His eyes flew open when he felt Sam straddle him. When she leaned down—her face inches from his—he forgot to breathe.
"Adam, just kiss me. Don't make me think," she whispered.
The way he was feeling, how could he say no? With an agile motion, he rolled them and he was on top of her.
He pressed his lips against Sam's, but he could sense some internal conflict going on within her. He held back, forcing himself to keep the kiss soft and gentle. Even though his body was in dire need, this was something they shouldn't take lightly. They were friends, and he knew Sam wasn't the casual-sex type of girl.
After a few seconds of sweet kisses, he pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Sam, I do want you think about this. If we sleep together, I don't want you avoiding me afterwards because you've regretted it."
She smiled. "I'm just nervous. I've never had sex with someone who wasn't my boyfriend. I'm not into one-night stands."
"Well," he drawled. "Does being a fake boyfriend count?"
"Is this going to be a one-night stand?"
He stared at her. "Would you think less of me if I say I haven't thought farther than tonight?"
Sam put her hand on his cheek. "Lucky for you I already know what kind of person you are. If not, I'd be running for the hills right now."
"So what does that mean?" he asked softly, caressing a strand of hair off her face.
She let out a self-deprecating laugh. "All this analysing is probably killing the mood."
"Well, I actually can't think right now," he said wryly, sitting up straight. "How about I take you home before we do something we're not ready for?" That wasn't what he wanted, but Sam clearly wasn't ready for this. If she was, they wouldn't still be talking. He had to give her space.
He got out of bed and held out his hand to her, helping her get up. He drew her close when she was on her feet.
"When you're ready, you tell me. Okay?" he said softly.
She nodded.
"And to answer your earlier question about whether it's going to be a one-night stand, I hope not. I'm not big on one-night stands either. I'd rather see where it could lead."
Sam gulped and nodded again.
"Of course, there's always the risk of ruining our friendship, but can we agree on something right now?"
"What's that?" she whispered.
"I know we'll try not to hurt each other deliberately, but at this point there's no way to tell where we'll end up. Can we promise to remain friends no matter what happens in the future?"
"That's sensible. We also have our mutual friends to consider."
"Exactly."
She smiled. "I agree."
He grinned. "Good."
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Well, what do you expect, Samantha? You were the one who got cold feet last time," Sam muttered to herself as she arranged her toiletries in Adam's en suite bathroom in preparation for her parents' visit.
She was still getting over her disappointment that Adam had seemed a bit distant. Well, okay, he was his usual friendly self, but she would have preferred it if he'd kissed her on the lips instead of just on the cheek when he'd greeted her.
She shook her head in exasperation. The truth was she missed him, and the last couple of days had been full of daydreams about him—of what could have been if she had listened to her body and not her head.
She'd been in an almost constant state of arousal when she thought of Adam—and she'd been thinking of him way too much since they last saw each other. It was a revelation in a way—she'd never lusted after someone like this before. How come it was all bubbling up now? Was it because she knew Adam was now available while he hadn't been in the past?
She had always been good at putting a lid on her emotions, but somehow the lid that had recently been lifted was being stubborn. It didn't want to close anymore.
Gosh, what a dramatic change after she'd allowed herself to lose a little bit of control. A few hot kisses and all she could think about was jumping him. Maybe there was a wild, wanton woman hiding within her, after all. And right now, she was itching to walk up to Adam and kiss him senseless.
So what was stopping her? She'd already resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't know what the future held if they hooked up until—well, until whatever was going to happen happened. Like any relationship that was just beginning, there was no telling where it would end, or when.
And why the hell was she still thinking and rationalising? Hadn't she already decided she wanted to be with Adam despite the complications? Jasmine took the risk with Kane even though he was the brother of her sister's best friend. Ari jumped in with Dylan even though he was Jasmine's then-future brother-in-law. And Kris—well, her dear cousin Kris went for what she wanted even though she'd been warned that going for Trey wasn't a good idea.
They'd all had their challenges and difficulties but look at where they were. Happy, in love, blissful.
She might as well admit it to herself. It was that scary experience when she was just eighteen that still affected her outlook on men and sex.
Her first time was very unpleasant. Not only had she given her virginity to an inconsiderate lover ten years older than she was, but she found out belatedly that he was already married.
When her period didn't come on time, she'd been so terrified. She'd walked around for two weeks, scared to death of what the future held, what her family would say, how she'd take care of a baby she wasn't ready for—at eighteen.
Fortunately, it had been a false alarm. She'd never been more relieved in her life when her period made an appearance.
Lesson learned, she'd promised herself she wouldn't be as easy again when it came to men and sex. Nine years later, she was still hanging on to that view.
She smirked. She knew damn well that wasn't the full picture. Frustratingly, she got far more satisfaction from pleasuring herself than from sleeping with any of her three exes. She'd even spoken to a psychologist friend about it who'd suggested it could be her unpleasant sexual ordeal and fear of getting pregnant that was stopping her from fully opening up and enjoying sex with a man.
