31
MADDIE
Feather-light kisses brushed over my forehead, down my nose, and at each corner of my mouth. Popping my eyes open, I smiled happily. Next to all the deliciously wicked things Adam had done to my body through the night, waking up to his lop-sided grin had to be my favorite.
It made my heart sing and gave the butterflies in my stomach their wings. "I like waking up with you in my bed," I told him honestly.
The grin on his lips stretched into something wide and beautiful that went all the way up to his eyes. "I like being in your bed."
My gaze flicked down his torso, expecting to see muscles stacked on top of delicious muscles to trace with my fingers and my tongue.
That was not what I found. He was already dressed in his sweatpants and t-shirt.
Pushing into a seated position, I pulled the sheets over my chest and leaned back against the headboard.
"Already leaving?" I tried not to pout, I really did, but it was impossible to hide my disappointment.
Especially since I was hoping for another round of bed gymnastics .
Adam dragged his thumb over my lips and chuckled. "I still have guests, remember?"
Nope, I didn't remember. The only thing I recalled about the previous night was how completely open and honest he'd been with me and the feeling of those massive muscles shifting beneath my touch as he moved over me.
Under me.
Behind me.
Just thinking about it sent wonderful shivers down my spine that had me rubbing my thighs together. Adam laughed even louder, the sound of it coating my insides with warmth. "You're even worse than I am," he exclaimed.
"What?"
He gripped my chin between his fingers and drew my face to his. "I know exactly where your mind had gone just then, and trust me when I say I want nothing more than to crawl back under the covers with you and love on your body until you can't walk."
Oh, holy hell. The things that came out of this man's mouth. "But it would look very strange if my houseguests wake up and the host is missing," he continued, unaware of how he was turning me on.
He smoothed his hand up over my cheeks, his gaze turning serious. "Come with me?"
"What?" Apparently, that was the only word my brain now knew.
Those dark eyes roamed over my face. "Meet my sister. Have breakfast with us or just stay for coffee. "
Inside my chest, my heart started on its wild gallop. Taking a deep breath, I tried not to overthink, not to read too much into what he was asking of me. Yes, last night he'd told me he was right there with me, but he had no idea how far gone I was.
Mistaking my silence for something else, Adam frowned and started pulling away. "It's okay if you don't want to."
"No." I hooked my fingers around his neck and drew him back to me. "I want to." I pressed a small kiss against his lips, but he quickly moved to deepen it. Turning my face, I muttered shyly, "Morning breath."
Again, my chin was trapped between Adam's strong fingers. "You think I give a shit about that?" He didn't give me a second to respond before he smashed his mouth against mine; kissing me until my toes curled.
When he was satisfied he'd kissed me good and stupid, he pulled back and grinned victoriously. "Get dressed, I'll wait downstairs."
Adam dropped one more quick kiss to the tip of my nose before he casually strode out of my bedroom. Considering I was about two nanoseconds away from jumping his bones, downstairs was a good place for him to be.
Less than twenty minutes later, showered and dressed, I came bouncing down the stairs. A smile immediately lifting my lips when I found Adam sitting on the couch with his arms stretched across the top and Sheldon curled up on his lap like a cat.
"I think my dog likes you more than me. "
At the sound of my voice, his head whipped up in my direction. I tried not to fidget when his gaze steadily swept over the light pink blouse I'd knotted at my naval and down over the white skinny jeans covering my legs.
In one quick, gentle move, Adam lifted Sheldon off his lap and set him on the empty space beside him. Eyes trained on me, he rose and walked over to where I was standing, his powerful legs eating up the distance between us in no time.
The instant he stopped in front of me, he pushed his fingers into my hair and lowered his mouth to mine. His inked arm snaked around my waist, hand sliding down until he could squeeze my butt.
And then his mouth was on mine, effectively robbing of every sane thought I had. Because, holy freaking hell, this man kissed like he was put on this earth with the sole purpose to do just that. Every greedy swipe of his tongue making me crave more.
More kisses.
More Adam.
He pulled my lip between his teeth; giving it a gentle bite before pulling away. "You look gorgeous."
