by Deanna Chase
A perfect kiss blindsided me—there was something in his touch and the lean of his body that was overpowering. Did Adam really care for me the way his body told me he did? His hand slipped around the nape of my neck, cradling it, as his kiss slowed to a torturous linger.
When he moaned unexpectedly, deep and pleasured, a spark lit in me. It tingled in the center of my chest, becoming a surge that pushed through to my fingertips; I felt like a sponge dripping with power.
My right leg slid down his side, but he was busy nipping at my bottom lip with his teeth.
“I’m going to touch you,” he whispered.
Adam announcing his intent was so unexpected that I stopped kissing him. His mouth moved across my neck and when his fingers ran over my shirt, I arched my back.
“Zoë, you’re so soft,” he breathed, tracing his skillful fingers down to my stomach, where they slipped beneath the shirt and stroked my bare skin.
His tongue lapped across my neck and my hand reached out to stroke his cheek, circling my fingers around the rough stubble. I heard a low-decibel hum, increasing with frequency—that’s when Adam catapulted off the sofa and yelled out.
I could still feel his lips on mine and my hand was suspended where only seconds ago it had traced along his jaw and hairline. I was horrified by my willingness to yield to him.
Sex always ruins friendship, and I didn’t know that I was ready to give that up. I needed a friend and couldn’t afford to lose him. Although sex would have been nice.
“What was that?” he hissed, pushing the skin of his cheek around with his hand.
“I guess a mistake?” I threw my feet on the floor and glared at his disheveled shirt. Adam ran his hand through his hair and stared down at me like I were a freak of nature.
“Do you know what you just did to me?”
I didn’t like his accusation or his tone. “Don’t turn this around on me; you’re the one who kissed me first. Why are you looking at me that way?”
Adam sat down and lifted my hand by the wrist, like he might have picked up a dirty dishtowel that had been soaking in urine. There was no warmth in his touch as he flipped it over, stroking his finger down my palm.
I shivered and pulled it away.
“Something weird just happened with your hand. You didn’t feel that?”
I didn’t want to admit to the fact that there was something fundamentally wrong with me. I’d felt it since the night of my attack.
But I sure as hell didn’t want to be called out on it.
“You haven’t noticed anything odd about yourself?” he added.
“Odd,” I said defensively. “Weird. Thanks for all the compliments.”
“You’re hiding something from me, and I want to know what it is.”
I was already in his debt and I didn’t like that feeling of entitlement he had over me.
Moving briskly toward the front door I pulled at the handle when Adam muscled it with his strong arm.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“None of your business,” I spat.
When I pulled again he leaned harder, and that pissed me off.
“Let go; you can’t make me stay here. You don’t own me, so quit treating me like property. I have a life I need to figure out and I can’t keep hiding.”
He shouldered the door and wrapped his fingers around my wrist, pulling it away from the knob. I jerked free and scowled.
“Look, you aren’t the boss of me.”
Adam didn’t budge.
“Fine,” I said, backing away from the door. “Whatever.”
I locked eyes with the back door and took off in a dead run. I was halfway out on the porch when he caught my arm.
“Get back in the fucking house! I’m not letting you leave.”
I struggled to pull free, but he reeled me in like a fish until I was inside. I looked at him with defiant eyes and he locked his arm around my hips.
“You’re not a prisoner, that’s not what this is about. I want to help you, but you have to let me, you have to trust me.” When his voice softened, I considered his sincerity.
“Did I hurt you?” I asked.
“Not exactly.”
I swallowed down my relief. “Then what was it you felt?”
“So you know what I’m talking about?”
I nodded. “I’m not really sure how to answer that. I haven’t been right since my attack, and that was…” I shook my head. “I’m protecting myself because I don’t want you to think I’m crazy. I don’t want you to judge me. I don’t want you to leave me.”
And there it was, in a neat little nutshell. Adam using words like weird or strange to describe me felt like I had an affliction. He was all I had in the world and I didn’t want to lose that.
I shivered as the northern wind snuck up from behind and curled around my legs like icy fingers.
Adam leaned on the door with one hand until it closed.
“I won’t judge you, and I won’t leave you.” He remained in that position, with one arm resting over my head and the other around my waist. “When your hand was on my face it was as if you were charging me up, like an electric shock. How is it that you can do that?” His eyes narrowed almost suspiciously. “It was energy. I can still feel it.” He let go of me and flexed his fingers open and closed.
“It’s not just my looks that changed, Razor, there’s something else different inside of me. I don’t know what it is, how to control it, or why it even comes out—but it’s there.”
“I don’t want you to leave,” he sighed. “I want you here, feel me? You need someone to look after you until we figure this out.”
We.
That was Adam—always wanting to look out for someone. Perhaps it was that lost opportunity with his sister. I gave him a chance to walk away, but he planted his feet firmly on the ground and folded his arms, ready to go wherever this little journey led him.
“No more physical contact, it’s too risky and I have a feeling that I could have done more damage than curled your hair. Strictly platonic, okay?”
His mouth crooked up in a grin and he stuck out his hand. “Deal. Shake on it?”
I stuck out my tongue at him and sauntered off.
