Chapter 12
Adam
What just happened?
I know Beth and I just had sex but why had it been so earth shattering? I’d fucked around too many times and for too long to feel...so much. We were still in a tangle of limbs as I tried to catch my breath. Our heavy breathing mingled in the otherwise silent room. Tremors wracked my body each time her muscles spasmed around my cock. I wanted to stay buried inside her forever. I’d never felt that way before. Usually, after I got my moment of pleasure, I tried to make my escape.
There was something about Beth, holding on to me that felt...right. It was frightening. The woman had cast some kind of spell over me for sure. Maybe if I looked at her, reality would kick in and the spell would be broken. That always worked. I looked at a woman and it hit me that I didn’t want anything more than that moment of gratification.
Slowly lifting my head, I looked at her. Cautiously, because Beth had some sort of strange power over me. Her lashes lifted to reveal sultry dark eyes. Her skin was flushed and her hair fanned out around her head like a silky curtain. She looked thoroughly fucked. Gorgeous . And I was officially screwed. Looking at her had the opposite effect I’d hoped for. I only wanted her more. Fuck .
“I must be heavy,” was the only thing I could find to say. Each breath she took crushed her breasts to my chest and my cock twitched. I needed to get away from her fast. But did I really want to?
“A little but it’s fine.”
I rolled off of her anyway and immediately felt deprived. I laid beside her on my back, not yet gaining the strength to do much else.
“Are you...okay?”
The pressure of being her first had been surprisingly overwhelming. For the first time since I lost my virginity, I’d been nervous about having sex.
“I’m great. I heard first times are always horrible. I heard wrong.”
Relief flooded me. I had wanted― needed ―her first time to be good. She deserved it. Beth was different from my usual conquests. I gazed at her sideways as she stared at the ceiling. I still thought she could do better than a cad like me but hell if I didn’t feel disgustingly satisfied to be her first. I wanted to be her only. No! What was I thinking? When we parted ways, she’d find something real with some other man. Thoughts about ripping that other man apart came out of nowhere. I pulled in a deep breath and shook my head slightly. I was being ridiculous.
“Are you okay?” Propped on her elbows, she gazed at me with concern.
“Fine.”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip and all I wanted to was devour that sweet mouth of hers again. “Is this when I leave? I’m not well versed on after-sex etiquette.”
My brows shot up and my eyes travelled down to her tempting bare breasts and then the flesh between her shapely legs. Best pussy I’ve ever been in, hands down. Would it be selfish of me to start round two, considering that it was her first time? I returned my gaze to her face and forced myself to stop perving her out.
“Do you want to leave?”
“How does causual sex work between...friends?” she laughed.
Jesus. Beth and I were friends. And we’d just fucked...made love. It felt wrong thinking about it as just fucking with a woman like her. I was just wound up in a tight ball of confusion.
“You’re probably dying to get rid of me.”
That would be the usual case.
“Stay.”
The word came out before I thought about it.
Wide eyes met mine.
“Oh...okay.”
She blushed prettily in her usual way and I felt myself soften even more.
“You like my company now, don’t you?”
“No way. I just find you nice to look at.”
She gasped but saw the grin I was trying to swallow and laughed. “Asshole.”
“Yeah, but I’m growing on you.” Her soft giggles made me smile but inside, I was freaking out a little.
A while later, Beth was fast asleep. She’d managed to roll over to my side and rested her head on my shoulder. I didn’t pull away because snuggling wasn’t as bad as I thought. In fact, my arm had taken its time and crept around her to pull her closer. Feeling content, my eyes drifted closed...until it hit me that I’d bare-backed it with Beth and they flew open.
“Oh shit,” I groaned. She stirred and I froze, hoping she didn’t wake up. That conversation wasn’t one I wanted to have. It would probably ruin the new and still fragile line of friendship between us. I had no idea if she even realized we didn’t use protection or she just didn’t care. Either way, I wasn’t going to risk discussing it.
Condoms were my best friends. I liked to sling my dick around but I’d never been irresponsible enough to forget covering it up before. It was confirmed. Beth really was some sensual witch that had me under her spell.
******
I stepped off my private elevator, grinning at my phone screen. I had Charles McCarthy in the bag and it was all thanks to Beth. After our little golfing session two weeks ago, the man had warmed up to me completely. My “wife” was a real charmer and she knew how to make me look good. She practically had both Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy eating out of her sweet little hands. I was thinking of buying her an entire Cartie store for helping me out, but knowing Beth she wouldn’t be impressed. It would probably be better to get her a book or something.
Eyes still glued to my phone, I tapped out a few instructions for my assistant while I loosened my tie and whipped it off with a sigh. I’d been wearing monkey suits since I was a kid and I still hated them. When I rounded the corner into the kitchen, I nearly jumped out of my suit and my skin. Pieces of colorful scraps floated around me and then came a squealed, “Congratulations!”
“The fuck?”
