by Ana E Ross
The sweetness of her love, the heat of her wantonness, the friction of her desire was too much for Adam to handle. He reared up over Tashi and held her legs wide apart as he plunged into her fast and deep. Her breasts jiggled and bounced, making him hotter and harder, driving him toward his own release. And soon his face was twisting in exquisite pain as he ground his hips against hers in the last desperate thrusts. He came down hard, crushing her tender breasts beneath his chest while his hair spread out like a veil across her face, some mingling with her red curls. He buried his face in the soft pulsing hollow of her throat, and a harsh animal sound rumbled through the air as the liquid dam of fire broke, plunging him into the consuming heat.
“Tashi!” He cried out in a wild voice as he felt himself being swept along with her into the sizzling vortex of sweet surrender. His cries mingled with the shrill screams that ripped from her throat. His body shook with tremendous force and he erupted inside Tashi, spilling his hot seed deep into the receptive softness of her open waiting womb. Her muscles sucked him, forcing the last drop of semen from his shaft and the final tremors from his body.
As he lay trembling on the succulent woman beneath him, and gulping desperate air into his constricted lungs, for the first time in his life Adam Andreas experienced what the French call, ‘La petite mort’, and the Italians, ‘La piccolo morte’.
***
In the early pre-dawn light, Adam held a sleeping Tashi close to his heart and basked in the humble pleasure of finally lying naked with her without having to curtail his desire as he’d done a few weeks ago. Three times last night he’d delighted himself in her, emptied himself into her fertile womb before hunger and fatigue had overtaken them both.
Since they’d skipped dinner, they’d awakened totally famished, and he’d ordered up a five-course meal from Ristorante Andreas to satisfy their hunger for food. After eating, they’d shared a bath, and while washing each other’s bodies, their appetite for each other had returned with robust force. Adam had taken Tashi in the warm bubbly water of the hot tub before they eventually moved back to the bedroom where they’d loved their brains out until they both slipped into a state of gratified unconsciousness with their lifeless limbs twisted about each other.
Even though they weren’t married yet, there was something distinctly holy about falling asleep in Tashi’s womanly arms after making love. It felt like a primitive rite, like their bodies were in love with each other, just as surely as their hearts and souls were.
Never in the eleven years since his first sexual experience did Adam feel such a sense of oneness and completeness with a woman as he did with Tashi. And judging from her insatiable appetite for him, her violent reaction to his lovemaking, her cries of abandoned ecstasy, and the indescribable expressions of bliss on her face when she climaxed, Adam was sure Tashi had also felt complete in her love from him, and for him.
It had to be the mutual, yet unspoken love between them. Nothing but love could have synched their bodies so perfectly and sacredly, and transported them to that pinnacle of divine delight where each died, only to be reborn in the other.
It was a height Adam had never attained with any of his former lovers—all of whom were experienced and who’d come to him with their individual bags of tricks. They’d attained physical gratification together, but as he lay in the aftermath of lovemaking, Adam had always felt like something was missing. He’d found that something, last night.
Last night, he and Tashi had bathed in the pools of each other’s light, soared to passion’s highest mount on each other’s sighs, tumbled together into desire’s whirlwind, over and over again, until they’d spun themselves into dizziness and danced themselves beyond the horizons of earthly boundaries.
Tashi had come to him, untouched, inexperienced, with no tricks up her sleeve, and yet she’d satisfied him beyond his wildest imagination. His heart was in love for the first time. He was certain of that now as it pounded wildly against his chest at the knowledge that he’d found his Anam Cara, the woman his mother had promised would bring him the most natural feeling in the world—the feeling of coming home.
Adam knew he’d come home from the moment he’d met Tashi, from that first touch, that first glance. The three days he’d lusted after her, longed for her was just as natural as what he’d done for her when he’d climbed through her bedroom window that night. Their two and a half weeks of living together was natural. And last night, it had felt natural when he’d shut the door on the world, and within the existence of her love become nonexistent.