“Don’t tempt me, woman,” he growled.
While his voice was laced with humor, I looked back and saw his sexy eyes hung on me heavily. Residual from our kiss no doubt, but something lingered in that expression.
“Put on your shoes and pack the ladder, Romeo. We’re going to do Spidey work.”
Chapter 6
“Are you sure that your window is open?”
I looked over my shoulder at the dark, empty street. “I usually keep it unlocked in the late summer. I like a cool breeze. Are you sure no one is watching?”
Adam glanced around my apartment complex. The cops would be one thing, but the last thing I needed was my neighbor, Mr. Harvey, pointing a shotgun at our asses.
I nervously gripped the edges of the ladder and took a deep breath.
“You’re good. Hurry up and don’t fall.”
I’m not sure whose idea it was that I was the one to go up, but Adam was stronger and could steady the ladder better than I could. I bit my lip, looking up at where the ladder rested against the window.
“Hold it tight, okay? I don’t have nine lives.”
“No, you have eight.” A grin distracted me a moment while his hands worked to steady the ladder.
Halfway up, I realized two things. One: climbing was not a silent feat. Two: flip-flops are not recommended. My toes grappled onto those shoes like grim death. I shot a worried look when Adam’s eyes gave me a reply: you can do this, and hurry your ass up.
I pushed the window up and threw myself inside as fast as I could, my legs still dangling over the ledge.
Jesus, I will never do anything like that again. Just then, one of my flip-flops slid free.
The first thing I noticed was some of my things were gone.
“Max?”
I frowned at where his food dish once was.
After a couple of minutes, there was a light tap in the living room and I flipped the lock and pulled the door open.
“Lose this?” he said, dangling my shoe between his fingers. I snatched it and victoriously displayed my ATM card.
“Sweet, now you can buy your own panties.”
“Try to be quiet, I have thin walls.”
Adam was on it. Without a word, he slipped out of his shoes and turned off the light. I watched with amused curiosity as he closed the curtain in the bedroom as if he had done this kind of thing before. The man was a photographer by day and a ninja by night.
“Hey, I’m not Helen Keller—I need some light.”
A soft glow beamed from the connecting bathroom. Adam stopped short in the doorway. “That should give you enough. Hurry up, get whatever you need, and let’s get the hell out of here.”
I brushed past him and as I did, he yanked a stick out of his pocket and cracked it. After a few shakes it released a soft green glow.
“Who are you, an international spy?” I giggled to myself out of earshot range.
I stuffed a few personal things into a small bag and rejoined him in the living room.
“Can you help me get this down the stairs?” I whispered, dragging my white flokati rug behind me.
“Christ, Zoë,” he scolded. “If you take anything personal let it mean something to you. Hurry up; we need to clear outta here.”
I stared at the rug, disappointed. “I took my first steps on this rug.” I sighed, dragging it back into the bedroom. I guess it seemed a silly thing to him but you can’t help what you form attachments to.
When I finished, I followed the glow of green light in my hall that was lingering over one of my picture frames. I stepped beside Adam, who was looking at my former life.
“That’s my mom.” I pointed to an old Polaroid of my mother when she was young, standing behind me as I clutched an orange teddy bear. “And that’s Max, my baby.” My finger brushed over the glass, scratching his imaginary head.
“That’s a big baby,” he said, looking at the picture of Max lounged out in my bathroom sink with his massive jackrabbit legs spilling over the edges.
“And that’s—”
“You”, he whispered.
My ex had taken the picture; I was sitting on my white rug gazing out the window. To anyone else it looked like I was daydreaming, but that was the day I was thinking about getting away from him.
“Yeah. Was.” I cleared my throat.
When memory lane turned into an HOV lane, I made a quick break for the exit, not wanting to get lost in sentimental bullshit when I had a job to do. Adam went into my bedroom while I moved toward the front door.
“I’m heading down; I’ll be in the car.”
I glanced down. “Don’t forget your shoes, they’re by the door.” I could feel his no shit look through two inches of door.
Once in the Rover, I slouched down in my seat and mentally collapsed. The remnants of my life were zipped up in a bag and I knew I was never going back. That chapter was closed, and yet I wasn’t as upset as I should have been. I had a clean slate. My life wasn’t much, but I was still grateful that I had it.
A few minutes later, the rear hatch lifted for a few seconds and then Adam slammed it shut. He hopped in and punched the key in the ignition.
“Anywhere else?”
I opened my eyes and turned to face him. A laugh escaped that reverberated off the walls of the truck and spiraled out of control.
Adam had shoved the glow stick in his pocket, causing his entire crotch to radiate like a nuclear meltdown. I was hysterical for a minute or two before I could breathe again.
“My stomach hurts,” I said, wiping a tear. “That’s money.” I groaned, letting out a few stray laughs. It was the first time I really let down my guard with Adam and he was thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. His eyes squinted from a broad grin and he winked at me.
“Kryptonite, sweetheart.” He tossed the stick in the back and the engine growled as the car pulled out.
“Wait!” I hissed.
Adam reacted, slamming the brakes as I flew forward. He threw his arm out protectively, despite the fact I was buckled up.
