“But what about Heather?” I asked, still pushing. “She hurt you.”
“I never thought I’d trust a woman again, after what she did. But you’re different. You’re Julia.” He lifted one hand to his lips, then kissed the inside of my palm. He did the same with the other. His lips were warm and soft; they sent feathers of pleasure across my skin.
“I’m in love with you,” Adam said. “Maybe it’s too soon, since it’s only been a few months. Maybe you think I’m crazy, shit, maybe I am fucking crazy, but there’s the sordid truth. I’m in love with you and no one’s going to change that. Not Heather, not the media, not playing for the Caribou. No one and nothing can change the way I feel.”
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t help it. The emotions pouring from him matched mine. Body to body and soul to soul.
“I was afraid you didn’t feel the same way.” It was a whimper from my lips. A tiny admission.
“I was too.”
Finally, I exhaled, the fear and regret leaving me at the same time. We’d been withholding and evading, each of us avoiding making the first move and taking on all the risk. Each thinking the other didn’t return the rioting feelings. Building walls to hide from possible rejection. That stopped right here. Right now.
Adam slid a hand up my arm and around to the back of my neck. He rested it there, not breaking eye contact. Just waiting.
I leaned in, closing my eyes.
Adam’s mouth found mine, even softer against my lips than it had been on my skin. I tasted him slowly, heat spreading through my chest, behind my breasts, puckering my nipples. He parted his lips and swept his tongue across mine, causing a moan to erupt from deep inside me. His mouth was warm, wet, sweet. Everything I’d never known I wanted, but now I wanted everything. All of him. More of him.
All Adam could ever be.
I grabbed handfuls of his shirt, kneaded at it, tugging at the material. This had to come off, so I could touch him properly. I had to feel his body against mine, skin to skin. See the scars, white with age. Touch his hard abs. Connect our bodies to seal the promise of our love.
Adam grasped me around the waist and rose. He picked me up and walked my out of the living room, up the stairs, and into the master bedroom. I didn’t see the sheets; I didn’t notice the walls. Only feeling remained. The beating of my heart; the pounding of my pulse.
And desire. Molten hot passion for this man.
Nothing endured but Adam Spencer in front of me, wrapped around me. Inside my body and my soul. Touching me and wanting me. The man of my dreams. The man I wanted to spend my life with, even though there were so many reasons that it was crazy and that I shouldn’t.
Adam laid me down on the bed, ripping at my shirt and popping a button off in his haste. I watched it roll into a groove on the hardwood floors. I stared, transfixed as my fingers unbuttoned his fly and the worn jeans fell into a heap at his feet. Adam stood there in front of me in just his boxer briefs. Holy Mother of God. Magnificence. Plain and simple.
My blouse, although paper thin silk, seemed too abrasive against my erect nipples. They strained through the lace of my bra. Aching for him. I longed to stay covered in the face of his intense gaze. Then I longed to be exposed. Choice was stolen from me as my deft fingers set to work on the remaining buttons and I welcomed the kiss of fresh air on my heated skin.
“Stand up.” His soft demand sent a charge of electricity through me. I wobbled onto my legs, and in one limber move by him, my jeans were gone too. I stood in front of Adam in just my red lacy bra and panties, my skin heated beneath them, his touch about to envelop me in desire. And fire.
“You’re everything to me,” he said. He peeled the straps of my bra to either side, pulled the cups back and exposed me to his hungry gaze. When he took my nipple in between his fingers and rolled it back and forth, I felt the answering tug deep within my womb. “You like it when I touch you, don’t you, Julia?”
Words weren’t even possible. I managed a nod as my shaky limbs reached for him and he collapsed me onto the mattress. He leaned in and continued to stroke my hard nipple with his thumb as he captured my lips. Then he dropped his wicked mouth lower, tasting my neck, my chest and finally letting his warm tongue join his fingers.
I arched up with a hiss of breath, and he smiled against my skin. “I love the noises you make. Better yet, I like knowing I caused them.”
