“I didn’t want to talk to you,” she said.
“Why? I’m that terrible? I know I can be gruff. Okay…I can be an asshole. But I think I’ve come past a lot of that with you, Luna.”
She nodded, silent, shutting her eyes as he continued to invade her body. Her breath was a rush of noisy air in the silent room. “I can’t talk to you about—“ Her hips bucked and he curled the finger in her pussy. When he curled it, he triggered a waterfall of sensation deep inside of her. Luna came, tossing her head so that her hair hissed along the carpet.
“About what?” He pulled his hand free of her, but didn’t help her sit up. She was still trapped, her legs shoved into the slots between the banister posts.
“I can’t talk to you about you,” she admitted. Her heart hammered and she felt dizzy with it.
That’s when he did help her sit up. He folded her legs in so she could put her weight on her knees and sit up some. Then he took her hand and stood, leading her up the steps to her room. Her body let off warm ticks and pops of after-orgasm, like a car cooling.
“So I’m that problem?”
“Yes,” she mumbled. But she followed him nonetheless.
“I’m really that bad?” His blue-green eyes flashed something that could pass for pain.
“No, you’re really that good,” she blurted. She didn’t want to hurt him, but everything about him scared her now. Mostly, how attached she felt to him.
“We’ll talk about it.”
“I don’t want to talk.”
They were outside her room then and she stared him down. He cocked his head, reading something in her face, she felt. Then he grabbed her hair and bully-walked her to the bed. He tossed her down and moved in swiftly, a predator, a hunter…
“Then we won’t talk. We’ll just fuck.”
She thought it would be good to protest. To say no and put on a show of it. But he covered her body with his strong warm self and kissed her. All her protests died on her lips as he parted her thighs.
* * * * *
He pressed her thighs high so they nearly reached her armpits. His big hand pinned her hands above her head, one wrist layered above the other. Her head tossed restlessly as he entered her—every nerve ending in her body singing wildly with the anticipation.
“You can talk to me even if it’s me you need to talk about.” The words snaked into her ear as he penetrated her. Sliding his girth into her one inch at a time, making her wait, drawing it out.
Luna could only nod. Yes, she understood.
“Am I that bad?”
“It’s not you,” she said, trying to push up but he held her still. She bucked to try and get him deeper, but he blocked her movements while hiking her hips up a touch with his free hand to get her what she needed.
“Ah, so it’s you,” he said, chuckling almost angrily.
“It is me,” she went on, her breath wispy as she tried to speak. “I…I was thinking of you as a…confidant more than a lay.”
Adam froze and stared at her. Still buried deep inside of her, his hand still imprisoning her wrists. “That’s why you avoided me. You felt… more?” She nodded, her eyes stinging with tears, her vision doubling with unshed water. “I’m sorry.”
“Shut up, Luna,” he said, shaking his head. “You never have to be sorry for that. Just stop.”
To make her really shut up, he pushed his mouth to hers, slid his talented tongue into her mouth and kissed her. When he freed her hands she clutched at him, feeling like she wanted to weep but unable to. Her fingers twined in his hair and she yanked.
Adam bit her tongue gently, his hips grinding against her so the pressure was immense.
She was so full. Full of him. And she came with a rough cry that made him cuss softly, and then he was coming too.
“Are you sad you came?”
“No.” He kissed her eyelids and smoothed her hair down. She relaxed into his touch. “I just wasn’t done with you yet.”
“We can do it again later,” she said.
“Later?”
Luna took a deep breath and embraced her fear. It didn’t have to mean anything more than she wanted. It wasn’t a marriage, it was an invitation. “You could stay the night.”
“I could?”
“If you wanted to?” She heard the question in her own invitation.
“Do I want to?” He grinned, but she could tell he was teasing because he was scared of freaking her out.
“Yes, you want to.”
“See, you read my mind.” He curled himself against her and just held her while their bodies cooled.
“How about I make you a very early dinner?”
“It’s just passed lunch,” Luna laughed, turning to face him. She stroked the planes of his cheekbones with her fingertips.
“It can be linner. A lunch dinner combo.”
“Okay. It would be nice for someone to cook for me.” It was true. She pressed herself against him so she could feel his heartbeat. It was okay to be soothed, she reminded herself. It was okay to feel content, even if it was brief and wouldn’t last.
“And then later…” He kissed her forehead.
“Later?” She knew, but she drew the word out like a question to tease him.
“Later maybe we can do…stuff.” He grinned wickedly.
“Maybe,” she said. Luna took his cock in her hand, he was soft but rallied to the touch. It was a thrill to feel. Flesh coming to life just for her. “See, I was thinking…where you had your finger earlier.”
He looked confused, but only for a moment. Then his eyes turned a smoky blue that had her ready to climb aboard and ride him to orgasm again…already. “Yeah?” Adam clamped his hands to her hips and pulled her in tight against him. His cock grew harder still in her loose fist.
“I thought maybe you’d want to put something else there,” she said, squeezing his hard-on suggestively.
