Adam's Daughter

by Jennifer Taylor

  He lifted his head at last and his eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire as they rested on her. ‘Do I need to apologise?’ he asked, his voice grating harshly.

  ‘No.’ She met his gaze proudly, refusing to lie either to him or herself. ‘I don’t want an apology, Adam.’

  He drew his thumb lightly over her mouth, letting it linger on the soft inner flesh of her lower lip as he stared into her eyes. ‘Then what do you want?’

  ‘You.’

  Something that looked almost like relief crossed his face before he kissed her again just as hungrily yet with a tenderness that seemed to turn her bones to liquid. Neither of them said anything this time when he pulled back. There was no need. Everything had been said…

  Maybe not everything, a small voice reminded her. She still had no idea how Adam really felt about her.

  She chased away the thought, refusing to listen to the voice of reason when her heart was telling her everything that she wanted to hear. Adam wanted her and she…well, she loved him. What more needed to be said?

  They drove back to the surgery in total silence. It wasn’t far but she was trembling by the time she drew up in the car park. She led the way up to her flat and unlocked the door, gasping when he slammed it shut behind them and backed her up against the hard wood.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, loving the feel of his hard body pressed against her softness. She could feel his heart thundering against her breast and knew that he could feel hers racing as well. When his mouth found hers she gave a small moan of relief because it felt as though she had been starving for the taste of him.

  ‘I could stand here all night and kiss you,’ he murmured, his voice sounding so deep that she shivered when she felt its velvety tones stroking along her nerves. ‘But I need a shower.’

  He smiled as he ran a gentle finger over the smudge of dirt he’d left on her cheek. ‘And so will you soon if I don’t get out of these filthy clothes.’

  She laughed huskily, struggling to drag herself back from the abyss of passion. ‘There’s plenty of hot water.’

  ‘Sounds like an offer I can’t resist.’ He bent and kissed her slowly, deeply, then looked into her eyes. ‘Want to join me?’

  Beth felt her breath catch as she realised what he was really asking. ‘Do you want me to?’ she whispered, the blood drumming in her head so that she felt dizzy.

  He laughed softly as he drew her into his arms and held her so that she could feel the urgent thrusting of his body. ‘What do you think?’

  She smiled into his eyes, wondering how it was possible to love someone so much. ‘That I’d better go and find us some towels.’

  She slid out of his arms and quickly found what they needed then went back to the kitchen, but there was no sign of him there. She tracked him down to the bathroom and her heart seemed to beat itself to a standstill when she saw him. He had shed his clothes and was standing under the shower with his back to her. Water was cascading over his head, flattening his black hair against his skull, streaming down his body.

  Beth simply stood in the doorway and stared. His body was hard and lean, the muscles flexing rhythmically as he scrubbed himself clean. His skin was darkly tanned all over apart from a paler band circling his narrow hips and buttocks.

  Her eyes lingered helplessly on that strip of pale, smooth skin before she forced them to move on, following the long, straight line of his legs to his well-shaped feet. The room was filling with steam and it seemed to lend a dreamlike quality to the scene. Maybe that was why she didn’t feel embarrassed about standing there, watching him. Or maybe it was because she loved him. Why should she feel ashamed because she enjoyed looking at the man she loved with all her heart?

  He must have sensed that she was there because he suddenly turned. Instinctively, Beth’s eyes swept over him once more while she took rapid stock of the thick black hair that covered his chest, the masculine trimness of his waist. Her gaze slid lower and she felt the blood rush to her face when she saw the effect her scrutiny was having on him.

  He gave a throaty laugh but she heard the edge of uncertainty it held. ‘Maybe I should have made it a cold shower. What do you think?’

  She lifted her eyes to his face and smiled gently when she saw the hunger that blazed in his eyes and which he couldn’t quite hide. ‘That it would have been a dreadful waste.’

  He gave a low groan as he stepped out of the shower and pulled her into his arms. Beth lifted her face for his kiss, uncaring that her clothes were getting soaked as she pressed herself against him. His mouth was hungry when it took hers, his lips burning hot beneath the cooling film of moisture, and she shuddered because the contrast was just so exquisite.

  He grazed his mouth across hers one last time then slowly reached for the top button on her blouse and unfastened it. She gasped when she felt a cool, damp finger touch her hot skin, but he didn’t pause until every single button had been undone. He grasped the front edges of her blouse and there was a questioning look in his eyes as he stared at her.

  ‘Are you sure this is what you want, sweetheart? It isn’t too late to stop if you’re having second thoughts.’

  Her heart overflowed when she heard the tender concern in his voice. Even though she knew that he wanted her desperately, he would stop if she asked him to. It was so typical of him to put her feelings before his, she thought with her heart overflowing.

  ‘I’m not having second thoughts.’ She raised her head and met his eyes proudly, almost defiantly, so that he would be in no doubt about what she was saying. Deep down she knew that she could be letting herself in for heartache but she also knew that it was a risk that she was willing to take. ‘I’m quite sure this is what I want, Adam.’

