45. Chapter 45
Chapter 45
“You let her go.”
Adam turned to Megan, who scowled at him from the doorway.
He had been expecting this conversation at some point. “You know better than anyone that no one lets Tessa do anything.”
She walked into the office. “True. But I think you might be the exception.”
His chest hummed at her words. “She’s overwhelmed and she needs to figure things out. You know she pushes people away when that happens.”
Megan’s eyes widened. “I do. I’m surprised you do.”
Of course he did. He paid attention to her. How could he not? “She’s complex. And as much as I wanted to tell her to stay, she doesn’t need a rich man in power telling her what to do.”
Megan dropped down on the couch. “She told you about that.”
“She did. And I’ll be honest and say, I need to figure some things out myself. My world has been upended more than once, and I just got my past back.”
“I get that. But wouldn’t it be better if you figured it out together?”
“Yes.” But he couldn’t force his opinion on Tessa.
Megan nodded and placed a sketch pad on the table. “I think so too.”
Adam’s stomach dropped. “Has Lily seen a new attack?”
“No, nothing like that.”
She found the page and turned it so that Adam could see it. It was a drawing of a cabin with a man and woman standing in front of it. What. The. Hell?
“I am pretty sure that’s John’s cabin, and he’s holding hands with a blond.”
Adam’s dragon grumbled. “They can’t stand each other.”
Megan shrugged. “I would agree, except I talked to Lina a few minutes ago and she mentioned that Tessa was on her way to go meet with someone who could tell her what being a witch meant. And he’s the only person right now that fits that bill. Who knows how far in the future this vision is from?”
Nope. Not going to happen. Adam stood.
Megan smiled at him. “Do you have somewhere you need to be?”
“Yeah.”
Less than an hour later he found himself driving down the road where he and Tessa first crossed paths. His dragon calmed down once he realized he was going to find Tessa. He wasn’t sure how she was going to take him showing up. But that was something he would have to deal with. He wanted a strong woman in his life. A relationship where they supported each other and where she was willing to call him to task when he needed it. His hope was that she would feel the same way once he spoke to her.
He turned onto the path and took a breath. Hopefully John was answering her questions and not being an ass about it. His dragon senses expanded, and he caught sight of her on the porch as he drove closer. She was laughing at something John said. So much for them not getting along.
He came to a stop and stared at them for a moment. John said something with a smirk on his face. Adam opened his door and climbed out.
“Sorry I’m late. My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.”
John sighed. “You all are too dramatic. Care to join us for a drink?”
Adam narrowed his eyes. “No. I need to talk to Tessa for a minute.”
Tessa stood. “Did something happen?”
“No. Everyone is fine. I just need a minute with you.” He needed way more than a minute with this woman, but he didn’t think he should lead with that since her expression was vacillating between curiosity and annoyance. He glared at John.
John had the balls to act surprised. “Oh. You mean alone. Well why not. I mean, it’s my home and all, but I’ll go inside and leave you two alone.” And then the cranky bastard chuckled as he went inside. Adam was surprised he remembered how.
“What are you doing here, Adam?”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“You already said that. How did you know where I was?”
“Megan talked to your mom, and we figured you were here.” Okay. He might have just thrown Lina and Megan under the bus, but he was not starting this conversation telling her about Lily’s drawing. He had some sense.
“Okay. What did you want to talk about?”
“I’ve been thinking that you’re a bit of a hypocrite.”
She turned to face him fully. “Come again?”
Okay, on second thought maybe he didn’t have any sense. “You called me Superman the other day, and then you turn around and go into Wonder Woman mode.”
Oh boy. Her denim eyes were sparking now.
Was it bad that he wanted to kiss her when she was like this? He kept talking instead. “Didn’t you tell me that I wasn’t responsible for everything that happens? But you assume that you being a witch is going to somehow destroy the clan? That’s a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.”
“ Really ?”
“Yeah. And I want you to learn from my mistakes. I do still blame myself for what happened in the past because I shouldn’t have tried to do everything on my own. I should have reached out to Eric and pulled Marcus in sooner. Things might have been different. I have regrets about all of it.
“I don’t want you to have those same regrets. You told me that I needed to protect my family and clan, but I would argue that you are a part of my family and clan. And so would everyone else. You need us in your life. And we need you. I need you.”
Tessa stared at him for a moment, and he made himself stand still and not reach for her. Let her think things through.
“You have a lot to say, don’t you?”
Okay. Not a bad response. At least she didn’t throw her glass at his head. “I do. And I hope you don’t think I’m trying to tell you how to think or be. I know you’re smart and capable, and I want you in my life.”
Tessa’s eyes filled with a vulnerability that made him want to wrap his wings around her.
“I worry that this is too much for you,” she said softly. “You just remembered who you are.”
He did reach for her hands now. “Before I got my memories back, I asked Sienna if she thought I was the same person. She said yes and no. I know Ben and Adam are both a part of me now, and I love you.”
She blinked up at him and her eyes glistened. “You love me?”
“How could I not? You are the most amazing and exasperating woman I have ever met, and I can’t imagine my life without you. I guess maybe I should ask if you want to be with me now that I’m Adam?”
