by Dorie Graham
“It’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t. Not if it upset you.”
“I’m not upset,” she lied, raising her chin a notch higher and putting more purpose in her stride.
“Then why are you running away?”
“I’m giving you space.”
“I don’t want any space. I want you. And if I have to adjust my plans to have you, then so be it.”
She stopped, turning to glare at him. “Don’t put that on me.”
“Why can’t a guy change his mind?”
“Because…I will not have that kind of sacrifice on my head.”
“That’s up to me to decide.”
“Every time I’m with you, it’ll be there between us.”
“Not if we don’t let it. Please, get in the truck. I’ll drive you home if that’s really what you want. You can’t walk the whole way.”
She glanced down at her strappy shoes with their spiky heels, then up into his pleading eyes. She took a step closer to the truck. “Adam—”
“It’s my birthday night. Please spend it with me.”
Her earlier guilt over abandoning him on his birthday washed over her. “I don’t know what to do.”
He opened the door and held out his hand. “Come with me. For once in your life don’t try to overanalyze this. Just live in the now and leave tomorrow for tomorrow.”
Drawing a deep breath, she stepped off the curb and took his hand.
11
THE AROMA OF COFFEE drifted over Adam, drawing him into wakefulness. He rolled to his side and found the black lingerie Lauren had worn. He pressed the garment to his nose, inhaling her musky scent.
She’d been every man’s fantasy last night.
After a long stretch, he padded nude into the kitchen. She turned from the toaster when he entered, her eyes widening as she scanned him from head to toe.
“Good morning,” she greeted him.
She wore one of his T-shirts. Its hem brushed the tops of her thighs. Damn, she looked good, all rosy-cheeked and bright-eyed.
“We should make a rule,” he said, advancing on her.
When he reached her, he skimmed his hands up her thighs, under the shirt and encountered only her smooth skin. He bunched the shirt up, then dragged it over her head. “When we’re alone together, clothes are prohibited. Unless you’re wearing something like you wore last night. That was positively erotic.”
He rubbed himself against her and her nipples hardened against his chest.
“You liked that?” she asked.
“Oh yeah.”
“It came from Secret Temptations. They’re the ones we were courting down in West Palm.”
“That was mixing business with pleasure. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”
“Hope for us, you mean.”
“I’ll always have hope for us.”
“Even though I’m a workaholic?”
He pressed his forehead to hers and smiled. “Admitting it is the first step.”
“I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I want to find a way, Adam. I really want to be with you.”
“Then be with me, love. It’s that easy.”
“I’m here today.”
“That’s easy. It’s Sunday. Everyone knows Sunday is a day of rest. Not working on a day you’re not supposed to work doesn’t count. And it still isn’t the entire weekend I asked for.”
“But it’s a start.”
“You’ll give me the whole day?”
“Every minute of it.”
“Then let’s not waste a second.”
“SO, WHAT DO YOU think of this one?” Lauren pointed to an elaborate drawing of a wolf. “It’s beastly. I’d think of you every time I saw it.”
“You’d get a tattoo for me?” Adam grinned, unaccountably touched by the thought. They’d wandered into a piercing and tattoo shop after a leisurely lunch in Little Five Points.
“I mean, hypothetically speaking. I’m not as impulsive as you. If I were to get a tattoo, would you like the wolf? I’ve always felt drawn to them.”
“Wolves mate for life. I’d say I can relate to that.”
Her smile faltered. “Let’s walk some more.”
He blew out a breath and followed her as she headed for the sidewalk. Had the mere reference to the future sent her running?
“Why don’t I buy you a cup of coffee?” he asked as he caught up with her.
She nodded. They walked without speaking for the short distance to the coffee shop. Cars passed on the street beside them, people hurried or wandered by, and a woman pushing a toddler in a stroller walked along in front of them.
Lauren seemed to relax once they settled at a small table out front, their cardboard cups steaming in the cool air. She took a sip. “That hits the spot.”
A breeze swept up, ruffling her hair. She smiled and in that moment Adam could have easily committed to her for a lifetime. Why was it so difficult for her to do the same? All he wanted was to take care of her—to ease the lines of strain from her gentle face.
The woman with the stroller stopped at a nearby table. Her young son fussed as she answered the summons of her cell phone. She juggled the phone and the stroller, rocking him in a soothing way as she talked to her caller. But the longer she talked, the fussier the little boy became, until she ended the call, then picked him up.
“I just can’t imagine it.” Lauren swirled her coffee. “Or maybe I can. The simplest task, like answering the phone, turns into a two-handed juggling act.”
“But look at him now.” Adam gestured toward the child, happily playing peekaboo with his mother.
“I know. I know.” She stood with her drink. “Let’s just walk some more.”
“Sure, sunshine, whatever you want.” He took her arm and guided her back onto the walkway.
She was definitely running again, from anything that reminded her of the family life he longed for. Would he have the fortitude to keep up?
If only he could find a way to give her a taste of that life—to take her away from the hustle and bustle and let her see how stress free and happy they could be.
The way they’d been when they were younger.
