Adam Then and Now

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  She slid her fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes at the sweet caress. “I love touching you,” she murmured.

  “Then do.”

  Tentatively at first, then with more confidence, she ran her fingers over his chest. Then her explorations moved lower, and he clenched his jaw as she grasped his heated shaft, her fingers cool and supple.

  Her touch was heaven and hell, testing every ounce of control he possessed. All the times he’d dreamed of this moment hadn’t prepared him for the reality. His blood roared in his ears as she fondled and stroked, caressing his thighs, his stomach, but always returning to the aching center of his need for her.

  At last he had to make her stop, had to grasp her hands and guide them upward to clasp around his neck while he pulled himself back together. “Enough,” he murmured into her ear. “Or I’m liable to disappoint you.”

  “You couldn’t.”

  “More of that and I might.” The night was long, he told himself. He would have more chances to invite that sort of bliss. He’d matured as a lover since those nights in Oak Creek Canyon, and he wanted to give her everything he’d become.

  Her skin was smooth and hot, her breathing shallow. He remembered that sound—short, quick breaths that told him passion had claimed his Loren. His Loren. He’d never thought of her as anyone else’s, marriage or no marriage.

  He’d promised himself if he ever earned the right to love her again, he would cherish every moment. He ran his knuckles down her cleavage as he gazed into her eyes. Her pupils widened when he cupped the weight of one breast and spread his fingers, pressing, remembering.

  He could feel her heartbeat racing in time with his. Sweet moisture gathered on her skin like dew, making her glow in the light from the lamp. He caught her nipple between thumb and forefinger, teasing it to erectness. “There were nights I would have given years of my life to touch you like this.”

  “When you left, I thought it didn’t matter to you.”

  “It mattered.” He lowered his mouth to her breast. “It still does.”

  His blood sang at the sweetness of her, the shape of her on his tongue, the sound of her soft cries as he suckled, the pressure of her fingers against his scalp.

  He left the heaven of her breasts to recapture her lips and pull her tight against him. Stroking her back, he slipped his hand beneath the elastic of her panties and shorts. Her bottom curved beautifully against his hands, and lower, between her thighs, the moist center beckoned.

  Reaching behind and beneath, he touched her there. When she gasped, he plunged his tongue into her mouth and absorbed her moan as he probed deeper and found the wellspring of her response.

  Urging her onto her back, he pulled her shorts away quickly, but took his time with her damp underwear, kissing her sensitive inner thighs as he slowly, erotically slid the elastic over her skin. He kissed her knees, her calves, the arches of her feet. Then he tossed the panties on the floor and gradually, inevitably, retraced his steps, parting her thighs as he drew nearer to his destination.

  When he tasted her, she cried out his name, and it was the most fantastic sound he’d ever heard. And then, for the first time in his life, technique blended with love. The result nearly shattered his control as he coaxed her higher and higher, then higher still.

  She thrashed beneath him and dug her fingers into his shoulders. And ultimately surrendered. He thought his heart would burst as she cried out his name again. He held her until the quaking stopped, then slowly eased up beside her, pushing the damp hair from her forehead, feathering her lips with a kiss.

  “Oh, Adam, that was...” She sighed, as if unable to find the words.

  He gazed into her eyes, reading the pleasure she couldn’t describe and exulting in it.

  And now.

  He rolled away from her, finding the package and tearing it open.

  When he turned back, he found her watching him, her eyes bright, her face flushed.

  He moved between her thighs, kissing her breasts, her lips. He could hold back no longer. With one swift thrust he was inside her, and he closed his eyes against the wave of sensation that nearly carried him away. Not yet. He’d waited too long. Please not yet. He schooled his responses and slowly opened his eyes. The look in her eyes made his heart turn over.

  “You’re a magician,” she murmured, lifting her hips to lock him more tightly against her. “This is...” Fresh tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. “This is magic,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.

