20. Adam
ADAM
I’d like to say that was unexpected.
The intensity. The passion. The soul-shattering intimacy.
But that’d be a lie.
I knew when I walked in here tonight that sex with Nina would be the most spectacular thing I’d ever experienced, and the hardest too.
Because how was I supposed to return to the way we were?
My chest ached for her. My mind wanted to engage with hers all the time. My arms longed to pull her into an embrace, and my mouth yearned to pepper sweet kisses over her cheeks, her eyelids, her hair.
That was the risk.
The risk we were supposed to avoid.
Hell, a mere twenty-four hours ago, we’d established the rules of engagement. They were crystal clear. The list. Os. Friendship.
Done.
That was it. That was all. We’d mutually agreed on the endpoint, and now we’d arrived at the moment when we were supposed to walk away.
In two nights, we’d worked through her whole list. My God, we were voracious, and the thought made me laugh unexpectedly.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, and it occurred to me this was the first thing either one of us had said post-sex.
And I was still inside her.
Yeah. Time to deal with that issue.
“I’ll tell you in a minute,” I said, easing out of her, then heading to her bathroom for a washcloth. After warming it up under the water, I returned and cleaned her up, then myself. I set the cloth in the hamper and returned to my gorgeous beauty, who radiated bliss.
She glowed from head to toe, and I wanted to kiss her all over, from her toes with their emerald-green polish to her thighs, all smooth and lovely, to the hollow of her throat.
I ran my fingers over that spot, the divot in her neck. Such a vulnerable place on the body. Pressing a gentle kiss there, I answered her, “What made me laugh is how big our appetites are.”
She chuckled beneath me. “Come to think of it, I haven’t had dinner.”
I raised my face, set a hand on her stomach. “My fault. I’ll need to rectify that soon with paninis, melting cheese, and fresh mushrooms.”
She let her tongue loll out like a dog.
“But what I meant was—we raced through your list, Nina.”
“My God, we were ravenous creatures, weren’t we?” she asked, and seemed to fix on a smile, her voice turning more chipper than I’d expected in this moment. “I was just thinking about the list too. How we plowed through it.”
“We get gold stars for speed of execution,” I said, wishing we weren’t talking about the list but rather what comes after it. Or what could come after.
She tapped my nose. “No, Adam. I should give you gold stars all around. You made my dirty dreams come true.”
The moment turned surreal.
Seconds ago, she’d been keening beneath me, breaking apart, calling my name.
And now that was all it had been.
A dirty dream.
A filthy fantasy.
Her list was a bucket list, a project to shed her virginity so she could focus again.
And here on the other side of her innocence, we’d resorted to what we’d always been.
Pals.
Joking.
Talking.
Having fun.
We weren’t sharing sweet nothings or whispering confessions of unexpected emotions.
Get it together, man.
Besides, how the hell was I going to tell her what I wanted? Did I even know? This Mack truck of feelings had slammed into me from out of nowhere, and I honestly wasn’t sure how to sort them out.
Or, at this point, if I should.
Maybe we were well and truly done, with number nine under our belt.
Best to focus on that.
“You were a model student,” I said with a grin, because now wasn’t the time to let on that I wanted more than her list.
Or the moment to tell her that tonight never felt like a checklist item for me.
Yes, sure, technically we’d achieved her mission.
But, in doing so, something else had unfolded for me.
Something that wasn’t on my list, or hers.
That was the trouble. Falling wasn’t on the agenda.
And I didn’t have a detailed plan for how to deal with it, how to broach it, or what the hell it would mean for us.
I focused on number nine instead, because it was easier. Running my fingers down her arm, I asked, “What did you think of number nine, sweet girl?”
Her lips curved up. “I’m ‘sweet girl’ now?”
I dotted a kiss on her nose. “You’re always sweet to me.” There, that was honest.
She ran her fingers through my hair, nibbled on her lip, then said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For doing that for me.”
My brow creased. She was thanking me? I didn’t want thanks. I wanted her. Moreover, I wanted her to want me the same damn way.
