He found Kimberly just coming out of the room where they’d left their gear.
“Oh hey, aren’t you freezing?” asked Kimberly, reaching out to rub his cold arms.
“A little cold,” said Adam.
He ducked inside to get his jumper, with Kimberly following him. Adam put the jumper on and looked at her.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes, I just got cold, so came to get my jacket,” said Kimberly.
Adam stepped closer, hugging her.
“I’m warmer already,” said Kimberly with a smile.
“Good,” said Adam, kissing her cheek.
He released her and Kimberly pouted.
“More hugs needed,” she said.
Adam laughed. “I’ll say, having to keep my hands to myself all day is tough.”
He grabbed her in another hug, both of them relaxing.
“Oh, god!”
Adam and Kimberly parted hastily. Brianna was staring at them, her mouth hanging open.
Then she grinned, the shock seeming to have worn off. She quickly grabbed the scarf she’d come in for and turned to go.
“Carry on!” she said brightly, winking and leaving the room.
Chapter 7
Kimberly giggled, glancing at a blushing Adam.
“We’ve been outed,” she said with a laugh.
“Yes, we have,” said Adam.
He raised an eyebrow, silently asking her their next step.
“They’re all going to react like Bria. They’ll be happy. There is no explanation that would possibly justify why we were making out. She wouldn’t fall for it anyway,” said Kimberly with a smirk.
“So, we’re telling them?” asked Adam.
“Yes, and I’m sure they’d happily miss us at dinner so we can go out alone,” said Kimberly with a soft smile as she reached out to stroke his cheek.
Adam kissed her palm as she did so.
“Let the girly squealing commence,” he joked.
“Do you mind?” asked Kimberly, slipping her arms around his waist.
“Not at all, I’d love to share our happiness with our friends,” said Adam, kissing her cheek.
“I’m happy too, I love you,” said Kimberly, hugging him.
He grinned. “I love you. You’re such a softie, Kim.”
“Only because I love you so much,” laughed Kimberly.
“I feel very loved,” agreed Adam, taking her hand.
“Alright, Brianna’s probably waiting to squeal with you, so let’s go,” he said.
Kimberly squeezed his hand, smiling as they left the room, hand in hand.
Back at the court, Brianna quickly accosted Kimberly and wanting no part of this girl talk, Adam stepped onto the court.
“I am so happy right now, you have no idea,” whispered Brianna excitedly.
“And don’t say that it wasn’t what it looked like,” she added warningly.
“Oh, it was exactly what it looked like,” laughed Kimberly.
Brianna screamed excitedly and hugged her tightly. A few of their fellow athletes turned curiously to see what was going on.
Brianna merely lowered her voice. “So, tell me everything,” she said.
Adam was watching with interest across the court, amused. Henrique stopped beside him, inclining his head towards Brianna and Kimberly.
“What’s going on there?” he asked. “Did they find out there’s a huge sale on clothes or make-up or something?"
Adam blushed, looking at Henrique.
“Well, Brianna may have just walked in on me kissing Kim,” said Adam quietly.
Henrique stared at him.
“Finally!” he said. “You finally did it…you finally saw it. You were slow on the uptake, but you got there. I am so happy for you guys.”
Henrique clapped him on the back, beaming and Adam grinned. He didn’t even mind the ribbing about how long it had taken. All that mattered was they were here.
“We’ve kind of been almost dating, not officially though, for a little while,” began Kimberly, seeing Brianna wanted to have this talk right then and there.
“Since when?” asked Brianna, eyes wide.
“Well, since the Championships…” began Kimberly.
“What?” exclaimed Brianna.
Eyes once again turned to Kimberly and Brianna. Even Adam had heard Brianna from across the court.
“Sorry. What?” said Brianna again quietly.
“We kissed, but nothing actually happened until we got back and talked,” said Kimberly, blushing.
“Wow. When?” asked Brianna.
“Straight after we won,” mumbled Kimberly.
“Thank goodness for that trophy. Finally, you two have woken up,” said Brianna, beaming.
Kimberly laughed.
“So, are you both official now?” asked Brianna.
“We actually want to go on our first official date tonight,” said Kimberly with a smile.
“Oh you are making it official in Japan, I like this. So that’s why you were both so ‘tired’ last night, eh? So, how’s the...you know?” asked Brianna with a cheeky grin.
“Bria!” responded Kimberly, blushing profusely.
Brianna studied her embarrassment and then laughed.
“Oh, I see. Not gone there yet,” said Brianna.
“We’ve taken things slow. He’s so important to me. We didn’t want to rush,” said Kimberly quietly.
“Well, from what I walked in on, I think there will be no problems there,” teased Brianna.
“Alright Brianna, too much fun for you now,” laughed Kimberly, blushing again.
“Wait, can I go hug that goofball boyfriend of yours for finally getting it right?” asked Brianna.
“You can hug him…gently,” teased Kimberly.
Brianna rolled her eyes, hugged Kimberly and then jogged over to Adam.
