Lia’s hand flew to her hair as though it were still a tangled mess. She smoothed it out and tried to remain calm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, get over it, Lia. Dax and I both know you two are into each other.”
Thankfully Julie had enough sense not to broadcast to the rest of the kitchen what she really meant. Restaurants were worse than high schools when it came to the rumor mill. “Yes, we’re seeing each other, and I thank you for agreeing to open today so I could have lunch with him.”
“No worries.” Julie started to walk off, but paused and added, “You know, I’m really glad you found someone who makes you smile.”
“Smile?”
“Yeah. I mean for the last year, you’ve come in here every day we’ve been open, working so hard to make this place a success, but you never really lit up until you started seeing him, if that makes any sense.”
It made too much sense. She’d mended her broken heart back together with cooking, but it had still remained empty until she’d found someone to open it up to again.
A new batch of orders came in, destroying any time she had to reflect on this discovery. The evening passed in waves of orders and entrees, dishes and desserts. Before she knew it, it was closing time. She was in the middle of assigning clean up tasks to the staff when she spotted Adam leaning against the wall outside her office.
She stepped away from the bustle of the kitchen and pulled him inside. “How did you get in here?”
“Staff entrance.” He pointed to the back door that led to another stairwell and the ever-so-important trash chute. “Dax looked ready to jump me when I tried to come into the kitchen through the dining room last night.”
She snickered. “Dax wants to jump you, but not in the way you’re talking about.”
“Too bad for him, I’m already spoken for.” He pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss that left her breathless and wanting to pull him into the stairwell for a repeat of last night.
The sound of someone clearing their throat ended the kiss before things got too out of hand. Julie stood in the doorway holding a clipboard and wearing a know-it-all grin. “You’re becoming a familiar face around here, Adam.”
“Would you believe I’m crazy about the cooking?”
“Who can blame you?” Her grin widened as she scribbled something on the clipboard. “I’ve finished assigning the closing tasks, Lia. Why don’t you get out a bit early for a change?”
“I think that’s fabulous idea, don’t you?” Adam reached around cupped his hand firmly on her ass. “Julie looks like she has things under control.”
It was a conspiracy. They must have coordinated a rendezvous point to coerce her into going home with him an hour earlier than normal. And their plan was working. She peeked at Julie’s notes. “Make sure you put all the receipts in the safe.”
“Got it,” she replied with an efficient check mark.
“And double-check to make sure all the food is properly stored.”
“Done.”
“And—”
Adam cut her off by taking her hands in his own and placing them on his chest. “Lia, I think Julie knows the evening routine by now.”
She’d trusted Julie to open for her today, just like she’d trusted Julie to close for her on those rare nights she ceded control of La Arietta to her sous chef. Tonight should be no different, but she still felt like she was abandoning her child in a way. The more demands Adam made of her time, the less she could dedicate to her business.
But tonight, she was willing to let go of the uptight side of her nature and enjoy her new passion—Adam. “It’s your ship, captain,” she told Julie as she relaxed into him.
“Woo-hoo!” Julie jumped up into the air and ran back into the kitchen. Lia listened carefully as her sous chef continued the closing routine the exact same way she normally did.
Adam guided her chin back to him. “See? Nothing to worry about.”
“You’re right.” She unfastened her chef’s jacket and switched it for the denim one she’d worn to work. “Is there any reason why you came over tonight?”
“Yes, but I’ll tell you later. Right now, I just want to get you home.” He leaned closer to her, his breath grazing her ear as his voice lowered. “When we get there, I’m going to remove all your clothing and explore every inch of your body from the top of your head to tips of your toes.” He paused, pulling her hips forward so the evidence of his arousal pressed against her. “With lots of intermittent stops along the way.”
His arousal was so infectious, she was ready to let him begin his exploration right then and there. Her skin tingled with anticipation. “Then let’s be on our way.”
The drive to his place was short enough that she managed to keep her hands to herself. All restraint disappeared once they got into the elevator, though. She kissed him the same fast and frenzied way he’d done last night. Tonight, she was the one who needed him. She was the one who was tempted to press the stop button in the elevator and find her release before they even made it to his front door.
The ding announcing they’d reached his floor resurrected what was left of her self-control. She pulled away, giving him her best seductive grin.
“Patience,” he said, unlocking the door to his condo. “I meant what I said about taking my time making love to you tonight.”
Making love?
She’d barely had time to comprehend the meaning of the words before a hundred pounds of white fur knocked her to ground. The combination of sniffs and licks would’ve been enough to trigger a panic attack in most people, but Lia wedged her hands between her and the Grand Pyrenees and giggled. “There’s got to be a less aggressive way to greet me, Jasper.”
“Sorry, Lia,” Adam grunted, tugging on the dog’s collar. “I forgot that he seems to be overly fond of you.”
She sat up and wiped the doggy drool off her face. “Is it just me?”
“Unfortunately.” He wrestled Jasper back into the condo. “I would help you up, but I have my hands full at the moment.”
“I’m fine.” She stood and walked inside, scratching Jasper behind the ears as she passed. A large crate that hadn’t been there a few nights ago took up a corner of the dining room. “Dog sitting?”
