Chapter 10
Ihad never scurried away from a scene faster than I had in that moment.
Standing there in front of Perfect Jasmine with her perfect sleek ponytail and perfect sky high stilettos, I knew I needed to get the hell out of there… and fast.
Only problem? Nothing about me is perfect. So as I moved to back away from Adam, I’d completely forgotten that Verne’s leash was wrapped around my ankles and I went tumbling backwards, landing hard on my butt on the brick sidewalk.
And to add insult to injury, not even a Yeti cup is secure enough to withstand that sort of fall. The lid slipped off and thirty ounces of hot coffee spilled all over my white button down shirt and jeans.
Literally, it was the only white shirt I owned. For this exact reason. Because I couldn’t go a day without spilling something on myself when I wore white. Though, spilling an entire cup of steaming hot coffee was quite the display… even for me.
Rattled, I hopped to my feet, making sure Adam had Verne’s leash secured in his hands before making my excuse to get the hell out of there.
Stumbling, I scooped up the empty Yeti cup and lid as both Adam and Jasmine offered me a hand.
“Are you okay?” Jasmine asked, concerned.
“Yeah!” I shouted, my voice way too shrill. Way too high. “I was just leaving to get more coffee! I mean, I was leaving. And now I have to get more coffee!” Oh God. I was speaking so fast and high-pitched, it was a wonder they could even hear me considering the high-pitched dog-whistle frequency I was hitting.
With a wave over my shoulder, I added, “I’ll see you back at the library later this afternoon!”
Four hours later, I paced the small living room of my apartment, waiting on the vinegar powder solution to absorb into the pee-soaked paper of the Pride and Prejudice book.
Noticeably annoyed by me, Jules’ gaze followed me as I paced, her tail twitching back and forth from where it was dangling off of the coffee table.
“Don’t give me that look,” I said, pointing at her. “You would have run away, too. She’s literally perfect. Not a hair out of place. A skin tight dress and blazer that was folded to her elbows with the perfect crease.”
I looked down at my own wrinkled shirt that I’d changed into after the coffee spill and sighed. It wasn’t my fault that my clothes got all wrinkled on the flight, was it? As far as I could tell, there wasn’t an ironing board in this apartment. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to go buy one for a short, intermediate stay. Maybe I could borrow one from Dad.
One thing was for sure, though. Jasmine had an ironing board. Hell, she probably had a whole laundry room. One of those beautiful, stark white ones that they featured on HGTV with chic subway tile and wicker baskets that organize the different detergents and shit.
Hell, I bet she even used fabric softener on every load.
Whereas I wasn’t even sure what to do with that damn stuff. Did you mix it into the detergent? Rinse with it after?
I let out a frustrated growl to which Jules responded with a quiet meow.
I flopped onto the couch and reached up to scratch Jules’s chin. The meow morphed into a happy purr. “Maybe I should google her?” I asked Jules. “Learn all about the enemy.”
How many Jasmines could have graduated from the law department the same year Adam did? Not too many, probably. I bet I could find her within ten minutes.
Reaching out, I brushed my palm down Jules’s back, scratching between her shoulder blades just the way she loves.
Prrrrrrr…
“It’s not stalking. It’s just a Google search.”
I wasn’t sure what hers and Adam’s story was, but one thing was clear: They had history.
“Besides,” I added. “It’s not like Adam has called or texted me.”
Jules gave me a slow blink, then yawned, flashing me her feral teeth in the process. “I know, I know he has class all day, but a text takes literally two seconds.”
He wasn’t the one who ran like a coward, I could practically hear Jules retort.
With a sigh, I bent forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “You’re right. I am a coward.”
Stepping forward, Jules touched her cold nose gently to mine, then bumped her forehead against my face.
I rubbed my eyes and nuzzled her again. “I’m a coward and now I’m due back at the library, but I can’t bring myself to go in case I run into Adam.”
Adam taught class today until four p.m. So maybe if I went now, I could get some of my restoration work done there and slip out before he was done with his classes.
Yes. Yes, that”s what I needed to do. It would give me enough time to let the vinegar powder absorb here at the apartment. And by the time I finished at the library, those books would need their own time to dry and set.
“Good chat, Jules.” I kissed her on the nose to which she recoiled as though offended by my show of affection.