He was surprised by her sudden appearance and even more surprised when she pulled him into a hug.
“Finally!” said Brianna. “I have waited forever for this!”
“You’ve waited forever!” teased Adam. “What about Kim and I!”
“Opportunities Neilson, plenty of them,” teased Brianna. “Now, you take care of my best friend,” she added.
“Always,” said Adam, now more serious.
“I know you will,” smiled Brianna, giving him another quick hug and heading back to Kimberly.
Kimberly had stayed at the stands, watching with a smile as Brianna chatted to Adam. Brianna passed and gave her a slight push in Adam’s direction. Kimberly chuckled, jogging over to Adam who gave her an amused look.
“If I don’t look after you, Brianna’s going to defend you,” he said.
“You’d do the same, you’re my best friend,” smiled Kimberly.
“I’d hurt myself if I ever hurt you,” agreed Adam.
“Can I hug you?” asked Kimberly, a bit shy.
Adam pulled her into his embrace, dropping a kiss against her shoulder.
At the end of practice, everyone grabbed their things to head back to the hotel and started filing out to leave the arena and meet the waiting bus outside.
Somehow Kimberly was the last one. She slowly got ready to leave, barely paying attention to what she was doing. She had a lot on her mind – namely a date with Adam in just a few hours, and she hoped for more that night. She felt her face grow hot as she thought about what it would be like to be with Adam.
Suddenly, she heard his voice behind her and quickly zipped up her bag, hoping her face didn’t betray her thoughts.
“Hey, I wondered where you got to,” said Adam.
“Oh, sorry,” said Kimberly, picking up her bag.
“Are you okay?” asked Adam, seeing she looked a bit distracted.
“I’m fine,” smiled Kimberly.
“Sure?” asked Adam, touching her cheek.
“Sure,” smiled Kimberly, kissing him softly.
“Let’s go,” she said, leading the way out.
Kimberly and Adam were rather embarrassed their teammates had been betting on them and tried to ignore them, cuddling together and pretending they didn’t hear anything.
Back at the hotel, their teammates grinned as they bid them goodbye, telling them the name of the restaurant they would be at for dinner in case they wanted to drop by.
“Adam, I’ll see you in a bit?” said Kimberly as they reached her room.
“Sure, I’ll get you in about an hour?” said Adam, feeling a bit nervous.
“Alright, sure,” said Kimberly.
She glanced down the hall and stepped into his embrace for a moment. Adam held her close, kissing her cheek as they parted.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said.
He heard a giggle and groaned lightly.
“There’s the audience,” he joked.
Brianna and Sandrine were standing there both holding bags of what appeared to be clothes.
“They’re helping me choose the perfect outfit,” winked Kimberly.
“So an hour is far too short then,” joked Adam.
“I’ll be ready. I accept that challenge,” smiled Kimberly.
“Alright, leaving you to it then. See you soon,” said Adam, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead and going over to his room.
He smiled as he looked back to see all three women giggle and enter Kimberly’s room. He only hoped that Kimberly would still be recognizable when they were done.
He got ready, utterly stumped as he wondered what shirt to wear, wanting to impress Kimberly. He heard a knock on the door and looked at the clock. He still had time, so he knew it couldn’t be Kimberly. He was right. Opening the door, he found Brianna.
“Not ready, I see,” said Brianna, inviting herself in.
“Bria, what are you doing?” asked Adam, following her. She looked at the three shirts he had laid out on the bed.
“That one,” she said, pointing at the black button up long sleeve shirt.
“Thanks,” said Adam, baffled and half-amused that their teammates were so invested that they needed to pick out even his outfit.
His phone beeped with a message, and he grabbed it, seeing it was from Kimberly.
I am so sorry. I tried to stop her. Please forgive me. Will a kiss help?
He smiled. For this? 3 kisses, he responded.
“Do you have any pants that are not jeans?” asked Brianna.
“Yes,” replied Adam.
“Like what?” asked Brianna.
“This is embarrassing,” muttered Adam as he showed her a few pairs of pants. Brianna picked one and put it next to the shirt she’d already picked out.
“You’re set, wear those. Add a belt too,” she said. “Have fun!” she called over her shoulder as she left.
His phone beeped with another message.
3 kisses it is! Love you.
He laughed.
Looking forward to collecting. Love you too.
“Hey,” said Kimberly, opening the door.
“Hi,” said Adam.
He tried not to stare. She looked perfect. Her long hair was in loose curls and she was wearing a dark green dress which stopped just above the knee.
“You look amazing,” said Kimberly at the sight of him.
She tried to sound more like herself and not some breathless school girl talking to her crush, but her voice betrayed her.
“You…you’re perfect,” managed Adam, having blushed at her praise.
Kimberly smiled, blushing.
“Ready to go?” asked Adam.
“Come in. I’ll just grab my jacket,” said Kimberly.
Adam followed her in, closing the door.
“So, is this yours or is it borrowed?” asked Adam, indicating to her dress.
“Mine,” smiled Kimberly.