Not in a thank you for your service kind of way.
I needed to devise a plan, to figure this out.
But how was I going to figure it out this close to her, when I was inhaling her sweet smell, drinking in her intoxicating scent?
“You don’t have to thank me,” I said, and I didn’t know where I was going next, but I was going somewhere. “I wanted to do everything with you.”
“You did?” Her tone pitched up, rising with hope like it had earlier when she’d asked if I’d liked going down on her.
Rap, rap, rap.
I blinked.
What was that?
The knocking sounded again.
She jolted out of bed, scrambling to her bureau, grabbing a T-shirt. “My door. Someone is here.”
“Just ignore it.” But as soon as I said that, the knocker called out.
“Mr. Larkin, it’s David from City Painters. Just need a tiny minute of your time.”
I groaned, my head falling back on the pillow for a long few seconds of frustration. I swung my feet over the bed, left the bedroom, and found my briefs, jeans, and T-shirt. In seconds, I was dressed, my phone in my pocket, and I answered the door.
David smiled proudly at me, his craggy face pleased. “We finished. Come see it. It looks fantastic.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Appreciate that. I can see it tomorrow.”
“No. You have to see it tonight. My men can’t clock out till the client gives approval.”
I gritted my teeth, sighed heavily. “I’ve no doubt I’ll approve it.”
His grin widened. “We finished early. Bet you didn’t think we’d finish it on Friday night.”
“No. I sure didn’t.” And I wished he hadn’t.
He tipped his forehead to my place. “Come. You’ll want to see it before you sign off. You can pay tonight, yes?”
“Of course. Of course I can. Just give me a second,” I said, and returned to the bedroom to find Nina in yoga pants. She’d brushed her hair and knotted it into a bun. Her laptop lay on the bed.
It was as if we were erasing the evidence, rewinding to casual buddies who helped each other out with guest rooms for crashing in and food for noshing. “I need to go see what’s going on next door.”
“Yes, go. I hope it looks fabulous. I need to”—she paused, like she was thinking—“I need to prep for tomorrow. I had a last-minute booking with a client who’s in town with her lover this weekend. She’s doing some casino-themed shots, so I need to go over my plans to shoot her in a bed of coins.”
I ached a brow, laughing. “That’s interesting.”
She shrugged with a smile. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. You know how it goes.”
Then she winked at me, as if the city’s slogan was ours. As if it was a reminder that we were a secret.
Was that all we could be? Nighttime rendezvous and dirty deeds, midnight trysts and secret fantasies?
I wanted to know what number eleven was. Wanted to ask if we could write in numbers twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and more.
It had felt like she’d wanted that too.
But hell, maybe I was wrong. Maybe she responded the way she did because it felt good. Because she had a little kinky sub in her, and I gave her my kinky dom.
Maybe that was it.
My mind raced, hunting for answers in her eyes. I didn’t find any, so I crossed the distance, curled a hand around her head, and kissed her lips.
When I broke the kiss, I told her I’d be back later. Because that was how it worked. I should return.
I would return.
“See you then.”
But David wouldn’t shut up. “Let me show you the finish close up,” he said, guiding me from room to room. “We are masters at detail. Take a look at this.” He pointed to the doorway of the guest room, where my parents would stay next week.
“Terrific.”
“You won’t get that from anyone else. You chose well. That is why we had to spend the extra time. You won’t regret it.”
But I was already regretting having answered the door .
“No regrets for the paint,” I said, flashing a thanks and we’re done grin.
He chuckled and clapped me on the back. “That should be my new corporate mantra.” He sighed deeply, pleased, then snapped his fingers. “Let me just have you sign off on the invoice.”
“Great.” That was what I wanted, so I could return to Nina.
He reached into his bag for a clipboard then flipped through some pages, whistling under his breath. He found mine and took his time tugging it gently from the holder.
Kill me now.
I snagged a pen from the counter, and the second the paper was free, I scrawled my name.
“Now, just a little green and we’ll be good.”