She suspected her friend was right. It was a stupid fear, really. She was on birth control—even if she hardly ever had sex—and she'd still want to use a condom. As for the mediocrity of her past experiences, wasn't that why she should look for a man who knew his way around a woman's body? She was willing to bet Adam was an expert in bed if his kisses were anything to go by.
So what in the hell was stopping her? Force of habit? How ridiculous.
Humph. She was tired of thinking about this. Now where was Adam?
Purposefully, she went to look for him. She couldn't find him in the living areas so he must be in his home office. The door was closed and she guessed he was hard at work. Of course. It was Friday—a work day. She really shouldn't be bothering him.
Chicken.
She narrowed her eyes, annoyed at herself. She pressed her ear against his office door and listened. All she could hear was some tapping on the keyboard. He wasn't on a phone call or anything.
"Adam?" she asked, swallowing her trepidation.
"Hey, Sam. Come on in," he called out.
She opened the door and stepped in. "Hi. I'm done planting the evidence of our hot affair."
Adam grinned and stood up from his chair. "Good. Are you off to go grocery shopping now?"
"Yes. But there's one more thing." Before her courage deserted her, she lunged at him and kissed him hard.
Adam was clearly surprised, but when his arms went around her and he started kissing her back, she relaxed, letting herself melt into his embrace. Ah, this was what she'd been craving for two days.
Adam's hand found its way underneath her top, and all her misgivings were pushed aside. She'd go with the flow with him. She wanted him bad enough.
"Stay with me tonight," Adam murmured against her mouth.
"Okay," she said, clinging harder against him. She felt his erection, glad she wasn't the only
one aroused.
"We'll have to wait until later," Adam said, breaking their kiss.
"Why?" she asked, hearing the need in her voice.
He smiled. "Because I'm having a conference call with the team in…" he checked his watch, "two minutes."
"Oh, okay." She didn't even try to hide her disappointment. "I better go then. I'll be back with my parents this afternoon."
"Don't you dare change your mind on me," Adam warned.
She grinned. "I'm a woman. Aren't we famous for changing our minds?"
"Well, what I know is that when Samantha Lane says she'll have sex with me, then she'll have sex with me."
"I never said anything about having sex with you," she said with a mock frown. "All I said was I'll stay with you tonight. I can't wait, actually. All I could think of these last two days was your nice, inviting bed with its ultra-soft Egyptian cotton sheets."
"Ah, then that must mean you'll be naked underneath them with me," Adam said with a salacious grin.
"I guess," she said huskily, bringing her mouth back to his.
They were interrupted by a melodic sound coming from Adam's computer.
"Bad timing," he muttered.
She chuckled. "I'll let myself out."
*******
"Adam seems like a really nice guy, Sammy," Helen commented as they prepared dinner.
"He is, Mum," Sam agreed.
"Well, I'm glad we've met him. I feel very comfortable about the fact that you have him to take care of you when you move here. Not that I think you need someone to look after you. You're such an intelligent, extremely capable woman. But sometimes, we girls just want a man who makes us feel special, don't we?"
Sam smiled at her mother. "Yes, we do, Mum."
Oh, she'd love to be that special someone in Adam's life. Tonight would be a start. It wasn't the way relationships usually began for her. She'd followed the traditional route—date a few times before jumping into bed. But she'd seen relationships that had started off with casual sex evolve into a happily ever after. Kris's and Ari's relationships with Adam's best friends were prime examples of that.
*
"So have the two of you talked about the move?" Ted asked as they ate dinner. "When is it gonna happen? And have you contacted that caterer you wanted to work for, Samantha?"
"Not yet," Sam said.
Ted frowned. "Well, what's your plan after we go back home?"
"I meant it when I said I want to wait for your test results before I start planning, Dad."
Ted shook his head. "What do you think of this, Adam?"
"It's Sam's decision, Ted. If I were in her shoes, I'll probably wait, too."
"I don't want you kids holding your lives back for me. Like I said, I'm sure the results will be negative for cancer. I feel fine," Ted said with conviction.
"We hope so, Dad," Sam murmured.
"Do you have plans on visiting Sam in Melbourne, Adam?" Helen asked. "Even if Ted gets the all-clear, it'll probably take her at least a month before she has everything organised."
"Sure," Adam answered, glancing at Sam. "We're playing everything by ear at this point."
"Well, there's not long to go before we get the results. They should be in on Monday. But whatever they are, you should start packing up when we get back home, Sammy," Ted said.
"I can't believe you can't wait to get rid of me," Sam said with an incredulous laugh.
"No. I just don't see the point in dithering when you know what you want to do. What about your apartment in Melbourne? What do you plan to do with it? Rent it out?"
"I was thinking of selling it so I could buy my own place here," she answered.
"For investment?" Helen asked.
Sam caught her slip. She'd almost forgotten she was supposed to be living with Adam. "Yes, for investment," she answered.
"But why sell it just to buy another investment property? Why not keep that one?"
"You're right." She'd have to come up with a better reason for wanting to sell her Melbourne apartment. She did want her own place in Sydney, but that could wait until much later.
"By the way, Sammy, we've found a replacement for you," Ted said.
Sam frowned at her dad.
