by Dorie Graham
“Yes.” She glided the roller over the wall. “Whatever it is, I’ll definitely give it a chance.”
ANTICIPATION ROLLED OVER Lauren late that afternoon. A day of painting had done her good, but now she had to hurry. Adam would be by any moment to pick her up.
She frowned as she stood in one of the clinic’s bathrooms and scrubbed a stubborn spot of blue from the back of her hand. Sounds filtered through the open doorway—a deejay from 99X cracked a joke, while Kamira rustled around in a room down the hall and Mark kept up a rhythmic hammering from somewhere in the original section.
For the first time ever, Lauren felt the need to primp for Adam. Looking like a manual laborer tonight didn’t fit her plans. She moved to another speckling of paint on her other hand.
She stood firm in her decision. She couldn’t forget that kiss. And if his response had been any indication, he wouldn’t be able to, either. If he still wanted to pursue their new course, she was certainly willing.
“Hey, sunshine, ready to go?” Adam’s neat baritone sounded near her ear.
She started, her heart racing. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a person like that.”
He bumped up against her back, pressing her to the sink. Her heart quickened as his body spooned hers, his arms wrapping around her. Nerve endings she hadn’t known she possessed jumped to attention.
“Sorry,” he said. “I was just anxious to see you. I’ve been thinking about you all day. Here, let me do this.”
With gentle movements he removed the rest of the paint dabs. She leaned into him, aware of the brush of his cheek against hers, the muscles of his chest at her back and his hard thighs bracing her. His scent surrounded her, while his breath stirred her hair. Was it because he’d always been forbidden fruit that this simple act of cleaning her hands sent heat ripping through her?
When the last speck of paint had disappeared under his ministrations, he set aside the washcloth. “Did this morning really happen, or did I hallucinate that little episode in your kitchen?”
She turned to face him, feeling the boldness she’d previously experienced only in the boardroom blossom inside her. She’d certainly never felt this brave with Todd, or anyone before him. But this was Adam. And though butterflies stormed her stomach, she somehow still felt comfortable with him.
“You mean the little episode that went something like this?” she asked.
Leaning closer, she kissed him. If she thought too much about what she was doing—what they were doing—she’d never go through with it. Diving in seemed the best option.
A low rumble rose from his chest as he gathered her closer and married his mouth to hers. All the delicious sensations from earlier flooded back. The warmth of his breath. The insistent stroke of his tongue. The tingling that took over her entire body, sending desire spiraling through her. She couldn’t get enough. Never had a kiss so consumed her, so excited her. For long, hazy moments she indulged. She could spend eternity in this embrace, this kiss.
His hands smoothed slowly down her back, then up her sides. He broke away and she drew a deep breath, while her pulse beat in her ears.
“Yeah, that’s about how I remember it,” he said.
“Really? I seem to remember it a little differently.” She still craved his mouth, yet suddenly it wasn’t enough. With her new boldness guiding her, she moved his hand to her breast. “As I recall, you touched me here, too.”
“Lauren,” he whispered her name as he again claimed her mouth. Heat built inside her while he caressed her breast through her T-shirt.
Her nipple hardened as he strummed the aching bud. Her sex swelled and pulsed with each pass of his fingertips. Wetness pooled between her thighs, while he stroked his hand down her back to cup her bottom. He squeezed and parted her, pressing his fingers along her cleft. She moved against him, tilting her hips to fit that aching part of her against his hardness, cursing the clothes that kept her from meeting him skin to skin.
The radio wound down Creed in the distance, then the hammering stopped. Adam broke the kiss to bury his face in the nape of her neck. “Woman, you make me forget where I am.”
He chuckled softly, the sound swirling through her. “You make me forget who I am. I feel like the king of beasts, ready to beat my chest and drag you off into the woods.”
“Don’t apes beat their chests? I thought the king of beasts was a lion. You must be some kind of combination.” For good measure, she rotated her hips, rubbing against him until pleasure shivered through her. A small moan escaped her.