“I haven’t seen it before. It’s beautiful…you’re beautiful,” said Adam.
“Thank you,” said Kimberly with a smile.
She leaned close to kiss him. It was hard not to lose all her self-control as he pulled her closer, their tongues tangling in a delicious dance that made her seriously consider ripping his clothes off right then and there.
“You owe me 2 more,” murmured Adam breathlessly as they finally parted.
“Let’s leave before things escalate.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” asked Kimberly, looking into his eyes.
When she looked at him like that…well, it did things to him. Swiftly he started kissing her, wildly, urgently and she didn’t stop him. She welcomed it, and Adam suddenly came to his senses when he realized he’d backed her right to the bed.
Kimberly had her hands in his hair, twisting it between her fingers as he breathlessly parted from her.
She whined. “Adam...” she said softly.
“I have a date to take you out on,” he said, putting a bit more space between them.
Kimberly looked down at her dress, reason catching up with her too.
“I suppose we did get ready for a date. We should actually go,” she said.
“Is there lipstick on my face?” he asked.
She grabbed his hand and took him into the bathroom, pulling out a makeup remover wipe and wiping it over his lips.
“I am so sorry,” she said again, though she looked amused.
“Don’t be,” laughed Adam.
“Shit, I did a good job on your hair too, sorry,” she added as she proceeded to comb his hair out with her fingers.
Adam just laughed, letting her put his hair back in order.
Kimberly blushed and kissed his cheek lightly.
She checked her make-up in the mirror, removing the lipstick and replacing it with a gloss.
“So, where are you taking me?” asked Kimberly as she fixed her hair.
“Somewhere,” said Adam mysteriously.
“We’re both tourists here. Who’s your source for local information?” teased Kimberly.
“Yes, well. I tried, let’s see how it goes,” smiled Adam.
His somewhere ended up being a walk through lovely gardens with historic shrines and temples followed by a cruise along the river with dinner on board.
“This is beautiful, Adam, thank you,” said Kimberly, wrapping both arms around his waist as they watched the lights twinkling along the water.
“I’m glad you had a good time,” said Adam, his arm going around her.
“I had the best time,” said Kimberly, looking up at him.
Adam kissed her softly. “I had the best time too,” he said.
Kimberly beamed, snuggling close to him as the boat headed back to the dock. Disembarking, Adam took her hand.
“Anything else you want to do? Anything you want is yours,” he said with a smile.
Kimberly couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm and need to ensure she was having a good time.
“Everything is perfect,” she said, pulling him over to a quiet bench by the river and sitting down.
Adam put his arm around her, kissing her temple.
“Thank you for planning an amazing date. It's the best ever,” smiled Kimberly.
Adam grinned, happy.
“Best ever is an understatement,” he said. “Anything for you, no thanks needed.”
Kimberly kissed him lightly, which led to him pulling her closer, one hand on her cheek as they lost themselves in the sensation.
“Talking about making out, you’re a little far away for that right now, come closer,” murmured Adam, pulling her closer again.
Kimberly smiled, kissing him, her hands moving to thread through his hair as once again, they pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in public.
“We might need to put this on hold unti
l we get back to the hotel,” murmured Kimberly against his lips.
Adam stopped, reason suddenly catching up with him.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his throat suddenly dry.
“Very sure,” murmured Kimberly, her hand trailing down his chest suggestively.
His breath hitched in his throat, and she smirked, having got the reaction she’d wanted out of him.
“We better go back,” she said softly as she got up.
“Alright,” said Adam, rising from his seat also.
Though he pulled her close into one more lingering kiss before releasing her. Kimberly was now weak in the knees, and he smirked.
“Two can play that game,” he said quietly as Kimberly looked at him, desire in her eyes.
“Well played,” she conceded with a smile.
As they returned to the hotel, Adam was getting increasingly nervous. He realized it was stupid. He knew if Kimberly was any other woman, he would have been extremely non-subtle about getting her into bed. But this was Kimberly. It was special with her. It had more meaning than anything he’d ever done.
Kimberly sat down on the edge of the bed, removing her shoes as they entered her room. They were both nervous now, and she awkwardly looked at Adam who was still standing, not looking at her as he removed his jacket and placed it carefully on the back of the chair he then sat down in.
Kimberly tried to ignore the sudden tension and went into the bathroom to remove her make-up and freshen up. She stayed in the dress, studying herself in the mirror. She was nervous, but she was also excited. Taking a calming breath, she exited the bathroom, finding Adam where she’d left him, nervously studying his hands as he sat.
Kimberly bit her lip, then went and rubbed his shoulders.
“Come sit with me,” she said quietly.
Adam looked up, his arm moving around her waist as he gave her a squeeze.
“I’ll just be a minute,” he said, inclining his head towards the bathroom.
“Sure,” said Kimberly.
Adam went into the bathroom, and she settled on the bed. She tried to stay calm, employing some breathing exercises learned over the years. Minutes passed though, and Adam didn’t reappear. She grew worried and debated whether she should check on him.
TANGLED HEARTS Page 5