Between two buildings, someone was watching us, and this time I saw him. He stepped into the dark shadows and that prickly feeling surfaced. Somehow—I felt him. Now I knew that he was not just a phantom memory chasing me in my dreams and that terrified me.
When I lost consciousness during the attack, I never knew what happened to the man. With that uncertainty there was always an underlying fear that he was behind every door, every dark shadow, and in my head. He became my boogeyman. What if he found me? He couldn’t possibly know what I look like now, but what if…
Adam threw the car in park and sprang into action, hitting the pavement in a full run.
“Adam, wait!” But it was too late.
My hands started shaking as he charged between the buildings and vanished from sight. The car was quiet except for the sound of my stampeding heartbeat. Minutes passed.
I popped open the door and I took a few cautious steps toward the corridor, but as I neared the curb I had second thoughts.
Just as I turned on my heel, I was grabbed by an arm. I spun around to face Adam.
“What are you doing out of the ca—”
I slapped him. The sound cut through the air and marked him with my anger in red splotches that formed on his cheek.
“Don’t you ever leave me alone like that again! You can’t just run off; what if something happened?”
Adam paled. It didn’t occur to me how those words might affect him, but I wasn’t thinking rationally. He attempted to pull me against him but I recoiled, trembling all over. It wasn’t just me, but what if something happened to him?
“Adam Razor… if I don’t live and fucking breathe.”
We simultaneously turned to the right and emerging from a black Jeep Commander was a brute of a man—thick and stocky in build, wearing a black beanie hat and a tight, white, long-sleeved shirt that looked like buttercream icing over his body-builder frame. His inquisitive eyes glowed from the illumination of the cigarette burning at the end. He pulled in a long drag, eating up the time as the paper crackled.
“Knox… you’re a little off the map, aren’t you?”
“Likewise, brother.” The cigarette was tossed to the asphalt and crushed beneath sizable laced-up boots as he blew out the smoke. I didn’t like the way he glared at me, so I stepped closer to Adam. Knox folded his arms, pushing out those boulders he called muscles.
“Go wait in the car.”
Adam didn’t wait for an argument but escorted me to the car and slammed the door. I watched the two men lock arms and I cracked the manual window just a little so I could eavesdrop.
“I told you I’m out,” Adam stated factually.
“Which brings me back to my previous question—what brings you out here? It’s a pretty big mother of a fucking coincidence.” His muscled arm stretched out over the car door and I didn’t see him blink once. Intimidation oozed out of his pores as if it were part of his DNA makeup.
“This is my life, Knox. Deal.”
“Sure you don’t want to tell me something? Last chance, because I’ll find out.”
Adam’s stance widened. “I’m squeaky clean, as you’ll see. No one sent you to find me?”
“Hell no, we got bigger fish in the frying pan.” Knox lowered the tip of his hat so his eyes were hidden. I remained quiet, knowing any sound I made would alert them that I could hear what they were saying.
“Pretty girl.” His eyes skated to the car and Adam turned to check on me. “She yours?”
“She’s a friend; I’m helping her out.”
Knox rubbed his hand against his chin, pulling in his lower lip. “Do me a favor and cook up that big juicy steak you’re going to put over your cheek when you get home, brother. I like it well-done. Looks lik
e you’re the one that needs the help.”
Adam softly chuckled and his hand touched the back of his neck. It was his thing, one of those gestures that was intrinsically Adam. “Sounds to me like you haven’t found that someone special.”
Knox sounded like a distant motor when he laughed and he tilted his wide chin up with a smirk. “I like my women naked with their legs wrapped around my neck—now that’s special.” I almost shuddered at the visual. His smile spread tight across those steel jaws. “Relationships are for pussies, I think we’ve established that.”
“Still the same old whore you always were, Knox.” Adam’s tone warmed and despite their banter, I could see they were friends.
“It isn’t the same. You should see the mindfuck they paired me up with.”
I turned in irritation as a small Chevy sputtered out of its parking space. The engine drowned out the conversation at the most critical point. Once the car narrowly missed losing its transmission turning the corner, their voices drifted back.
“Got to fucking love it.” They laughed in unison and I turned my mouth, thinking that this wasn’t the type of friend I imagined Adam pairing up with. But then, there was a lot about Adam I didn’t understand.
“Is this a job, anything I need a heads-up on?”
“Sorry, brother, you know the rules. Let’s just say this is my R&R. It’s never too late to come back.”
“You know where I stand on this, Knox. There’s no going back. I already got them on my ass. I’ve worked hard to make a life here and stay under the radar. You need to open your eyes to what’s going on.”
“My eyes are wide fucking open. The elusive Trinity files were hacked. Yeah, that’s right. My partner is a royal dick but his skills are impeccable. What I saw would pop your cork, and it sheds a little light on some of the jobs we did.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind hacking into that database? I hope your twisted buddy knows how to cover his tracks, or you’ll end up out here with me.”
Knox looked around, unimpressed. “Yeah, this blows.”
“This doesn’t seem like standard—” When the voices abruptly cut off, my eyes lifted from the floor of the car. Busted. I cringed as their gaze splintered me.
