by Fine, L. J.
Groaning, she ran a tired hand over her face. "I'm really not up for lunch today, Chloe. I wasted enough of the day as it is, and I need to get to work on my piece."
"You gotta eat, don't you? It'll take an hour, tops. Besides, you said that you would call me and let me know how your date with James went, and you never did. You owe me some dirt."
"All right." She sighed in defeat. Truth be told, she could use a big greasy burger right about now anyway, and Ed's did them right. "I'll get in the shower now."
"Perfect. I'll see you in a bit."
Forty-five minutes later, the little bell above Ed's front door jingled as Chloe pulled it open and Marie followed her inside. The casual atmosphere of the small diner allowed its patrons to sit wherever they chose. Marie's eyes scanned the small dining room to scope out their options and came to a screeching halt about halfway through the tour.
Brandon Serano waved to them from a corner booth, and her heart crawled up into her throat when Adam turned around to follow his brother's gaze. Those dark eyes danced, and a smirk tilted his lips when he clocked Marie and Chloe. Spreading his arm out against the back of the booth, he gestured to the empty space beside him as Brandon beckoned them over.
"Fuck my life," Marie mumbled under her breath as Chloe laughed and playfully elbowed her side. "If we go sit with them, you won't be getting any of that dirt you were after."
"I don't know about that. Something tells me that if we go over there, I'll be getting more than enough dirt to satisfy my curiosity."
Marie's eyes narrowed as suspicion set in. Chloe's meddling ways, at times, knew no bounds. "Did you know that they would be here? Is that why you were so hell bent on getting me out?"
Rolling her pretty blue eyes, Chloe snorted. "Trust me, if I had known they were going to be here, I would have picked a different place. Don't get me wrong, this is going to be entertaining and all, but I'd rather hear about what happened from you."
She didn't see a way out of this, and she would have to face Adam again eventually, so it might as well be now when they weren't alone. Squaring her shoulders, she opened her mouth to agree to going over to their table. Instead she said, "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
Yes, she would face him, but she needed a minute to compose herself first.
Chloe shot a knowing look over her shoulder as she moved toward the table, and Marie headed down the narrow hallway at the other side of the room. She knocked on the door of the small, one-toilet bathroom and when no one called out, she went in.
Before she could close the door the whole way, a force from the outside pushed it inward and moved her further back into the room.
"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed as Adam closed and locked the door behind him.
"Why are you being such a chicken shit?" Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned one hip against the sink.
Growling, she mirrored his posture and crossed her own arms over her chest. "I'm not being a chicken shit. I have to pee."
"Really?" He prowled around her until he reversed their positions and had her backed up against the counter. "You b-lining it in here has nothing to do with you avoiding me?"
She rolled her eyes even as her pulse beat out a heavy staccato under her skin. "Get over yourself. I'm not avoiding you."
"So," he crowded her to brace his weight on the sink on either side of her, "it's okay then, if I get all up in your space?"
His lips grazed her jaw and she couldn't suppress the shiver that moved through her. Refusing to give in, she craned her neck out of reach of his sinful mouth. "No, it's not okay. What do you want, Adam?"
Moving in closer, he dipped his head to place his mouth next to her ear. "See, I've been thinking about that a lot since you ran out on me last night. What it is that I want. As I sat there in that big drafty house...alone," he nipped her lobe with his teeth, the slight sting causing her to jump, "I started to ruminate over my life, and what it is that would make me happy. Turns out, I'm a simple man, Marie. I have a job I love that keeps me close to my family. I'm working on my dream house. I even have The Captain in my life, even if that little furball is gonna be the death of me."
The idea she had in her head of where he might be going with this had to be completely off the mark. Maybe she'd hear this type of thing from a normal, everyday Joe Shmoe, but not Adam Serano. "What does any of this have to do with me?"
"Thought that might be obvious by now, darlin'." He kissed her softly then grinned against her lips. "I want you."
That...was absurd.