“Confetti Mel? Really?” Beth hissed. She stood on the other side of the island, holding a bowl and wearing a scowl.
“You said this was a celebration.”
“Yes, but not a kid’s birthday party. You’re so embarrassing sometimes.”
Melissa stuck her tongue out at her sister and pulled out a party whistle. I winced when she blew into it. Beth’s sister was staying with us until she went off to college in two weeks. My apartment had become considerably louder since she arrived but I didn’t mind. The kid was a riot, like her sister...minus the sarcasm.
“I’m sorry, Adam,” Beth said. “It’s my fault for letting her go to Party City alone .”
“You said to get decorations,” Mel argued.
“I said to get one congratualations banner.”
There was indeed an attention grabbing banner draped on the front of the counter. Plucking a piece of confetti from my jacket, I laughed. Beth and Melissa together was pure entertainment. They were so normal compared to my family. I almost envied them. Our families had always been close but the Carsons operated like a normal, loving unit. These two made my apartment feel more homely. I didn’t know that was something I’d like since I’ve never really had it. Thorne mansion was a cold, sterile place for any kid to grow up in.
“What exactly are we celebrating?”
“You got McCarthy. You sent that text…” Color seeped into Beth’s cheeks. “I knew how much you wanted his business. Did I do too much?”
How was I supposed to know? I couldn’t remember the last time anyone was this eager to celebrate any of my achievements. The old me would have been at a bar getting wasted and scoping out a hot prospect to spend the night with. Instead, I was at home with my wife and her sister. Good God, how things had changed.
“Yup, I think we went overboard,” Melissa said. “He can’t even speak.”
“Quiet, Mel,” Beth growled. “I’m sorry, I just thought it would be nice―”
“It is nice. This is great.” I glanced at the table set for three. “I just wasn’t expecting a party.”
“Celebrating everything even if it’s something minor is our tradition,” Melissa shared. “Right Beth?”
“We haven’t had much to celebrate lately but, yes.”
Beth’s lashes lowered to conceal her eyes and Melissa sighed. They were no doubt remembering their beloved father. I felt like I was intruding on a family moment. Shoving my hands into my pockets I rocked back on my heels.
“I think that’s great―that you guys commemorate...everything. Crazy, but great.”
Melissa laughed and the tension that was seeping in vanished. “Beth baked a cake. She’s great at baking.”
“Really?” I eyed Beth with amusement.
“A great baker but a horrible cook. Stay away from anything she cooks, Adam. I like you and I want you to live...you are paying my tuition.”
Beth gasped. “For goodness sake, can you keep your mouth shut for the next two weeks?”
Melissa winked at me and I chuckled. “I wish I could replace my boring brother with a little sister like you.”
“You jerks would be two peas in a pod,” Beth grumbled, sashaying past the two of us. I couldn’t help admiring the sway of her hips and her perfectly rounded ass as she brushed passed. When I looked up, I caught Melissa smirking at me with a raised brow. Embarrassed to be caught checking out Beth, I cleared my throat and marched off to the table.
“You cooked?” I asked Beth, taking Melissa’s warning seriously.
She glowered. “No. It’s all takeout, except for the cake as Mel said.”
“Thank you. I’m not accustomed to all of this,” I gestured to the table.
Beth tilted her head to study me and I had to wonder what she was thinking. She was probably feeling pity for my lack of normal family interaction. “You’re welcome.”
Our gazes lingered and that weird energy sparked between us again. It had been there since we slept together two weeks ago. I hadn’t touched her since because I had no idea if she wanted me to. I had disappeared the morning after, and she hadn’t said a word. We’d gone back to skirting around each other...this time without the hostile glares. Her silence was driving me crazy.
“Will you two get a room?” Melissa’s voice penetrated my thoughts. Only then did I realize Beth and I hadn’t moved. She sat down and glanced at me and then her sister. “Wait, are you two together for real now?”
“Oh my, God,” Beth groaned, sending Melissa a lethal look that promised retaliation. “I’m going to kill you.”
“What else am I to think when you two are making googly eyes at each other?”
Was I really looking at Beth that way? I immediately took my eyes off of her and found a seat...far away from her.
“Sometimes I wish you’d learn how to hold your tongue,” she hissed at Melissa and sat down.
“It isn’t my fault you two are totally cute together...despite the whole arranged marriage thing.”
I caught Melissa’s mischievous grin and shook my head. She didn’t even try hiding her matchmaking antics. Beth sent me an apologetic glance and I shrugged. I like Melissa’s candor. I was accustomed to it from her sister anyway. I couldn’t help lingering on her observation. Were Beth and I really cute together ?
My gaze traveled around the table a few times during my celebratory dinner. The whole domestic scene had never been my thing but I supposed it was because of my upbringing. While I enjoyed Melissa’s and Beth’s banter, I felt strange sitting in the mix. I didn’t know how to operate in that situation. As much as they tried including me in their conversations, I felt awkward so I was relieved when dinner came to an end.