by Marie Force
Adam put his coffee on the bedside table and reached for her hand. “I think we both know you need to shake things up a bit. We also know there are certain things you’re not willing to do, even if they sound good on paper. Sleeping around is one of them. If you think you feel sick today after a few drinks and spilling some secrets to me, imagine how you’d feel waking up next to a guy you barely know after sharing your body with him.”
The thought turned Abby’s stomach, but it didn’t take much to do that this morning.
“So I’d like to volunteer to be your partner in crime. We’ll do anything you want—in bed or out. Skinny-dipping, motorcycle rides, tattoos, tequila shots, all-nighters and as many orgasms as you can handle. Whatever you want, whenever you want it.”
Abby stared at him, incredulous—and intrigued. “You’d get a tattoo for me?”
Adam tossed his head back and laughed—hard. “That’s the part you’re fixating on? Did you hear anything else I said?”
“I heard it.”
“And?”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Seriously? You’re really asking me that?”
“Yes!”
“I don’t know if you’ve looked in a mirror lately, but you’re a very sexy woman who’s looking to bust loose and have some fun. What red-blooded guy wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Besides, I could go for some lighthearted fun after what I’ve just been through with Sasha and the company.”
“And the fact that I dated your brother doesn’t factor into this at all?”
“It does. In fact, it’s one of my two conditions.”
She shifted onto her side to face him, and that was when she realized she was braless. When had that happened? “This I’ve got to hear.”
“Condition one is we keep our arrangement between us. No sharing the dirty deets with Janey or Laura or anyone else. I don’t want Grant to know we’re seeing each other until I’m ready to tell him, but only because it might upset him, and I don’t want to do that when there’s something else on his mind.”
“This is a small island. If we’re seen together, it might get back to him.”
“It might, and if it does, I’ll deal with it when and if it happens. In the meantime, I’d prefer to keep it between us.”
“Fair enough. What’s the second condition?”
His expression became very serious. “I don’t share with anyone. If you’re seeing me, you’re not seeing—or sleeping with—anyone else.”
Abby withered under his intense scrutiny. She couldn’t begin to imagine how hideous she must look. Since she hadn’t gotten around to removing her mascara the night before, she probably had raccoon eyes, too. But he’d said she was sexy and gorgeous. Did he mean that, or was he only looking for some easy sex with a woman who’d declared her intention to sleep around more than once in his presence?
“Are you making this offer because you think I’m easy?” The words popped out of her mouth before her conscience could warn her they might be a bad idea.
His eyes darkened with what might’ve been anger. “It’s not because I think you’re easy. I never thought that for a second. You’re the one who thinks that. Not me.”
Abby closed her eyes and tried to think through the tequila fog. It wasn’t a bad idea to have a partner in crime she could trust to be upstanding. If there was one thing she knew about Adam and his family after all the years she spent with Grant, it was that Big Mac McCarthy had raised some damned fine men.
What might it be like to be on the receiving end of Adam McCarthy’s full attention? He had no job at the moment and nothing to do but spend time with his family and with her, if she desired. If she desired… That thought sent a tingle to the juncture of her legs and made her nipples pop up for a look around.
Had he noticed that? Abby opened her eyes to find his gaze trained on her chest. Yep, he’d noticed and was apparently pleased by her reaction if the bulge in his shorts was any indication. Was she actually considering his idea? It seemed so. She liked that he didn't pressure her. He’d laid out his case and let her think about it. But she noticed then that he hadn’t let go of her hand while she did her thinking.
She turned her head to meet his gaze. “Can we get the tattoos first?”
His smile lit up his face and made his blue eyes dance with delight. “We can do whatever you want. Does this mean we have a deal?”
“Yes. We have a deal.”
He kissed the back of her hand. “Good, now let’s have some fun.”
Holy fucking shit, Adam thought as the needle cut into his bicep, creating the outline of Gansett Island he’d decided on after much debate. He bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain. He’d had no idea it would hurt this much. Thank God he hadn’t gone with the bigger version of the island that the tattoo artist had suggested. This one would be plenty big enough.
Focusing on breathing in through his mouth and out through his nose—and not crying like a baby in front of the woman he was trying to impress—Adam focused on Abby in the chair next to him having a red rose inked onto her lower back. Her eyes were closed and her lips formed a small contented smile. How could she smile while a needle was piercing her skin?
“Doing okay?” her guy, Duke, asked as he rested a soothing hand on her bare back. Duke. What kind of name was that? The guy had muscles on top of his muscles, and his arms were covered with “sleeve” tattoos that Abby had asked him all about before choosing her image.
Adam wanted to tell Duke to keep his hands to himself, but that would require removing his lip from between his teeth. So he watched and seethed and held back the need to whimper. When had he become so proprietary where she was concerned?
“Hanging in there, Adam?” his guy, Jeff, asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“People are often surprised by how much it hurts, so don’t be afraid to make some noise.”
“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” Abby said, smiling at Adam.
