Ten minutes later, we were seated at our table in Leonardo’s. The restaurant was both casual and romantic, with soft music playing in the background.
“The food here looks amazing,” Blair said as we watched a waiter go by with a tray full of heaping pasta dishes.
“I know. I’m ready to order two meals, that’s how hungry I am,” Rory said.
Adam swore. “I forgot my wallet at the bungalow. If the waiter returns, order the Surf and Turf for me. With all the fixings.”
“You’re not doing Italian?” Rory asked.
He bit the side of his lip. “Actually, order a side of fettucine Alfredo for me.”
“Good idea. I might get the same thing,” Rory replied.
I watched Adam head toward the exit in his form-fitting white polo shirt and light beige khakis. The pants hugged his buns and I remembered how firm and muscular they were.
God, I was pathetic…
“So, how did things go today?” Blair asked Rory.
He started telling us about their adventure on the eleventh floor.
“Mara actually connected with the spirts and told us about the murders,” Rory said.
“The medium?” Blair looked intrigued. “What was she like?”
“Normal. Magical. Eerie. A little bit of everything,” Rory said. “She wants us all to have dinner with her tomorrow night. Before we investigate the suite again.”
“Sounds great. I’d love to meet her,” Blair said.
“Of course.” Rory looked at me. “You, my dear, have to do us a huge favor.”
I raised my eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“She seems to have a thing for Adam and we told her that you were his girlfriend.”
“What’s wrong with her? Why isn’t he interested?”
“He just isn’t.” He lowered his voice. “All you have to do is pretend that you’re not totally pissed off at him for an hour or two. Please?”
I sighed. “Fine.”
“You know he’s still head-over-heels for you,” Rory said.
I snorted. “Right. You should have seen him by the pool earlier. He was lathering on sunscreen for this cougar and I thought it was going to turn X-rated there for a minute.”
Blair chuckled. “She’s exaggerating. Although, he did seem to enjoy it.”
Rory gave us a funny look. “When was this?”
I explained.
“That had to be Mara,” he replied. “The psychic medium. He said he ran into her on his way back from the pool.”
“Wait, really?” I replied, surprised.
He nodded. “Yeah, and I don’t know what you saw, but I can tell you this - he definitely isn’t interested. That’s why we need you.”
“Yeah. Sure. Okay,” I said.
They both stared at me with amusement.
“I mean, if he doesn’t want her flirting with him then I totally understand. Plus, I don’t want Earl trying anything with me either. I have a feeling we’ll be running into him again.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t ditch him either. He’s getting more room keys for us,” Rory said.
“Oh. Bummer,” I replied.
The waitress brought us a basket of bread. Blair grabbed a piece and inhaled it. “Oh my God, it’s still warm. I can’t believe how hungry I am.”
“Well, we haven’t eaten since noon,” I reminded her. “On the plane.”
“That’s right. No wonder I’m starving,” she replied.
Rory grabbed a piece of bread and began buttering it. “You girls should actually come with us tomorrow.”
I had to admit, I was totally intrigued with everything he’d told us. “It’s really haunted?”
“Yeah. Do you know how rare it is to actually find real ghost activity?”
“I’ll go.”
Blair snorted. “Count me out. I’ll just wait for you guys to finish and then we can meet up later.”
Rory frowned. “You sure? It might be a long night. Sometimes these things take a few hours.”
“Exactly. You should go. It’ll be fun,” I added.
“Your idea of fun is totally different than mine.” She looked at Rory. “Besides, didn’t you say the ghosts are assholes?”
Rory chuckled. “Look, nothing bad is going to happen to you.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I swear. I’ll protect you from the boogeyman.”
“Funny. Fine, I’ll go. But, if knives start flying through the air, or someone starts talking in tongues, I’m gone,” she said firmly.
“Don’t worry. If that happens, I’ll be right behind you,” Rory said.
Adam returned a few minutes later and we ordered dinner, along with two bottles of red wine. The guys both ended up with steak and lobster, plus a side of fettucine. Blair and I both ordered pasta dishes. The food was amazing and the wine, well, it definitely put us all in a relaxed mood. I was even able to tolerate Adam more.
“By the way, Chloe is willing to be a cock-block,” Rory said, as we were finishing up the last of the wine.
Adam laughed. “What?”
“I think what he means is that if you don’t want Mara coming on to you, I will do what I can to help,” I answered.
He looked relieved. “Okay. Cool.”
“Hey, you guys. Rory mentioned something about going to one of the clubs?” Blair said.
Adam smiled. “Yeah, we should go. This could be our only night to let loose.”
“But, what if we’re carded?” I asked.
“It hasn’t happened yet,” Rory replied and grinned. “I’m sure it’s because you’re with us and everyone knows we’re celebrities.”
“Oh, of course,” Blair said, smirking. “That must be it.”
“I say we pay the tab and head over there right now,” Adam said. “If we can’t get the girls in, we can’t get the girls in. But, let’s at least try.”
