Chapter 20 #2
Later, we separated only long enough to shower and change before I dropped Maya off at a friend’s and picked Adrian up for his eleventh date, this one for a drinks tasting at Timber.
Alex Marian had come up with several options, including a whiskey flight, several wine flights, and a holiday-themed cocktail flight. The plan was for us to walk over to Timber and for Adrian to come back to my place afterward so neither of us had to drive after drinking.
When he got in the truck, I was shocked to see him wearing one of my flannel shirts.
“Speechless,” he said with a chuckle. “Who knew all it took to get you to stop grumbling was to steal the shirt off your back.”
The wash-worn flannel was a plaid mix of red, green, and cream. He’d rolled up the sleeves, exposing strong forearms sprinkled with golden-blond hair. “You look…” I swallowed. “Holy fuck. Can we go inside for a minute?”
His eyes danced in the dashboard lights. “We can’t be late for the tasting. Alex said he was mixing up something special for me.”
“I’ll mix something special for you,” I teased as I leaned forward and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him in for a hard kiss across the center console.
When I finally let him go, I kept him close and leaned our foreheads together.
“Not that I don’t want to eat you in that shirt, but I thought you were supposed to wear Nordique stuff. ”
“You might not like this answer,” Adrian warned, pulling on his seatbelt. “But one of Nordique’s marketing campaigns is about ‘elevating the everyday,’ meaning you can use a few of their statement pieces to make your regular shit look better.”
“Regular shit,” I repeated, not offended in the least since I didn’t give a single fuck about fashion. “Nice.”
His grin showed he knew exactly how little I cared. “For instance, I’m wearing a Skog henley under your flannel in the perfect Glacier Milk colorway. I’m also sporting Vinter Denim, and when you see how these jeans hug my ass, you’re suddenly going to care very much about my elevated assets.”
I snuck an appreciative glance at him, noticing a few thin leather bands snapped around one wrist, as well as a coordinated leather thong around his throat with a silver pendant hanging just at the dip between his collarbones.
My own jeans were suddenly too snug, so I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. “Oh.”
The warmth of his laughter made me close my eyes and breathe him in. “You okay over there, Sullivan?”
“No,” I admitted. “In fact, I can go ahead and say I appreciate your elevated assets now. But I have to admit I’d appreciate them more if you were buck naked and Nordique was nowhere in sight.”
I kissed him hard again before finally shifting the truck into gear and backing out of the driveway. Despite having a reversing camera, I turned and did it the old-school way with my arm behind his seat and my head turned close to his.
I could smell the fancy cologne scent of him, only this time it was mixed with my own laundry detergent, which made me wonder what my bed smelled like now that he’d slept in it with me.
My voice sounded strangely rough when I spoke. “We make this short and sweet, yes? Try a few drinks and head back to my place? I promise to let you have as many drinks as you want after that.”
The edge of Adrian’s lips curled up. “You gonna get me drunk, Maddie?”
“If that’s what it takes to get you into bed,” I teased. “I’m not above a few dirty tricks.”
I reached out to crank the blower higher because our combined body heat was already fogging up the windows.
Outside, the last tinges of dusk turned the snowbanks lining the road a glowing pink as my tires crunched down the road to town, and Billie Holiday’s voice on the radio sang “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm. ”
“My, my, how you’ve changed,” Adrian joked. “Aren’t you the same man who insisted he wasn’t interested in anything I had to offer?”
I sucked in a breath before letting it out slowly. “I may have been… reluctant to admit that I was into you at first.”
His bark of laughter made me jump. “Hoo boy. You are a riot, Sullivan. Reluctant to admit you were into me? You don’t say.”
“Alright, alright. Keep your pants on,” I grumbled around a smile. “I told you I had reasons.”
“Mmhm.”
I turned to look at him and saw him smiling out the passenger window. After reaching across the console for his hand, I said, “I don’t actually want you to keep your pants on.”
Adrian let out another laugh through his nose before turning to catch my eye. “Duly noted.”
I brushed my thumb across his knuckles. “I am into you, you know.”
“Yeah?” His grin was big and easy. The man was so damned comfortable to be around, it was like being with myself, only better. “What made you change your mind about admitting it?”
My eyes returned to the road ahead. “I decided to give myself a Christmas present.” I shrugged. “Even though you’re only here for this project, I thought I might allow myself to enjoy my time with you while it lasts. Stop worrying so much about the future.”
“Even though the town’s still planning our wedding?” Adrian joked. “Because I’ve got to tell you, your sister’s probably already booked the venue.”
I winced. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. The town is invested in seeing me happy, after everything with my folks. And Maya… I think she feels guilty leaving me alone next year. Maybe she thinks if I’m with someone, it’ll be easier. I’m sorry she’s dragging you into it.”
Adrian’s fingers moved into the back of my hair, causing my skin to prickle.
“Maddox, I’ve known all along what I was getting into with the Legacy matchmakers.
You laid it out for me on day one, remember?
Right before you gave me all your rules.
” He grinned and added softly, “And I knew what I was getting into with you, too. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been into you since the day we met.
You’re the one who was so dead set against giving things a chance. ”
Thankfully, we’d pulled into my spot behind the hardware store, so I quickly threw the truck into Park and turned to take his face in my hands so I could give him another kiss.
“You sure you don’t want to run upstairs for a few minutes before we head to Timber?”
Adrian’s mouth tasted like toothpaste. I wanted to kiss him until there was no trace of it left and all that remained was the flavor of me.
He pushed me away with a laugh and a hand to the chest. “Some of us have to work for a living, Sullivan. You wouldn’t know a thing about that, would you?”
Considering he’d borne the brunt of most of my hectic schedule this past week with holiday portrait sessions and long hours at the store, I knew he was only teasing.
“Right, because standing around looking pretty while other people take your picture is so much harder than actual manual labor. Tell me, Hayes, do you get hazard pay for the risk of breaking a nail?”
We exchanged barbs the entire walk down Founder’s Row to Timber. Despite the teasing, I held Adrian’s hand in mine and kept him as close as I could without tripping him.
Because I was incredibly aware that after tonight, there was only one official date remaining until Adrian Hayes was gone for good.
#BoyfriendShirt #StopTheClock #MoreThanSnowIsFalling