by Jolie, Mika
“Ready?” he asked.
She breathed in the ocean air, plastered a smile on her lips, and nodded. In return he frowned and caressed her face with his thumb. The slight touch gave her an electric jolt.
“You don’t look well,” he observed, his voice calm, showing no sign of nerves. “Are you feeling sick?”
Her heart was a jackhammer rattling within her ribcage, but other than that, all was well. “I’m fine.”
His gaze swept over her once more, then he got out of the car. In a pair of urban slim fitted black chinos with layered blue and heather grey buttoned down Henley, hugging all of his muscles, he looked handsome, daunting, and sexy as hell. He moved swiftly and opened her door. He extended his hand and she placed trembling fingers in his. Hand in hand they walked in silence into the restaurant.
“Stop being nervous.” He squeezed her hand. “A date is supposed to be fun, at least that’s what I’ve heard.”
She steadied her breath and tried to calm the panic. “You’ve never taken a woman out on a date?” she asked, distracting herself with the conversation. Not that the thought of Adam sharing an intimate meal with a woman was comforting.
He chuckled. “Of course. But often I get bored within thirty minutes.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
He glanced over and smiled at her. “It’s always an interview. I don’t care for a Q&A session,” he said as he opened the door for her.
She could only imagine the poor women with their questions. Do you want to get married? How many children do you want? How rich are you? Are you as good in bed as I imagine?
At least she knew the answer to the last question.
Lily stepped through the door and was greeted by an interesting blend of modern design stainless steel, combined with traditional brick walls and repurposed barn wood on the floor. The restaurant was surprisingly filled. The atmosphere was cool with a welcome feel perpetuated by the friendly staff. Most waved or nodded an acknowledgment to their boss and smiled warmly at her. Even some of the patrons waved at Adam. A quick introduction was made between her and the maître d’ before Adam led them up the stairs to the second floor.
Unlike the first floor, which had a more formal and serene atmosphere, the upper level deck was filled with life; a bar, a small area for a band, two elegant sofas in the corner, and dancing fire flames from lanterns projecting enough heat for those who dared to venture and dine outside.
“I reserved the most romantic table for us,” Adam said with easy charm, and led her to a table at the far end of the deck overlooking the harbor.
As he pulled her chair, Lily caught a few women glancing appreciatively in his direction. Some lingered a little longer, forgetting their spouse or date sitting across from them. She understood the pull he had on her gender. Everything about him exuded sexuality, confidence, and promises if one dared to look deeper. He seemed oblivious to it all, almost as if he only had eyes for her.
“We should have time to catch the sunset after dinner,” he said as he sat across from her, “You haven’t caught a sunset until you see the one here.”
Who was this man?
She knew he was meticulous, thoughtful, and detailed. Even during sex he’d pay attention to every inch of her, pleasing her until she couldn’t think. But there was something about the way he was making her feel today. It felt intimate. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“This is our first date. I’m trying to impress you,” he said, his voice calm and sexy as hell.
Their eyes met with a flare of heat, causing her to blush. He leaned in for a kiss, and possessed her inner soul. It was a gentle kiss, like cotton. The soft caress melted her heart. When he sat back, she turned her gaze to the stunning view of the harbor.
People sat on carts along the pier eating lobsters, drinking beer, and laughing. A sun-beaten man covered in bright orange overalls with knee-length black fisherman boots stood at the end of the pier, slicing his catch of the day. Lily observed a mother leading her son over to the fisherman. She was too far away to hear their words but by the gentle gesture of the mother, she guessed the woman was explaining the art of fishing to her young son.
A smile formed on her lips as her gaze traveled to the filled parking lots, the beach-goers as they walked in easy lazy steps from the sandy shoreline to the nearby shops and the multi-generational family take-outs. Her attention wandered back to the water. Boats lined along the dock rocking gently to the rhythm of the ocean. Everything and everyone around them seemed happy, carefree, lost in the moment, but sadness swept over her in waves.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said in a flat, monotone voice.
