by Adam (lit)
He shoved the woman away from him, stared down into her flushed face. The blue eyes were hazy beneath curled lashes, her mouth swollen from his kisses.
“You just couldn’t stick with the sweet and innocent persona for long, could you?” He swung her around and pushed her onto the couch. “Fine. I’ve wondered what it would be like to have a wild ride, the kind you like to give your lovers.” He threw off his suit coat and yanked the tie off. Then he was kneeling by the couch, destroying the sweater she wore as he dragged it over her head.
“Adam, wait.”
“No more waiting, Kara.” He struggled with her pants and when they lay in the floor, he ripped the bra from her, leaving red marks where the straps grazed her skin. He bent, fastened his mouth over her breast and groaned as blood filled his loins. Moving over, he caught the nipple of her breast, nibbled at it, then sucked it into his mouth.
Beneath him, Lyn twisted. Her hips arched, and desire sent her heart racing. She wanted this, even though he came to her in anger, she still wanted him to love her.
Oh, God! Love her. Her eyes flew wide and she stared up into the face drawn tight with need. He hated wanting her, despised himself for taking his brother’s wife, but he couldn’t help it. She knew it, and he knew it.
He raised himself over her, unzipped his pants, and placed his erection between her legs. “Move your legs apart.” His voice rasped at her.
She parted her legs, and he entered her, not quick and rough as she expected him to, but easily as though savoring the pain it cost him to go slowly.
He lowered his head and kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth to rub against hers. For a moment, their tongues mated gently, then he withdrew his, crushed her mouth as he plunged deep inside her. He groaned and she would have cried out had she been able to breathe. Hungry. She was so hungry for love, and here was a man giving it to her. At the moment, she didn’t care that he disliked her, that it wasn’t love but lust that drove him to take her with a wild and furious passion.
“Hold on,” he ordered. “Lock your legs around me, dammit, now.”
She did, and the orgasm struck furiously. She was certain her heart would split her chest. Hard, but sweetly, he loved her. Her hips kept time with his rapid strokes until his body went ramrod stiff, he raised his head and glared at her until his body let go. He cried out as he emptied himself into her. He crumpled onto her and lay still while both of them shuddered with final ecstasy.
It took several moments for their breaths to slow to something like normal. Lyn’s arms still encircled his neck, and her mouth touched his throat. She licked out, tasting salt and a faint minty scent.
Inside her, he swelled until he was fully aroused. He turned his head and took her mouth in a rough kiss, his tongue in and out in semblance of a sexual movement. He was lying atop her without moving until she pressed upward, and her hips swiveled.
He moved his hands along her sides down to her hips, and his long fingers curved over her buttocks. He held her and pumped with a smooth rhythm. He had to free her mouth in order to breathe, but he scraped his teeth over her chin. He wanted to bite her, wished he could get his mouth on her breast and suck until she screamed. He knew he couldn’t last and increased his strokes, felt the stunning need to slam into her body, to feel her tightening around him.
“Honey.” He moaned and put his mouth on her shoulder to muffle his shout. “Honey, I’m.” With one final plunge, he went deep. He turned his head and kissed her while he shot them both over the edge.
She lay still, but she kept hearing his whispered “Honey.” He had never called her anything but ‘Kara,’ and Honey sounded so much better. Especially while he made love to her. It seemed more real somehow even though she knew it was only her fantasy, not Adam’s.
He moved off her and turned his back as he pulled his pants up. After a moment, he turned and looked down at her. His lips tightened. He had ripped the sweater and her bra off, and bruises were evident where the straps had scraped her skin. He wanted to apologize but found he couldn’t speak. She lay as he left her, naked except for the cotton panties he’d only shoved halfway down her legs. Her cheeks were red where his day old beard had scraped. Her mouth was swollen. She watched him from wide blue eyes that held an expression he didn’t recognize.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” he said. He picked up his clothing and stalked from the room.
She didn’t hear a lock click, but then, he knew she wasn’t going anywhere. When she sat up and placed her feet on the floor, she winced. He had taken her twice and not too gently. That had been her fault. For whatever reason, her body had taken over her wants and wishes and responded to Adam as though it would mean something to him. Surprised, she realized it hurt just a little to know he didn’t care. Of course, he didn’t care about her. As far as he was concerned, she was his brother’s wife. A damned good reason to resent her.
She walked into the bathroom, stared at the reflection of her nude body, the marks he’d left on her. Oh, yes, he’d left his mark on her. She was in love with her captor, a man who hated her guts, who believed she lied, who believed she played loose and freely.
And you thought you were a settled and sensible woman, didn’t you?
She snorted at her own foolishness, walked into the shower and scrubbed Adam’s scent from her body.
* * * *
“Where the hell is Aaron?” Adam set down the glass of whiskey he’d just poured. “Something isn’t right. There’s a reason Kara won’t explain what has happened between them.”
Garth hesitated before he spoke, opened his mouth and then closed it again.
“What?” Adam waited. “Have you thought of anything that might make her talk?”