Adam tightened his arms around Tashi and kissed the top of her head. Instinctively, she moaned in her sleep and snuggled her delicate little derriere into his groin. His body trembled and his cock pulsed once in response to her nudge, then it pulsed again with blissful memories of being sheathed inside her tight hot woman’s flesh.
Adam hungered for her again, but he’d promised to let her sleep. She’d earned her right to her beauty nap for their impending nuptials. In a few hours, they would be standing in the parlor in front of Pastor Kelly and Dr. Samantha and promise to love, cherish, and protect each other for the rest of their lives. They would exchange their vows knowing that their marriage was temporary—a pack of lies to anyone who was aware of the truth.
For Adam, those vows would be the most significant, meaningful, and truthful he would ever make to himself or any other human. Tashi was his life now, his reason for living, the air he breathed and soon, he hoped, opening his palm over the flat expanse of her stomach, he would make a vow of protection to another little human—his child. The next generation of Andreases. It had been two weeks since Tashi’s last period, so he knew she was possibly in the ovulating stage of her cycle. He was so relieved that she hadn’t asked him to use protection yesterday.
Adam closed his eyes and breathed in Tashi’s intoxicating scent mingled with the musky odor of recent lovemaking. A baby, he knew, would keep her grounded. He didn’t think she would want her child to grow up without knowing its father, as she had.
Yesterday, they’d talked about everything, but that. He’d waited for her to bring up the subject of her father, but she hadn’t, and realizing that it might be too painful and or embarrassing for her, he hadn’t broached the subject either. He was sure that when she was ready, she would talk about what it was like not knowing him, not having him in her life—something he could never relate to.
In the meantime, Adam would show Tashi how much she was loved. He would be her husband, her friend, and her lover. Whether or not they found Paul alive, Tashi was no temporary bride. She was his. Forever.
Adam frowned into the predawn darkness. When she’d related the details of that night in New York City, Tashi had mentioned that Paul had said that he would explain everything to her when he arrived in Granite Falls. Could ‘everything’ be about her father?
Adam’s body tensed as a worrisome thought fired inside his brain.
Dear God, could it be?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
On Monday morning, Adam stepped into the foyer of his fourteenth floor penthouse office suite at Hotel Andreas, and almost ran over his personal assistant who was waiting for him at the elevator.
“Good morning, Mr. Andreas,” she said, handing him a stack of papers.
“Good morning, Ms. Jenkins.”
“Welcome back. It’s good to have you back,” she added, hurrying along beside him as he made his way to his office on the far side of the building that overlooked Crystal Lake and the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. He had his own private elevator, but to save time, he’d used the one closest to Noelle’s office so they could talk on the way to his.
He glanced down at the top sheet of paper on the pile—a response from the owner of a vineyard in California he’d set his eyes on. Andreas International owned several wineries in Italy, France, and Australia, but none here at home. His grandfather had never been interested—in fact he didn’t think that California’s soil, topography, and climate c
ould compare to the steep-terraced vineyards of Piedmont, Puglia, and Sardinia where the bulk of Andreas wine was produced. Adam was out to test his theory.
“Well, it’s not as if I really left, Ms. Jenkins,” he said, giving his attention back to his assistant. “You and I have been in constant communication for the past two weeks.”
“Yes, Mr. Andreas, but it’s nice to have you here in the flesh. Everything runs a lot smoother when you’re around.”
They turned a corner and headed down a commodious corridor that served as a waiting area with comfy leather sofas, chairs and tables, along with coffee, espresso, juice, and water machines. The corridor ended at a one-way mirrored wall that separated and protected his office from the waiting area. “Are you suggesting that my staff slacks off when I’m absent?”
“Definitely not, sir. I’m just saying that it’s nicer when you’re around. People miss you. Your smile, actually, I’ve heard them say. Word is that you’re very different from your father. Not that he wasn’t liked, but—” She shrugged. “I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say.”