Adam grabbed her hips and stilled her. “Have a heart, sunshine. I’m about out of control here. Do you want to shut this door and have our first time together right here in the bathroom?”
She actually considered that possibility. Her craving for him was so acute in that moment, his threat held a certain appeal. “It’s a tempting idea, but when you’re deep inside me I want to be where I can hear your unhindered roar, King Beast.”
He leaned back to look at her, his eyes round with surprise. “You have a wicked streak.”
She dropped a kiss on his nose. “You bring out my wild side.”
“I never knew you had one.”
“Neither did I.”
He smiled, but his brief amusement fled. His gaze probed hers for a long moment. “Lauren, I really want you, but we can end this here. I don’t want to do anything to screw up what we already have. If there’s a chance I might lose your friendship if we go any further, I don’t want to risk it. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you in my life. I swear to God, I can’t even picture it.”
The depth of sincerity in his gaze and the seriousness of his tone tightened her throat. She blinked to clear the moisture from her eyes. He’d never seemed more dear than in that moment, and though she harbored the same fear, the vision of what they had to gain etched itself clearly across her mind.
She took his hand and held his gaze, confidence blooming inside her. “I want to risk it, Adam. We can be so much more.”
His jaw tightened and he straightened away from her. “Okay, then let’s go home.”
THE DRIVE HOME proved to be an exercise in restraint. Adam gripped the steering wheel as the memory of that first kiss washed over him—Lauren’s mouth hot on his, her nipples, taut and beckoning, and the heat of her sex driving him to distraction as she ground against him.
He glanced at her as she leaned toward him over the gearshift. The seductive promise in her eyes sent his pulse pounding. He’d been right. His blurted confession had intrigued her enough to start them on this path. He never would have thought it possible.
He slid his hand along her thigh, aching to touch her again. His heart pounded in anticipation as she nuzzled his neck and rubbed her hand across his chest.
“You smell good,” she murmured as, at last, he pulled into his driveway.
Moments later, they fell through his kitchen door, their mouths locked in another heated kiss. She pulled back, gasping for air and dropped her purse and book bag on the table that dominated half the room. The cookbook spilled onto the polished surface.
Laughing, she slid into one of the chairs. He dropped down beside her, nuzzling the sweet curve of her ear, while she flipped through the pages. He didn’t need the recipes in that book to turn him on. He was so turned on right now, he nearly vibrated.
“Here’s one,” she said. “Ants on a log.”
“Ants on a log?”
She angled her head and he moved to her neck. “You remember, Mom would make a batch, then bring them up to the tree house.”
“Right, she insisted on a healthy snack once in a while.”
“She filled celery sticks with peanut butter, then topped them with raisins.”
“I never liked the celery.”
“So I always ate your log.” She cocked her head and ran her hand across the glossy page. “They improvise on the log here, though.”
“Exactly what do they use instead of celery?”
Her ey
ebrows arched suggestively.
A vision of her eating his log imprinted itself in his mind. His sex stirred. “You’re pulling my leg.”
“You know, this is an illustrated cookbook.” She scooted the book closer and gave the page her undivided attention.
“Let me see.” He tugged on the book, but she clamped her arm over it.
“I wouldn’t want you to feel, uh, diminished by this particular log. The model is rather well endowed.”
“Give it here.” He reached again for the book, but she leaned over it, half lying on the table to cover the pages with her torso.
“It’s not in there. You’re making it up.” Grinning, he reached around her and started tickling her.
She laughed and twisted sideways as his fingers found the sensitive areas along her sides. “Stop. No fair.”
As she squirmed, her thigh wedged between his knees. Her T-shirt rode up, exposing her soft belly. The vision of her tracing her fingers over her tender flesh as she’d stood in her window that morning washed over Adam.