“Yeah, my mom’s out of town, and we couldn’t get a sitter at the last moment.” He inched the dog closer to his crate. “Why don’t you go into the bedroom while I take care of this menace for you?”
“My hero,” she teased and blew him a kiss. From the other side of the door, she heard Adam playfully threatening him with Doggie Boot Camp surrounded by a bunch of yapping poodles. Jasper replied with a high-pitched bark.
The glow from his laptop screen was the only light in the room. She paused at his desk to turn on the lamp and lingered when she noticed her name on the screen.
She tried to pull herself away from the scathing e-mail someone named Raymond had sent to Adam, but her eyes continued to scan it line by line. He was threatening to sue Adam if she got the lease instead of Schlittler, calling him a fool who was thinking only with his dick. Her cheeks burned as she continued reading until the letters blurred in front of her. Then she closed her eyes and backed away until she bumped into the bed. She’d seen enough to know her relationship with Adam was creating enemies.
Her mother had always warned her that snoops never came to any good end. Once again, she wished she’d followed her mother’s advice. The weight of this new knowledge pressed down on her, buckling her knees and forcing her down onto the edge of the mattress. She’d been selfish to not consider the consequences Adam faced by losing Schlittler’s restaurant. But if he offered the lease to her, would she be able to accept it now that she knew what new problems she was creating for him? As much as she wanted to keep La Arietta, would it be worth knowing she’d dragged Adam into a lawsuit that could destroy his family business?
The sound of the door handle turning pulled her from her thoughts. She forced a smile on her f
ace. The last thing Adam needed now was to know she’d been reading his private e-mail.
“I swear, if Jasper wasn’t a dog, I might have to take a swing at him for jumping all over you.” He shut his laptop as he passed the desk and pulled her off the bed into his arms. “Now, where were we?”
Her worries faded as his kiss coaxed her into a different world without leases and lawsuits. In this world, there was only the two of them and the promise of an evening of bliss. She surrendered to that promise as eagerly as to his touch. One by one, they removed each layer of clothing until they stood naked in each other’s embrace.
Adam laid her gently on the pillows. He hovered over her, his eyes wide as though he were looking at the most beautiful woman in the world instead of her. His hands traced the curves of her body. “Where would you like me to begin?”
“Wherever you want.”
“Then I’ll start here.” He sat back on his knees and ran his finger along her legs. When he reached her toes, he lifted her foot and brought it to his mouth.
Lia had always thought a man sucking on her toes would be kinky—or at the very least, uncomfortable—but Adam turned it into a deliciously sensual experience. Her sex tensed while she watched him give each little nub of flesh special attention, swirling his tongue around it and making her wish it was her clit he was giving such undivided attention to.
He finished with her toes and moved along her feet, placing kisses along the soles and her heels, then to the insides of her ankles. His lips continued up her calves much like he’d done that night with the raspberry sauce, only now there was less licking. Instead, his hands massaged her muscles, followed by the gentle sweep of his lips.
Upward he moved, finally reaching the place that longed for his touch. He ran his finger along her seam. Her hips rose in response, her thighs spreading open to him. Her fingers dug into the pillow. Her body wanted him to end this foreplay and move on to the highlight of the evening, but she managed to rein in her lust long enough to let him finish.
One corner of his mouth rose as he watched her. “Don’t worry, Lia. I’m going to make sure you come again and again.”
He lowered his head and repeated the same sucking and swirling motions on her clit as he had on her toes. The pressure inside her grew stronger and stronger with each nibble of his teeth, each lap of his tongue. Before she could stop the explosion inside her, she was arching her back and crying out his name in pleasure. But instead of stopping there with the satisfaction of knowing he’d made her come, he pressed on, drawing out her orgasm as long as he could until she was left weak and trembling beneath him.
Adam pressed his lips against the soft fullness just below her navel. “Enjoy that?”
If she opened her mouth, she was sure only incomprehensible babble would come out, so she merely nodded.
His journey continued onward, his hands caressing her hips, the small of her back, her waist, followed as always by his lips. When he came to her breasts, she’d recovered enough to let him know how much she was enjoying his attention with a series of moans and sighs. She traced her fingers along his well-muscled back, pausing to dig her nails into his skin when he took her nipples between his teeth and sent a sharp pang of pleasure straight to lowest recesses of her pelvis.
By the time he made it to her lips, her body was demanding release. Her hips ground against him, searching for the firm rod of flesh she wanted inside her. And still, he took his time teasing her. His weight settled on her, pinning her against the mattress. His fingers threaded through hers, raising them above her head. His rigid cock pressed into her thigh, inches away from the opening of her sex. His mouth swallowed her cries of protest in a slow, easy kiss.
At last, his lips came to the top of her forehead, and he gave her a crooked grin. “Now I’m ready to make love to you properly.”
He rolled off her long enough to slip a condom on. Then he slid into her with the same agonizing slowness he’d employed up to this point. Last night, they’d rushed to their climax. Tonight, he seemed determined to take his sweet time.