Adam gave the attractive brunette a placating smile. Noelle Jenkins was fresh out of Princeton when he hired her four years ago to replace his father’s middle-aged assistant who was more like a seasoned butler whose main goal in life was to kiss Alessandro’s ass. Adam did not need an ass-kisser. He kissed his own ass. Noelle came with stellar recommendations. She was intelligent, candid, and spoke several languages, including Italian. But what really earned her the position as his assistant were the facts that she wasn’t intimidated by him, and she didn’t hint at the possibility of a future sexual liaison between them, like some of her feminine counterparts had done.
“I understand, Ms. Jenkins,” he said, opening the glass door to his office and walking inside. “It’s nice to know I’m missed, and liked.” Adam dropped the pile of papers and his briefcase on his desk and dropped his weight into his chair. “Speaking of which, how is Ms. Marshall doing in the boutique?”
“Mindy is doing well, sir. H.R. is helping her with enrollment into Evergreen State College. She should begin classes in the fall.”
“Good.” Adam folded his arms and gazed up at Noelle as she slid into her chair on the other side of his desk with her tablet at the ready for his day’s instructions. Although he would like to keep his change in marital status a secret, for now, he felt she needed to know, just in case his wife ever called asking for him. Tashi had his private numbers, but providing her another avenue through which to reach him, could not hurt. “Ms. Jenkins, I’m about to share something with you—something I will ask that you not publicize. You cannot tell anyone. Do you understand?”
She straightened her shoulders and gave him her customary professional nod.
“I’m no longer a bachelor. I’m married.”
Her hand flew to her chest. “You’re married? Is that where you were, on your honeymoon, sir?”
A quiver ripped through Adam’s gut. Yep. He’d been honeymooning all weekend. After exchanging their vows, he and Tashi had returned to the bedroom to consummate their marriage. They’d remained locked away in each other’s arms until it was time to get ready for Little Erik’s birthday party. They’d arrived at the LaCrosse Estate where Erik and Michelle now lived—an hour ahead of the other guests—just enough time for him to introduce the gang to his new bride, tell them how they met and the fact that they’d been living together for the past couple weeks, but not enough to bring them up to date on her past and the reason he’d married her. Well, not the real one, but the one he was prepared to tell.
They’d all been shocked, but given the circumstances under which each one of them had gotten married, they were in no position to judge his rash rush to the altar. They’d congratulated them, and welcomed Tashi into the family, as he’d expected they would. Then Bryce and Kaya had mentioned seeing Tashi at the shopping mall outlets the same day he and Tashi met, and that Kaya had thought she was beautiful and would be perfect for Adam.
Adam’s heart had skipped a beat at the knowledge that he was not alone in thinking that Tashi was perfect for him. Finally, he could understand what his friends had felt when they met their wives. Like him, they’d each found their Anam Cara—their soul friend, their soul mate for life. His search was over.
He and Tashi had left the party early to hurry back home to do what newlyweds did in the privacy of their bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, the terrace... They’d taken advantage of having the house to themselves before his staff returned, and so for the rest of Saturday and all day Sunday, they’d walked around naked and made love wherever and whenever the desire arose—which was often—very often, he thought on heated memories. Trouble was ahead of them, and Adam wanted Tashi to enjoy her time with him before it came raining down on them.
“Mr. Andreas.” Noelle’s enthusiastic voice pulled him into the present.
Adam shook his head to clear his thoughts. He could not contain the big grin that splashed across his face.
“Congratulations, sir. This is the best-kept secret of the century. I wish you and your bride a long and happy life together.”
“Thank you, Ms. Jenkins.” His eyes followed hers to his ring-less finger. He’d opted not to wear his wedding band in public to keep curious minds at bay. However, there was no reason for Tashi not to wear hers since no one but Pastor and Mrs. Kelly, and his three friends knew who she was, and to whom she was married.
Noelle’s brows furrowed. “Do I know her, sir?”