His eyes slid shut for a moment—reminding her of some gorgeous reptile—and then he growled. “Jesus, woman, I’m going to—“
“Cook for me!” she laughed, rolling away from him. Giving herself over to the sudden joy and silliness. She ran, stark naked, across the room before he could reach out and snag her.
He’d stay the night. It would be fine. She just had to realize that it wasn’t forever. That was easy enough. Right?
* * * * *
“My God. No one ever cooks for me.” They were at her dining room table, which he’d insisted she set while he cooked.
Luna had put out a navy blue tablecloth, in deference to his favorite color, and some crystal candlesticks with some white tapers. Then she’d gone whole hog, setting formal settings of china for each seat.
“Sit, sit.” He ladled something into their soup bowls as Luna poured some white wine she’d gotten from the back of the basement fridge. Nice and crisp and a little sweet, it would be perfect for a light dinner.
“We have a…made up chicken soup!”
Luna cocked her head. It was unusual to see him so off-the-cuff and fun. His demeanor was light and relaxed, and she realized she liked this Adam just as much as the gruff pain in the ass, growly Adam.
“Made up?”
“You had some rotisserie chicken in there. It’s good, right?” He looked momentarily worried and she had to cover a laugh.
“Yeah. It’s from yesterday. I bought it because I was craving roast chicken sandwiches on good deli bread.”
“Whew,” he said, wiping his brow dramatically.
“So we have chicken in some of that chicken broth constitute you have. The fancy stuff, might I add, the kind I can never afford.” He winked at her.
“I am a caterer. My livelihood is food. I can’t go having cheap ass chicken stock.”
“True, true.” Adam took his seat and shook out his cloth napkin, pasting a prim and prissy look on his handsome face.
This time she did laugh. It was nice to just laugh. Luna followed suit as he went on.
“I diced some carrots super f
ine with some onion, diced the same, so that they’d sauté up pretty quick, and then some really nice rice noodles because they soften quickly. A garnish of some parsley I rescued from your crisper and…” He waved a hand over the steaming bowl.
“Voila,” she said.
“Voila!” He grinned at her. Even white teeth flashing, but instantly making her think of those teeth on her. Nipping her skin. Making her hurt just enough to make her come.
Luna repressed a shiver and tucked into her soup. “Hey, this is good!” He frowned. It was exaggerated so she didn’t fret. “Well my, my, snobby pants. You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
She snorted. “Sorry. You’d just be surprised how many men cannot cook.”
“No I wouldn’t. A lot of men can’t cook. My mom taught me to cook from the get-go. I was always peeling, chopping, stirring or something.”
“Ah, so she raised well prepared men,” she said, nodding appreciatively.
“Man,” he corrected, briefly. “My brother wanted nothing to do with it.” Luna ate some more, listening to him talk about his mom. Half way through the soup, it became clear she was dealing with a man who was in the process of early grieving. He was letting her go. He was getting his mind prepared to lose her. Her heart crimped a little bit, and she blinked hard so he wouldn’t see the sudden emotional slam she suffered. Luna wasn’t even sure he knew what he was doing.
“Is her health okay?”
“Not really,” he said softly, standing and clearing their bowls. He looked down at her and tried to smile. “She’s got some heart problems and high blood pressure and all that good stuff.
Complicated by years of forgetting to take meds, or forgetting her diet, or forgetting…her son,” he muttered, turning away. He glanced over his shoulder and there was a smile. “Next the main course.”
“Can’t wait,” she said.
All the pain and worry and fretting over her son, she could empathize with him on this.
And she wasn’t sure what was worse—a long buildup to an end where you saw it coming, or a fast and painless passing. The torture would drive her mad, she thought. But then again, a sudden loss leaving a gaping hole in her life would do the same. Luna shook her head. An impossible thought to wrap her mind around.
“Why are you shaking your head no to no one?” he teased.
She ignored the question, staring at the plate he held. “Grilled cheese?” Adam did a mock gasp, clutching at invisible pearls like a prudish schoolmarm. “Grilled.
Cheese, she says!”
“Well?” Luna craned her neck to see. “I see crust and toasty bread and cheese, it looks like…”
“It is Panini,” he said and doled her pieces out.
“Oh, looks yummy.” And it did. “What’s in it?” she asked even as she greedily took a bite.
“Havarti and mild cheddar and some crisped Italian salami and baby spinach and—“ She rolled her eyes and murmured. “God, I love a man who can cook.” The silence that followed was deafening.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I mean…I didn’t mean—“
He waved her off. “I got it. It’s fine.”
Her cheeks were so fucking hot. The Panini had become wedged in her throat. Luna was mortified. “It’s not. I did not mean it that way. I just meant I love being cooked for.” Adam chuckled, and it only sounded a tiny bit forced. “I knew what you meant, Luna.
Don’t freak out.”
Why was she freaking out? Why was she making such a big deal out of it? People said they loved stuff all the time. I love that dress. I love their pizza. I love your sense of humor. Why did she have to take a simple, every day, statement and turn it into a big fucking deal?
Shut up, shut up!
She shut up and ate. The food had lost all its taste though, and his eyes kept flitting to her.
“So how are you holding up all alone here? You strike me as the kind of mother who actually likes to mother.”