“Maybe she isn’t Kara.”
Adam’s eyes shot to Garth’s face. He had been leaning against the mantle and now he straightened.
“She doesn’t wear wedding rings, and there’s no lighter circle on her finger where she might had worn them.”
“Hell.” Adam rubbed over the back of his neck. “I hadn’t noticed. Funny, because those rings of Kara’s are hard to miss. She could have pawned them. That’s something Kara would do just to aggravate Aaron. Or me.” He laughed without humor. “She hated me that one time they visited.”
“Any particular reason?” Not many women – or men – hated Adam.
“I laughed at her when she invited me to sleep with her one afternoon Aaron had gone somewhere without her.”
“Yeah, that would do it.” Garth sipped his drink. “I don’t know, Boss, something about this woman doesn’t fit with the way you’ve described Kara’s personality.”
“I’ll have to make a different approach, see if I can get answers.”
Chapter Ten
Dinner was the usual exchange of conversation between Adam and Garth. She listened with only minimum attention because her mind was on the living room scene. Sex scene. It was nothing but sex. Her heart objected but her mind kept its dogged persistent logic. She didn’t want logic; she wanted Adam to recognize her as Lyn, to know she would never harm either of the twins and certainly would tell if she knew Kara’s or Aaron’s whereabouts.
She looked up when Hana brought dessert. It was Lyn’s favorite Mexican pastry but tonight her throat was too tight to indulge. She shook her head when Adam passed the plate of sopapillias to her.
“You’d better eat. I’m sure you need to replenish your energy.” The chill in his voice reflected the look he’d given her as he left her -- was it just an hour or so ago?
She winced. How could he speak so coldly of what had happened between them? Only expending energy. How could he not know? At least, that was one good thing: He didn’t know she was in love with him. Oh, God! Wouldn’t he have a field day with that?
“No thank you, Adam. I have plenty.” She picked up the glass of Chardonnay, glad that he had decided she really did prefer the white wine to red. He still watched her with disbelief as she drank the crisp wine. No matter. That
was a small hitch as compared to all the other things he believed, or didn’t believe, about her.
They moved from the dining room into the great room where a fire glowed brightly in the river stone fireplace. Lyn sat on a stool to one side of the hearth and ignored the conversation between Adam and Garth.
According to Garth’s information when she asked about the date, it must be about the fourteenth of December now. A bit over a week before Christmas. Her apartment wasn’t decorated. She hadn’t baked any cookies for her own use or for those she distributed throughout the hospital every Christmas. It was an activity she enjoyed, especially going through the children’s ward where sometimes seriously ill children would have to spend Christmas in the hospital rather than at home with families.
Adam’s voice startled her, and she looked up. “I’m going to bed as I have to be up early tomorrow. Coming?” He looked at her but didn’t offer his hand.
Without answering, she placed the wine glass on the table, stood and walked ahead of him down the hall.
“Goodnight, Kara,” he said and walked into the bedroom across the hall from where she slept.
So? Lyn was tempted to laugh, perhaps a bit of hysteria. He’d screwed her brains out a couple of hours ago, and here he’s saying a casual goodnight. It was almost laughable, if it didn’t break her heart.
“Goodnight, Adam.”
She dressed for bed, gazed a long time out of the glass doors, and lay down to stare into the darkness before she finally slept.
Across the hall from her, Adam stood by the darkened window and stared out. A slice of moon showed the bluish-white landscape of snow, unbroken by any footprints, animal or human.
Kara. Lyn. Who is she? He wondered. Garth’s questions had roused his curiosity. He couldn’t be right, could he? This had to be Kara. All of the identification was Kara’s. Even the picture on the driver’s license looked a lot like the woman in the other bedroom. Of course, driver’s license pictures didn’t always look like the owner. How could it not be Kara?
And why won’t she tell me where Aaron is? That’s all I want: Just to know where he is and that he’s all right.
* * * *
Shadows under her eyes had darkened. The sleepless night had added to an already impressive number of lavender circles beneath her eyes. Even makeup wouldn’t hide the fact that she hadn’t slept. Adam knocked on her door at seven-thirty. Lyn was already dressed. For what, she had no idea.
“Kara?”
“Lyn is here. What do you want, Adam?”
“You know what I want, Kara. What you’re giving me doesn’t count.”
Doesn’t count? Heart, soul, body – what else is there to give whether it’s you or the King of England?
“Breakfast is ready. Hana doesn’t like you to let it get cold.”
“Screw Hana,” she muttered.
“What?”
“You have the key, so it’s up to you if you’d like to open the door.”
The door opened, she walked past him and down the hall to the breakfast nook. Garth was already seated.
“Good morning, Kara,” he said.
She wanted to ignore him, but thought it didn’t really matter who they thought she was or who she might actually be. Sometimes, even she was confused as to who she was, so she shouldn’t blame them. Too much, anyway.
“Good morning, Garth.” She smiled at Hana who ignored her. “Good morning, Hana.”
