by Alexis Anne
“Ready for the next one?”
I nodded and slid into the passenger seat this time. Unlike me, Adam apparently didn’t feel the need to impress, driving very reasonably down the road to the next plantation. “This is the Green Hills Plantation.” His voice was unusually even.
I enjoyed the view of another long, winding drive lined with oaks. Beyond the trees were large lawns and, in the distance, I could see the river off to the right of the house. To the left were rolling hills covered in crops. I tried to recall what I knew about Green Hills. It was another working plantation and, I was pretty sure, the food grown here was used for local restaurants. The house and grounds could also be rented out. It wasn’t a museum like Mossy Oaks. But that was where my knowledge ended.
Instead of parking in the parking lot or the driveway, Adam veered off toward the barn. It was completely renovated and enclosed except for a covered area with parking slips. Each one was filled except the one Adam slid the car into.
“You seem to know your way around here,” I murmured.
He turned off the engine and set his hands on his lap like he was nervous, which on Adam looked incredibly strange. “I should, this is where I live.”
“What?” I gasped before I could stop myself.
He cringed a little. “This is my family’s plantation. I have a little apartment inside here, along with the workshop I told you about.”
He finally turned and looked at me out of the corner of his eye.
I let out a slow breath. “This is yours?”
He nodded slowly. “We can leave if this is too personal, but both my parents are out of town for the night and I thought it would be fun to show you around.”
Too personal? My sex-cation friend had just brought me home. Granted his parents weren’t there, but still…this was where he’d spent summer vacations and high school. This wasn’t just another plantation on a tour.
Taking me to Green Hills was the very definition of personal.
And while my muscles were locked in place and my heart was beating hard inside my chest, I wasn’t panicking. Nervous? Yes. Uncomfortable? Very much. But not freaking out.
Adam was working some serious voodoo on me. “Just a tour?”
“Just a tour,” he repeated and his eyes lit up. “Of the plantation, my workshop, and a special surprise.”
Surprise? The way he said it made a surprise sound like a good thing. “Ok,” I agreed. “Show me around.” Adam grinned and I realized I was beginning to really enjoy putting that smile on his face. It was oddly (for me) rewarding to know I was making someone happy.
Had I ever done that before? Freely and without planning, gone out of my way to please someone with the intention of seeing them smile? I didn’t think I had.
Adam locked the car and took my hand, threading his fingers between mine. I let him, even though it felt strange. The gesture was intimate, but not forced. I wasn’t being commanded to hold his hand or even be his friend. We just were. He was sweet, an incredibly good fuck, and open to everything I suggested. He wasn’t my enemy. I didn’t need to fight him or protect myself from him. Adam was safe.
He led me inside the side door of the barn and flicked on the overhead lights. “These are my babies,” Adam murmured, throwing out his hand.
The space was very large and long with three bays for cars. In the first bay was a car that had seen far better years. It was rusty, in several pieces, and on jacks.
In the second bay was a beautiful red and white car that looked like it has been completely restored. The paint job was immaculate and the tires looked like they were brand new. The little chrome name plate on the side said Duster.
In the third bay was a motorcycle up on some sort of stand. It was also pretty sad looking, but it had beautiful lines and a lot of potential. I wasn’t a big fan of motorcycles, there was something about being completely exposed that scared the crap out of me, but I did appreciate them.
Along the back wall was a stainless steel work table with shelves above, and in the back corner a gorgeous black motorcycle was parked next to a door.
“Your babies are beautiful.”
“Thanks.” His chest actually puffed up a little. “This first one is a mess. I started it the last time I was home and honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever finish it. But this one,” he moved to the red and white car in the middle, “she’s my favorite. I’ve fixed up about a dozen cars over the years—sold them when I was done for a nice profit—but this one…I’ll never sell her.”
“Why?”
He was running his hand along the paint job on the hood and up the roof as he spoke. “I’m not totally sure. She’s special. I keep finding new things to change and different ways to upgrade her. I guess she’s a project I’ll never finish because I don’t want to.”
I wasn’t sure if I thought Adam’s attitude toward the car was adorable or disturbing. “So fast cars and fast motorcycles?” I pointed at the two bikes.
He shrugged, barely turning his eyes away from the Duster. “I really don’t ride that much. I like working on them more than anything. My heart is with my cars.”
I liked him even more.
“Want to see my apartment?”
At the end of the garage was a door one step up from the garage floor. Adam fished in his pocket for a key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open, stepping to the side. I walked in ahead of him and waited while he flicked on the lights. It was a very simple, clean, modern studio apartment. The walls were grey and the furniture was black and stainless steel. A bank of sliding glass doors lined the wall to our right with simple gauzy white curtains. A tiny kitchenette with a bar was tucked into the corner opposite of us. Immediately to my right was a large king-sized bed with a white comforter and large pillows. A black couch and coffee table completed the room.
“Nice place. It looks like you.”
