“No beer or wine?”
“Nope. Not that I don’t have my vices, but alcohol isn’t one of them. I’m more into—”
“Breaking and entering,” he interrupted. “Not to mention trespassing, contributing to the delinquency of minors, and inciting to riot.”
He popped the pizza into his microwave and glanced out the window over the sink. “Looks like it’s going to rain. Good thing we didn’t have to spend the night in your new apartment. We’d probably have gotten wet. Set the table, will you?”
His plates were a deep-orange-glazed earthen-ware with a border of dark blue, perfectly coordinated with the two blue and orange napkins he handed to her. As she placed them on the table, he filled matching blue-glazed mugs with ice and opened a large plastic bottle of cola. When the microwave buzzer sounded, he removed the cardboard box and brought it to the table.
“Such domesticity,” she said, smiling. “I’m impressed. At my house you’re lucky to have hot dogs served on paper plates.”
“I’m not a very good cook,” he confessed as he sat down opposite her. “Truthfully, this is more in the nature of a stage setting.”
She watched as he laid a slice of steaming pizza on both of their plates. She hadn’t allowed herself to look further ahead than eating pizza. “You’re going to bring out the torture light and grill me until I talk?”
“No. As a matter of fact, Toni Gresham, I don’t want to talk about what happened at all. Tomorrow we’ll go downtown and look at the mug books. Tonight we just talk about us, you and me.”
“No more vigilante and policeman?”
“No. Tonight I’m more into fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Talk to me, Goldilocks.” He took a bite of pizza, stringing out the cheese as he chewed lustily.
And she did. She told him about her grandfather, who’d read to her, wonderful stories about Black Beauty and Hans Brinker. About how he’d allowed her to tag along with him to the mill every day during the summer and after school when she entered kindergarten. She loved the large spools of thread and the machines with their vibrant sounds and vivid colors. She loved visiting the mill village, where they would sit on the front steps of the store and drink Kool-Aid and iced tea. Grandfather always had a nursery rhyme or a funny song for the children and a kind word for the parents. They’d been inseparable, the white-haired man and the little girl.
And then one day he’d been taken to the hospital and nobody would tell her why. She’d been seven years old when he died. Her mother thought she was too young to attend the funeral. Neither her mother nor her father had recognized her grief, and she’d been forced to push it to the back of her mind. The mill had closed and the old people had been forced to move. Soon afterward, she’d been sent away to private school.
“But you were such a little girl,” Adam said softly.
“Yes, but my grandfather was very special. He was the only one who ever really cared about me. I loved him and those people loved him too. I was too young to understand that what my parents did was the only thing they could do. The mill equipment was out-of-date and the cost of changing over to modern technology was more than the mill could support.”
“What happened to the people in the mill village?”
“They had to move. There was no money for upkeep. They lost their homes and nobody seemed to care. I swore that when I grew up, I’d make it right.”
“And that’s why you’re so involved in helping the elderly?”
“Yes. I can’t reopen the mill. It’s too late for that. Most of the equipment was sold to pay the debts. So far I’ve managed to convince my parents to keep the property, though I don’t know why. The actual mill has been leased for years. We still have some of the smaller buildings, but sooner or later they’ll have to go too.”
“It must have been hard, seeing it all end.” Hard? he thought. It must have been agony. He was surprised at how easy it was to understand her feelings. And he was surprised at how much he was beginning to like Toni Gresham.
“Yes, it was hard,” she said. “Most people don’t understand. They think I’m just one of the Sunnyside Food Greshams and that I don’t have any real concerns. I do. Just like you. We aren’t so very different, are we?” she added quietly.
There was an occasional rumble of thunder and a flash of distant lightning as they finished their pizza. Toni washed the dishes and Adam dried. He talked about going to work with his mother before he was in school. She was a maid, and part of his childhood had been spent in some of the luxurious homes on the wealthy North Side of Atlanta. He barely remembered his father. He’d left when Adam was very small. His mother had died when he was in high school. He had been on his own ever since.