I finished the last sip of my wine. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
After all, I wasn’t ready to go back to the bungalow. I knew as soon as that happened, Blair would disappear with Rory for the rest of the night. It was much too early for that.
Once our bill was taken care of, we headed over to a club called The Coast, which was attached to the eastern side of the hotel. It was the first time Blair and I had ever been in a nightclub before. It was dark and the music was so loud, we could barely hear each other. Fortunately, we didn’t get carded there either.
“This place is packed,” I said, surprised at how busy it was.
“It’s a Friday night. Plus, I read somewhere that it’s a Santa Barbara hot-spot,” Adam replied.
“Yeah, I also overheard someone in the gift store mention that a lot of celebrities stay at the resort.”
I looked over at Adam. “You’re famous. Better get your pen out.”
He snorted. “I’m only famous for crashing my car and being Rory’s side-kick on the web show.”
“Dude, wait until we finish up here at the hotel. We’re going to need agents. The Discovery Channel is going to want to put our asses on T.V.”
Adam grinned. “You might be right.”
“Hell, yeah, I’m right. Which is why we need to celebrate. Let’s find a table and order some cocktails.”
We located a table not far from the bar.
“I think I should go and order them myself. The waitress might card the girls,” Rory said.
Adam nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“What would you like?” Rory asked us.
This time Blair and I asked for Cosmopolitans.
“Are they good?” Blair asked.
“They’re strong,” Rory said. “But, pretty tasty.”
She nodded. “Okay. Cool.”
Adam stood up. “I’ll help you carry the drinks, Rory.”
He nodded. “Good idea. You girls sit tight. We’ll be back soon.”
We watched as they headed to the bar.
“This is fun, huh?” Blair asked, rocking her body to the song that w
as blasting over the speakers.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m already pretty buzzed from the wine. I probably shouldn’t have even ordered a martini. How are you feeling?”
I told her that I was a little tipsy too.
Her eyes narrowed as something by the bar. “Oh, goody.”
“What’s wrong?” I turned my head to look. Standing next to Adam and Rory was Mara and the other woman from the pool area. My stomach burned with jealousy as I watched Mara laugh and touch his arm.
Blair’s eye twitched. “That woman is really starting to piss me off.”
I smiled grimly. “I’m the one that should be upset.”
“Aren’t you?”
Although he supposedly wasn’t into Mara, one would never know by the thousand-watt smile he was giving her at the moment. “Maybe a little.”
“You should go over there and stake your claim. He is supposed to be your boyfriend.”
I swallowed.
She touched my arm. “Seriously.”
Mara whispered something into Adam’s ear and he laughed again. Then he looked over at me and I saw something in his stare that made me sit up straighter. A cry for help.
Spurred on by that, and the two glasses of liquid courage I’d had, I stood up. Adam needed me. “I’ll be back.”
Blair grinned. “You go girl.”
I walked over to the bar and sidled up to him. The relief in his eyes was almost comical. It surprised me that Mara didn’t catch it. Especially with her “gifts”.
Smiling, I slid my arm around his waist and stared up at him. “Sweetie, I’ve changed my mind. I think I’d like a wine spritzer instead. Mixing that with a martini might not be the best idea.”
His arms tightened around me. “No problem, Beautiful. Hey, Rory. Did you hear that?”
Rory, who was waiting in line turned around. “What?”
“Chloe wants a wine spritzer instead,” he replied.
“What kind?”
“Something sweet,” I hollered.
He nodded and turned back toward the barn.
“Oh, Mara. This is my girl. Chloe.”
Mara’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” I replied.
“This is my sister, Gigi. I was just introducing her to Adam and Rory. She watches their web show,” Mara explained.
“Yes, they’re so funny. Especially, Rory. He’s always cracking me up,” Gigi said.
“Yeah. It’s a great show,” I replied.
“Well, we should find a table,” Mara said, looking around the busy nightclub.
Gigi frowned. “Can you believe how packed it is? I doubt we’ll find anywhere to sit.”
I glanced around the club. It wasn’t looking to promising.
Darn, they’d have to leave.
Mara looked at Adam and fluttered her lashes. “You wouldn’t mind if we joined you? I swear, when another table opens up, we’ll get out of your hair.”
“Sure. Of course,” Adam replied.
She smiled in relief. “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
The two women got in line to order drinks, leaving me and Adam standing off to the side. He still had his arm around me and, honestly, I wasn’t ready for him to remove it.
“Thanks for that,” he murmured near my ear, his breath warm.
“No problem.”
“You can go back to the table if you want. I think she got the point.”
“Okay.”
I started sliding away from his arm, but then suddenly, Adam pulled me back against him.
“But, in case she didn’t get the point...” He leaned down and began kissing me. It started out small and then suddenly, the hot chemistry between us took over. Our tongues were in each other’s mouths and there was no acting involved, only passion. He tasted and felt so good. All I could think about was jumping his bones and having my way with him.
Adam pulled away suddenly and stared down into my eyes with an urgency that I felt all the way down to my core.
“Let’s go. Fuck the drinks,” he said huskily.
I glanced over at Blair, who was watching us and smiling. She gave me the thumbs up.
