“Pull in here,” he directed.
She parked the car and got out. They had a gorgeous view of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge. She leaned against the hood and crossed her arms trying to keep the tears in.
Adam stood in front of her, ruining the view. Or enhancing it. Dammit. Why did he have to kiss her? This sucked.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
She looked into his dark eyes and sighed. “I’ve never kissed anyone before.” This was not a fact she shared with many people. Jenny thought it was stupid, but Liv didn’t care.
He raised his eyebrows. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe what you want. It’s true.” This was exactly why she didn’t tell people.
“Why?”
She’d never told anyone this before except Tanner and Jenny. And Tanner had been so understanding. It was how she had known he was a keeper. He never questioned her boundaries.
“The lipstick was only part of the advice my mother gave me. She knew she wasn’t going to watch me grow up, so she created this beautiful letter that had three things she told me to do.”
Adam moved next to her so they were both looking out into the bay. “And what was that advice?”
This was so hard to talk about. Her mom had been dead over fifteen years, and she still missed her desperately. “Never leave the house without lipstick. Don’t waste a single kiss. Travel.”
“Okay, but how does that translate to never been kissed?”
“I don’t know. My twelve-year-old brain latched onto those things. My lipstick became extreme, right? Bright red. That was the birth of my dream board. Honestly, it has very few material things. It’s mostly places. It’s the one piece of advice I haven’t followed well. That’s part of why this trip was so important to me. I felt like I was finally listening to her. And even more so because this was a trip she wanted to go on. I figured the best way of not wasting kisses was to have my first kiss when I got engaged. So I promised myself I would wait. And now you’ve ruined it.”
He chuckled. “That kiss doesn’t count. Seriously.”
“You kissed my lips. No one has done that since my mom died.”
He leaned in close to her. “Well, then we’re going to make it a real kiss.”
She cowered away from him. “No. I’m marrying Tanner.”
“Then it doesn’t count. It was barely a peck.”
She glared at him. “Fine. It doesn’t count.”
He crossed his arms and grinned. “Okay. Now I’m going to say something, and you’re not allowed to listen, but I’ve gotta say it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I got Snow’s first kiss.”
She glared at him. “You just said it didn’t count.”
“It doesn’t. But I’m allowing my seventeen-year-old self to gloat for a second.”
“I’m confused.” It was a peck. It didn’t count. He said so.
“Come on. I told you I was crushing on you in high school.”
“No. You told me I was the subject of locker room lust.”
He spun around so he was in front of her, standing way too close for her comfort. “Then allow me to come clean. I was completely infatuated with you from freshman year until we graduated. If I had known about your little promise to yourself, I probably would’ve proposed. That’s how bad it was.”
“But we barely even talked.” Adam had admitted his crush before, but this made it sound like he’d been obsessed with her. It should freak her out a little, but instead, she was incredibly flattered.
“Isn’t that how the best crushes worked back then? From afar.” He smiled.
She gave him a grin. “You should’ve asked me out. I might’ve said yes.” True he was a prick, but he was still hot. She hadn’t really dated in high school, but that was mostly because no one ever asked her out that she wanted to date.
“But you still wouldn’t have kissed me.”
“That all depends on how serious you were about proposing,” she joked.
He stared at her for a second. What a different life she would’ve had if that had been the case. Imagine if she’d dated him through high school and married him shortly afterwards. They’d probably have kids by now.
Crazy.
She moved away from him. This conversation had gone a little too far. They needed to get back on safer ground. “Let’s go check out that bridge.”
She weaved her way down the road and assumed the conversation was over, but several minutes later, Adam cleared his throat.
“How does Tanner feel about the kiss thing?”
“He’s so understanding. I told him on our first date, and he said he thought that was honorable.”
“How long have you dated?”
“Five years.”
He didn’t say anything for a long few moments, but he stared at her with wide eyes. “And no kissing?”
“Nope.” She was damn proud of that too.
He was quiet after that, and part of her wished she could get into his head and know what he was thinking.
“You think that’s weird, huh?”
“That’s a lot of self-control. Have you dated others?”
“A few. They never lasted longer than a couple dates.”
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
Liz glanced at him sideways. “I think we’ve officially delved into deep personal territory already.”
“What about sex?”
She squirmed. “Wedding night. Oh,” —she gasped as she caught sight of the bridge—“it’s beautiful.”
Chapter 11
Adam watched Snow as she perused the unique shops on the pier. Every moment she continued to surprise him. How could a woman that incredible never have been kissed?
He might have told her that kiss didn’t count, but his lips still burned with the memory. He’d been just as surprised as she to get her lips, and if they’d been anywhere but at a stoplight, he might’ve explored it further. She’d have been extremely pissed at him then.
Though it might have been worth it.
This trip was taking a turn he wasn’t sure he was comfortable with. He genuinely liked Snow, and this had never happened to him before. There was a big difference between women who were his friends and those he dated. Dating was about money and lust, and he’d never been attracted to the women in his life that were just friends. Liz was definitely his friend now, and he was unbelievably attracted to her.
