After she banged on the door, the music cut off and footsteps echoed inside the house. With a deep breath in and a deep breathe out, she tried to get a handle on the nerves twisting in her stomach. She smoothed a hand over the flowing dress she’d chosen. The deep blue color flattered her and its simple femininity made it look effortless, even though she’d chosen it with care.
When the door opened to reveal Adam, sweaty and covered in sawdust, she raked her eyes over him as he did the same to her. Just the sight of him and the thought of what she was about to do was enough to make her heart beat faster and the blood hum in her veins.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey,” he glanced over his shoulder into the house. “You want to come in?”
She nodded and made it a point to brush against him as she entered. He inhaled sharply and she kept moving forward to hide her grin. This was going to be fun.
“The place looks great.”
Even though it was the polite thing to say, in Adam’s case it was true. An L-shaped couch sat at an angle which offered a nice view of the fireplace or massive television, depending on which the occupant preferred. A framed photo of his team from the World Series hung on the wall and a thick rug which beckoned for you to sink your toes into it covered the area. The space was all Adam, masculine and comfortable, like the man himself.
“This room and my bedroom are the only ones worth seeing.” He made an attempt to knock some of the grime off of his arms and clothes. “I’d offer you something to eat, but the kitchen’s a mess. I’ve been living off of my grandmother and Edna lately.”
Jenny ran her fingers across the top of the couch as she continued to study the house. “I didn’t come here to eat.”
“What exactly did you come here for?”
She stopped and faced him. “I came to apologize.”
He held up a hand and shook his head. “There’s no need.”
“There is.” She took a step toward him. “You were trying to be a friend and I lashed out. I’m sorry.”
“Seriously, it’s fine. Forgotten. We can let it drop.”
“There’s one other thing.” She took another step toward him, dragging the tip of her shoe along behind her slowly. “There’s something I’ve realized.”
He raised his eyebrow and crossed his bare arms over his chest. The gesture almost made her forget what she was about to say.
“When you left, I missed us. I missed being a couple and all that that entails, but more importantly, I missed you. I missed my friend.” She took another step, stopping a few feet in front of him. “Even last night, you were just trying to make sure I was okay.”
He nodded once, his eyes never leaving hers.
“When I asked you to go, you did it because you always know what I need.” She let her charged words hang in the air between them as she closed the gap between their bodies.
Adam uncrossed his arms and dropped them to his sides, his eyes slightly wide with surprise.
“Ask me what I need right now.” Her voice was strong as the intoxicating power of being in control surged through her. She had him. All she had to do was touch him.
Adam’s chest tightened and he held his breath. Jenny was so close to him he could smell the honeysuckle scented lotion she wore. If she’d shown up at his house with a plan to seduce him, it was working. His blood already surged through him and she’d yet to lay a hand on him. His fingers twitched at his sides, so he curled them into fists.
Although desperate to reach out and pull her against him, he held back. She’d come to him willingly, and what was happening in this moment would define both of their futures. He wanted one with her too badly to risk ruining the chance by making a false move, so he waited.
Jenny waited as well, leaving mere inches of space between them while she seemed to make up her mind. After a few beats of silence, except for each other’s ragged breathing, his eyes followed her hand as she moved it to his chest. The simple gesture was all it took to rock his resolve.
In one swift movement, his arms were around her, pressing her to him the way he’d been wanting to since the night in the barn. There wasn’t enough space for air to pass between them.
Their mouths met, hunger for hunger, as they clung to each other. No longer fearing the outside world or the consequences. She was giving herself to him as a free woman. A woman who he’d dreamt about for years. Her soft mouth melded to his, hot and wet, and tasting of mint. As a teenager he hadn’t been able to get enough of her, hormones had controlled his every move. He tried to tell himself to slow down, but Jenny moved against him turning him as desperate as he’d been as a teen.
Her breasts pressed into his chest, at the same time her tongue darted in and out of his mouth and teased his. Need overwhelmed his senses until she was all he could feel. He slid his hands along her sides and hips and then over her perfect ass, where he squeezed and then lifted, allowing her legs to encircle his waist. He carried her to the stairs, but before he could climb them, Jenny’s hand grabbed the banister and he stopped. Tearing his mouth away from hers, he met her gaze. They were dark with a need to rival his own.
“Now. I want you now,” she said through ragged breaths.
The heat in her blue eyes and the husky tone in her voice were his undoing. Laying her on the stairs, he pushed her dress up and found she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. In his pause of surprise, her hands were on his waistband, tugging him free and pushing his jeans around his legs.