While he felt clammy and shocked from the pain, she was glowing and happy as could be. She must have a really high threshold for pain. He used to think he did, too. Now he knew better.
“Unfortunately, no one will be able to see it,” Adam said, rehashing their earlier argument in which he’d tried to convince her to put the tattoo where it would be easily seen.
“I’ll know it’s there. That’s enough. For now, anyway.”
Adam hoped she wouldn’t expect him to go through this hell again. Once was more than enough for him.
“Almost got the outline done,” Jeff said. “Then we’ll just have to fill it in. That’s going to take some time, so get comfortable.”
Awesome, Adam thought, trying to focus on more pleasant things such as the sex he might get to have with Abby. But as the needle once again penetrated his skin, all thoughts of sex fled from his brain, and Adam couldn’t think of anything other than getting the fuck out of that chair.
“That was so much fun!” Abby said, as they walked along Ocean Avenue, enjoying ice-cream cones after the tattoos were finally finished.
Adam was forcing down ice cream he didn’t really want. He’d much prefer an ice pack and a couple of ibuprofen.
She practically skipped along next to him. “Did you love it?”
He was far more pleased by her excitement in doing something wildly out of character than he’d been by the tattoo. “More than anything I’ve ever done.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“Maybe a little.” He eyed her through his sunglasses. “Yours didn’t hurt?”
“Oh yeah, it hurt a lot, but I was so excited to be doing it that I was almost high off the pain. Does that make sense?”
“Ah, yeah, I guess.”
“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”
“I never said that.” He tossed the rest of his ice cream into a trash can while trying not to watch too closely as she licked hers. “What’s next on our agenda?”
“You said something about a motorcycle?”<
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“That I did. I can either go get Mac’s from Evan, or I can rent one. Any preference?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Renting would be more immediate.”
“Then let’s rent. You paid for the tattoos, so let me pay for the bike.”
“Not happening. I got it.”
She stopped walking and turned to him. “Why can’t I pay for something?”
“Because. I don’t roll that way. When I take a lady out, I pay.”
“You do know the Stone Age is over, right?”
“I’ve heard that news, and yet, I’m still paying.” Ignoring her scowl, he took her hand and tugged her along as he headed to the rental place that shared the parking lot with the Gansett Island Ferry Company. Once there, Adam said to the attendant, “I’m looking for the biggest, baddest, fastest motorcycle you’ve got available.”
“You’re in luck,” the young man said. “I’ve got one good one left.”
“Yay!” Abby said. “Does it go really fast?”
“Yes, but I don’t recommend going too fast on island roads.”
“We’ll take it easy,” Adam assured him. He signed the paperwork, handed over his credit card and took possession of the bike and two helmets a few minutes later. “Go put on some jeans, and I’ll pick you up at the Beachcomber.”
“It’s too hot for jeans.”
“Trust me, babe, if we crash, you’ll be very glad you wore jeans.”
“I thought you knew what you were doing.”
“I do, but that doesn’t mean everyone we’ll be sharing the road with knows what they’re doing.” He tweaked her nose. “Jeans or no ride.”
“You’re kinda bossy sometimes.”
Adam straddled the bike and strapped on his helmet. “I’ve heard that a few times in my life. It’s the curse of being a middle child.”
“How do you figure?”
“Someone was always telling me what to do, so now that I’m all grown up, I like to call the shots.” He crooked his finger to bring her in closer. “Especially in bed.” Adam smiled at her flustered reaction to the outrageous comment. “Pick you up in ten.”
When he glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her fuming, he laughed. And then he decided to use his ten minutes to stop by Grace’s pharmacy to get some pain medication before his arm literally fell off his body.
Abby stomped back to the Beachcomber, irritated with herself as much as him. His high-handedness drove her crazy, but what drove her even crazier was that she was turned on by it. Who knew she liked a man who took command and got things done? Thirty minutes after she suggested they get tattoos, he’d had her at the island’s only tattoo studio.
She’d managed to resist his suggestion that she put the tattoo somewhere people could see it. She hadn’t completely lost her mind, but she’d enjoyed the pleasurable pain of being inked. Next time, she might put the tattoo where it could be seen. Why not? What did she care if people saw it?
By the time she’d stomped up the stairs to her third-floor room, she was breathing hard and mad at herself. Why hadn’t she listened to Adam and put the tattoo somewhere visible? What good was it if no one knew she had it? She rifled through her suitcases until she found a pair of faded jeans and pulled them on.
So much for her new, go-wild philosophy… She now had a tattoo no one would ever know she had unless she got down and dirty with them, and since she made her deal with Adam, she wouldn’t be getting down or dirty with anyone but him. Not that the idea of getting busy with him didn’t cause her girl parts to tingle with interest, but she wanted other people to know she was different now. Not just Adam.
The first chance she got, she was going back for a second tattoo, and this one would be somewhere more visible. Pleased with her decision, she grabbed a sweater and headed downstairs to meet Adam, who was waiting for her in the street outside the hotel.