I located my platinum card, and he slid it through a card reader. But the credit card company decided to be a douchebag and spent its sweet time verifying that this wasn’t fraud.
I mean, that was all well and good, but was tonight the time for Chase to call and verify I was me?
Evidently.
Thirty minutes later, David left, my condo still smelling of fresh paint.
Nina would be hungry, and I needed to feed her, not to mention find a way to figure out what the hell to say.
But when I returned to her apartment, the place was quiet. A stillness floated through the air. An empty protein bar wrapper was on the kitchen counter.
I padded to her bedroom.
My heart raced to my throat. There she was. My sweet Nina, curled up on top of the bed, her laptop open, her yoga pants and T-shirt on, sound asleep. Good sex had a way of doing that to you. It was the best medicine for an excellent night of rest.
I lifted the corner of her covers, tucked them diagonally over her, and dusted a kiss to her forehead.
Her breath came steadily. In, out, whoosh.
I tried on her name in the faintest of whispers, too soft to wake her, but needing to test it.
“Nina, I fell in love with you.”
Her breath stayed at the same pace, and I turned out the lights, left the room, and shut the door.
Tomorrow I’d have to find a way to say it for real.
I did not want to be startled awake by the Rolling Stones. Not now. Not at this godforsaken hour. Because it could only be a disgustingly early time of day.
I squinted, reaching for my phone next to me on the guest bed.
Morning light shone through the blinds, the sun blaring its arrival. Grabbing the phone, I silenced Brandon’s ringtone then answered.
“Hello,” I grumbled.
“ Bonjour! Also, where is my parade? My motorcade? My marching band?”
I groaned. “My bad. Forgot to order one.”
“I forgive you, I suppose. Well, as long as you pick me up at the airport.”
I scoffed. “There is this thing called Uber. You download it, use it, and it takes you everywhere.”
“I know. Just messing with you. I’m in my Uber now, on my way to your place. The only room I found was a master suite at the Bellagio for two grand a night, so I’m all yours today. See you in ten.”
I sat bolt upright. “See you.”
Scrubbing a hand across my jaw, I tried to make sense of my day, and how my plans had been upended.
Well, technically I didn’t have any plans till tonight when the crew would hit our favorite spot at The Luxe, but I needed to work, go to the gym, see my sister, and, oh yeah, one more thing.
Find a way to tell Nina I had fallen for her without, y’know, screwing our friendship.
That was all.
I dragged myself out of bed, peered down the hall, and saw her door was still closed. I wandered over and pressed an ear to it. I didn’t hear any stirring. My sexy angel was still asleep.
And that sucked.
In the guest bathroom, I took a piss, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and then pulled on my clothes from last night.
Her home was still painfully silent as I padded to the living room, images of what we’d done there last night flickering before me.
My friend on her knees, waiting for me.
Nina taking me in her mouth.
My sweet, dirty girl losing control on the butterfly.
My shaft twitched, like a dog longing to be let out.
But it would have to get in line.
I headed to her kitchen counter, spotted the owl notebook, and grabbed a sheet of paper, scribbling out a quick note.
Brandon is here, and I need to go. And you said you have a client. But I want to see you later. I need to see you later. And don’t forget—we’re all going out tonight.
I don’t know how I’m going to look at you without thinking of how absolutely beautiful you are on your knees, on your stomach, on your back.
In every way.
You’re beautiful—my sweet, dirty girl.
P.S. Did you know Antarctica is the only continent where pumpkins don’t grow? Lucky Antarctica.
There. That wasn’t too much. It was just enough for where we were, but it hinted at more. More something. More us.
I left the note by the coffee pot, a surefire guarantee she’d see it.
Then I set the pen by the notebook.
This notebook.
And to think this was where it had all started. I ran my finger down the cover, as if it had magical powers and would tell me how to win Nina’s heart, along with her body.
I flipped it open to her list, smiling as I reread every item.
And then I saw a new one.
My skin turned electric.
She’d filled in number eleven.