel repeated her words, forcing the woman to confront them.

“Thank you.” Addie kissed her forehead. “I have very strong feelings for you, too, Melissa. I’m just not sure we should be talking about love. My life is so uncertain right now.”