LAUREN’S ALARM CLOCK jolted her awake. Swearing under her breath, she hit the off button, and rolled to her side. Adam snaked his arm around her and pulled her back beneath the warm blanket.
She snuggled into him, dreading parting from him and facing her hectic work schedule. With the shoot first thing, the day promised to be endless. God, she was tired. “Why can’t every day be Sunday?”
“It can.” He rolled on top of her, his body warm and heavy. Bending his head, he flicked his tongue across her nipple. One pass, two, until it beaded to a rounded point.
“Mmm, that’s very nice, but we don’t have time to start anything. I have to get going.”
He continued to taste her, while parting her legs and delving his fingers into the folds of her femininity. She moaned and made a halfhearted attempt to dislodge him. “You’ll make me late for the shoot.”
“So be late,” he murmured against her breast.
Time stretched and stilled as his fingers traced her nether lips, then stroked her nub to attention. She ran her hands over his chest, unable to keep from touching him. He kissed her neck, then moved again to her breast, suckling her until she sighed in frustration, torn between her growing need for him and the relentless compulsion to get to work.
He left her breast to nuzzle her cheek. She turned her head before he kissed her senseless, even as his fingers strummed her into a fine state of arousal. Her conscience prickled as she plucked at his nipples and her blood heated. “I can’t walk in late. Once they…aahhh…start shooting, the studio’s…ohhh…sealed.”
“Then…” As he made one last pass over her tender flesh, orgasmic tremors rippled through her. “Don’t…” He slipped two fingers into her slick passage, pressing deeper as she gasped and her muscles contracted. “Go.”
“Yes…ahhh�
�yeeesss!”
This time, when he brushed his lips over hers, she kissed him. His tongue delved into her mouth and she met him stroke for stroke, losing herself in his intoxicating spell. When at last he lifted his head, his eyes were alight with pleasure.
“There now. That wasn’t so difficult. Was it?”
“Oh no. Not at all.” She nipped his chin as she felt her way down his body to his erection. God, she loved the feel of him as he pulsed hot and hard against her hand.
“You did that quite well. You’ve never done that before, have you?”
She blinked. “You think I’ve been faking it before now?”
He laughed, then dropped a kiss on her nose. “I wasn’t talking about your orgasm, sweet.”
“Oh.” She frowned, suspicion growing inside her. “Then what did I just do for the first time?”
He gave her a look that seemed to say she was pulling his leg. “You just agreed to play hooky with me today.”
LAUREN DREW a deep breath as Adam opened his trunk and waited patiently. She made her way slowly to stand beside him. “I’m still not so sure about this.”
“Come now, you can do it.”
“This is silly, you know. I can’t believe I let you talk me into taking the day off, especially with the bagel shoot this morning.”
“Elliot said he could handle it. You said yourself that’s his area of expertise.” He held out his hand.
With a sigh, she handed him first her Palm Pilot, then her cell phone. “It is. He’s in his element there, encouraging the director, fussing over the actors and watching his ideas come to life. He’ll probably schmooze the client better than I could. He and Bennett have a great rapport. It’ll be all right.”
“Of course it will.” He removed a large picnic basket and blanket from the trunk before shutting it.
Whistling happily, he shifted the blanket to his shoulder and reached for her hand. The moment his fingers twined with hers, her apprehension lifted. He always managed to instill a feeling of ease in her. Everything would be all right. She’d take this day and make the most of their time together.
They picked their way along an overgrown trail, one they hadn’t walked in more years than she could remember. She brushed aside a cobweb. “It doesn’t look as though anyone’s been here in ages.”
“I’ll bet no one else has ever discovered this spot.”
She’d always loved the privacy of their secret place by the lake, but suddenly the little inlet’s isolated location took on a whole new meaning. Her body warmed as she touched the scarf at her throat. Did she have the guts to let him tie her with it? Adam’s hand felt warm and strong. The heat of his body radiated out to her.
He caught her eye and awareness sizzled between them. Her heart thumped in anticipation.
Patches of sunlight peeked through the overhead branches, dappling the leaf-strewn path. They broke into a clearing that was bathed in golden sunlight. The sun’s rays danced across the water on the far side of the open space. A mixture of oaks, pines and maples formed a barrier along one side, shielding them from the outside world.
Happiness bloomed in her as she grinned up at the bright blue sky. “It’s even more beautiful than I remember.”
He set the basket and blanket down on a grassy spot. “Glad you came?”
“Yes.”
Her pulse quickened as she turned to him. His eyes shone and the wicked curve of his mouth held a sexual promise. Why had it taken her all these years to notice him? He opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace.
The warmth of the sun played on her face as she smiled up at him. “I never realized the romantic draw of this place before.”
“We were fools. Think of all the opportunities we missed.”
“We’ll just have to start making up for it today.”
Tingles of excitement raced through her as his mouth covered hers. With deliberate slowness he caressed her lips with his, before deepening the kiss. Her blood warmed.
Long moments later he pulled back. “Hungry?”
“You know, I don’t think I had much of an appetite before we got together.”
They spread the blanket across the springy grass. “I’ve got to say, mealtime has taken on a whole new meaning.”