She pulled him down against her body and he sank into her slow at first and then all at once making them both moan. There was no more holding back. He took her there, pounding into her as though he could make up for the lost time. Tangled up in the taste and feel of her, he held her until she called out his name. They clung to each other as they soaked in the waves of pleasure surging though their bodies.
Then, she started laughing.
He pushed up onto his hands and peered down at her flushed face. “What’s so funny?”
“I’ve missed you,” she said breathlessly.
Chapter 19
Jenny enjoyed the view from her position on her back as Adam tugged his pants back up onto his hips. He’d been trim as a teenager: lean, wiry, athletic, hot. But, as a man, he was a god. Which explained why she hadn’t been able to wait a second longer to have him. Her body still tingled, from the roots of her hair to the soles of her feet. The last time she’d felt such intense desire was when they’d been together in college. No other man made her feel the way Adam did and based on what had just happened, it hadn’t changed with time. If anything, she wanted him more.
He helped her to her feet. “That wasn’t exactly how I planned for that to happen.”
“No?” she asked in a playful voice, raising her eyebrows.
“No.” He started leading her up the stairs. “I had something a little more romantic in mind.”
She covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. “Did you now?”
He glanced at her over his shoulder and gave her a sly grin as he led her down a carpeted hallway on the second floor. When they stopped at the entrance to his bedroom, the muscles in her stomach tightened.
“Would you like to see what I’ve done up here?”
She nodded and he tugged her inside. A king-sized bed with thick wooden posts against the far wall caught her attention. She barely noticed the other large pieces of furniture scattered around the room. A fireplace inlaid into a wall separating the bathroom and the bedroom remained unlit, but she could imagine how nice it would be during colder months.
While she took in the room, Adam released her hand and moved to stand behind her. Slowly, he ran his fingertips up her arms and over her shoulders.
“Don’t you need ten minutes to regroup or something?” she teased.
“I’v
e had over a decade to ‘regroup’, as you put it.” He pressed his lips to her ear. “I don’t want to waste another second.”
He paused to massage her neck. Her head rolled back as his calloused fingers dug into her muscles and then one hand moved to the zipper on the back of her dress. He pulled it down with excruciating slowness.
“I want to see you.” His voice was low, but demanding.
Heat pooled where her legs met and she turned, letting the dress slide from her body until it hit the floor with a silken whoosh. His eyes moved over her as if committing each curve to memory.
Her nipples grew tight under his gaze and she reached for him, but he stepped back.
“Not this time,” he said. “This time, I set the pace.”
He circled around her with his jeans still open at the top revealing a dark line of hair. She could see he wanted her again as much as she wanted him. Whether or not they knew what to do about each other in the long run, their bodies seemed to know exactly what they wanted.
Adam stopped behind her again and she smiled at the sound of his jeans hitting the floor. A moment later he was against her, the heat from him pressing into her. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting the feel of him warm her insides and ignite her passion.
He stroked his hands over her shoulders and down the front of her breasts, forcing a moan to escape her from the pressure. Then he slid his hands further and started walking to the bed. Completely under his spell, she went with him, desperate to have him again.
He touched and teased. Fearing her knees would give out, she turned to face him, and on the brink of dizziness, kissed him.
“This was a bad idea,” she said against his mouth.
He held her away from him as a crease formed between his eyes. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Jenny smiled. “I may never leave.”
His features smoothed out and he pushed her onto the bed. “Good. I wasn’t going to let you go, anyway.”
He leaned over her and used his knee to make room for his body between her legs. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”
Her mouth went dry at his words. He kissed her quickly once, and then again. Using one of his hands to hold her arms over her head by the wrists, he took his time with her throat and mouth. He wasn’t a fumbling teenager any longer. Instead of hurrying or fighting insecurities, they explored each other as adults.
As seduction escalated from want to need, Jenny pushed her hips against Adam and gripped his back. He took the hint and glided into her, and she cried out into the night.
Sunlight seeped into the room through the French doors leading to the second story porch. Jenny blinked into the soft light and smiled, her head resting on Adam’s shoulder. She didn’t care if she never left his bed.
He stirred and she looked up, meeting his sleepy eyes with her own. “Good morning.”
“Yes, it is,” he said, his voice thick with sleep.
The kiss he placed on the top of her head, jarred her senses awake.
She pushed up onto her elbow, leaned over his torso, and left a trail of kisses along his skin.
“Careful, if you start that, we’re never leaving this room.” He grabbed her sides and pulled her on top of him.
A giggle escaped her as she melded her warm body to his. “I can think of worse things.”
“Hello,” a voice called from the first floor.
Jenny rolled off of Adam and sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest.
“One minute,” Adam hollered.
Jenny glanced at him, eyes wide. “You didn’t want to mention your sister was coming over?”