I'd never in my life blushed at a compliment from a man. Not once. Yet, there I was glowing like a damn tomato because of his words. Dragging my fingers through my hair, I scoffed, "You mean I look thoroughly kissed."
With a way too sexy grin, he swiped his thumb over my lips. "That too." Reaching for my hand, he laced our fingers together. "You ready? "
I nodded and after we fed Sheldon and let him do his business, the three of us made our way to Adam's place. Since I had no intention of jumping over the fence, we left through my front door and walked the long way around.
I laughed when he led me around back. Apparently, like me, he used the sliding door that led to his back yard a lot more than the front one. Squeezing one eye shut and sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, he tried his hardest to slide the door open with as little sound as possible.
Once we stepped inside, he immediately sought out my hand again. I could hardly believe how giddy that simple action made me feel. Like he needed me as much as I needed him to anchor me.
Walking slowly, we rounded the corner and almost got run over by a woman with an enormous belly.
"Are you nuts?" she screeched, hands clutching her chest and eyes taking up half of her face. "You could have scared me into early labor."
I was fairly certain that wasn't a thing, but I also knew better than to correct a heavily pregnant woman. Besides, I definitely didn't want to make a bad first impression on his sister.
Adam's hold on my hand tightened. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." His shoulders lifted in a quick shrug. "I thought you guys would still be asleep."
A loaded sigh blew over her lips and her hands moved in slow circles over her belly.
"I wish. These two are preparing me for all the sleepless nights I'll have to endure once they arrive.
" Her voice was soft, her smile content.
I didn't think she was going to mind having those sleepless nights too much.
As if just realizing her brother wasn't alone, her gaze bounced between me and Sheldon before settling on me. My skin prickled with an awareness I hadn't experienced before. It wasn't necessarily discomfort but rather a need for her to like me for no other reason than she was Adam's sister.
That right there spoke volumes to how much this man meant to me. And it scared me a lot more than I was willing to admit.
Adam squeezed my hand once more. "Zoe, I'd like you to meet Maddie." He hefted the dog under his arm a bit higher. "And Sheldon."
She had no interest in my dog at all. Her gaze swept over me in a quick once-over before she thrust her hand out and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Maddie."
To shake her hand, I had to let go of Adam's.
I missed the security of it almost immediately.
Touching my palm to hers, I gave her a smile of my own.
"Likewise." We stood like that for a few seconds longer than what was deemed normal.
I had no doubts she was sizing me up, making sure I was good enough for her brother. Or something like that.
I had to suppress my sigh of relief when she finally released me. Her curious stare never left me, though. Of course, Adam chose that moment to stoop and whisper in my ear, "I need to take a shower. Will you be okay here for a couple of minutes? "
My eyes flicked to the man beside me and I wasn't entirely sure if I'd ever get used to the way he looked at me. "I'll be fine." One corner of his mouth curved upward and for a second it looked like he wanted to kiss me but then thought better of it.
"I'll be right back." He bent and set Sheldon on the floor, who instantly trotted after him. Seemed like my heart wasn't the only one Adam had taken up residence in.
I was still staring after them like a lovesick fool when a soft touch to my arm snatched my attention away from the stairs. "I was going to make some tea; would you like a cup?"
"Please."
Wordlessly, I trailed behind Zoe as we made our way to the kitchen.
I slipped onto one of the chairs at the dinette while she busied herself with preparing our drinks.
When she was done, she set a steaming cup with a string dangling off the edge in front of me.
With a few grunts, she took the seat opposite me.
"I have to be honest," Zoe said, steadily lifting the teabag in and out of the boiling water.
"I wasn't expecting my brother to have a friend who is a girl.
" I liked how carefully she had phrased that.
Not jumping to conclusions even though her brother and I had snuck into his house hand in hand at the crack of dawn.
"I don't think he expected it either," I told her honestly.
Nodding, she let out a little laugh laced with concern. Her gaze flicked to the entryway for a beat before coming back to me. "Do you know what happened? "
It didn't feel right telling her that her brother had given me his truth or at least a big chunk of it. Shifting in my seat, I sat up straighter. "I know he's been through a lot."
Her eyes narrowed like she was trying to get a read on me. "He has, and unfortunately he hasn't come out unscathed."