Adam closed the door and frowned. “I’m not sure what that means, but thanks?”
“It means you’re clean and simple.”
“Again, I’m not entirely sure that is a compliment.”
“I’ll just stop talking then,” I laughed, moving around the room. I wanted to get a feel for Adam. He had car magazines on his coffee table and nothing more than tissues on his nightstand. The bar to the kitchen was a little more informative. Beside a cup stuffed with pens and pencils was a notepad covered in drawings, a bowl of change, and a candy bar. “Snickers lover?”
“Don’t touch my candy.” He was joking. Sort of.
“And here?” I asked as I walked to a door beside the kitchen.
“Bathroom.”
“I like it.” I could imagine all kinds of fun new places to have sex with Adam. Keeping the back windows open was definitely near the top of my list.
He smiled and wrapped an arm around my waist. “We could sleep here tonight. Change things up?”
He took the thought right out of my head. “I like the idea, but I didn’t bring anything. Are you kicking me out of your bed after you have your way with me?” I held my breath as he dropped a very slow, very soft kiss on my lips.
“Never. We can get up early and I’ll take you home to change before work. I can even drop you off at your office.”
I automatically started to protest, saying Adam didn’t need to take me to work, but then I stopped myself. He was being nice and it would help make the morning move faster. “That would be great. Thank you for offering.”
“No problem. By the way,” he replied as he threaded his fingers back through mine and started for the door. “We’re having sex in the shower.”
“The shower?”
“Yep. I’ve always wanted to have sex in that shower.”
“Oh, do I get to be your first?”
“You do.”
“Wow…your first…”
“Smartass.” He closed and locked the door behind us and started across the driveway toward the main house.
“There are worse things to be called.”
Adam sighed and squeezed my hand. “True. So, let me give you a quick rundown on the business side of Green Hills. The plantation is from my father’s side of the family, but it is my mom who transformed it into the operation it is today. She used to be a big name chef in New York, but when my grandfather died, Mom and Dad saw taking over the plantation as an opportunity to change things up. She opened Seychelle’s and transformed the fields. We are a farm-to-table operation now. She owns and runs three restaurants in Calhoun Beach and every bit of food is grown and raised here except for the seafood which is handled by our partner.”
“Three restaurants?”
Adam nodded slowly and I could see he was holding back. “Seychelle’s, Green Tavern, and Rivard Bistro.”
“Impressive, those are all top of the line. I’ve eaten at all three.”
He nodded again and led me up the stairs to the massive wood front doors. “Dad is an accountant and has taken over managing my mother’s empire.”
“And where are they today?” I asked knowing full well I wasn’t getting the full story out of Adam.
“They had meetings in New York. They’ll be back late tomorrow.”
I nodded, but didn’t press. He opened the door and we stepped into a tall, open foyer. Above us hung a massive chandelier and below us were dark wood floors covered in rugs. The walls were stark white and covered in paintings. It was a beautiful home that managed to straddle both the beauty of its past and the necessity of the present.
“The back of the house was converted into a massive commercial kitchen. We can serve guests upwards of five hundred without batting an eye.”
I glanced around the kitchen. Three employees were working on cakes and desserts. The ovens, sinks, and countertops all looked high-end. “Very impressive,” I murmured. “How often do you have such large events out here?”
Adam shrugged. “I honestly don’t pay that much attention, but it seems like they are always booked for something. Weddings, retreats, big corporate affairs…you name it.”
He bypassed the rest of the first floor and led me upstairs. “This floor is available for overnight guests. All the rooms on this floor are bedrooms except for a sitting room at the end of the hallway.”
We walked up and down the floor, glancing in the rooms that were all decorated in frilly designs and dark woods. “And the third floor?”
“My parent’s apartment. They had the third floor completely redesigned. There are two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and a full kitchen up there. It actually looks a lot like our apartment in Manhattan.”
I was glad Adam didn’t offer to show me upstairs and I didn’t ask to see it. We wandered down a different flight of stairs that led us back to the front of the house. “The last thing I want to show you is in here.”
He pushed open a heavy door just off the foyer and stepped inside.
“A library?”
He nodded. “This wall,” he waved his hands at the wall on our right, covered in dark wood built-in bookcases, “is all for use by the guests. It’s mostly popular fiction. But the rest,” he waved his hands at the other three walls, “are all records, family history, blue prints, photographs, the whole nine yards of Callaway family history.”
“Impressive,” I murmured, walking up for a closer look. “I’m sure this has all been digitized and copies offered to the University?”
“It’s an ongoing process, but yes.”
I ran my hands along the shelves as I walked around the room. It was an impressive collection of documents. I could easily spend a week going through the records. For a split second, the image of Adam reading on the massive leather couch in the middle of the room, hit me. I could see him lazily combing through his latest book while I sat at the desk in the corner studying his family documents.
I shook my head and worked my way around to the popular fiction. “How much of this wall have you read?”