He built up his rhythm, sliding in and out of her with a control she wished she could master. Instead of a series of sharp jabs, his strokes were long and languid. Each one drew out the exquisite friction that made her breath catch and her stomach tighten.
“I love watching you enjoy me.” He raised his hips and lowered them, reaching the deepest recesses of her sex. “I love watching your face light up as you come. I love listening to the little sounds of pleasure you make every time I slide into you.”
His words proved to be as potent an aphrodisiac as his touch. Her pulse quickened, and she tightened her hold on him in preparation of the wild rush she knew awaited her when she came. “I love that fact you want to make love to me like this,” she whispered.
His body shuddered against her, and his voice bore the strain of his control. “Oh, Lia, I want every night to be like this—just you and me.”
“So do I.”
Her response seemed to break the restraint he’d shown all evening. His movements became quicker, more erratic. He shifted his hips, changing the angle of penetration so it hit the one spot that would send of her over the edge. She squeezed her arms around him, gulping for air, gritting her teeth as she foolishly tried to delay the inevitable. But it was all for naught. Her orgasm boiled up inside her and erupted with a bone-shivering vengeance.
“So beautiful, Lia.” Adam’s pace sped up, finally seeking his own release. “So beautiful when you come.”
Then his words morphed into a low groan, and he stilled. His jaw fell slack. A look of bliss washed over his features. “Oh, God, Lia,” he said in a hoarse whisper before collapsing on top of her.
She held him as his body twitched with the last waves of his release, stroking his hair and wondering when exactly she’d fallen completely head-over-heels in love with Adam Kelly.
****
A touch as light as angel wings pulled Adam from the abyss of ecstasy. He inhaled Lia’s scent, the sweet notes of peaches reviving his weary muscles. As much as he enjoyed coming inside her, it was the quiet moments in her arms afterward that he looked forward to.
He propped himself up on his elbows and soaked in the radiance of her face, trying to find the right words to express the jumble of emotions swirling inside his chest.
“Satisfied?” she asked.
“For now.” He rolled to the side, taking her with him so they were lying together the exact same way they had this afternoon. Her soft hair fanned out across his arm, and her leg draped over his thigh. Perfect. Things couldn’t get more perfect than this.
Except there was more he wanted to say to her. His gaze drifted over the closed laptop on his desk and the angry e-mail he’d received from Ray after Adam told him he was going to renew Lia’s lease. Doubt had plagued him all the way from his condo to La Arietta. Had he made the right choice? Would giving Lia what she wanted be worth the risk of lawsuits and the loss of investment capital Ray could provide?
But once he saw her in action, his mind eased. Lia was in her element in the kitchen. Her cheeks glowed with excitement as she prepared one dish after another, her eyes following each plate as it went out the door like a proud parent. He’d stood there in the back of the kitchen for almost half an hour before she finally noticed him, but the glimpse he’d gotten settled any lingering questions he had. He couldn’t give her the moon, but he could give her the one thing she loved above everything else.
Adam had planned on telling her tonight, but he feared ruining the moment if he brought up the subject right now. Instead, he focused on matching the rise and fall of his chest to hers. “I could die a happy man right now.”
She threw her arm around his chest and hugged him. “Me, too.”
His heart squeezed tighter. Lia had become the one thing he desired more than anything in his whole life. “I want to spend every night like this, Lia, with you lying next to me.”
She lifted her head from his chest,
her lips parted and her brows drawn together. She searched his face as her fingers trailed along his chest, finally settling over his heart. A small smile appeared. “And you always get what you want.”
“Yes, as long as you’re willing to stay here.”
The crease reappeared above her nose. What had he said that caused her concern?
Before he could ask, his phone rang. This time, however, it was Bates’s ringtone. What would possess him to call this late at night?
A second ring tone pierced the silence, and Lia jumped. The two phones continued to ring, each one echoing the other, demanding their attention until Adam grabbed his and stepped into the living. “What is it, Bates?”
Lia’s phone stopped ringing as well, followed by the hushed sound of her voice as she answered.
“Mr. Kelly, there’s been a fire in the Michigan Avenue property.”
Chapter Fourteen
A sheen of sweat broke out over his skin. “Where in the building?”
“The top floor, from what I’ve been told.” Shit! La Arietta. He sucked in a breath and held it, praying he’d heard Bates wrong. “I’m en route now to see if I can get in and assess the damage.”
“I’ll meet you there.” He hung up and stood outside his bedroom door, listening for Lia. When no sound came from the room, he gently pressed on the door to open it.
Lia sat on the edge of the bed, the phone cradled in her hands. Wet lines streaked down her pale face. She stared straight ahead like a statue, letting her tears fall.
A crushing sensation of helplessness engulfed him. If he could wave a magic wand, the spell he’d cast would keep her from ever learning the truth about the fire. Instead, he settled for the role of being the person she could lean on in this time of trouble. He found her clothes and laid them next to her. “Lia, let’s get dressed and go see the damage.”
Her shoulders shook, lightly at first but quickly growing into a sob that wracked her entire body. He sat next to her and held until her initial grief passed and the flow of her scalding tears ebbed.
The Sweetest Seduction, Breakaway Hearts Page 12