His tickling turned into a caress as he explored the area around her navel. Her laughter quieted and her gaze met his. Light burned in her eyes. Did she desire him with the same intensity he desired her?
God, her skin was soft. He marveled at the feel of her. Slowly, he pushed up the thin cotton, until the lacy edge of her bra peered from beneath the fabric. He smoothed his hand over the silky plane of her stomach, following the same path her own fingers had traced earlier that day.
“You were driving me crazy this morning at your window. I wanted to do this.” He lowered his head to place a kiss over her navel.
She drew a quick breath as he dipped his tongue into the little indent. The warm scent of her skin teased him. She shifted and her knee rubbed his erection through his jeans. Desire shot through him. He traced his tongue in a wide circle around her stomach, then kissed his way up to the edge of her bra.
She cradled the back of his head with one hand and slid her top higher with the other, revealing her lace-bound breasts for his exploration. He drew a sharp breath as he followed the swell of one breast with his finger. Her lovely mounds rose and fell with her breath. He nuzzled her through the lace, toying with her nipple until it pressed against his tongue.
When she reached for the front clasp, he stopped her, his blood pounding through his veins. “Are you sure?”
Her head tilted and a smile played across her lips. With a quick twist she freed her breasts. They were round and firm and almost too full to fit in his hands. A deep rose tinged her areolas and her erect nipples beckoned him.
She scooted upward, so she sat on the kitchen table, then yanked off both her shirt and bra. Eyes shining, she cupped her breasts in offering. “An appetizer for you, sir?”
“Very appealing, but something’s missing.”
He moved away from her to rummage through the pantry, smiling when he found the small jar. “Luckily I had the impulse to toss this into the cart today. Let’s make this a healthy snack.”
Her eyes widened as he moved between her thighs and removed the lid. A sweet, nutty scent filled the air. Pink blossomed in her cheeks. “I was joking about the ants on a log. I hadn’t gotten past the table of contents.”
He glanced at the page she gestured to as he dipped his finger into the jar and scooped out a measure of peanut butter. The page indeed showed the table of contents. “It’s a great idea, though.”
Her breath caught as he spread the creamy substance over her nipple. With a tilt of his head he moved to her other breast, coating that nipple, as well. “Now, you’re ready.”
He met her gaze and she laughed. “I’ve never been anyone’s appetizer before.”
“You’re the appetizer, the main course, and if I’m lucky, dessert.”
“Oh…well, looks like you just might get lucky.”
Gathering her close, he ran his tongue across one jutting nipple, laving the peanut butter from her sweet flesh until he’d cleaned her thoroughly. “So beautiful,” he murmured before taking her into his mouth.
He wanted to suckle her forever. When had he taken such pleasure in a woman’s breasts? The combination of the peanut butter and her own sweet taste kept him enthralled for long moments.
At last he moved to her other breast and with quick passes of his tongue washed her nipple, while he strummed his fingers across its twin. Shifting from one breast to the other, he savored the firm roundness, the weight of her in his hands, and the erotic thrust of her nipples as she moaned softly and moved against him. Like a man intoxicated, he cupped and massaged her, letting his mouth run rampant over her tender mounds.
“Oh, Adam, you’re driving me wild.” She threaded her fingers through his hair and pressed her cleft to him, grinding against his thigh.
He pulled back far enough to see her. Her eyes were dilated, her cheeks flushed and her rosy nipples, glistening from his loving, stood taut and erect. Desire surged through him and he closed his eyes in an effort to regain some control.
“Damn, Lauren, you’re incredible.”
“You’re making me feel self-conscious. You have to take off your shirt, too.”
He tugged his shirt over his head. She grinned, her eyebrows rising suggestively as she scooped a fingerful of peanut butter from the jar. “I need a little protein.”
Somehow, he withstood the pleasurable torture as she slathered the substance over his own nipples. Her warm breath brushed his chest as she leaned forward to flick her tongue over him.