Yeah. She was.
“I’m fine. I think. Sometimes I’m not and I just want to cry.” Why not be honest, right?
“And sometimes I feel this insane surge of freedom. Like…wow! I haven’t felt like I could you know…” She coughed. “Do stuff with the door open for ages. Especially with a…you.”
“A you?”
“Someone who isn’t Nick’s dad is what I meant.”
He laughed. “Got it.” He finished off his sandwich in three big bites and she enjoyed watching him eat. His jaw flexed, his face showed pleasure, he got soft around the eyes when he found something particularly tasty. It was a sensual experience watching Adam Singleton eat.
“Do you and your ex get along?”
She cocked her head. “Actually we do.”
He nodded, polishing off some chips and a pickle he’d set on the table. “Good for you guys. Good for your kid, too.”
She swallowed hard. “Especially with all the issues Nick has. We have to be as united as we can be. Even if that occasionally means faking it.” She dropped the remainder of her food and patted her stomach. “One more bite will be too many bites. I’m done. And thank you…so much.” The smile she gave him was genuine. It lit her face and her heart. When he touched her hands, a warmth spread through her that had very little to do with lust. “You’re welcome. I just threw it together from what you had.”
“The best kind of meals,” she said.
Adam nodded. “Plus,” he said, “I should be thanking you.”
“For what?”
He gave her an entirely lupine grin. “All the dirty stuff.”
“Want more dirty stuff?” she asked, her voice a trembling thing in her throat.
“Yes, please.”
“You sure?”
He stood so fast he nearly knocked his chair over. “I’ll race you.” She grabbed his arm and felt her body tense. She didn’t want to ask but the compulsion was overwhelming. “Wait! Why?”
“Why what?”
He was too good looking in shorts and nothing else. His chest, with just the perfect amount of hair, and his belly flat, with those little cut muscles that made her want to touch him.
His eyes—that unusual shade of blue—showed true concern.
“Why are we doing this?”
Adam took her hand, kissed it. That small gesture did something to her. It filled her throat with emotion, leaving her both touched and terrified. “Because there’s an energy between us.” She nodded. That was true.
“And we can. We…figured out what we wanted and we went for it. That’s okay. We’re allowed.”
She didn’t say it made her nervous because she wasn’t sure what she felt any more.
Before Ben she’d had a handful of lovers. Some of them she’d had an attachment to. Some of them she’d felt affection for. Luna couldn’t say she’d loved any of them. When those relationships ended, she was fine with it. She was just as secure and happy as she’d been when they started. But she couldn’t help looking at the fact that if Adam suddenly disappeared from her life now she’d feel…a loss. It was the safest way for her to categorize it.
She nodded. “Right. We are allowed.”
He cocked his head and studied her. He gripped her hand a little tighter as if trying to feel her pulse through her fingertips. “Are you unhappy?”
“No. I mean not with you.” Here she forced a laugh. “I’m not so thrilled in general with some things, but that’s just because I’d move heaven and earth if I was capable to fix things for my kid. But that just makes me a neurotic mom.”
Adam pulled her up and hugged her. The kiss he placed on her lips was uncharacteristically soft and comforting. She let herself feel that comfort. Let herself block out the world and sink into his kindness. “That’s what makes you so kick ass.”
“Come with me.” She pulled him behind her and as big as he was—as muscular and imposing—he followed behind her obediently.
In her room, Luna didn’t talk. She kissed him so that it all melted away
. Even her fears of what she felt for him all fell away as she popped the button on his shorts, tugged his zipper and found him again. As hard and as warm and as ready as he’d been the time before. And the time before that, and the time before that. His fingers pushed into her hair, and his other hand trapped her to him with pressure on the small of her back. She let him go so that his cock pressed the cleft of her through her pants and she sighed, tugging at his hard arms and broad back with eager fingers.
This felt different. This was intense and big and in your face emotion tagged onto sex.
This was not the sex they started with. This was something more. But she had a choice—
examine it or move forward blindly. Enjoying his body and letting him enjoy hers.
“Take me,” she said.
“I am taking you.”
“No. Take me. There’s lube in the drawer and…”
“Are you sure?”
Already his hands were pushing at her yoga pants. He pressed a finger into her and Luna gasped into his mouth. He added a second finger and brushed her G-spot expertly with the tips of his fingers. She was so wet she could hear the penetration. The pleasure it triggered seeped into her womb, her pelvis, and up into her belly.
“I’m sure.”
He laid her out on the bed. Spreading her arms and legs, long and taut. Adam pulled her shirt up over her head and when she was bare, he kissed her. From the nape of her neck to the backs of her ankles, he kissed her. Lips trailing warm kisses along every inch of her, so that one moment she felt impossibly warm and pliable with it then the next moment, she shivered as goose bumps erupted on her skin. Fingers penetrated her as he pressed his lips to the back of her knees. His thumb found her clit and he fucked her slowly with his fingers, dragging his mouth down the back of her tight calves.
She came. Giving in to it, surrendering for the closeness she felt with Adam. She didn’t need to admit it, but she could appreciate it.
Angry Sex Page 16