There was a curious sense of companionship between them as they wiped off the counter and turned out the light.
“It’s very late, Adam,” Toni said, unable to keep the weariness out of her voice. “Thank you for dinner, but I think you’d better take me home before the storm breaks.”
“I have an extra bedroom,” he said casually with his back to her. “Any chance you’d like to stay here tonight?”
“No, Adam. I don’t think so.”
She knew what he was asking and she knew she had to refuse. They’d started their relationship with kisses and fireworks. Tonight they’d made a start at getting to know each other. She’d told him things she’d never admitted to anybody, not even herself. And she suspected he’d done the same thing. It was too easy to talk with him; it would be too easy to stay. There was something between them, something fragile and not yet defined. Denying that was impossible. But was it real, or a fairy tale?
She had to give him another plus mark. He didn’t try to change her mind and he didn’t touch her, until they reached her teacup door.
“Stay put tomorrow, Toni,” he said simply, “until I can check in downtown and find out where we stand. Don’t answer the phone and don’t leave. Please?”
“All right, Adam. The prison farm plan will have to be scuttled anyway, now that the Mad Dog Squad is on the loose. I’ll wait to hear from you.”
He leaned his hand flat against the wall over her head and looked down at her. “I’m sorry I was so rough on you before, Toni. When I saw you on the ground, out cold, I panicked. Knowing how impulsive you are, I was afraid.… I don’t often do that and I overreacted.”
Adam had really been concerned about her, she thought with amazement. He’d been angry and stern because he was worried. She knew that apologizing wasn’t easy for him either. She was learning that Adam liked action, not words. So did she.
There was a hot stillness in the air, the kind that comes just before the rain. Adam was looking at her as though he regretted being there. She sensed the conflict in him. The silence grew heavy. Even the sounds of the city were muted and dull.
She couldn’t not kiss him, she realized dreamily as she moved into his arms. And it seemed he felt the same way. The kiss was definitely a combined effort.
He began by simply holding her and kissing her hair, touching a finger lightly to her lips before he claimed them with his own. The kiss was what she needed, that and being held, and she gave herself over to it willingly, as a plant reaches to the sun.
At last he lifted his head, though he still held her lightly in his arms. She smiled.
“I like it when you smile, Toni.”
He kissed her again, and the kiss changed, deepening, reaching into that frightening, unchartered area that neither wanted to know. They were shaken by the pleasure of touching, both giving while each knew there were boundaries beyond which they would not go. Time seemed suspended while they kissed. Adam’s arms and body covered her warmly, while she filled a void in his life that he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. Neither would forget how good this holding felt.
Adam finally drew back. “Good night, outlaw. Sleep well.”
Her eyes still closed, Toni’s lips curled impishly. Feeling as if she were a small child who’d just been given a treat, she reac
hed behind her, opened the door, and walked—or maybe she floated—into the house.
Adam took his time walking back down the steps. Halfway down he heard the scream.
Tearing back up the steps and into the house, he bit back his censure that she hadn’t locked the door when he saw her face.
She was staring into the kitchen sink, her eyes wide, her skin shockingly white. He followed the line of her gaze and felt the air whoosh out of his lungs. Laid out very carefully, almost as though it were sleeping, was a chicken, a very large, very dead, fully feathered chicken. Both his legs had been cut off.
“Adam.” Toni turned into his arms and pressed herself against him. She felt a low moan escape her lips. “Who would do such a mean, ugly thing?” His arms went around her and she felt comfort in his touch. Resting her cheek against his chest, she gave in to the need to be close.
“Some prankster,” he said confidently. “A student maybe, unhappy with his grade.” He hoped he was doing a better job of convincing her than he was of convincing himself. “You probably left the door open when you left this morning.”