"I know," I admitted quietly.
Zoe looked me dead in the eye. "Whatever is going on between you and Adam isn't my business. But if it is what I think it is, I am begging you not to hurt him." Her eyes turned glassy. "I just got my brother back."
My mouth opened and closed so many times, I probably looked like a fish out of water desperately gasping for air. I wanted to tell her I'd never do anything to hurt him intentionally, but before a single sound escaped my lips, a streak of black came whirling past me.
A little girl with the longest dark hair launched herself at Zoe and hugged her tight. The expression on both their faces tugged on something deep inside me.
I'd never really given thought to the whole married with kids thing. But here I was, sitting in Adam's kitchen wondering what that might look like. Imagining a little boy with Adam's dark hair and dark eyes running around, squealing happily.
I could see it so easily, it scared the crap out of me.
"Are you okay?" I blinked and found two gazes on me. One worried and the other curious. "You look a little pale," Zoe added .
Swiping my hand over my mouth, I nodded, "Yeah." But I wasn't and I didn't know how to handle these new feelings. They felt big. Almost too big and the risk of my heart being broken all too real.
My legs felt restless. The need to jump up and run so incredibly strong. But would I really be able to outrun my feelings? To beg my heart to slow down. To not fall so hard.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I slowly pushed to my feet.
"Will you please tell Adam I'm not feeling well and I'll get Sheldon from him a bit later?" I didn't wait for her response, simply spun on my heels, and started walking toward the door.
A few steps into my escape, Zoe called after me, her hurried footfalls closing in. I stopped; screwed my eyes shut for a beat before opening them and pivoting. The poor woman looked white as a ghost when she grabbed my hand. "Please don't go. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or said—"
"You didn't do anything, I promise." Patting her hand, I gave her a pleading look, hoping she'd let me go. Give me the space I needed to sort through the mess inside of me.
My shoulders sagged with relief when she released her grip on my hand. "It was nice meeting you, Maddie." Zoe took a step backward. "I hope I get to see you again soon."
"Me too." I spun around and rushed out of the house as if the hounds of hell were giving chase. With every step I took, my legs moved faster and faster. The tension coiled so tightly around me eased somewhat when I set my hand on the little gate. Until…
"Maddie?"
No .
Taking a steadying breath, I turned to face Adam. He was dressed in dark jeans and a white t-shirt that clung to his muscles like a second skin. Hair still wet from his shower and brows tightly knitted together.
"Where are you running off too?" Adam asked in a low gruff voice.
I opened my mouth and lied through my teeth. "I'm not running."
Eyebrow arching, Adam gave me a pointed stare. "Really? You call this not running?"
Every fiber of my being begged me to step forward right into that massive chest and have those thick arms wrapped around me. I needed it like I needed my next breath. And because of that, I hugged myself instead.
"You scare me, Adam." The words came out barely above a whisper, but he heard me all the same.
I saw hurt flash in his eyes before he blinked it away. "I do?"
"Yes." Closing my eyes, I sucked in a deep breath and decided to dive into the deep end. To serve up my heart on a silver platter. His for the taking…or the breaking. My lids parted and the words rushed out of my mouth. "I'm terrified. I shouldn't be feeling what I'm feeling. It's too soon. "
Behind my ribcage, the sacrificial organ thundered about wildly. Adam's eyes, dark so very dark, bore into me but I couldn't read a single emotion in them. Suddenly, I felt vulnerable and exposed. Swallowing roughly, I twisted my head away from him.
Not even a second later, Adam gripped my chin and guided my gaze back to his.
"Didn't I tell you I was right there with you?
" he rasped, his voice cracking on the last word.
Adam moved to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing back and forth over my skin.
"It scares me too, but not finding out where this can lead scares me even more. "
His gaze roamed over my face. Serious. Searching. It made my skin feel about two sizes too small and had every hair on my body standing on end.
"Be mine, Maddie? Just mine."
Instead of voicing my answer, I lifted onto the balls of my feet; winding my arms around his neck and pushed my fingers into his hair. I kissed him with everything I had in me. And I knew without an ounce of doubt that I was never getting my heart back.