Unless it was purely about the physical. Had to be. She wiggled in his embrace, trying to put some distance between them. No luck. In response to her maneuvering, he pressed his body into hers to keep her still. Letting out a sigh, she glared up at him. "Why are you so hell bent on making me one of your conquests? Are you really that concerned that I'll end up a spinster with no hot memories to look back on?"
Low laughter rumbled out of his chest as he pulled back to look at her. "If that was all that concerned me, I wouldn't be here. We rectified that problem last night, didn't we?"
"Then, what the hell?" she asked, putting her hands on his chest in an attempt to push him away. Still no dice. He didn't budge.
"Mmmm," he rumbled, lifting her up onto the counter and moving between her legs, causing her to let out a little squeak of surprise. "I want you to admit how I affect you. That you want me, too."
Her hands caught her weight on the sink behind her as she leaned back to put as much space between them as she could in this compromising position. "I don't want you. Last night was a mistake."
Tightening his grip on her thighs, he pulled her into him so that their lower bodies were flush against each other. She could feel his heavy length pressing into her, and she had to bite her lip to keep herself from whimpering. "You're a liar. I can read your body too well."
Okay, so maybe she was lying about her former statement, but definitely not the latter. What they did, what they were doing together, was a mistake. She couldn't afford a distraction like Adam. Because that's all it would be in the end, a distraction.
"How?" Damn it, why did her voice have to come out all low and breathless? And of course, he grinned, getting the wrong idea.
"It's in the goose bumps that break out on your skin wherever I touch you." He demonstrated by lifting his index finger and running it gently down the side of her throat and she felt her skin prickle in welcome and anticipation of his next touch.
"Maybe I'm just cold," she said, tilting her head to give him better access despite her words.
"Then, there is the way that your heartbeat goes crazy whenever I'm near. I can usually see it pulsing at the base of your throat." His scanning finger moved over the place he spoke of and he smirked when her heart rate spiked.
"That's because my blood pressure goes up when I see you."
He smirked down at her as he rocked his hips against her. "So, it's your high blood pressure that makes your panties so wet?"
Just hearing his deep voice talk about her panties sent a fresh wave of moisture to coat her slit. But he didn't know that, nor did he need to. She arched her brow and put as much incredulity into her tone as she could muster, given the circumstances. "You think I'm wet right now?"
With a heavy exhale through his nose, he growled and pushed away from her. Good. Maybe he finally got the hint and would give up. She hopped down off the counter, but before she could say or do anything more, he spun her around to face the sink and the mirror directly above it. His heavy weight pressed into her from behind, pinning her in place. Deft fingers opened her jeans before his hand slid into her panties, middle finger parting her lips to zero in on her clit with minimum effort.
"What was that you said about not being wet?" His fingers moved lower to rim her opening, collecting her overabundance of cream before he moved back up to her clit.
Dropping her head, she bit into her upper arm to stifle a moan and braced her palms on the co
unter. The position pushed her ass back against him, and he took advantage by rocking into her, letting her feel him.
Fisting her hair in his free hand, he gently tugged until she lifted her head and caught his gaze in the mirror. "Look at us together, baby. Look at you."
She did. Right when he thrust two fingers inside her. She closed her eyes on a groan, but he wasn't having that.
"No, open your eyes. Look. See how that pretty blush turns your cheeks pink and your lips so fuckably red." She opened her eyes and couldn't deny he was right. She looked like a wild woman, eyes heavy and dilated, her hair a mess from where he mussed it up. "See how your tits sway and hear how your breath catches when I do this."
His thumb rubbed her clit while he began to fuck her with his fingers. This was what he did to her last night, the magic combination that he placed in the right spot to make her lose her mind. "Adam."
Sharp pressure sunk into the side of her neck as he gave her a sucking love-bite. The slight pain built her pleasure higher until she felt as though she teetered on the edge of climax.
"Admit it," he growled, his hot breath fanning down her neck. "Tell me you want me."