  She pushed his hands away and slid the blouse off her shoulders then reached behind her and unhooked her bra and tossed it onto the floor. He didn’t say a word as he stood there with the water thundering down behind him. She had a feeling that he found it impossible to speak and understood why. Sometimes words weren’t enough. Sometimes the best way to communicate was through actions.

  She heard him draw in his breath sharply when she undid the snap on her jeans and pushed them down her slender hips. She stepped out of them and kicked them aside. All she had on now was a pair of silky panties and they were soon dispensed with. She took a quick step forward then gasped as her body made sudden, shocking contact with his. His skin was warm and damp and hers stuck to it as she pressed herself against him, breast to breast, hip to hip, so that she felt the wave of shock and desire that raced through him.

  ‘Beth!’

  Her name sounded hoarse as it exploded from his lips, almost anguished, but she knew that it was pleasure he felt, not pain. He swept her up into his arms, lifting her into the shower stall, and she shuddered when she felt the heat of the water raining down on her. However, it was nothing compared to the fire that ignited inside her when he kissed her.

  Beth wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him as passion swept them away. Each caress of his hands as they stroked her wet body seemed to make the fire inside her burn all the hotter. She kissed him back, her hands sliding over his wet skin, seeking out pleasure points then moving on to find more. She was amazed by her boldness as she matched each caress he gave her. She had never believed herself capable of giving as well as receiving so much pleasure, but, then, she had never known what real love felt like before.

  Her heart filled with joy as she gave herself up to the passion they were creating together. She loved him so much and as soon as she could think in words and not just in actions she would tell him!

  Bright morning sunshine was spilling into the room when Beth awoke. She lay quite still, simply enjoying the fact that Adam was lying beside her. She could feel the warmth of his body flowing into hers, smell the scent of his skin, almost taste his mouth on her lips. Her senses seemed to be awash with him and she loved the feeling. She wanted it to last for ever but would it? Could it?

  The first
tiny doubt crept in before she could stop it and she frowned. Last night she had been swept away by her love for Adam and the fact that he had wanted her. She hadn’t paused to wonder why. Now it was less easy to dismiss the thought.

  Why had he made love to her? Had he simply been carried away by the moment? Or—

  ‘Are you awake?’

  The softly voiced question startled her and she jumped. She turned to look at him, feeling herself melt when he smiled at her. Reaching out, he looped a silky strand of hair behind her ear.

  ‘Has anyone ever told you how marvellous you look first thing of a morning?’ he murmured as his lips traced the path his finger had taken.

  Beth shivered when she felt his mouth trailing kisses across her cheek. ‘N-o-o…’

  His smile was smug, his blue eyes gleaming with laughter and a wealth of tenderness that made her skin prickle with heat. ‘I can’t believe that. You’re just being modest,’ he whispered as his lips finally reached her ear and circled it with tiny, sipping kisses.

  ‘I’ve not had much experience of waking up with someone beside me. I’ve only ever slept with one other man,’ she confessed huskily, shuddering when she felt the warmly delicate touch of his tongue painting delicate patterns on her skin. She felt him go tense all of a sudden and a small jolt of shock raced along her nerves, almost as though an alarm had gone off.

  ‘You mean Patterson, I assume?’ he said roughly.

  ‘Yes. There was never anyone else…’

  She tailed off because she really didn’t want to discuss her relationship with Ian at that moment. No wonder she had always marvelled at why people made such a big thing of sex when that had been her only experience of it! Making love with Ian had been a duty rather than a pleasure, something to get over and done with as fast as possible. She certainly hadn’t felt the way she had felt in Adam’s arms last night.

  The thought flowed into her mind so sweetly that she knew that she had to share it with him. She turned to him but he was no longer looking at her. He was staring at the ceiling and the expression on his face at that moment drove everything else from her head.

  He looked so lost, she thought sickly. So completely and utterly bereft that her heart seemed to shrivel up inside her as she found herself wondering what he was thinking about. Was he doing what she had been doing, perhaps, comparing their love-making to past experiences, comparing her to Claire?

  A huge pit of despair seemed to open beneath her. It took her all her time not to let him see how devastated she felt when he turned to look at her. Yet when she saw the emptiness in his eyes it simply reinforced her fears. Maybe last night he had wanted her but in the cold light of day he must have realised what a mistake he had made!

  ‘I’ll make some coffee,’ she said numbly, tossing back the bedclothes and reaching for her robe. She dragged it on, ashamed now of her nakedness and what it represented. She had made love with Adam for the simple reason that she loved him more than life itself, but she should have stopped to consider how he really felt, she should have stopped and remembered Claire!

  ‘Not for me, thanks. I need to get home and change before surgery.’

  Adam’s voice was flat as he tossed back the bedclothes and got out of bed. Beth averted her eyes as he dragged on his clothes, unable to bear to look at him and recall what had happened. She led the way from the bedroom and with each step her despair grew even greater. Adam didn’t love her! He never would. What a fool she had been to let herself dream!

  She stopped when they reached the kitchen, waiting until she had composed herself before she turned to him. Even then she wasn’t prepared for the anguish she glimpsed in his eyes before his lids abruptly lowered.