“Then why do you look sad?”
The question forced her to look at him. “If it wasn’t for the baby, you would have never brought me here.”
“If it wasn’t for the baby, you would have never been open to coming here with me,” he said with an expression that gave nothing away. “You were just as emotionally unavailable as I was.”
She couldn’t deny that. Still, he had gotten under her armor and captured her heart. “And now you are,” she paused, not sure if she could say the word. “Eh…emotionally available.”
“I’m working on it. Can you do the same?”
The problem was, she was already emotionally involved. Unable to speak, she wet her lips, nodded and picked up the menu. A young, handsome waiter with olive complexion and black hair similar to Adam’s came to the table. Adam rose to his feet and shook the young man’s hand.
“Lily, this is Claudio. He works here until we close next week for the winter break. He’ll be our waiter.” Claudio beamed at Lily. She smiled at him. “Do you mind if I order something for us?”
Just the fact that he asked her first was enough. “Please do.”
“Let’s go with a plate of the fresh mozzarella, a bowl of steamed little neck clams and a bottle of the non-alcoholic Fre Brut,” he said to Claudio without glancing at the menu.
The gesture touched her. She batted her eyelashes to hold back the tears that threatened to flow. Damn it. Her hormones were all out of whack this evening. To her relief, Claudio quickly approached their table. He poured their wine, waited for Adam’s taste test before filling her glass. Once they were alone, Adam raised his glass to her.
“What should we toast to?” he asked, his voice light and teasing.
There were so many things she could toast to. Her family. Minka and Jason’s upcoming wedding. Nate cheating on her; without that, she would have never met Adam. Their unborn child. But as she stared at the sexiest man she had ever known, she could think of nothing more than to celebrate the start of their next chapter.
She raised her glass. “To our first date.”
“And to the next.” He winked at her as they each took a swallow of their wine.
Oh, he really needed to stop being so charming. In an effort to keep herself from drowning under his spell, she tried to dispel what they were experiencing. “I’m sure you’ve been here before with another woman, not that it bothers me,” she added quickly.
“Actually, when I do eat here, it has been alone.”
Putting the wine glass on the table, Lily peered at the few women sitting at the bar. She caught a few staring in Adam’s direction. “Do you usually go home alone from here?”
He sat back and appeared to ruminate over her question. “Before you, no, not always.”
A little bit of pain pulled the strings of her heart and squeezed around it. Things like that shouldn’t bother her. He was a handsome, rich bachelor, and she was sure women flocked to him. She should be appreciative of his honesty. But, most of the time the truth was often the hardest to digest.
“Liliana.” He caught her hands. “I don’t mean to hurt you with my answers, but I won’t ever lie to you.”
Again she wanted to cry. “I appreciate that.”
He took another sip of his wine. The waiter appeared with the appetizer they ordered. Adam asked fo
r a little more time to order. “So tonight I want to know about Liliana Serrano. What grade do you teach?”
Scanning the selection of elaborate main courses on the menu, she peered over it and asked, “Is this going to be a Q&A session?”
He chuckled. Understanding she was using his words on him. “But I’m asking the questions.”
“What’s the difference, it’s still Q&A.”
“Fair enough.”
“Third grade,” she answered anyway.
He smiled. “Do you enjoy it?”
She nodded and smiled at the thought of her class. Her last group of students had been an interesting bunch, a bit much at times but each lovable in their own way. “Yes, very much.”
“I’d love to see you in the classroom.”
She put the menu back on the table and looked at him. Adam grinned, mischief twinkling in his eyes. Lily thought of a typical day teaching, what she often referred to as her happy chaos. “It’s rather boring.”
He chuckled. “Every man wants to do a hot teacher. Here, taste this.” He forked a piece of fresh mozzarella and placed it in her mouth.
Perfectly seasoned fresh cheese with basil and a touch of salt and vinegar met her palette. Lily closed her eyes savoring the flavor. “That’s delicious, and I’m not hot. At least not when I’m teaching.”