Screwing her eyes shut, she kept silent. Even on the verge of coming, she refused to give him what he wanted. Her stubborn streak knew no bounds. But then the steady pressure of his fingers slowed, and his touch became feather light. Her eyes snapped open to meet his in a glare.
That wicked grin of his greeted her in response. "Tell me."
He was enjoying this way too much and it made her hackles rise. Her pride wouldn't allow her to admit it to him so easily, even though they both knew that he was right. But if she didn't give him the satisfaction of what he wanted to hear, then she wouldn't be getting any satisfaction either.
Those dark eyes never left hers as he kissed the sensitive spot below her ear and began running slow, drawn out circles on her clit with his thumb. Not enough to throw her over the edge, but definitely enough to make her inner muscles flutter on his now almost still fingers. "C'mon, Marie. Tell me you want me, that you want my cock deep inside this sweet pussy, fucking you hard until you scream."
The lazy circles continued, making her shiver in his arms while his lips meandered up and down her neck. The fingers inside her moved in one hard thrust, giving her a taste of what she needed before going back to those slow, shallow tugs. Almost there. If only he would pump a little harder, a little faster, she would get where she needed to be. But she knew he wouldn't. Not until she said the magic words.
Words that, despite all her grandstanding, were true.
"I want you, Adam," she whispered, holding his gaze in the mirror. "I want you to fuck me."
Rather than the smugness she expected to see reflected back at her, she only saw desire that matched her own as the words left her lips. Maybe this wasn't as much of a power play as she thought. Maybe it just got him hot to know how much she needed him.
"Then come for me," he said, moving his fingers hard and fast, exactly the way she needed him to. "But keep your eyes open, watch."
That command got more difficult to obey as his fingers twisted inside her, but she didn't dare close her eyes. She knew he would stop if she did. The further he pushed her back up that hill, the deeper the blush staining her cheeks became. He was right, the blood rushed to her lips, making them ruby red. It only got worse when he rubbed that magic button inside her, and she bit down on her lower lip to keep from moaning.
He didn't need to prove this to her, she knew she was gone the first time he touched her. It was the difference between feeling and action. But then, her eyes met his in the mirror and the hungry greed staring back at her made her want to give him whatever he wanted. He wanted her pleasure, so she gave it to him. His thumb pressed down on her clit and her body convulsed as she flew over that edge. Closing her eyes, she dropped her head and rode out the orgasm, pushing back on his fingers.
Before she could come fully back to Earth, he pulled his fingers free, leaving her empty and bereft. Foil ripped, and she turned her head in time to watch him slide the condom over that glorious length of his. He moved his hands to her hips and pushed her jeans and panties down, all while holding her gaze in the mirror. Her lips parted when she felt him position his fat tip to her opening.
"This time, when you come," he said sliding one hand inside her shirt and beneath her bra to cup her bare breast, "I want your eyes on me."
He thrust into her, hard. She watched her own eyelids get heavy as he began to fuck her in a rough, pounding rhythm. When he pinched and pulled at her nipple, she hissed and pushed her ass back against him to meet his thrusts.
Dipping his head, he licked a line up her neck, then came his dark voice at her ear. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? To feel how hard you make me. And you do, Marie, I'm so fucking hard for you. I love your pussy, the way it feels on my cock. So tight, like you don't ever wanna let me go."
Those words in that gruff velvet voice tingled down her nerve endings, making her arch into him. She loved that he talked to her like this. That dirty mouth like a living caress, taking her higher as he pushed deeper inside her.
"Adam," she groaned, no longer cognizant of where they were or who might hear. "Make me come, make me come."
"I will, but I need you to look at me." She dragged her eyes up to his, and the near black fire there pulled her in until she felt consumed by him. "Yeah, that's good, baby. Come for me. Let me feel how much you want me."
