Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6 by Kathleen Brooks (well read books TXT) 📗

10

Tinsley pushed open the door to the Lowcountry Smokehouse for lunch the next day with a little more force than necessary. It was all the pent-up sexual frustration from the night before.

Today she was both horny and ornery, and it was all her brother’s fault. He’d kept Paxton talking until three in the morning. Tinsley gave up after Paxton had shared his views on children, marriage, monogamy, how many women he’d been with, his political views, how much money he made, if he went to church, and on and on. Her brother had been relentless and yet Paxton had just grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat back and answered everything.

At first it was interesting. While he didn’t come off as the family man, he actually was, which only turned Tinsley on more. But then Ridge threw cold water on her feelings when he’d turned the conversation to Paxton’s ex-girlfriends.

She’d zoned out after hearing his view of the current president and congress. Then she’d fallen asleep when he and Ridge started discussing movies. When she woke up, she’d had a pillow placed under her head and a blanket pulled over her. Now she was exhausted, had to call a criminal in two hours, and had promised to meet the girls for a lunch she knew she couldn’t avoid.

Tinsley looked around the restaurant and found them around a big circular table in the back. Savannah was pouring coffee and as soon as she saw Tinsley, she poured her a cup. The rest of them stared at her with matching grins on their faces.

“When did y’all talk to Lydia?” Tinsley grumbled as she took the coffee from her sister-in-law.

“Probably while you were still getting felt up on the street,” Harper said bluntly.

“You should talk. Remember I accidentally caught you and Dare behind the bar when I tried to take the shortcut to your house last month,” Tinsley told her cousin with no remorse for sharing her and her husband’s private moment.

Harper just smiled at the memory.

“Wade and I got caught on our boat deck by some college students on spring break. They tossed us a beer,” Darcy admitted.

“I can’t count the number of times Sadie has walked in on Gavin and me,” Ellery told them. “In fact, we’re so bad about being caught I’ve told Gavin he has to put a deadbolt on our door or we’ll be explaining sex to baby Chase by the time he’s three.”

“Ryker caught Trent and me on our back patio,” Skye confessed.

“Don’t let Ridge make you feel guilty,” Savannah told her. “We totally got busted by Reverend Winston after Ridge said we didn’t need to lower the shades in the living room because, quote, ‘Who would stop by?’”

“We’re not here to give you a hard time,” Harper told her. “We’re here to find out how it was.”

Tinsley didn’t realize she’d sighed out loud until the table burst into laughter.

“Also, I put a hole in Ridge’s tire after I heard what he did last night,” Harper told her. “I actually like Paxton for you. He pushes you to be you. Not the quiet little mouse you think people want you to be. Plus, he’s way better than Stephen Adkins.”

Savannah spoke up sheepishly. “First, I am so sorry about last night. I tried to tell Ridge he was going overboard, but he said as your brother he had to protect you. Second, I agree with Harper. I actually like you two together. He’s not the kind of man I pictured. But now that I see it, I realized how wrong I was before.”

“What kind of man did you think I’d be with?” Tinsley asked. What did they all think of her?

“Honestly, someone like Stephen, just not so snobby. Maybe another artist or maybe a professor? I thought you’d end up with someone chill, safe, reliable, and maybe just a little snobby. That was where I was wrong. I like that Paxton is so intense. You two play off of each other in a way that makes it appear like foreplay,” Savannah told her.

“I see that,” Skye agreed. “I know I’m new, but he’s brought out more confidence in you.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Tinsley turned to look behind her to find her best friend, Edie Greene Wecker, standing there. “I just came from the gallery where I chatted with Paxton for a moment. I never thought you should be with a pushover. You dated too many artists and collectors over the years who were all wrong for you. They either treat you like you’ll break or they get jealous of your success. Paxton’s too much of a confident man for that. I think he gushes over your ability as an artist more than we do. He thinks you’re amazing. He thinks you’re incredibly smart, and I think we all know after last night’s Main Street porno that he finds you sexy. Sounds like a home run to me.”

Tinsley choked on the iced tea.

“The only way he’d be better is if he had a motorcycle,” Harper told the table as talk turned to gossip about their own men.

Tinsley left her girls’ lunch feeling invigorated. She knew she liked Paxton and wanted to think it didn’t matter what anyone else thought, but that was a lie. She was thrilled her friends and family liked him and encouraged her to go after a relationship with him. The men were a different story. In Ridge’s mind, no one had ever been good enough for his little sister. That influenced the others, especially Ryker who also thought it was his place to be her protector after that night so long ago. Others had helped, but it had been Tinsley who had pulled him back from the edge.

She knew she and Paxton didn’t have a defined relationship. However, there was a promise of one. Not just a casual one either. Once they’d opened themselves up, a deeper connection was made than she’d ever felt before.

Tinsley