Releasing her hand, he leaned back in his chair and watched her, his handsome face fully exposed under the beautiful evening sky. Claudio approached their table with a plate.
“Compliments of Guillermo,” the handsome young man said with a smile as he placed a plate of grilled chorizo in caramelized onions on the table, then left.
“Guillermo will cater Jason and Minka’s wedding,” he explained. “This is the best chorizo I’ve ever had. You must try it.”
The aroma of the grilled Spanish sausage pierced through Lily’s nostrils. As he’d done with the mozzarella, he sliced the chorizo and fed her a piece. The minute it entered her mouth, her palate came to life with the robust blend of paprika, chili powder, and whatever other secret spices Guillermo used. Picking up her fork, she reached over for another piece. Lily closed her eyes, savoring the flavor of the spicy sausage. When she finally opened her eyes, Adam was watching her. His eyes rested solely on her lips.
“I did say no sex, right?”
The question made her laugh. His idea, not hers. She was still processing it.
“You know that’s every boy’s fantasy,” he continued.
“Well, good thing you’re not a boy.”
He shook his head and laughed. A rich laugh that made her skin tingle. “We are the immature sex. Therefore, I’m still hung up on that.”
“You’ve already done me.”
He grinned. “But not a teacher fantasy. How about a college student and a professor?”
Still laughing, she shook her head. “How did we get to this conversation?”
“You’re a hot teacher.”
“Okay, I’m a hot teacher.” She surrendered and accepted his compliment. They sat back and discussed the menu. Adam told her some of his favorites. By the time the waiter came, Lily decided to go with the grilled snapper and leeks. Adam chose sea bass with chanterelle mushrooms. Then he recommended she try the little necks. At first she was reluctant to use her hands to clean the clams, soak them in hot water, then the butter sauce, but within seconds, she found herself enjoying the moment.
As they ate, the conversation became light and easy between them until her family came up.
“Jason mentioned your brothers and parents are coming to the wedding.”
“That’s what I’ve heard,” she answered with a slight smile.
“Do they know?”
“The oldest one, Rafa, thinks he has it all figured out.”
He smiled. “So he’s coming here to seek me out.”
“I will try to control the situation.”
He shrugged, unperturbed by the idea of three men coming to an island specifically to hunt him down. “I’ve dealt with worse. I can take it.”
Again, she noted the slight strain in his voice. She searched his face; his eyes were dark with secrets that she had never felt close enough to uncover.
“You have secrets, Adam.”
“We all have secrets, Liliana,” he said, his voice void of emotion.
An awkward silence fell between them, like a vacuum, creating an overwhelming sense of emptiness. Lily finished the last piece of clam and tried to focus her attention on the water, but she couldn’t, not with the questions that suddenly twisted her heart in knots. No matter what Adam said, the truth was he wasn’t ready to put his heart on the table. With the slightest probe, he had shut down.
She was grateful when a tall, lean-built, handsome man with jet-black hair similar to Adam’s but sprinkled with grey approached their table with Claudio. Adam smiled; the tension her words brought seemed to have left his body.
“Liliana, meet Guillermo, the best chef on the island.”
Guillermo took her hand in his and lowered his lips to hers. Lily couldn’t help but giggle. She heard of the Brazilian chef before from Minka. He had catered Keely and Blake’s wedding and would be doing the same for Jason and Minka’s.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Lily. You drive him crazy, and I love it.”
“Guillermo also has a big mouth,” Adam mumbled. “He enjoys watching me suffer. One day I’ll have to fire him.”
The chef seemed unfazed by the threat. He laughed and waved his hand. “His bark is bigger than his bite. Deep down he’s a teddy bear. I do have to borrow him for a moment if that’s okay. I don’t mean to interrupt.”
Adam glanced at her and she waved away his hesitation. “Please, that’s fine. I’ll be right here.”