  “We made it,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. It was the way he’d always imagined, being buried deep inside her. The rightness, the completeness, washed over him, and pressure built behind his eyes. He blinked away the moisture and knew he couldn’t say the words ready to tumble from his mouth. They would only make the end more unbearable. He and Loren could take a lot, but they couldn’t take the devastation of those words hovering between them when they said goodbye.

  Maybe the words didn’t matter. He eased back and pushed forward again. Maybe all that mattered was holding her like this, absorbing the excruciatingly sweet pleasure surrounding him. “Ah, Loren,” he breathed. His throat closed as the rhythm claimed him, but he kept his gaze fastened on her face, knew the moment she caught fire by the sudden widening of her eyes.

  Yes. It took all the control he’d learned, but he slowed imperceptibly to give her time to catch up. With this woman, he could do anything. When she matched him gasp for gasp, he increased the tempo. He felt her tighten around him and arch her hips. It was all he needed to catapult him over the edge, and her cries mingled with his as they held tight and rode the whirlwind. Together.

  * * *

  WALT HAD NEVER SEEN Josh like this. He hardly knew him. The Josh he knew wouldn’t have picked a fight about Walt’s decree that he needed a good night’s sleep. And he damn sure wouldn’t have stormed out of the house headed for the resort and a sexy young girl.

  Walt paced the floor and finally picked up the phone. Hastily he dialed the number scribbled on a pad beside it. Loren would want to know that her son had gone berserk.

  The phone rang four times before she picked it up. “Hello?” she said, sounding funny, sort of breathless.

  “Loren? Am I catching you at a bad time?”

  “Of course not, Dad. What is it?”

  “I thought I’d better warn you. I tried to do what you asked and thought I’d succeeded. Then after Daphne left here, Josh tore into me about treating him like a baby because I said he needed his rest and shouldn’t go over to the resort with Daphne.”

  “Oh, God.”

  “I tried to smooth things over. I even explained that Daphne seemed like someone to stay away from. She really is hungry for attention, Loren.”

  “I know that, Dad.”

  “But Josh wouldn’t listen. We wrangled awhile and I tried to convince him not to go over there. Finally he said, ‘By God, I’m old enough to make those decisions for myself,’ and took off. I assume he went to the resort.”

  Loren sighed. “Great.”

  “Look, I know you can’t do anything about it, stuck there like you are, but I wanted you to be aware of the situation before you came home. I’m not sure what sort of mood Josh will be in, if he’ll even be here.”

  “Dad, I’m sorry you had to deal with this.”

  “He just startled me, that’s all. He’s never been the type of kid to act like that.”

  “And it’s pretty obvious why he’s acting that way now.”

  “Guess you’re right. Well, we’ll probably be able to straighten everything out when you get home.”

  “Let’s hope so. Call me if anything else happens.”

  “I will. Good night, Loren.”

  Walt hung up the phone hoping he’d done the right thing by calling. Of course Loren would spend most of the night worrying, but she would have been upset with him if he hadn’t notified her. She’d always wanted to know everything that pertained to Josh, even when the knowin
g didn’t make much difference to the outcome, like now. Walt understood that preoccupation. Children had the power to hold your heart hostage.

  CHAPTER NINE

  LOREN REPLACED the receiver and stood by the phone, her whole body clenched. She was wearing only Adam’s T-shirt, which she’d grabbed reflexively and pulled over her head on the way into her room to answer the piercing ring. Adam stood just behind her—she could sense his presence—but she didn’t want to turn, didn’t want to deal with the next few minutes.

  “What is it?”

  She fought the heavy weight of disappointment and anger settling in her chest as she slowly turned to face him. He wore his running shorts and nothing else. His hair lay in a tousled wave over his forehead and his gaze was still soft with the aftermath of passion.

  Moments ago it had seemed so right for them to give in to their needs, to take this night for themselves and enjoy the pleasures they’d denied themselves for so long. Not now. What had been so beautiful between them had soured and curdled in the space of one phone conversation.