“I do. I thought once you had your memories back, you wouldn’t feel the same.”
His heart finally started beating again. “You have been the one by my side while I found myself. I thought a magical pendant would fix everything. But you’re the true magic in my life, and I don’t mean because you’re a witch. You charmed me from the moment I saw those denim eyes and heard that sassy mouth.”
She shook her head. “But I am a witch, and we don’t know what that means.”
He squeezed her hands to stop her from backpedaling. “Then we’ll figure it out together. I’m not the same Adam I was, and you’re a huge part of that. I’m going to move forward without regrets. Which means I refuse to have any regrets regarding you. I will not be walking away from you. From what could be. And I think it could be fudging fantastic.”
Tessa laughed as the tears finally fell down her cheeks. “I love you too. And I think we could be great together.”
He leaned down and kissed her, and his dragon purred like a kitten. She wrapped her arms around him, and he deepened the kiss, plunging his tongue into her mouth and tasting her.
“Okay. You’ve made up, now go away!” John barked through the door.
Tessa laughed, her forehead resting on Adam’s chest.
“Let’s get out of here,” Adam said.
“Thanks, John! We’ll talk soon,” Tessa hollered.
“Not if I can help it,” John bellowed back.
They walked to the cars. “I want to spend some time with you,” Adam said.
“I do too, but the clan house is a bit of a zoo and my mom is staying at my apartment.”
“We’ll get a hotel room then,” Adam said, hoping he wasn’t pushing things.
Tessa’s eyebrows shot up.
“I mean. We don’t have to do anything. We can just talk.”
Tessa pulled him down for another kiss. “I think it’s finally time to work on your bed manners.”
“Stop talking about bed etiquette. I have to be able to drive to the hotel. Wait…do I need to get some protection?”
“No. We’re good.”
They agreed where to meet, and Adam followed Tessa all the way there, trying to keep his mind on the road and not on what might happen next. He was going to let her run the show—this time.
They checked in and before Adam had the door closed to their room, Tessa gave him a saucy grin. “Time for your lesson.”
He reached for her and she backed away. “Ah, ah, ahhh. Listen first, touch later.”
He growled and she laughed. “Impatient. That is something you are going to need to work on. Now. Rule number one. You don’t wear clothes to bed.”
He pulled his shirt over his head without unbuttoning it and toed off his shoes and socks before pulling off his pants in record time, leaving him in his boxer briefs.
The minx chuckled. “On second thought”—she looked him up and down—“a little impatience is more than okay.”
She stepped closer and ran her fingers over his chest. His muscles contracted as she touched him, and her faded denim eyes darkened.
“Can I touch you?” he asked.
She nodded. He reached up and pushed her hair over her shoulder before cupping her face with his hand. “You take my breath away.”
Her cheeks pinkened. “You’re pretty amazing yourself.” She stood on tiptoes and kissed him. There was nothing timid about it. She possessed him and the only reason they broke apart was so they could breathe again.
“Are you going to get undressed?” he asked as he drew in a breath.
Tessa pushed him to sit on the end of the bed, and then she took off her clothes very, very slowly.
And he lost his ability to think or speak in full sentences. “You…I… Jesus .”
She helped him remove his boxers before climbing into his lap and straddling him. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Rule number two…”
He kissed her and then sat back so that she could continue, but she just smiled at him.
“Rule number two?” he prompted.
“Just love me,” she said.
“That I can handle,” he said before swooping down to kiss her again.
She ran her hands up his back, and he started exploring her as well. Hands, mouths, tongues, and they found what made each other sigh, gasp, and cry out.
And he quickly realized how smart her mouth really was. He lay back and let her take charge, joining them together and finding their own dance. He couldn’t believe this amazing woman was his and he was hers. He pulled her closer, and their pace quickened.
He jumped off the cliff and soared with her. Her flushed skin and humming sounds had his dragon preening. He pulled her to his chest, and she snuggled against him for a few minutes as they caught their breath.
“That was…”
She rested her chin on his chest. “Amazing? Spectacular?”
“Better than flying.”
Her eyes danced. “That’s a high compliment.”
He was mucking things up. “It is. Flying has always been where I found my joy. Now I have you.”
She blinked. “And I have you.” She reached up and ran her hand along his jaw. “You are handsome with or without a beard.”
“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” he said with a smile.
“But there are some advantages to a beard.” She waggled her eyebrows.
He laughed. “I think we can negotiate about that.”
She kissed him. “Excellent.”
And now her denim eyes were dancing again, and he knew she was going to say something wicked.
“How about your refractory period? Can we speed it up?”
This woman. “Um…”
She kissed his jaw.
“I don’t think that it’s…um…a negotiation.”
Her lips kissed behind his ear. “We’ll see.” She ran her tongue down his chest. She glanced down his body, a Cheshire-cat grin appearing. “I beg to differ.”
He rolled her under him. She laughed before he captured her lips with his. And they joined together again.
He realized he would never be alone. Never have to take the world on alone. Not with Tessa owning his heart, soul, and dragon.