“You two need to get a room,” Rory said, walking past us with the tray of drinks. He glanced back and smiled. “Seriously. Get a room.”
Adam grabbed my hand and guided me out of the club, toward our bungalows. When we reached his, he opened the door and turned to me.
I swallowed. “Wait. Maybe we shouldn’t have left-”
“Maybe nothing.” He pulled me inside, picked me up, and put me over his shoulder.
“Wait, your back!”
He carried me into his bedroom, his hand sliding under my dress. His fingers moved up my thighs, to my ass. He squeezed my cheek, almost painfully. “God, I’ve missed this,” he growled.
36
Adam
I was so fucking horny, I couldn’t see straight. I dropped her onto the bed and removed my shirt, dying to feel her skin against mine.
Chloe moved back on the bed, watching me with those gorgeous green eyes of hers.
“You okay with this?” I asked, searching her face for any sign of regret.
“Fuck, yes.”
I crawled onto the mattress and began kissing her again. I wanted her so badly, ached to plunge into that tight, hot wetness. But, I couldn’t be greedy.
I raised her up and helped remove her dress, leaving her in just a bra and panties. They were teal, just like her dress. Squeezing her breasts, I buried my face in her cleavage, inhaling her perfume. God, I’d missed that too.
Groaning in the back of my throat, I unclasped her bra from the front and began teasing her nipples.
Panting, she unbuttoned my pants and went straight for my cock. I sucked in my breath as she began jerking me off.
Groaning, I slid hand inside of her panties, to her wetness, and almost came. With her hand on my cock and feeling how excited she was, it was almost too much.
“Stop,” I breathed, grabbing her wrist.
Staring at me, she smiled and the pushed me down onto my back. The next thing I knew, her lips were on my cock, followed by that hot, wet mouth. Groaning, I watched as she moved her lips up and down, sucking, licking, and driving me crazy.
Gasping, I almost threw my back out again as her mouth sucked an orgasm right out of me. Shuddering, I paused for a moment to catch my breath, and then crawled between her legs. Her eyes stared down into mine as I buried my face between her thighs and began making love to her clit.
37
Chloe
I gasped in pleasure and gripped the comforter as his tongue drove me crazy. He added his fingers and I felt my stomach tighten as his licks became more aggressive, coaxing me closer and closer to ecstasy.
“Yes,” I whimpered, pulling at his hair.
I writhed and moaned, eventually screaming as he brought me over the edge in an explosive orgasm that actually brought tears to my eyes.
As I was catching my breath, Adam kissed his way back up my stomach, between my breasts, to my lips. I slid my hands over his back, feeling the hard familiar planes of his shoulders and muscles. It felt so good to be underneath him again. I never wanted to be anywhere else.
Adam nudged my legs apart and I felt his hardness pressing against my opening. Shocked, I opened my eyes.
“Quick recovery?” I murmured.
“Just so fuckin’ horny for you.”
I felt the same way. I needed him inside of me. “Do you have a condom?”
“Yeah.”
He pulled himself up, found his wallet, and was back between my legs within seconds. Spreading my thighs apart, he plunged inside, his cock filling me with exactly what I’d been aching for.
“Fuck, you feel good,” he growled. “I missed you… so much.”
“I missed you, too.”
Pulling back out, he stared down into my eyes and then began fucking me. His thrusts started
slow and then picked up speed as I moaned and dug my fingers into his skin. Within seconds, I felt another orgasm begin to build deep within my core. I cried out in ecstasy as I reached the peak and soared over… almost like a bird being released back into the wild.
Following my lead, Adam let go, gasping as his cock spasmed and he came inside of me.
Afterward, he held me close.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I was such an idiot. I really fucked up.”
I was about to say something, but he put a finger to my lips.
“I don’t want to lose you. I’ll do anything not to lose you. Whatever it takes.”
“You just need to trust me, Adam.”
“I do.”
Did he though? Really?
I stared into his eyes. “You know, I’m not your enemy. I never was.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have treated you like you were.”
“Exactly.”
His face became serious. His eyes burned into mine and it felt like he was staring right into my soul.
“What are you thinking about?”
“How much I love you.”
His confession made me so deliriously happy, I felt my eyes well up with tears.
“You don’t have to respond. I just want you to know how I feel about you. I don’t deserve your love, especially with how I’ve treated you in the past-”
He kept talking and I put a hand over his mouth. “The past is irrelevant now. It’s over. We need to let it go. Also, “I smiled. “I love you, too.”
His eyes lit up.
I removed my hand and cuddled against him.
He rubbed my arm with his thumb. “You love me too? How long have you felt that way?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. Sometimes it feels like I might have started loving you that day on the beach, when you stole that kiss from me.”
He looked almost sad. “Back in high school?”
“Yes.”
“Was I your first?”
I nodded.
Adam stared at my lips. “I’ll never forget that day. I went home and dreamt about doing more than just kissing you that night. Let’s just say that I had to change my sheets the next morning.”
The Prize: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Diamond Lake Romance Book 3) Page 18