“Mmm, I like that,” she said, then bent to her task, her sweet mouth flaying him with relentless lashes of her tongue.
He ground his teeth, the sensation almost too much to bear. “Sweetheart…”
She sighed and moved to his other side, where she continued her gentle assault. Her lips closed over him and she suckled him, pulling on his nipple with her talented mouth. He rolled back his head and moaned. When she finally drew away, he pulled her toward him to take her into his arms.
“Enough of that,” he said. “A guy can only take so much.”
He brushed his lips across hers, then kissed her. The peanut butter tasted even better from her lips. The kiss was the same as before, a breathless ride into oblivion. The insistent stroke of her tongue sent heat licking through his veins. If just holding her and kissing her affected him this deeply, what would making love to her be like?
Her breasts rubbed against his chest as they rose and fell with her breath. She skimmed her hands over his chest, then down his sides. He reached between them and undid the snap of her jeans. “Let’s get you out of these.”
She wriggled out of the garment, then quickly discarded it on the floor. She sat before him in nothing but a lacy pair of black panties and a smile ripe with promise. Heat surged through him.
“You next.” Her fingers hooked his waistband, pulling him closer. With deft movements, she first unbuttoned, then unzipped him, the metal teeth rasping as her gaze met his.
“Let’s move to the bedroom.”
“I’d rather not.”
His heart plummeted. “You don’t want to make love?”
“Of course I want to make love, silly. I just kind of like this table.” Her palm smoothed over the polished surface. “It only seems fitting that if we’re really going to make a meal of this, we should do it on your kitchen table. What do you think?”
Excitement filled him. “I think it’ll do.”
5
BEING WITH ADAM had always made Lauren feel more daring. When they were kids she’d climbed trees, jumped fences and dived into lakes with him at her side. Things she’d never have had the nerve to try on her own.
Now, the desire burning in his eyes inflamed her new-found sexual boldness.
“Anywhere, any way you want it, sunshine,” he said.
She reached inside his pants to cup him. “I want you here and now. Like this.”
His mouth again covered hers. Her heart pounding, she caressed him through his bri
efs. His heat warmed her through the soft cotton as she traced her fingers along his rigid outline.
“You’re a little cramped in there,” she said, easing his jeans back so she could slip her fingers past the cotton to his hot skin.
He touched her in kind, stroking her swollen flesh through the lace. Capturing her lips again, he ravaged her mouth and strummed the tips of his fingers over her sex, until dampness soaked her panties. Desire coursed through her. She leaned back, taking him with her onto the wide table.
“Let’s get these out of the way.” Shifting to his side, he tugged the black lace over her hips, down her legs, then off her feet. To her surprise, he held the garment to his nose, inhaling deeply, a look of pure indulgence on his face.
“There’s just something about your scent—your aroused scent.” His eyes gleamed as he tossed aside the scrap of lace.
She shuddered when his fingers found her wet folds and he began his first intimate exploration of her. He parted her, then circled her opening. After dipping into her moistness, he spread her liquid honey across her nether lips and clitoris, drawing tiny circles of arousal with his fingertips.
He left her mouth to trail kisses to her breast. Suckling her hard, he pressed two fingers deep inside her, while she skimmed her hand over his erection. She moaned and pulled her knees up, spreading her legs to give him full access. As he stroked his fingers in and out of her, she rolled her bottom against the cool wood.
His erection pulsed hot and hard in her hand. He grated his teeth against her nipple and groaned as she squeezed him. Then all she could do was hold on as he continued his tender assault, his fingers moving in a steady rhythm. The tension inside her built with each pull of his mouth and thrust of his fingers.
“Oh, Adam…Adam…yes.”
Pinpoints of fire danced around her, inside her. Her body tensed, on the brink of release. Then his fingers withdrew to again trace a path along her swollen lips to her clit, sending the tension spiraling in a new direction. With circular movements that grew smaller and more focused with each pass, he brought her again to the brink.