With a nod, he pushed his chair back and walked away with Claudio and Guillermo. As they did so, she thought she heard Guillermo speaking Portuguese to Adam. Which made no sense, but then again, most Europeans spoke many languages. She watched them. There was an ease between the three men, but what struck her the most was the similarity between them. It wasn’t one of those hey you are brothers kind of resemblance, but their mannerism, the broad shoulders, the dark hair.
What’s your secret, Adam?
She picked up her fork and toyed with it between her fingers. Lost in her thoughts, she nearly jumped when someone touched her shoulder. She looked up at Adam, his eyes held hers. Another intense connection settled between them. Adam ran his fingertips up on her forearm, leaving a trail of goose bumps blooming in their wake.
“You’re okay?” he asked with a slight frown.
He leaned a little closer and brought one hand to her face; his thumb ran along the curve of her cheekbone. She couldn’t fight it; she nestled her face into his hand, feeling his warmth seep into her.
“Yes, sorry. I drifted,” she answered.
His lips brushed her head, then he released her and walked over to his chair. “My apologies, kitchen issues.”
“Is everything okay?”
“An irate customer.” He shrugged. “We ran out of the catch of the day. I went and talked to him.” He checked his watch. “Let’s eat and go catch the sunset.”
Adam kept the conversation light while they ate. She learned about the Aquilani charities helping battered women and troubled teens. He told her about the investment he, Jason, Forrest, and now Blake put into the Vineyard to provide activities for the children on the island, especially during the quiet season when the population was about fifteen thousand or less. She learned a little about his life in Italy, his condo in Rome and house in Verona. He even shared childhood stories of him and his parents. He kept her laughing.
As they left the restaurant for the beach, he took her to the kitchen to say goodbye to Guillermo, who hugged her tightly and made her promise she would come back again. Feeling giddy from the food and the company, Lily promised to return.
“Let’s go catch the sunset,” Adam whispered. She tucked her hand in the
crook of his arm and allowed her body to fall to the rhythm of his steps to the beach. Their contact was broken momentarily for her to remove her strappy heels.
The cool sand floated between her bare feet. She followed Adam and sat on the cooling dunes. A comfortable silence settled between them as they watched the seagulls walking along the shoreline. The sandcastles slowly dissolved, the waves washing away all signs of the children’s efforts that day, as shadows crept over the land. A few beachgoers smiled at them. Some locals waved at Adam but left him alone.
“I’ve been to many places, but the sunset here is one of the best I’ve ever seen.” His arm came to rest on her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
Lily focused her eyes on the magenta sky. The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the water with the reflection of brilliant pink and orange that spread across the sky. The silence continued, but that was okay. Mesmerized by the beauty of the scene, she nestled a little closer to Adam and gazed at the place where the sun went down.
“Breathtaking, isn’t it?”
The words, heavy with sexual desire, ate through her like a wildfire in a desert. The yearning inside her burst forth.
“Yes, very much.”
But it was autumn, the ocean breeze was cool, making her shiver.
“Let’s go home,” he whispered huskily in her ear. As he came to his feet, with arms extended he gently pulled her up with him.
His arms wrapped around her comfortably, sending sparks flying, heart fluttering, emotions building. Lily heard the soft whisper of his breath as he exhaled. Before she could say anything, Adam tilted his head down and kissed her, sending a shiver down her spine.
“I never agreed to the new rule,” she said once their lips were finally disconnected.
He shook his head, reaffirming he was going to stick to this no-sex nonsense. His arm slid along her back to guide her closer and held her to his heart. His chin pressed gently on top of her head. “I discovered something tonight,” he said in a low rough voice.
“What’s that?”
“I’m liking you a lot more than I originally planned.”
His steady, strong, powerful heartbeat drummed in her ear. Lily closed her eyes and lost herself in the moment. Her fears over his lifestyle and career choice still lurked in her conscience, but she knew she needed to stop being afraid of what could go wrong and focus on what could go right.