Tanner was another complication. He wasn’t about to steal another man’s woman, even if he was an ass. Snow deserved better than that.
She pulled open the door to the left-hand store.
“You’re not a lefty,” he commented.
“No, but Jenny is, and she’ll appreciate a magnet or something.”
“Who’s Jenny?”
“She’s my best friend. We work together. She’ll be my assistant manager when I open my own shop.”
She bought a magnet, notebook, and pair of scissors. It was the most money he’d seen her spend on anything so far. Jenny must be special.
They stepped outside to the squawking of seagulls. “Jenny’s the one that alerted me to your Instagram pictures.”
He creased his eyebrows. “Why would she be following me?”
“Because you’re a Vegas celebrity, and she’s obsessed with anything celebrity related.”
He snorted. “I’m not a celebrity.” This was ridiculous.
She chuckled. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“What? I’m not.”
“Do you think that normal people have hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers?”
She had a point. He hated thinking about it. He didn’t get mobbed by paparazzi or stopped on the street and asked for autographs though, so he didn’t consider himself famous. They walked past a shop with a huge sugar cone above it.
“Do you want some ice cream?” he asked.
“Sure.”
Snow got a huge waffl
e cone with cookie dough, and he got mint chocolate chip.
They stood on the boardwalk and watched the water while they ate. Liz poked him in the stomach. “You’re going to lose those washboard abs.”
“Worth it,” he said and glanced over at her. She licked the edge of her cone and his mind went places it shouldn’t. She has a boyfriend. She has a boyfriend. She has a boyfriend.
Right, and he wanted to know how that tongue would feel against his. He shifted away from her a bit.
“Oh, look.” She pointed to a seal swimming in the water. He watched her instead. The way her eyes lit up and the casual grip she had on her ice cream, that was now melting all over her hand and into the water below. A flutter of wings came from behind her.
“Ah,” she screamed.
A seagull took hold of her ice cream and lifted it out of her hand. The cone fell in the ocean as the bird flew away. Her mouth dropped opened and her eyes widened, and then she busted up laughing.
He saw her in a new light, so full of joy and life. The way her eyes sparkled. Her hand reached out and grasped his arm, his skin tingling with her touch. He laughed with her.
And then.
He fell in love.
Chapter 12
Liz tried to keep the pout off her face as she handed the keys back to rental agent of the Jaguar. Adam saw right through her.
“You know, I could buy that for you if you want. Call it an early wedding present.”
“Absolutely not.” She mentally prepared all the reasons for when he would inevitably argue with her. It was too expensive, or she didn’t have any good place to store it.
“Yeah, you’re right. Tanner probably wouldn’t appreciate another guy giving you your dream car.”
She laughed lightly as she climbed back into the Range Rover, but his words stung. He probably didn’t even realize it. This entire trip he’d been giving her experiences Tanner never would. Not because Tanner never gave her anything, but Adam seemed to take care to give her things that she wanted. Not just random gifts.
If Tanner got his hands on the kind of money it would take to buy that car, he’d probably ask which charity she’d want the money donated to.
Adam pulled out onto another hilly street. “Where are we going now?” Liz asked.
“I thought maybe we’d eat in Chinatown, unless you don’t like Chinese food.”
“I like Chinese food.” She and her father did takeout at least once a week.
They parked the car and walked into Chinatown. Liz felt like she’d been transported into another world. The signs of the shops were all in Chinese, red lanterns hung in the streets, and it smelled like a Chinese restaurant.
They wandered in and out of shops. Adam watched her, and every time she expressed interest in anything, he bought it for her.
“You have to stop doing this,” she said after he got her a jade elephant.
“Why?” he asked, his eyebrows creased.
“Because it makes me feel poor. I can’t buy anything for you.”
“Liz. I know you probably don’t realize this, but by bringing me on this trip, you’ve given a gift money cannot buy. I’m not doing this to make you feel poor. Even if you had the kind of money I do, I’d still buy you gifts.”
“Why?” Now she was confused.
“Because I like to see you smile. Even when you fight me on it, you’ve got a huge grin on your face.”
He handed her the bag with the elephant and walked away. She had no words. She hadn’t realized he was doing these things to make her happy. From the tour at Hearst Castle, to the Jaguar, to the stupid Chinese souvenirs. Hell, he’d even offered her his ice cream after the seagull took hers.
She tried to think of the last time Tanner did something like that for her. She came up blank.
She caught up with Adam, and he pointed at a restaurant across the street. “Blake said that place is the most authentic.”
“Authentic Chinese food. Sounds good.”
He shuffled his feet. “You’ve never been to China, right?”
She scoffed. “No.”
“The restaurant next door has better food. Authentic Chinese food isn’t very good.”
“You’ve been to China?”