  “Loren...” He stepped forward as if to take her in his arms.

  She backed away. “That was my father. It seems your daughter has lured my son over to the resort, just as I was afraid she would.”

  His jaw tightened. “Wait a minute. Lured?”

  “What else would you call it?” She moved past him, wanting more space, and he didn’t try to stop her. “She asked him to come over, and my father said Josh needed his rest. Normally, that would have been the end of it, but after she left, Josh told my father he’d make his own decisions about needing rest and took off after her.”

  “Good for him.”

  She whirled, fury igniting like dry kindling. “What?”

  “A boy his age doesn’t need his grandfather telling him when to sleep.”

  She closed her hands into fists. “I asked my father to keep an eye on things, remember? He wasn’t trying to tell Josh when to sleep. He was trying to prevent what’s just happened!”

  Adam’s gaze never wavered as he rested his hands loosely on his hips. “And what exactly has happened?”

  His stoic acceptance of the situation inflamed her even more. “They’re alone together at that resort, doing God knows what. I’d appreciate it if you’d call and talk to your daughter.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Adam, don’t you even care? They could be”

  “I care a great deal.” Although his voice remained steady, there was an undercurrent of anger. Loren welcomed it. She wanted a fight. “And that’s why I won’t call,” he continued. “I’d consider it an invasion of her privacy.”

  “Oh, come on!”

  Adam didn’t respond immediately. She’d have thought he was in complete control, except for the muscle twitching in his jaw. “Daphne’s a flirt. So are most girls her age. That doesn’t mean she’s determined to jump your son’s bones, although I can see you’re paranoid about the possibility.”

  “I’m just using common sense, Adam.”

  “Are you? Or are you letting what’s been going on between us color your perception of those kids?”

  In one stroke he’d pierced to her secret bubble of shame. The emotion flowed unchecked, heating her skin, making her unable to look at him. Her protest was feeble. “That’s a crummy thing to say.”

  “And maybe it’s the truth. I’d guess that Daphne’s just lonely, and Josh is somebody to talk to.”

  Desperate to wound as she’d been wounded, she lashed out. “Oh, she’s lonely, all right, but I don’t believe all she wants to do is talk.”

  His gaze turned hard. “That’s enough, Loren. I won’t have you making those kinds of statements about my daughter.”

  “Oh, you won’t?” Cleansing anger fizzed through her veins. “Well, let me assure you, Josh would never have defied his grandfather if Daphne hadn’t given him the come-on.”

  “For God’s sake, Loren, wake up!”

  His explosion made her back up a step, but she wouldn’t surrender the field. “Me? You’re the one who’s asleep! You refuse to acknowledge how seductive your daughter can be!”

  “And you refuse to acknowledge that an eighteen-year-old boy—a young man—can’t be controlled by his mother and grandfather.”

  She clenched her back teeth. “We never had a problem until Daphne showed up.”

  “Then maybe it’s about time someone like Daphne did blow into town.” His voice was edged with steel. “People have to learn to make their own decisions, their own mistakes. You have no right to think for that kid, just like you had no right to think for me twenty-three years ago.”

  She gasped, feeling as if she’d been punched in the stomach. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Do you realize what would have happened if all your scheming had worked out?”

  “Of course.” She wrapped her arms around herself to control her shivering. “I would have become pregnant and you would have stayed. We’d be married now, with two children. Now, doesn’t that sound terrible?” She loaded the question with sarcasm.

  “It’s all I ever dreamed about,” he said quietly.

  “And you threw it away!”

  “Because I had to.”

  “Oh, really? Because you’re some sort of superpatriot?”

  “No, dammit! If you’d succeeded, you’d be married to a man you could manipulate. And you would have lost respect for me, as well you should!” He swung away from her, his jaw working. His voice dropped to a resigned murmur. “We would have torn each other apart in the end.”