Twenty minutes later, I was creeping into the library, hiding behind a baseball cap and massively large sunglasses.
Not the most clever disguise, admittedly, but in a pinch, it had to do.
I bet if Jasmine was sneaking around somewhere, she’d be clad in one of those silk scarves that 1950s starlets used to wear to keep their hair in place. Like Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn. And big, Gucci sunglasses. Not the cheap knock off aviators I found in ChinaTown several years ago.
The librarian gave me a weird look as I flashed the ID Adam had given me on my first day at her and slid inside.
As I made my way down the lines of tables and quiet students studying, I noticed more and more eyes on me.
My disguise wasn’t that weird, was it? Especially not in a collegiate atmosphere? A baseball hat and sunglasses? Half the students in here were wearing baseball hats or slouchy beanies.
I looked over my shoulder where a guy was sitting with a green hoodie featuring the animated cartoon of the unofficial mascot of Dartmouth, Keggy the Keg.
And he was staring right at me.
Or rather, staring at my ass.
Shamelessly.
What the hell? Objectify much, asshole? Sure, he was probably barely a day over twenty, but still. Not cool, dude.
I stared at the college perv, giving him my best death glare until he looked up and latched eyes with me. Turning bright red, he muttered something unintelligible and ducked his head back down to his books.
Good. He should be embarrassed.
Feeling better, I continued my path all the way to the back corner of the library where the rare books room was. Sanctuary was just an arm’s length away, I thought as I reached the door and pressed my thumbprint to the handle.
With a beep, the light turned green and the door unlocked.
I made it. Without running into Adam or Jasmine or Dr. O’Macklin.
Breathing a sigh of relief I entered the room and shut the door behind me, closing my eyes.
“Took you long enough.”
I screamed. And not a delicate little squeak. I flat out shrieked as though an ax murderer had just come at me in the dead of night.
“Jesus!” Adam was on his feet rushing over to me. “Harp, it’s just me!”
“Adam? What the hell are you doing here?”
He gave me a look like I was maybe the dumbest person he’d ever met. “I work here.”
“I know that,” I said. “I’m not a complete idiot. I mean, what are you doing here in the rare books room when you have class until four?”
“They have a paper due on Monday, so I gave them the option of working here in the library. I told them I’d be here in the rare books room and if they needed me, to come knock.”
“Oh.”
“So why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not,” I said, putting on my most innocent expression.
“Harp, you spilled an entire cup of hot coffee on yourself, then literally ran away from me this morning.”
I walked over to the stack of damaged books in a poorly disguised effort to buy myself a moment to think.
With my back turned on Adam, I ran my hand over the spine of one, looking at the black smudge that stained the back of my knuckle from working this morning.
“Can’t we just talk about this like adults?” His words sort of sputtered and I peeked over my shoulder at him.
He was staring at my ass.
Just like the kid out in the library.
Only, he wasn’t staring in a lemme take a bite out of that juicy double kind of way. He was more perplexed.
Perplexed by my ass.
That was a new one, even for me and my bad luck with men.
I slammed the book down on the table, hard enough to snap his attention back to my eyes, but not so hard that it actually caused further damage to said book. “My ass in these jeans must be on point today. You’re the second man I’ve caught staring.”
“Ummmm…” His cheeks turned scarlet, then twitched as though he was struggling to contain a smile. “You um, you have panties stuck to the back of your pants,” he whispered.
“I… what?!” I swiveled around to have a look and sure enough, a pair of cotton hiphuggers was there, attached to my damn thigh. Thank you static cling.
“You have pantie—” he started repeating.
“Oh my God, I heard you the first time!” I ripped the underwear from my pants, balling them in my fist. “This is mortifying,” I murmured. “First I fell and spilled a vat of coffee on myself this morning and now this! And they’re not even cute panties! I do have cute panties, you know?”
“I never said you didn’t.” His smile had leaked out, but now he pressed his mouth together, trying to not laugh.
“Well, I do,” I emphasized yet again, unsure why I was so stuck on this. “Lacy ones that are red and black and sexy!” I was gesturing wildly, forgetting for a moment that I was gesturing with the same hand holding the panties. So, now I was basically flinging them around in front of his face.
His eyes darkened for just a moment. “Hey,” Adam offered, “at least they’re clean, right?”