“A couple of times. Americanized Chinese food is much better. It tastes more like Vietnamese or Thai food.”
“You’ve visited there as well?” Moments like this she felt how far apart their worlds were. She shouldn’t be surprised. He was obviously well traveled.
“Yeah.”
She swallowed. “Okay, then, maybe we should eat at the restaurant next door.”
She tried to fathom what it would be like to know what food tasted like all over the world. The closest she’d ever come is restaurants in Vegas. And then only the cheap ones.
Adam had thrown her entire world upside down. What would life be like with a man like him?
He looked down at her with a grin as he held the door open.
Happy. That’s what life with him would be like. Happy.
Chapter 13
After just a couple of weeks, Adam had a new favorite thing. Sitting around a campfire on a beach in paradise. After this trip, he was going to buy a house on the beach, so he could do it every night.
Snow’s company helped and he wondered if he’d like it as much without her. Probably not, as she was bound to break his heart. In the days that followed San Francisco, he kept his mouth shut about how he felt, but it had taken all of his willpower.
She handed him a marshmallow and collapsed in the seat next to him.
“This is incredible, isn’t it?” She speared her marshmallow and stuck it over the flame.
“That it is. I was thinking I should buy a house on the beach just so I could do this.”
“Well, make it a big house because I’m definitely visiting you if you do.”
“With Tanner?” He knew he shouldn’t bring him up, but if he didn’t, he might say something he shouldn’t. Like he’d make sure it was a one bedroom so she had to sleep with him.
“Well, yeah.” She stared down at the fire. “I mean, I guess I was hoping that after this trip, we would still keep in touch. Be friends.”
That wasn’t what he wanted. Truth be told, the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted her with him in his bed. Though, according to her, that wouldn’t happen until after she was married.
If he thought it would work, he’d propose tonight. He was falling hard. But she was in love with Tanner.
Adam wasn’t buying it. Something was off about their relationship. Well, obviously. Snow was on vacation while he was thousands of miles away. How could a relationship with so much distance have any chance to work?
Or maybe he just wanted there to be issues. Wishful thinking.
Adam and Liz made small talk while they scarfed down s’mores. After the third one, she patted her stomach. “Nothing else is going to fit tonight.”
“That’s for sure.” This was one more thing he loved about her. She ate whatever the hell she wanted and didn’t whine about being fat. Adam had a suspicion most girls he’d dated battled with body image issues, maybe some even had disorders. He knew one he’d dated did for sure, and he tried to help her, but she wasn’t at a place where she was willing to accept help.
Snow picked up her phone, and her smile turned to a frown.
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s just Tanner. He won’t be able to call tonight.”
“Why not?”
“They’re working late on the house, and he has to get up early tomorrow.”
“His loss.” Adam pushed his feet against the campfire ring. This was good. He wanted to pick her brain about something anyway, and the farther the distance from Tanner she had, the better. “Can we talk about the whole kissing thing?”
She groaned. “Not again. Why does that bother you so much?”
“I don’t understand it. I want to.” He was fascinated by the conviction. He’d never have that much wi
ll power.
“I don’t know how else to explain it to you.”
“The only thing that separates relationships from friendships is sex. How do you even know if you’re going to like kissing him, or that you’ll have any chemistry? Do you think things are going to magically turn on the day you get engaged or married?”
“Chemistry is easy.”
“Enlighten me. Because there have been plenty of women that I’ve been attracted to that weren’t any good in bed.”
“Chemistry is different than attraction, and you can totally tell without sex or even kissing.”
“Oh yeah. How?”
“Here, let me show you.”
She stood and hovered over him. She held his gaze and placed her hands on the arms of his chair. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought she was going to kiss him. Desire burned in her eyes. What the hell?
She stood there for what felt like minutes but was probably only a few seconds. Then she slid into his lap so she was straddling him. His body reacted immediately, and she pressed herself into him. She dug her fingers into his chest and brought her cheek next to his.
“Do you feel that sizzle?” she asked, her voice breathy in his ear. Then she laughed softly and ground her hips into his. “Of course you feel it. That, my friend, is chemistry.”
Then she untangled herself from him and sat back in her chair, grinning from ear to ear. He was speechless. All he could think about is how he wanted her. Bad. Course, he’d wanted her before, but this was different. His heart and his body wanted the same thing and that was new to him. Love made this even more intense.
“See. We’ve never really kissed, and we’re far from sleeping together, but I’ve no doubt it would be good.”
He looked out over the water. Had she thought about having sex with him? This girl who never kissed a soul? The idea thrilled him and frustrated him at the same time. He couldn’t stand staring into her gorgeous face knowing he’d never kiss those lips or hold her naked body next to his, and that pissed him off. She’d just basically said, “See? We could have something great, but we won’t.”
She put her hand over his. “Hey, you okay?”
He swiveled his neck around. “You and I have chemistry.”
Roadtrips and Romance (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 5) Page 9