But she hadn’t, he knew. He’d been here, looking for Annie and her, and the door had been locked then. Whoever had left this chicken had done so in the last few hours. It wasn’t even stiff yet. Adam put his analytical training into gear, listening as he held Toni. They were alone now. He was sure of that. But if somebody had gotten in once, he could get in again. Toni was in danger.
“Well, this may not get him a better grade,” she managed bravely, choking back the fear in her throat. “But it will sure as hell get him out of my class.” She allowed herself to be held for just another moment, then pulled away and took a deep breath. “Will you get rid of … it for me?”
“Sure, as soon as I’ve checked the house.”
She stood in the center of the kitchen, trying not to look in the sink as Adam made a quick check of her little house.”
“Do you have a shovel?” he asked when he returned to the kitchen, satisfied that they were alone.
“No, why?”
“I thought I’d bury the chicken.”
“Why?”
He tried to answer her in a way that didn’t sound foolish. “I always bury anything that dies. Birds, cats hit by cars, you know. It just seems the right thing to do.”
Toni’s shock drained away as she contemplated Adam’s answer. Arresting hardened criminals and burying dead animals. Such a contrast. Strong and soft, she liked that. Damn him, she was liking him more and more, and that frightened her.
“My next-door neighbor,” she said. “There’s a little tool shed where he keeps garden equipment. He won’t mind if we borrow a shovel.”
“Not we, me. You lock the door behind me and wait here. You’re too wiped out to climb back down those stairs again.”
Toni didn’t protest. She even locked the door. Turning on the rest of the lights, she sat down on the couch to wait. Always before she’d felt safe in her little house. Now that had changed. Her house had been violated and she didn’t know why. Still, she was tough. She’d never let anything get her down before.
By the time Adam rapped on the door and identified himself, she was in control again. She would have thanked him and said good night, but he was soaking wet. The rain was suddenly coming down in torrents.
“Oh, Adam, you’re half-drowned.”
“I never do anything halfway, outlaw. I’m totally soaked. And I’m dripping all over your carpet.”
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Come inside and—and I’ll put your clothes in the dryer. They won’t take long.”
Adam hadn’t intended to leave the house anyway. This simply gave him an excuse to stay, at least until he’d had time to look around. There was no chance that he could ever squeeze into any of Toni’s robes, so he settled for an oversized cotton T-shirt and a sheet wrapped around himself Polynesian style. The dryer was halfway through its cycle and the hot chocolate was just beginning to simmer when lightning struck somewhere close by and the lights went out.
This time Toni didn’t scream. She simply froze where she stood. By the time Adam found her in the dark she was shivering. He realized that she wasn’t afraid of muggers in the park or spiders under a sink, but the dark paralyzed her. He touched her arm, and she turned to him with desperate urgency.
“Does this happen often?” he asked.
“Sometimes. There’s a grounding system built into the foundation, so lightning doesn’t strike the house. I keep candles in every room. The darkness is the worst part. I can hear the wind and the creaking of my house. But always before, I knew that no matter what went on outside, I was safe. Now, I don’t know.”
“You’re safe, darling. I’m here.”
This time when he kissed her, he couldn’t seem to hold back. He meant to be gentle, to reassure her. But while he managed to control his hands and his body, his lips turned renegade. They plundered, tasted, and swept across Toni like the storm outside was assaulting the house.
“Toni,” he finally said in a hoarse voice, “I want to stay with you tonight.”
She didn’t answer. Instead she slid her arms around him and kissed him hungrily, as though she were afraid this might be the last time they’d ever be together. He’d invaded her life, gotten past her mass of followers, and isolated her in his arms. Nobody had ever done that before. She’d always loved her teacup. Now she knew it really was magic.
“I want you to stay,” she said at last.
Adam let out a sigh of relief. He’d meant that he wanted to protect her. Yet now that she had agreed, he knew his wanting was more than just to protect the woman he was holding in his arms. She was so tiny, so trusting, so right, and he gave in to the need to protect and hold her.