She smiled as he opened the picnic basket, then began unpacking their meal. “Are those strawberries?”
“And whipped cream.” He opened the container with a flourish.
“Very cliché.”
He snatched the whipped cream away. “Well, you needn’t indulge, then.”
“I’m all for a good cliché.”
He held the treat out of her reach. “I thought we had a rule.”
“What rule?”
“We’re all alone.”
“Yes, so give me the whipped cream.”
“Not until you’re naked.” His smile wide, he yanked his shirt over his head, then undid his belt. “First one undressed is the first to eat.”
Laughing, she followed suit, excitement racing through her as the sun caressed her skin. In a flurry of flying clothes, she rushed to bare it all.
“Ah, I win.”
She glanced up as she skimmed her jeans down her legs. Her breath caught. Sunlight gleamed across his broad chest. He knelt beside her like some golden god, sculpted by every woman’s fantasy.
And he was all hers.
A sudden shyness crept over her. “Not fair. I had more to take off.”
“No excuses. Lie back. Get comfortable. I’ll take these.” His calloused palms brushed her legs as he slipped off her panties.
She swallowed, her pulse racing. She leaned back on the blanket, naked, except for the scarf. The warm rays touched her in places she never dreamed they would. It was a thrilling sensation.
He stretched out beside her and fingered the silky scarf. “This is pretty.”
Her heart thrummed as she slowly untied it. “It’s soft and silky.”
“So it is.”
With the now-familiar boldness racing through her, she unknotted the square, then skimmed it over her breasts. “‘How delicious is the winning of a kiss at love’s beginning,’” she recited the quote that had come with the gift.
Adam drew back and his eyes narrowed briefly, then his expression cleared. Gently, he took the scarf from her, then set it by the basket. “It’s lovely on you, but we don’t want to stain it.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he handed her a strawberry. “You hold this. And…this.” He scooped a handful of whipped cream onto her belly.
Feeling a little as though she’d been given a reprieve, she sighed, squirming as the cool substance touched her heated skin. Goose bumps rippled down her arms. Adam leaned over her, dipping his tongue into her navel to capture a taste of the cream. She held the strawberry to his mouth and he bit almost to her fingertips, his lips warm and soft.
“Mmm, tasty,” he murmured as he chewed.
“It’s nice to share.”
He took the rest of the strawberry from her and swirled it in the remaining whipped cream, before holding it to her lips. Sweetness burst across her tongue as she took the morsel into her mouth. “Oh, that’s good.”
“Let’s have another.”
The second strawberry he used like a paintbrush, dipping it in the whipped cream, then stroking it across her nipples. “I might have paid more attention in art class if we’d had projects like this.”
He coated the strawberry again and made another pass over her nipples, circling each crest, until it budded. Heat arrowed through her, invoking a deep pulsing in her sex. She shifted against the blanket.
“Do you like this?” He ran the fruit down between her breasts, then swirled it again in her navel.
“Yes.”
“Me, too.” His breath fanned across her breast.
When he took her in his mouth, she moaned softly and moved against him. He laved her nipple, teasing it to a hard point.
She laced her fingers through his hair and hel
d him to her as he suckled her for long, endless moments. When she thought she might die if he didn’t move on, he lifted his head, then shifted to her other breast. A small cry escaped her as he continued the pleasurable assault, his tongue circling the aching point.
“Adam, you’re driving me crazy.”
He kissed his way up her neck to murmur in her ear, “Have you made more cream for me?”
“Yes, and you can eat as much of it as you want,” she whispered, amazed at her own words.
A satisfied rumble rose in his chest. He shifted, his hip skimming her arm as he parted her legs. Unable to look away, she watched as he sifted his fingers through her triangle of hair, then traced the strawberry over her swollen sex.
Her fingers itched to touch him. Rolling to her side, she reached for his erection. He drew a sharp breath, but moved to better accommodate her, even as his mouth closed over her.
She clasped his hardness, pulling him closer and bending to close the gap, until her lips brushed his soft flesh. She pleasured him as he pleasured her, thrilling to his touch and the tremors of arousal passing through him.
Heat flared in her. Closing her eyes, she followed her instincts, tracing his length with her tongue, nibbling along the rounded tip, before taking him into her mouth. While he worked her clit into a point of burning need, she savored the taste and feel of him, lost in the give-and-take of their loving.
He broke away from her, his breathing rough and heavy. “I want to be inside you.”
Nodding through a sensual haze, she welcomed him as he settled between her legs. “Wait, we almost forgot.”
Twisting, she found a condom in the basket, then they both hurried to roll it over his length. With a twist of his hips, he planted himself deep inside her.
“Ohhh, Adam.” Fire licked through her, but he held back, drawing out their joining with long, slow thrusts.
“It…feels…so…good.”
“Yes.” She traced her nails down his back and rocked her hips in cadence to his steady rhythm.
That place deep inside her tightened and swelled. She closed her eyes and let the blissful waves carry her even higher. He groaned her name as he pushed hard into her. She cried out and indescribable pleasure burst through her, shattering the tension and sending her over the edge.