"Have you been calling the office, Ted?" Helen demanded. "You're supposed to be relaxing, not working."
"I only checked in for five minutes," Ted said defensively. "Anyway, we managed to lure someone from a competitor. She'll be starting with us in three weeks. There'll be no need for you to show her the ropes, Sam. She's very experienced and we can manage."
"Oh my God," Sam said, looking at her dad in shock. "You really can't wait to see me go."
"What I really can't wait for are grandkids," Ted muttered.
"Dad!" Sam cried, mortified. If this was just a simple charade, she wouldn't have minded her dad's comment. But now that she wanted to start a relationship with Adam, she didn't want him scared away.
"Do you like children, Adam?" Ted continued, ignoring her. "Samantha loves kids."
"Uh, yes, I like children," Adam answered.
"Do you plan to have your own?"
Sam looked up to the heavens. She couldn't understand why her father felt the need to ask all these intrusive questions.
"I'd like to have my own sometime in the future, yes," Adam replied.
"Have the two of you talked about how many you want?"
Sam stared pointedly at Ted. "Why all these questions, Dad?"
Ted's eyebrows shot up with an innocent expression. "What's wrong with asking them? You're giving up everything you have in Melbourne—career, apartment, us—to be with Adam. I'm assuming the two of you are serious with each other. Aren't you?"
"Yeah. But geez, you're getting a bit personal."
"Sorry, Sammy. Just excited for you. It's great to see you in love, that's all."
Sam blushed beet red. Was she? Already?
*******
Sam breathed a sigh of relief when her parents finally left Adam's place. She'd offered to drive them back to their hotel but they'd declined, saying she and Adam should spend the time together since they'd soon be apart for a few weeks. Hopeless romantics, they were.
"Sorry about my dad being so nosy tonight."
Adam smiled. "I was more worried about you. You looked totally uncomfortable."
"You handled yourself well."
"Told you I aced my acting class in school."
She sighed, pushing away the sting that came with his comment.
"What do you want to do?" he asked, pulling her to him. "Watch TV… listen to music… go to bed…"
Her lips curved up. "I think I know what you want to do."
"You know me so well already," he said with a grin. "How do you know I'm looking forward to sitting on the couch, closing my eyes and listening to some Mozart while I sip wine?"
"You're letting me have your bed all to myself?" she asked with feigned surprise. "Yippee! Well, I'm having a shower now so I can go to bed and feel your sheets against my naked skin."
She ran for his bedroom, but Adam caught her. "Now you got me jealous," he murmured in her ear. "I can't let you have the bed all to yourself."
She giggled. She'd never felt as comfortable with a man as she was with Adam. Perhaps it was because they were friends first.
"Okay, come on." Adam took her hand and led her to his bathroom.
"Where are you going?" she asked with genuine surprise.
"To the shower."
"With me?" Suddenly, she was self-conscious. She'd never showered with a man before.
"Since you're my very special guest, you deserve the VIP treatment."
"You're going in there with me?"
"Yes. Actually, I'll be showering you."
"What?" she asked in shock. Admittedly, that came with a good dose of excitement.
"Will that be okay?" he asked softly.
She gulped. "Only if I can return the favour," she said bravely.
"If you insist," he res
ponded, his gaze suddenly heated.
"Okay," she said, hiding her nervousness with a smile. She assumed Adam must have had women who were very good in bed. She could only hope she didn't disappoint him with her lack of sexual expertise.
CHAPTER NINE
Adam sensed Sam's jitters. He suspected it came from inexperience. It warmed his heart, knowing there hadn't been many men in her life.
He ran a knuckle on her cheek. "Ready?" he asked softly.
Shyly, Sam nodded. The guileless look she gave him, mixed with lust and trust, made his heart expand and took his breath away.
He held her head between his hands and lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her tenderly—just soft lips feeling soft lips.
Sam's arms went around him and they held each other, revelling in a tender kiss that was just as powerful as the steamy ones they'd previously shared. He sighed from the blissfulness of it all.
But even with only light kisses, his body's temperature rose higher and higher—and he got harder and harder. He tightened his arms around her, letting her feel what she was doing to him.
"Adam…" she whispered against his lips.
"Yes, baby?"
"You feel good."
He groaned and crushed her to him, deepening their kiss and letting his hands roam her body. "Let's get in the shower," he said huskily.
"And have a cold one?"
He pulled away and stared at her. Was she having second thoughts again?
Smiling and turning around, Sam gathered her beautiful long hair with her hands and lifted it off her back. "Unzip me," she said softly.
With lips breaking into a relieved smile, he complied. Slowly, he pulled down the zipper, then pushed her dress off of her shoulders. It dropped to her feet.
God, she had a sexy back. Without being asked, he unhooked her bra. It, too, landed on the floor, joining her clothes.
He curved an arm around her waist and started kissing her neck. He noticed her breathing had gotten heavy. As heavy as his.
"I thought we're having a shower," she said, the breathlessness in her voice betraying her nerves.
"But you haven't undressed me yet," he said in her ear. "And you're not completely naked." He ran his fingers along the band of her undies.
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