  ‘I don’t want you beating yourself up about last night, Beth,’ he said tonelessly. ‘These things happen.’

  ‘Do they?’ She gave a shrill laugh, fighting back her tears. ‘I’ll have to take your word for that because I lack experience in these matters.’

  She opened the door and stepped back, praying that he wouldn’t say anything else because she didn’t think that she could bear it. Maybe he was only trying to help but every word seemed to inflict yet another wound on her battered heart.

  He swore under his breath as he looked at her averted face. ‘We need to talk about this but we don’t have the time at the moment.’

  ‘There’s nothing to talk about. We went to bed together, Adam. We aren’t the first people to get carried away and do something we later regret and I don’t suppose we’ll be the last. Let’s leave it at that.’

  ‘If that’s what you want.’ He hesitated a moment longer then shrugged when she steadfastly refused to say anything more. ‘Fine. So long as we both know where we stand. I’ll see you later.’

  Beth closed the door after he’d left and went straight back to the bedroom. She wrenched the sheets off the bed and bundled them into the washer. She wanted to remove all traces of Adam’s presence from the flat as fast as she could because she couldn’t bear to have any reminders of the night they had spent together.

  She set the dials on the washing machine then went to take a shower, feeling her eyes well with tears when she walked into the bathroom and the memory of what had happened there hit her. She could recall in exquisite, painful detail how he had held her and loved her with a tenderness that she had thought must have meant something.

  She might be able to cleanse the flat of any physical traces of him but she couldn’t do the same with her own mind. The memories were going to haunt her day after day, week after week. Was that what he’d had to contend with? Had he been haunted all these years by the memory of her sister?

  The thought was unbearably painful yet in an odd way she knew that it would help her to cope. Now that she knew how Adam must have suffered, she couldn’t be angry with him. If making love with her had given him just a few hours of release from the pain then she didn’t regret it.

  She loved him too much to deny him that bit of comfort even though it was going to cost her dearly.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THE ACCIDENT at the Willows hotel had generated a lot of interest throughout the country. All the daily papers featured reports of the explosion, and the photograph of Adam carrying little Michael from the devastated building had been used on most of the front pages. Consequently, the phone in the surgery never stopped ringing with calls from the media and members of the public, eager to know more.

  Chris proved himself surprisingly adept at dealing with the press when dozens of journalists descended on them. There were crews there from all the leading broadcasting stations as well, and it was Chris who went out to answer their questions. Adam had flatly refused to be interviewed and Beth knew that they would have found it difficult to cope if Chris hadn’t stepped in.

  By lunchtime the furore had started to die down, although a few die-hard reporters were camped in the car park. With all the commotion that had been going on Beth hadn’t seen Adam all morning and she had to admit that she was relieved to have had a bit of breathing space. However, when he tapped on her door, she knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to pretend that last night hadn’t happened. All she could do was focus on her work and Hannah, and try not to think about anything else.

  ‘Eileen said that you were free so I thought you might like to meet our new locum, Benedict Cole,’ he said politely, ushering a younger man with sandy blond hair into the room. He turned to the other man. ‘Beth has been with us for just over a month now so you can see what I meant about us being a fairly new team.’

  ‘Hi, Beth. It’s nice to meet you.’ Benedict Cole smiled as he stepped forward to shake her hand. He was as tall as Adam, with dark brown eyes and an engaging smile. Although he couldn’t have been classed as handsome in the strict sense of the word, she suspected that a lot of women would find him very attractive.

  ‘Welcome to Winton Surgery,’ she replied, returning his smile and trying not to look at Adam. That was like trying to stop a river flowing or the sun f
rom shining because her eyes were irresistibly drawn to him and she felt her heart ache when she saw the grim expression on his face. Was he still torturing himself about what had happened the night before? she wondered.

  ‘Thank you,’ Ben replied. His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘So how are you enjoying working here? I always prefer a first-hand account from the workers rather than a glowing testimony from the boss. That way you get a better idea what you are letting yourself in for.’

  She laughed huskily, very aware of Adam listening to every word. Would she have gone ahead and accepted this job if she’d known what she would be letting herself in for?

  It was impossible to answer that question, of course, so she deliberately blocked it from her mind. ‘I expect you do. Anyway, there’s no need to worry because I’m sure that you’ll enjoy working here. It’s a very busy surgery but the people are great and that’s what makes the job.’

  ‘It is indeed. It sounds as though I’ve made the right decision, then,’ Ben replied with a smile. ‘Where did you work before, by the way?’

  ‘St Jude’s. I was a sister on the coronary care unit.’

  ‘Really?’ He looked impressed. ‘That’s a highly skilled job so what made you decide to change direction?’

  ‘Oh, there were all sorts of reasons,’ she replied evasively. Fortunately, Ben took the hint and didn’t press her. However, she couldn’t help noticing the frowning look Adam gave her as he ushered the younger doctor from the room to introduce him to Chris. He paused in the doorway and she found that she was steeling herself in readiness for what he might say.

  ‘You haven’t forgotten that I have an appointment with Charles Guest this afternoon, have you? Are you still coming with me?’