He laughed. “It’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t,” Jenny hissed. “I don’t want Avery to see us like—like this.” She gestured a hand back and forth between them frantically, which only made him laugh again.
“Men.” She slid out of the bed, scooped her dress up off of the floor and hurried into the bathroom. There would be no way to lie about what she was doing there. The early hour and the soft expression on her swollen lips would tell the tale for her.
In one swift motion, Jenny pulled on her dress and then yanked at her wild hair as she tried to tame it. She paused to stare at her reflection, remembering the way Adam’s hands had tangled in her hair only hours before. A warm flush started deep inside her and began to fan out across the rest of her body. How was it possible to want him again so soon? What kind of power did Adam Hamilton have over her?
The idea he could affect her so deeply after only one night rekindled the fear she’d held at bay the night before. She tore her gaze away from the mirror and splashed cold water over her face. There was no reason to get worked up. They’d have time to sort out the future. He was home now.
Satisfied with her appearance, Jenny left the bathroom only to find the bedroom empty and the sound of voices echoing up the stairs. As she passed the terrace doors, she debated making a run for it for about half a second. She was too old to make the walk of shame, but here it was. There would be no hiding.
“There you are,” Adam held out a disposable cup from the local coffee shop to her. There was only one.
“Morning, Jenny. Sorry, I would’ve brought you your own, but I didn’t know you were here.” Avery smirked at her brother.
“It’s fine. Actually, I need to get going. I have a meeting later. The auction’s next weekend and there are a million things to get done.” Jenny bit her bottom lip. “I guess I’ll see you guys there?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss watching women fighting over my brother.”
Adam shook his head as he leaned against one of the unfinished cabinets. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“Not a chance.” Avery smiled sweetly over the rim of her cup. “Kinda like when you posed for the Sports Illustrated body issue.”
Adam groaned. “Please, not that again.”
“Okay, then.” Jenny started to back out of the kitchen, and tried not to think about how good Adam had looked posed in Sports Illustrated or over her the night before.
There was already enough embarrassment radiating from her hot face thanks to Avery’s untimely visit.
“See you later then?”
“Yep, I’ll see you.” Once outside on the front porch, Jenny blew out a breath. An abrupt ending or not, the night before had been one of the best of her life, but she had no idea where they were supposed to go from there.
Adam strolled around the kitchen barefooted, careful not to step on any loose construction materials. A nail through the bottom of his foot wouldn’t exactly make him more desirable at the auction. Which he was starting to dread.
“So, are we going to talk about the enormous, pink elephant in the room?”
“Why does it have to be pink?” he asked, half kidding and in no hurry to discuss what happened between him and Jenny with his baby sister. Not only was it awkward, it also seemed too new and too fragile to talk about. As if their night together had been a dream and as soon as he tried to remember it or spoke of it, the memory would disappear in a whirl of foggy images.
“Stop deflecting.”
He stopped studying the countertops and glanced at his sister who sat on a backless stool he’d dragged in from the barn.
“What is it, exactly, you want to know?” He crossed his arms over his chest, but it did nothing to dissuade her. She hadn’t been intimidated by him since she was about ten.
“Everything, well not everything,” Avery shuddered. “There are some things a sister never needs to hear.”
He laughed at her exaggeration. God, he’d missed her.
“I just want to know what this means for you guys?” She raised one shoulder. “Are you back together?”
“Geez, Nubby.” He ran a hand over
his head, but couldn’t keep from smiling. “I don’t know.”
“Nubby? You haven’t called me that in a decade.” She sipped her coffee. “Someone’s in a good mood.”
He shrugged. “What about you? I didn’t see you toward the end of the reception. Where’d you run off to?”
“A lady never kisses and tells.” She burst out laughing at his grimace. “I’m kidding, Adam. It was nothing. Just a little moment, nothing to freak out about. God, you act like you and Jenny never used to make-out. We all know that’s not true.”
“I miss the days when the sheriff had to call dad to come pick you up for setting off poppers and scaring cows. I don’t think I’m ready for this version of you.”
“Don’t worry,” she hopped off her stool, “I’ve got some poppers in my bag for old times’ sake. You never know when things might need a little spicing up around here.” She started for the living room and then stopped. “Go get dressed so we can get to work in here. We have a lot to do. And later, to thank me, you can take me shopping so I can get something fun to wear to the auction. I want to look good when we sell you off to the highest bidder.”
He groaned again. He was definitely going to regret agreeing to be part of the auction.
Chapter 20
“No, no, no,” Jenny hurried across the ballroom in her stocking feet, “the lanterns need to have more of a swooping motion.” She demonstrated by moving her arm in an elongated U gesture.
Running Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 2) Page 18