I looked down at the pair of sensible cotton briefs in my hands and cringed. Truth was, I wasn’t even sure they were clean. But I wasn’t about to admit that to Adam or anyone.
Jasmine popped into my head and the sight of her shocked face this morning when she caught us kissing. I bet she only wore thongs. Lacey ones. The flossy string kind, too.
With a sigh, I shoved the non-sexy panties into the pocket of my coat. “Can we start over?”
Adam bit his lip, a snort-laugh escaping. “No way. I want to hear more about your black and red lacy panties.”
With an exasperated sigh, I lifted my gaze to the dim-lit ceiling and counted to three.
I had to talk to Adam. Really talk to him. Ask him about this whole Jasmine thing before it completely consumed me.
And I couldn’t do that with stupid cotton panties wadded up in my pocket.
But I wasn’t good at talking about my feelings. Never had been. Hell, most of the time, I ran from them. Case in point, seven years ago.
It was easier to end things with Adam rather than tell him about what I’d overheard that night on the phone with his dad.
After a few breaths, I brought my eyes back to Adam’s… only his eyes weren’t on me. Or rather, they weren’t on my eyes. Instead, he was looking at my lips.
Nope. Not just looking… but rather, staring at them.
Staring at them with the same intense, heated gaze that I’d seen with him so many times in our life together.
My nipples went hard, textured and scraping against the soft cotton of my bra. His eyes tipped back up to mine, hungry desire in their depths.
I knew from experience, from history, what that look from Adam meant. I knew that in only a few small steps and inches, intense passion and ecstasy awaited me.
Gulping, the question ripped from my throat. “What’s the deal with you and Jasmine?”
In a blink, the spell was broken. A flash of confusion and disappointment twisted his expression. “There is no deal with Jasmine. She’s a friend. That’s all.”
“Then why did she act like someone kicked her puppy when she caught us kissing this morning?”
“It probably had more to do with the fact that in all my years here, I haven’t dated much. My friends and colleagues have only heard of me dating two girls and neither lasted long. So what you saw on her face was more likely shock than anything else.”
I stared deeply into his shuttered eyes, searching for the truth within his words.
Because I knew Adam. I knew Adam to his core even if we hadn’t been together in years. And while there was shreds of truth in what he said, my gut told me it wasn’t the whole truth.
“You two seriously never dated?”
He shook his head. “I promise you, Harper. Jasmine and I have never dated.”
He was telling the truth this time. I could hear it in the steady baritone of his voice. See it in his unflinching gaze.
“You two have never kissed?”
Why was I pressing this issue? Was I determined to push him away?Again?
Adam took a tentative step toward me, then reached down and cautiously laced his fingers with mine. “I’ve never kissed Jasmine. I don’t want to kiss Jasmine. The only woman I want to kiss… is you.”
With his free hand, he glided his knuckles up the column of my throat before cupping my jaw tenderly. The light, simple touch made my knees tremble and weaken.
Yet again, his eyes dipped to my mouth and he waited. Waited for me to make the next move.
I moaned, desperately, aching for his mouth to be on mine. At the sound, he pressed his eyes shut, like it was taking every ounce of effort from him not to just take my lips right then and there.
He whispered something to me, but it was drowned out by the thick, even pounding of my heart against my ribs. Drowned out by the stinging promise of a kiss. The sharp anticipation of his lips on mine again.
But it never came. His lips hovered, danced over mine, teasing, but not kissing me.
As his eyes fluttered open, I caught the sight of a muscle jumping in his neck.
“What was that?” I whispered.
“Dammit, Harper,” he hissed. “You know what I want.” His voice was thick and heady, full of hungry passion. “But what do you want?”
What did I want? Was he joking? “If I recall, I kissed you this morning?—“
“I’m not talking about a random kiss. I’m asking what you want. Tell me Harper. What are you looking for? Is this just some whim for you? Some quick vacation hookup? Because I don’t think my heart could take it again. I don’t think I could handle you ghosting me again if all you want is a one-night-stand?—“
“I want you, Adam. I never stopped loving you. Never stopped wanting you.” My confession dissolved on my tongue like cotton candy. Whispered. So quiet, I wasn’t sure he heard me at first.
Not until the words, “Thank God,” gushed from his lips. Gripping my ribs, he crushed me into his body, and claimed my mouth.