She obeyed. The pleasure wracked her body in waves, and her inner muscles gripped and pulled at him until he followed her over that edge. She moaned and panted, her hands gripping the sides of the sink like a vise. All the while, her gaze stayed locked with his and she reveled in the way his handsome face contorted in his pleasure. The way he repeated her name as he filled the condom and his body shuddered all around hers. He was so beautiful in his passion that it made her ache.
Finally, when their bodies stilled, and the only sound in the room was that of their harsh breathing, he turned his head into her neck and smiled against her skin. "You are so damn hot when you give in to me like that. I love it."
Someone in the dining room outside dropped a plate, and the sound of shattered porcelain brought their location abruptly back into focus. He pulled out of her, simultaneously making her shiver and forcing her to become acutely aware of what they had just done in a very public place. What the hell had she been thinking?
Looking at his reflection in the mirror behind her, she watched as he got rid of the condom before he tucked himself back into his pants. The sight of the trail of dark hair leading down to that gorgeous cock – the cock that had just been inside her – as he readjusted his clothes, brought it home that she hadn't been thinking at all. At least, not with the part of her anatomy that mattered most.
Righting her own clothing, she turned to face him. "I can't believe that we just had sex up against a counter in a public restroom."
A slow, cocky smile tilted his lips as he reached out to tug on a piece of her hair. "We did. Perfect way to spend your lunch break, isn't it?"
"No, it isn't. You shouldn't have followed me in here." She ran a punishing hand through her freshly-fucked hair, and her heart picked up the pace as mild panic began to set in. "Oh God, what if someone saw, or heard? I could lose my job over something like this, Adam."
His expression softened as he moved to her and cupped her face in his hands. "Relax. No one saw me follow you besides Brandon and Chloe. I made sure of that. This bathroom is far enough away from the dining room that the noise of the lunch crowd will have drowned out any sounds we made." He bent to kiss her lips. "Trust me. I would never be so careless with you."
Pushing against his chest, she moved out from between his body and the counter behind her. She'd been in that position for far too long as it was. "Well, we can't leave this room together, either. You stay put. I'll go first. Wait a while before you come out."
"That's it, darlin', boss me around." A s
low smile spread his kiss-swollen lips, but she refused to be charmed by him. In fact, she needed to get out of his presence as soon as possible. She couldn't think clearly when he came near her anymore.
Rolling her eyes, she opened the bathroom door to walk out, hoping he would listen to her for once and follow her lead. Knots tightened in her belly as she neared the dining room. Worst-case scenarios fired off in her mind. Half of the diners would more than likely cast their judgmental eyes on her while the other half twittered behind their hands. No doubt slut shaming her for hooking up with the most promiscuous of the Serano brothers in the bathroom of this mom and pop restaurant. If word got out about this, she could kiss her classroom goodbye.
But when she entered the dining room, all but three of the tables were empty and no one other than Chloe seemed to register her existence. A small modicum of relief settled into her, loosening those knots in her stomach a little as she made her way over to their table. As she sat down across from Chloe, she noticed Brandon on the sidewalk outside the diner talking on his phone.
"So, you and Adam aren't a thing, then?" Chloe said with a cocked eyebrow as she took a sip of her diet Coke.
Marie shot her a glare. "What happened to Brandon?"
Pursing her lips, Chloe paused a beat before setting her drink back down onto the table. "His wife called. He and Adam were finishing up their lunch when we got here, anyway. He paid the bill and went outside to call Kim back. He told me to let Adam know to meet him out there whenever he got out of the bathroom. My question is, which bathroom will Adam be exiting?"
Before she could answer, the man in question stopped at their table. He looked completely relaxed and put together with a friendly smile on his face as he spoke to Chloe. "It was nice to see you two." His eyes moved to Marie then burned down her body before returning to Chloe. "Sorry I can't stay and chat, looks like my brother's hair is on fire to get out of here. That Kim on the phone?"
"Indeed, it is." Chloe smiled. "I'm glad we ran into you, even though I'm sure Marie got to see more of you than I did."