“Um—no. She’s not from around here, but when the time is right, you will meet her.” And that was all he was prepared to say about his wife. It wasn’t just the threat from New York he had to worry about. Tashi had made an appointment to see Samantha this morning, then she was having lunch in public with the other wives. He didn’t want the local paparazzi harassing her, chasing her around Granite Falls and taking pictures of her to be plastered around the world. He had four more days before he had to officially file their marriage certificate, after which he would have no control over who knew what. He wanted those four days to be as pleasant and stress-free as possible for Tashi.
“Remember, not a word to anyone. But if my wife calls for me, you are to put her through immediately. Also, if anyone else calls, or shows up with information or questions about her, you are to buzz me directly.”
“Yes, sir.”
Adam proceeded to give Noelle a list of duties he needed performed immediately, which included arranging meetings—both in person and via satellite, organizing travel arrangements, and preparing correspondence to various heads of Andreas International departments, both domestic and abroad, and further researching the Neighborhood Winery in California. He was just about finished with his instructions when the elevator that led directly from the underground garage to his office chimed, indicating that his first meeting for the day was on the way up.
“That will be all, Ms. Jenkins. I think you have enough to keep you busy for the rest of the day. And, I’m not to be disturbed for the next hour or so.”
“Yes, Mr. Andreas. I will see that you’re not, and I will get going on these right away.” She pointed to her tablet as she stood to her feet. Knowing better than to question him about his unmentioned appointment, she immediately left, closing the door behind her.
Adam stood and stepped to the elevator, reaching it at the moment it stopped. Three men, dressed in dark business suits, filed off the elevator, each greeting him with a hug and a slap on the back and another round of congratulations on his recent marriage.
“So why this early meeting?” Massimo asked with a grin. “Has your bride flown the coop? Is she a fugitive, already?”
If his cousin’s questions didn’t elucidate the reason for the meeting so accurately, Adam would join the laughter.
“Is she reluctant, buddy?” Bryce gave his shoulder a commiserative squeeze.
“Well, we know she isn’t a secret.” Erik punched his arm, playfully.
&n
bsp; “Ha-ha,” Adam said in mock humor.
“All joking aside, Tashi seems very sweet,” Bryce said. “I’m happy for you, brother.”
“Me, too,” Erik added. “I’m glad you have a wife so you can stop using your goddaughter to pick up women. You think Michelle and I don’t know what you’ve been doing with our sweet little angel?”
Adam chuckled. “Using!” he declared in an affronted tone. “I love Tiff as if she were my own daughter. I enjoy spending time with her.”
“You’ve always wanted children,” Massimo stated. “So perhaps you and Tashi should start a family right away. It would make Uncle Alessandro happy, and besides, Aria needs a little cousin to play with.”
Adam smiled as he recalled the fond memories of himself and Mass playing together, and fighting each other as children. “I would love nothing more than to be holding my son or my daughter in my arms, nine months from now,” he said, his heart jolting at the thought. “But I have to keep my wife safe and alive before I can enjoy that blessing.”
“What?” The men looked at him with puzzled frowns.
“Is Tashi in some kind of trouble, Adam?” Massimo asked. “You know I had my share of problems with Eddie’s threats against Shaina and Cameron. What’s going on, and how can we help?”
“Yeah, buddy. I can only imagine the gravity of the situation since Tashi was afraid to go to the hospital when she became ill.”
“When was Tashi sick?” Bryce gave Erik a black look. “Wait a minute, you knew about Tashi all along?”
Adam exchanged a confederate glance with Erik. “Yes, Erik knew. I called him. Tashi needed a doctor, and he was the only one I could trust.”
All eyes turned on Erik. “That’s why you tried to talk us out of visiting him last Friday,” Massimo stated in exasperation. “Why didn’t you just tell us the truth? We would have understood.”
“He couldn’t.” Adam spoke up in defense of his friend. “I had sworn him to secrecy.”