“You lock up, Adam,” she said, pulling reluctantly from his arms, “while I get a shower. Then …” Her voice trailed off as she saw the war of emotions on his face.
“I think I’d better sleep on the couch, Toni, in case the prankster comes back.”
Another bolt of lightning spilt the sky, followed by a thunderous boom.
“Adam Ware, if you intend to comfort me at all, you’re going to have to be closer than the couch. Oh, Adam, hold me.”
Then she was in his arms again. Their bodies were touching. The always present sizzle surged out of control between them, and she felt the throb of his arousal against her hip. He pulled her closer, settling her into the hollows where she fit.
“Are you sure, Toni? I want you to know that I don’t do this kind of thing often,” he said slowly. “And I want this to be more than just because you’re afraid of the dark.”
“I’m not afraid of the dark, Adam, not now with you with me.”
“Toni …”
Picking her up, he strode into the bedroom, dropping his toga as he walked. He laid her on the bed and peeled off his T-shirt, then hers. Lowering himself down beside her, he gathered her in his arms. Her nipples were pressed against his chest like heated magnets, and he felt the soft underside of one breast rise and fall against his arm as she breathed. He forced himself to speak. “Toni, are you protected?”
“Am I … Oh! Oh, Adam, I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I mean I don’t …” She squirmed, embarrassment flooding her with a different kind of heat.
He groaned. “I’m sorry too. I told you that I don’t do this often. I don’t have anything with me either. But that’s all right, darling. I’ll just stay with you and hold you. Sometimes that’s enough. Time enough for more later. Let me rub your back and you go to sleep.”
“Oh, Adam,” she sighed, throwing her leg across his thigh. “You’ll really hold me without …? Thank you.” This time her sigh was one of contentment. “You won’t leave me, will you?”
“I won’t leave you.” He rubbed her back, just as his mother had rubbed his when he was a boy. He wondered why she was afraid that he’d go, then he wondered why he was afraid that he didn’t. For a long time she held herself stiff and tight, then as
sleep claimed her, he felt the uncoiling of her tension. Her breathing became relaxed and even. The night passed as she slept, safe from whoever left the mutilated chicken as a warning. For Adam was certain that was the intention.
As dawn broke over the horizon he slid from her grasp and left the house in the sky. At least Toni had had a good night’s sleep, even if he hadn’t closed his eyes.
Caught by the last deep fingers of sleep, Toni sighed and willed herself not to wake. She was being kissed. Adam was kissing her. She’d dreamed about his kisses, over and over through the night until she was hot and wet from wanting him. She felt him shift, then pull his lips away from hers and trail them down her body, capturing her nipple and turning her into a trembling mass of desire.
His leg was threaded intimately between hers. She could feel his wiry body hair stimulating her thigh. He ran his fingers across her lower back, curving around her bare buttocks and sliding into the warm, secret place between her legs.
Her body was singing with energy. A roaring began in her head, and from somewhere deep beneath his touch an uncontrollable quivering vibrated through her.
“Toni darling, open your eyes. Are you ready to love me now?”
“Ready? Oh, yes, Adam darling, I’m ready.” She opened her eyes. Her dream was real. Adam was leaning over her, his dark eyes intense with desire. It was natural to turn so that he had easy access to her. She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes again as he captured her other breast with his hot, stroking tongue.
“I hope so, Toni, because I don’t think I can wait much longer.” His mouth left her breasts and tasted and pulled at her body as he moved leisurely down, closer and closer—
“Adam! What are you doing?” Fully awake, Toni tried to sit up. Her eyes opened wide at the sight of the sunlight spilling over the bed, and the man posed over her, resplendently naked and thoroughly aroused.
He smiled gently at her. “I’m about to do what your body has been begging me to do for the last half an hour. You want me inside you, outlaw, you want to feel me deep inside you.”
“I do?”
Adam’s Outlaw Page 11