He continued to suckle me, switching from one breast to the other as his hand trailed down my body and took my panties off my legs in one long stroke. He caressed the curve of my belly, my hip, my thigh before he finally dipped those fingers into my wet core.
I jerked and grasped his broad back. Digging my fingertips into his skin, I scratched because just his talented fingers buried in my heated flesh was too much. The feelings flowed over me, threatening to overwhelm me.
I caught my breath as Adam nudged further inside. The stretch of his fingers were my undoing. I’d been waiting. Wanting. And Adam delivered. Every time. It had been too long since we’d done this and I’d wanted him since the moment I’d seen him. The stress of the past weeks fell away on the wings of desire and forgiveness.
His thumb stroked over my clit, and I rose to meet every touch, clenching against his fingers as the pleasure began to mount into a mountain of passion about to create an avalanche of release. He watched me. I felt the brand of his gaze even when I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the intimacy of the moment. I was so close to that exquisite explosion of bliss only he could deliver.
“Adam,” I murmured, closing my eyes.
When he didn’t answer, I opened them to find his intense gaze still focused on me and I realized he was using my moans and thrashes to his full advantage. And he did. He thumbed my throbbing clit with more certainty while his finger stroked deeper and deeper.
“Adam,” I repeated.
“I’m here,” he said, as he continued the exquisite torture, forcing pain and pleasure into my soul. “I’ll catch you when you fall.”
The release hit me then, sending me soaring. Waves of pleasure overflowed my body that jerked my hips and turned my breath to panting whimpers. I cried out and wrapped my legs around him, rocking in time with the thrusts of his fingers.
All of a sudden, it wasn’t nearly enough. I caught his arm and tugged, urging him over me, opening my legs wider to give him a place to settle.
“Do you know what I want, Adam Spencer?” I moaned out.
He shook his head slowly, but his eyes said it all.
I reached between us and guided the tip of his cock to the still twitching entrance of my body. “This.”
I shut my eyes, took a long breath and he drove home. And I flew again. I felt stretched to capacity, and nothing could be better. It felt like coming home. Adam’s eyes squeezed shut, my neck muscles tensing with my pleasure.
“Adam?”
He opened his eyes and stared deeply into mine.
“I love you,” I said.
His eyes softened. “I love you.”
We travelled into oblivion together.
Chapter 34
Julia
Adam: Thinking about you. Practice is going great. Feel like a rookie again with fresh legs.
The message brought a smile to my lips. He was happy. Adam Spencer was happy and back doing what he loved. And so was I.
“Just a moment, folks,” I said, smiling at the young couple standing outside their new home.
Julia: So proud of you! Keep that knee safe. XX
I shot off the reply, then tucked my smart phone into my handbag and slung it over my shoulder. I hurried to the waiting clients, a handsome couple who stood arm-in-arm, looking as happy as I felt. I was so damn excited over their business I wanted to kiss them both on the cheek and do a little happy dance.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “Now, where were we?”
“You were about to tell us what you could do for our new home,” Charlie replied. He was a nice guy, tall and thin
, with nerdy glasses and a kind smile. My wife was a young Asian woman. Lila wore her shiny hair long and had the sweetest voice imaginable.
They’d specifically called me because of my cheeky ad. Not once had they asked about the rumors, or acted like I was about to whip out a crack pipe or try to ruin their marriage. I’d kept it pleasant but professional with all of my new clients since only my skills and my business acumen would put the rumors to rest. Action was the name of the game.
It was a relief that the gossip seemed to have died down.
I walked with them, up the stairs of their gorgeous two-story house, and into the entrance hall. The space was huge. A wooden staircase curled toward the second floor, but it was covered in a ratty mauve carpet.
“Well,” I said with a grin and pointed at the offensive floor covering, “that will have to go first.”
“That’s exactly what I said,” Lila replied, “but Charlie here likes the ambience.” His wife rolled her eyes to convey what she thought of that idea. “He says it has retro charm.”
“What? I just thought–” Charlie began.