  She choked back a sob. “That’s great. So you saved us from that so we can tear each other apart now?”

  He turned to face her again, the sorrow in his eyes bottomless. “I guess that about sums it up.” Then he walked into the other room and closed the connecting door on his side.

  * * *

  DAPHNE HAD SEEN every pay-per-view movie available on the resort’s closed-circuit system, but decided to stay up all night and watch them over again. Or at least she’d leave the television on so the movies would be charged to her father’s bill.

  Then she inspected the contents of the courtesy bar and unloaded crackers, cheese spread, cookies and an assortment of juices. She wasn’t able to eat much after two hamburgers and a mound of Walt’s potato salad at dinner, but she sampled just about everything, including a two-serving bottle of Chardonnay.

  When the phone rang, she thought it might be her mother, urging her to come up to Aspen, after all. If it was, Daphne had decided to say yes. The first time her mother had asked, she’d felt obliged to turn her down, realizing her mom didn’t really want her hanging around.

  But this time, if her mom insisted, she’d go, even knowing she’d be in the way, even knowing she’d have to eat tofu and sprouts for a few days. Anything was better than being alone, or worse yet, watching her father make a fool of himself over some old girlfriend. She’d thought Josh might be a good distraction, but he’d wimped out on her.

  She put down the wine bottle she’d been sipping from and reached across the bed to pick up the receiver. “Hullo?”

  “Hi, Daphne. It’s Josh.”

  “What? You’re allowed to make phone calls after nine o’clock? You have more privileges than I thought.”

  “Cut it out, Daph. I’m in the lobby. Where’s your room?”

  “Well, now.” A thrill of happiness ran through her at the prospect of company. “How do you know I’m not fooling around with that guy I told you about? Maybe this isn’t a convenient time.”

  There was a long pause and she wondered if she’d overplayed her hand.

  “Are you with somebody?” he asked finally.

  “Actually, no. He was tr;aaes boring.”

  “So?”

  “So maybe you won’t be.” She gave Josh directions to the room, then ran around picking up cellophane wrappers and sweeping crumbs off the bed. She screwed the cap onto the small bottle of wine and stuck it back in th
e refrigerator. Then she turned off the television and switched the FM to a rock station. Last of all, she kicked her fuzzy bear-paw slippers under the bed.

  When he knocked, she let him in with a slow smile. “Did you bring your swimsuit?”

  He shook his head.

  She gave him an arch glance. “Then just wear a towel and go in with nothing on. Lots of people do that late at night.”

  He shifted his weight uncomfortably and didn’t look at her. “I didn’t really come here to get in the Jacuzzi with you.”

  She paused and studied him. “Well, now.”

  His ears turned red but he didn’t look away this time. “And I didn’t come for that reason, either.”

  “Whoa.” She spread her arms. “Go ahead, stomp all over my ego while you’re at it.”

  “Daphne, you’re beautiful, but”

  “Did you take vows for the priesthood, or something?”

  He shifted his weight again and she took pity on him. In two days of being around Josh, she’d learned that he wasn’t a speech-maker. “Then why did you come?”

  “Partly because Gramps said not to,” he admitted.

  Daphne punched a fist in the air. “Yes! I knew there was some spunk hidden under that halo you keep polishing all the time.”

  Josh grinned. “Oh, I’m no angel.”

  “I was beginning to wonder. So did you tell the old guy off or sneak out?”

  “I sorta told him off.” Josh looked unhappy. “I hated to, in a way, but he had no right trying to run my life like that.”

  “Right on, Joshua. You have potential, boy.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So now that you’re here, what do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know.” Josh looked around. “This place isn’t bad, Daph.”

  His use of a nickname and his approval of the resort delighted her, but she gave a negligent shrug. “I guess it’s okay.”

  “What were you doing before I got here?”

  “Honestly?”

  “Yeah, honestly.” He eyed the rumpled bed. “There wasn’t really a guy here, was there?”