He folded his arms over his chest and looked lovingly over the shelves. “Probably a good, oh, two-thirds.”
It was quite possible Adam had out-read me by a significant amount. I quickly counted a group of books and multiplied it across the shelves on the wall. This didn’t include the ebooks he undoubtedly had as well.
“You may have a reading problem, Adam.”
He was at my ear, catching me by surprise as he whispered. “I’m pretty sure I admitted to that on the first night we met.”
A shiver raced down my spine. His warm breath against my skin was electric. “That you did.”
He kissed my cheek and wrapped his arm around my waist, turning my back to the shelves and lightly pressing me against the wood. “I just had a vision of us on that couch behind me. It involved books and a distinct lack of clothing. And sex.”
I laughed lightly at the way he managed to combine images in my head all while throwing in sex. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it if you found a way to arrange it one day.”
He groaned and flexed his hips into mine as he kissed me. “I’ll remember that. Now, how about I show you your surprise?”
“This wasn’t it?”
He shook his head, eyes locked on mine. “Not even close.”
I clenched my legs together as an ache began to throb between my thighs. There was something about the way Adam looked at me when he said ‘surprise’ that made me want to jump in his lap and ride him all afternoon. Whatever his surprise was, it had him excited and me hot. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 4
Adam snagged a key ring from a nail on a wood post inside a second, smaller barn where a very old red Ford pickup truck was parked.
He drove out onto a dirt path that led to the fence line, hopping out to unlock the gate and swing it open for us to enter. We did this three more times, passing rolling fields along the way.
“The lower fields are mostly berries. Did I tell you we make our own wine, too? It’s still a small operation and we’re not sure it’s going to take off, but Dad is really having fun with it. He’s looking at whiskey or bourbon next.”
“No, you didn’t mention,” I replied quietly while looking out the window. I was suffering from information overload.
Adam was talking away at this point, lost in childhood memories and the simple joy of sharing something he loved. I let him go, not really listening to everything he was saying. Instead I was watching him talk. His face was so animated, his smile so genuine—Adam was incredibly handsome. Not just sexy. But beautiful. I was overcome by an urge I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around, to kiss his lips and straddle his lap. Not just to fuck him, but to be with him.
That couldn’t possibly be right. I must be confused. I had to be confused. Those feelings weren’t feelings…they must be some sort of new desire I’d never felt before. I didn’t usually spend this much time with men, so I was probably feeling something new but normal. It was desire, not feelings.
Adam stopped the truck under a tree and turned the engine off. “We’re going to walk from here.”
I blinked a few times and took a deep breath. “Where are we going exactly?”
“It’s a surprise,” he repeated.
In the middle of nowhere? I was starting to wonder about Adam. Maybe he was actually taking me out into the woods to kill me. But by the deep look to his eyes and the gorgeous smile on his face there was no possible way this man could ever want to hurt me on purpose. We walked through the trees and a lot of brush before we got to a clearing. “I’m not sure your dress suggestion was such a great idea.”
“Really?” He swept me off my feet and into his arms. “I’ll carry you if you prefer. But I refuse to say this dress was a mistake. I can still taste you.”
And just like that, I was hot again. Weird emotions were pushed back in my mind, unanswered questions placed back in their cabinet, and my raw need for Adam’s body was brought out to center stage. “You have a very talented mouth,” I replied, dragging my finger across his cheek and over his soft lips.
He stepped over a branch th
at was sticking out of the brush and set me down, turning me so that his front was pressed to my back. “Welcome to the original Green Hills.”
In front of me were the eerie remains of stone foundations and crumbling chimneys. I looked over my shoulder and into Adam’s eyes. “This is beautiful.”
He squeezed my arms and pulled me flush against him. “Only you would think this was beautiful. But I knew you would—that’s why I wanted to bring you out here.”
“Thank you,” I replied genuinely. The confusing feelings started to creep back up inside me. Adam knew I’d like seeing the ruins on his family property because he knew my job was more than work. He already knew how much I loved things like this.
“This was where my ancestors first settled,” he explained. “They lived out here for about fifty years—we think—before the main house was built.”
I stepped away from Adam and all his thoughtfulness to examine the foundations closer up. Grass was growing between the stones, and moss covered most of the surfaces. “It is fairly large for the time period. I’m guessing late eighteenth century? Wood floors over the stone and a cistern below?”
He shrugged his shoulders and followed me inside what now looked like a low stone wall instead of the base of a home. “You’re the expert, not me. I just know it was awesome to play army out here.”
“The archaeology department would probably love to study that chimney fall over there,” I pointed to a pile of stones that extended from the base of the foundation out toward the trees.
“They are more than welcome to come study anything they like.” He stepped into me, his lips grazing my ear and cheek. “Especially if it brings you out here.” He kissed down my neck as his arms came around me, holding me close. “You are different today, you know.”
“So are you,” I replied with more force than I meant. It sounded more like an accusation than an observation.