Lila interrupted him with a gentle hug, then tipped her head toward Julia. “Why don’t we let the professional handle it, darling?”
“You’re right,” Charlie said, then chuckled. “What do I know, right? I’m just a gamer dude.”
I smiled again, energy coursing through me since I was back in my element. “I do think the carpet has to go,” I said delicately, then sniffed, “but I love the wooden staircase. The rough wood look is very in right now. Tell me, what do you envision for this space? What kind of atmosphere do you two want to emulate here?”
Lila pushed her lips to one side and then the other. “We want it to be warm and homey. Nothing too extravagant. Not lush, but old country.”
“But with some oriental styling too,” Charlie added, gripping his wife tighter.
Looked like these two had just come back from their honeymoon. The love between them oozed from their pores, looking exactly like I felt when I was in Adam’s arms. I forced myself not to think about the night before – it had been a study in perfection – and focused on the style request from my awesome new clients.
“I think I have an idea.” I removed my portfolio from my bag and walked to the table beside the door.
The happy couple followed me, watching as I flipped the file open and rifled through until I found exactly what I wanted.
I pointed at a page. “I think greens, browns and ivory would be a good choice for the main area here. These are all neutral, calm colors. As long as you don’t have any dark-haired pets that I don’t know about. Then in the living room, yellow might be a good color. It’s high energy.”
My phone trilled to life in my handbag, and I wrinkled my forehead. “Sorry about all the interruptions,” I said, then brought out the phone. “My phone has been ringing off the hook of late.” I squinted at the screen, and my heart skipped a beat.
“You can take it,” Lila said, “we don’t mind.”
“Thank you,” I replied, “please feel free to have a look through the portfolio and pick out anything you like.”
“Great!” Charlie and Lila put their heads together.
I walked to the stair case and put one practical black heeled pump on the worn nineties carpet, then swiped my thumb across the screen.
“This is Julia Wales.”
“No shit.” Jessie Glyn’s voice trilled out from the speaker. “I’m calling to warn you.”
“Warn me?” I asked. Lord, what now? What else could possibly go wrong? Now that everything was back on track.
“Yeah, I just had Carter Jenkins in my office. He wants me to run an article on you. I told him to fuck off because I’m not in the business of yesterday’s news. I think we can all agree that things are exactly as they should be now.”
“An article? What more could he possibly have to say?” My skin grew prickly at the thought of Carter. That scummy asshole who’d tried to assault me now had the cheek to run around town talking behind my back? Making himself look like an innocent victim?
Sometimes I wished I was a dude so I could go around knocking people out. And I knew exactly where I’d start.
“He wanted me to announce that he’s suing you for slander.”
“What?!”
“Yep, yep, yep. Slander.” Jessie smacked her lips and paused. “Apparently, his family lawyer is an oily douche that will take any bullshit case because he’s on permanent retainer.”
“That’s impossible. I didn’t say anything about him. I didn’t –”
“Calm yourself down, Wales. I said I wasn’t going to run a story. And if his lawyer hasn’t contacted you, then he hasn’t filed anything yet. He’s on a fishing expedition. Just like if he’d chartered a boat to hit the lake.”
“Oh wow, that’s super comforting.” Carter wanted to sue me? The pervert wanted to sue me for my disgusting actions? It was funny how he’d chosen me as his target rather than Adam. Because he couldn’t intimidate Adam and push him around. He wanted to pick on me because he thought I was weak. Easier to defeat.
Guess again.
“Look, uh, Jessie, thanks for the warning, but I have to get back to work.” Why was Jessie warning me in the first place? We’d never been the best of friends. Maybe she was just a journalistic slave to the almighty truth.
“No problem. But you owe me one for this. Don’t forget,” Jessie replied and continued in a conspiratorial volume. “I always collect on my unpaid debts. I’ll be asking for an exclusive if you and Adam become an official thing.”
I palmed my phone into my handbag, putting Carter’s manipulations out of my mind. He wasn’t worth my time. Still, a tiny shoot of fear had rooted itself in my chest.
What would the future hold?
