Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
“Whoa, Crooze! Go, boy, go!”
The sun is bright, the air is clean, and the lake is surprisingly not as crowded as I’d expected.
Everything is green and lush around us, the water looks like crystal, rippling as it reflects the sunlight.
We brought the dogs with us to have fun, and I’m glad I stuffed a couple of canvas bags with a bunch of beach towels, because we’re definitely going to need them.
Crooze is especially pleased to be in the water. Adam has been throwing floating toys onto the water’s surface for him to fetch, but it’s a crap shoot if he actually retrieves the toys or just keeps them in his mouth and keeps swimming around like a game of keep-away.
Remy has been keeping to Ezra’s side on the shore, happily sunbathing in the grass, while Bat and Danko have been chasing Jasper around along the water’s edge.
Nikki has been curled up in my lap almost the entire time we’ve been here, which is a couple of hours now.
She shows no sign of wanting to explore the water.
“I wonder how cold the water is.”
“It can’t be too bad,” Ezra says. “It’s warm enough out today, and it looks like Crooze is having the time of his life.”
I laugh, but then my breath catches. Adam approaches, pulling his shirt over his head, revealing a sculpted physique above swim trunks. He folds the shirt and places it on top of his shoes in the grass, grins at me, and turns to run to the lake.
His naked back, to me for the first time ever, reveals a masterpiece tattoo on his back. All black and abstract, the design covers his spine, his shoulder blades, and even wraps around part of his ribs.
Holy shit. That’s hot.
As Adam swims with Crooze, Bat decides to jump in with them, chasing after some of the toys Crooze hasn’t gathered. It isn’t long after that Remy stands from her napping spot, shakes off, and runs after Bat into the water.
Jasper comes to join Ezra and me in the grass, Danko hot on his heels, panting from playing and ready to sunbathe.
“This is really nice,” he says, voice low and loving.
“It really is,” Ezra agrees, eyes on Remy in the water as she swims, her little butt popping out of the water now and then.
I hug Nikki, which makes her stir, shake her head, ears flapping. She stretches leisurely, then hops off my lap and strolls to the water’s edge. There, she sniffs around, looks out at Adam, Crooze, Remy, and Bat, then places a paw into the water.
I’m enraptured.
She takes another step into the lake when a little wave rolls in, dunking her head in the water.
Immediately, she jumps out, looking absolutely horrified, and runs straight back to me.
I try not to laugh, I swear, but I can’t help it.
And I think Nikki is offended as I dry her little furry body off and Jasper and Ezra join in my laughter.
We spend another couple of hours at the lake before deciding to pack up and head back to the house. But, despite being in the water for hours straight, Crooze has other plans. Like staying in the water forever.
Adam eventually hauls Crooze out and snaps his leash on before he can jump back into the water, which he definitely tries to do.
Ezra helps try to divert Crooze’s attention with treats. Lots and lots of treats.
Once everyone is finally dry, we hop in Jasper’s truck and head back to the house.
Adam plops onto the couch with a huff, his shirt back on. Unfortunately.
“Hey, Adley.” His tone is tentative, and I turn to him with a smile. “Do you like dancing?”
My smile turns to a grin. “Love it. Why?”
He clears his throat, obviously nervous. “There’s this lounge just outside of town. I was hoping maybe you’d go with me after dinner.”
A lounge with Adam? How could I possibly refuse?
“I’d love to.”
“You look outstanding.”
Well after dinner and showers and a change of clothes, Adam returns to the house and greets me with those words.
But he’s looking absolutely fuckable right now in tailored gray pants, a black leather belt laced through the loops, and a pristine white button-down shirt with the sleeves at his elbows.
The top few buttons are undone, and all I want to do is kiss his throat.
I put on a dark red knitted dress with long sleeves that reaches my mid-thigh and a pair of black knee-high boots with flat heels.
If there’s one rule I adhere to, it’s never to go out dancing in heels.
I’m not usually accident-prone, but, oh boy, is that a disaster waiting to happen to my ankles every single time I’ve tried on the dance floor.
“You look like a work of art.” I breathe the words, sure there are stars in my eyes as I say them.
His cheeks tint pink, his feet shuffling a bit, and I love how bashful he gets when praised.
“Are you ready?”
With a nod, I lock up the house, and we go to Adam’s car.
The lounge is only about a ten to fifteen-minute drive from my house, and it looks super lively from the outside, lights flashing through the windows, a steady bass line bumping loud enough to hear in the car.
Adam parks and rushes to my side as I open the door, taking my hand and guiding me from the seat. At the door, he pays a cover charge for himself—apparently Omegas are always free to enter—and with our hands joined, we walk through the door.
The inside is both cozy and wild at the same time.
There’s a bar on the far right, lots of tables and booths along the walls with intimate candlelight.
In the back is a DJ booth, a guy tapping on a couple of laptops as colorful lights swing all around, making rainbows stream across the dance floor in front of the booth, giving the dancing patrons a colorful glow.
“Do you want a drink?”
Adam’s lips are right at my ear, his voice low and rumbling. A little thrill courses through me at the sound, at his closeness. I turn to him and shake my head.
“Dance?”
This I smile at, and he returns the gesture with a grin, his icy eyes filled with excitement as he leads me to the dance floor.
The song is full of deep, pounding bass, not too fast and not too slow.
The kind of music I would listen to while fucking, and that’s just about all I can think of as Adam’s arm wraps around the small of my back, pulling me against his muscular frame.
One of his thighs settles between my legs immediately, and he leads us in a dance, his body moving to the rhythm perfectly as I follow in awe.
There’s something about a man who can dance that sets my blood on fire, and I lean into his ear.
“You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever danced with.”
There’s a rumble in his chest at my words, not a purr, not a growl, but something pleased and possessive at the same time.
I rest my arms on his shoulders, clasp my hands behind his neck and rock my hips along with Adam’s every movement, losing myself in the music and in him. At some point, I turn my body so my back is to his chest, my ass nestled against his cock as it stiffens and grows.
I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this excited in public before, and as his hands run up my thighs and grip my hips, hard, there’s no room for being self-conscious. There’s only Adam, me, and the music.
He pulls my ass tighter against his dick, every inch of it presses from my crack across my left cheek, warmth builds between my thighs, slick begins to dribble from my core. With a sigh, I lean my head back against his pec.
It takes a few minutes to realize that Adam’s been moving us as we dance, maneuvering us into a shadowy corner where he grinds against my ass, drawing a groan of pleasure from my chest. His hand dips down to my inner thigh above my knee, slides up slowly until it’s only an inch or two from my pussy.
He wipes the slick that’s slid down my skin there, and turns me to face him as he brings his fingers to his lips, then moans as he slides them into his mouth.
My lips part, vision goes hazy. If I thought Adam was sexy before, I didn’t know what was lying in wait tonight.
With both palms, I grip his face and pull him to my lips, dipping my tongue into his mouth and tasting me there. The idea of me on his lips, my slick on his tongue, does things to me on the inside, like my brain fizzles and my body hums, all the while the bass pulses through me.
I don’t know if we’ve been here for five minutes or five hours, but when Adam pulls away, his icy blue gaze on fire, my heart stutters.
“I want you,” he breathes.
My Alpha’s steel cock is pressed against my stomach, his face is almost vulnerable as he looks at me, and there’s only one response I could possibly give him.
“Let’s go home.”