He smiled when he saw her coming, and Abby felt her earlier irritation yield to the excitement of another adventure with him. Halfway down the stairs, it occurred to her that she was probably too excited to be going out with him. She had to remind herself to keep her emotions out of it. They were having fun, not a relationship.
When she joined him at the curb, he plopped the helmet onto her head and adjusted it for her. “Ready?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Slide on and put your arms around me. Hold on tight.”
“Where do I put my feet?”
Adam pointed out the passenger footrests.
As she put her arms around him, Abby was hit with a sudden bout of shyness.
He must’ve sensed her hesitation, because he turned to her. “What’s wrong?”
“I…I was thinking…”
“About?”
“The one thing we didn’t talk about earlier.”
“Which is?”
“Boundaries.”
“What kind of boundaries are we talking about?”
“The relationship kind.” Abby forced herself to look at him. “We talked about exclusivity when it comes to sex, but we didn’t talk about not letting this get serious or anything. I don’t want that. I thought I should make sure you knew that.”
“I don’t want it either, so don’t sweat it. We’re both right out of serious relationships that went bad. We’ve got no business doing anything other than having fun.”
“Good,” she said, pleased that he understood. “That’s a relief.”
“We’re on the same page, Abs. Don’t worry.”
The nickname seemed to take them both by surprise. No one had ever called her that before, and she discovered she liked it coming from him.
“Shall we?” he said.
“Yes, please.”
He fired up the bike and pulled away from the curb, navigating through the traffic that clogged downtown on the way to the less congested roads that circled the island.
As Abby giggled with the sheer joy and freedom, she tightened her grip on Adam’s waist. When her hands connected with his abdomen, she realized he was all muscle. She had to stop herself from exploring further, if for no other reason than she didn’t want to distract him.
They made two full loops around the island before Adam pulled into the parking lot at the bluffs and cut the engine. He got off the bike and removed his helmet.
Abby fumbled with the strap to her helmet, so Adam helped her. “That was amazing. I loved it.”
“I’m glad.”
“But it’s not really a true adventure if I don’t get to drive.”
“Have you ever driven a motorcycle?”
“Nope.”
“Well you don’t start with one like this. I can give you some lessons on Mac’s old bike, if I can wrestle it away from Evan.”
“I’d like to learn.”
He held out his hand to her, and they headed for the stairs that led to the beach below. “Looks like we’ve got the place to ourselves today. Another week, and the tourists will invade.”
“When I was in business, I used to live for the invasion. Now I kind of like the peace and quiet.”
Adam stopped her from going all the way to the beach and tugged her hand to invite her to sit next to him on the stairs. “Have you given any thought to what you’ll do for work?”
“I’m going to run the gift shop at the Surf for Laura this summer. After that, we’ll see. I may reopen the Attic next season, but it’s getting late for that this year.”
“It might be nice to have a summer where you don’t have all the responsibility of running your own business.”
“My thoughts exactly. Have you made any plans, yet?”
“Not really. I’ve had a few people ask me to help them with some things here. It’s enough to keep me busy for a couple of weeks. After that, we’ll see,” he said, using her words.
His phone chimed with a text. “Crap.”
“What’s wrong?” Abby asked.
“Forgot to tell my mom I wasn’t coming home last night.”
“That wasn’t very nice.”
“I know. It’s been a long time since I had to tell her where I was. I’ve fallen out of the habit.”
“Doesn’t mean she won’t worry about you.”
“I’ve been duly chastised by both of you. Won’t happen again.”
While Adam exchanged texts with his mother, Abby kicked off her shoes and wandered down to the water, dipping her toes into the chilly surf. By the time he joined her, she’d rolled up the cuffs of her jeans and wandered in farther. The sand between her toes was a welcome reminder of summer days at the beach, one of her favorite places to be.
“We used to come down here to skinny-dip when we were kids,” Adam said when he joined her.
“I’ve never done that.”
“Never? You grew up on an island, and you’ve never skinny-dipped?”
“Nope.”
“You really did miss out, didn’t you?”
“I was too busy being a good girl. They don’t have as much fun as the bad girls.”
His lips quivered with amusement. “So now you’ve gone to the dark side.”
“You know it, and I’m never going back. It’s all about me now. It’s all about what I want.”
“Good for you.” He bumped against her playfully. “You should have everything you want.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” She thought of something else she wanted to say, but hesitated.
“What?”
“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea if I ask about Grant, but I can’t help being concerned about him after what you told me yesterday.”
“I understand. My mom said he slept better last night and seems to be more like his old self today, according to Stephanie.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” She glanced up at him. “You don’t think it’s weird that I asked about him, do you?”
“Not at all. You were with him a long time, and you still care about him. I get it.” He took her hand. “Let’s walk.” They wandered along the shore, enjoying the view of the sandy cliffs and ocean. “You ever miss him?”
“I did for a long time. The first year was a nightmare. I missed him so much. Every day I questioned whether I’d done the right thing leaving him in LA.”