There were so many dirty lawyers in this world. Even in Duluth. And his dad had a gargantuan supply of money, while I did not.
I squared my shoulders, then walked back to Charlie and Lila, plastering up a smile, and pushing Carter to the black space in my mind where he belonged. “Have you decided on any styles yet?”
Chapter 35
Julia
“I feel like I hang out here too often,” I said, sipping from the delicate china cup of tea. The floral patterned one. Sue Ann had such a style to her store, that she even had a “beverage station” as I called it, in the corner. Women and men alike loved to brew their favorite loose leaf while they perused the unique selections. I was really proud of my bestie. Sue Ann’s was the north shore go to shop for special occasions.
“Oh, please.”
“Seriously, I feel like I don’t work enough or something. But lately, it seems I’ve become addicted to you as my sounding board. Just as addicted as I am to Adam’s… assets.” I slurped again, then placed the tea cup on the saucer and narrowed my eyes at my friend. “You sure you don’t need help?”
“I’m fine,” Sue Ann called back. She stood on top of the counter positioning a Swarovski statement necklace on a bust gracing one of the shelves. “Just warn me if you see anyone coming. I don’t want a customer to catch a glimpse of my… assets.”
“You have multiple assets, Sue Ann. You’ll have to be more specific,” I teased, knowing full well what my friend meant. Sue’s perky tush was perched high in the air.
“My ass, of course,” Sue Ann said, then hopped off the counter. She landed perfectly, high heels and all, then dusted herself off. She grinned and spread her arms into a wide arc. “I swear to god I should’ve done gymnastics. I could have been the next Mary Lou Retton.”
“Right?” I laughed and picked up my ginger snap cookie. I took a bite and crunched on the gritty, sugary goodness. Heaven. Perfect with Rooibos. Since things had calmed down, she’d forgone the typical chamomile. “Well, you’re always scoring a perfect ten in my book.”
“You seem happier than usual.”
“Things are good lately,” I replied, “apart from, you know, Carter threatening to sue me
for slander and all.”
“What?!” Sue Ann put her palms up. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you mean slander? That douche doesn’t have a leg to stand on. You could sue him in civil court for sexual assault. Pain and suffering and all that.”
“Yeah, that was my reaction. Okay, not exactly that, but pretty much. Jessie Glyn called me at work today to tell me that Carter came into her office and demanded she run an exposé on me. He’s suing for slander and thought it would make a good story. He claims he’s an innocent victim in all this.”
Sue Ann stared at me, slack jawed. “She called you about this.”
“Yeah.”
“Just out of the blue.”
“Yeah.” I sniffed and bit off more ginger snap. I chewed daintily, then swallowed. “She said I owed her one for warning her. Something about an exclusive if Adam and I become an official item. That seems a tiny price to pay for everything she’s done for me.”
“Sounds like someone’s getting creative,” Sue Ann replied. “He must have a larger screw loose than Heather the Horrible. There were witnesses that night. Multiple. Everyone saw what he did. How does he think he can get away with a negative media campaign or legal action? No wonder our justice system is so backed up.”
“Why do you think he’s going down this road? I don’t see anything in it for him. Unless he’s delusional. Or has some ace in the hole to blindside us with.”
“I don’t know. This could be my paranoia talking, but isn’t Jessie Glyn practically besties with Heather? I mean, I nearly shit myself when she actually agreed to publish your ad and that article. I figured she’d say no because it would clash with Heather’s best interests. You can bet our designer perfume hadn’t even wafted out of the air in that conference room before she called Heather to give her the de-brief.”
“Unless Heather wants the spotlight for herself. Adam said something about her being up for a reality TV show pilot. One that only included Adam. Or do you think it’s more diabolical than that?”
“Ugh, this is making my head hurt,” Sue Ann said and clutched her forehead, then gave a melodramatic sigh. “I simply must have a spot of tea to combat this terrible headache. Laced with vodka. And if Heather gets her own TV show, I’m cancelling my DirectTV posthaste.”
Benched Page 20