“Hmph.” It was as good as she’d get from Hana, and suddenly, she didn’t give a damn. It didn’t matter if Hana liked her, or Garth, or Adam. She wasn’t getting anywhere trying to please them, so screw ‘em.
Yeah, that’s what Adam did: He screwed her. He’d be the first to admit it. Perhaps not to Aaron, but he didn’t mind telling her what he’d done.
So be it. Nothing she could do about it.
* * * *
Adam watched her closely as she drank coffee. She held the cup in the right hand, and her left one lay alongside her plate. There were no rings on her finger. And Garth was right: There was no lighter circle to indicate she’d worn rings recently.
Adam passed her golden scrambled eggs, sausage patties, hash browned potatoes and toast. She took some of each because he’d fuss if she didn’t. She ate some, left some, and drank a cup of good, strong coffee.
Adam started to push back his chair, when she spoke. “If anyone is going to a shopping center or store, I need a few things.”
Adam’s brows shot upward. “We don’t furnish you with your necessities, Kara? I thought we provided the essentials in sufficient quantities to suit you.”
“The items I want are personal.” She pushed a piece of paper toward him.
He didn’t pick it up, but read what she had written. “When do you need these?” She had asked for items she used on a monthly basis.
“Tonight. Tomorrow.”
“Not sure?” He looked from the list to Lyn.
“It varies.”
“What kind of store?”
“Convenience, drugstore, grocery store. Any one of those would carry the items.”
“I can go into town, Boss. No problem.”
Adam continued to look at the note before picking it up and slipping it into his shirt pocket. “Thanks, Garth, but I’ll take care of it.” He pushed back from the table and looked at Lyn. “How soon can you be ready to go?”
“You want me to go with you?”
“I thought, since this is personal, perhaps you’d rather do the choosing.”
“Yes.” She stood. “Thank you. I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”
Inside the bedroom she stood a moment looking around. She was going to leave this building for the first time in what? A week? Four days? She had stopped counting when she couldn’t tell day from night. Now she hurried to removed the fleece warm up suit and replace it with a white cable knit sweater and black knit pants.
“Get a pair of the boots from the mud room.”
She looked up at Adam, saw he already had on an insulated jacket. Beneath it, he wore jeans and a white shirt with a light blue sweater vest. Casual clothing only made him look better. Swallowing over the lump in her throat, she nodded and walked out ahead of him. She picked the black boots and leaned against the wall to brace while she tugged them on. Adam’s hand on her arm steadied her.
“Thank you.” She waited for him to open the garage door and then followed him to the all wheel drive SUV She hadn’t been inside the vehicle since the night she was kidnapped. It gave her a strange feeling to look at the leather interior that smelled new. She had been too upset to notice it the first time she rode in it.
It was snowing, coming down in large lacy flakes.
“We don’t get this much snow in Albuquerque. It’s really lovely.”
“Before the end of the snow season, most people wish they were a bit farther south.”
Adam backed the car from the garage, and they rode several miles in silence.
“Did you pawn your wedding rings? I hope you demanded plenty for them.”
“No, I’ve never pawned any wedding rings.” Heavens. That gold band she’d worn during her brief marriage was all she could afford. Her husband used all of the money they earned at the time.
“Kara.”
She turned to look fully at him. “I’m not Kara. I’ve never had rings worth pawning. I’ve never been married to Aaron.”
“All right, have it your way. For now.” He stared ahead at the highway. He wanted to shout questions at her. He wanted to reach over and shake her. He wanted her.
Dammit.
* * * *
It was still snowing when she spotted a road sign that stated: Taos, 6 miles.
So that’s where we are. Smart man, Adam, not to take his hostage way across country to hold her.
The countryside was familiar, long stretches of desert, mountains in the distance, cattle grazing where hay had been dropped in the snow. The sign said “Taos City Limits” and Adam turned onto a side road. A
t the end of it was a rather small department store, nothing like the Super Centers where she usually shopped.
“You should be able to purchase what you need in here.”
“I’m sure I can.”
He drove past the front of the store, but there were no parking places nearby. The prediction of heavy snow brought people out to stock up on basics and perhaps something to snack on if they were snowed in for a while. The parking lot had been cleared but enough snow lay on it to be slippery, so customers had parked as close as they could to the store. He stopped near the automatic opening doors marked Entrance.
“Get out here and stay close to the building so you don’t get cold or wet. Make sure you stay there. It might take a bit to find a parking place, but I’ll be watching you.”
Lyn pulled the hood of Kara’s coat up over her head and opened the door without looking at Adam. “I’d be lonely if you didn’t watch me, Adam.” She slammed the door hard and walked the few steps to the sidewalk that was mostly clear of snow. From there, she moved to a spot beneath the overhang. There was some protection from the snow, but the wind still whined and wheezed around the building.
She didn’t care. She was out of Adam’s house. As beautiful as it was, it was still a prison, and her guards weren’t all that friendly. Except Adam … when he wanted her. She sucked in her breath and closed her eyes. There wasn’t any need to go over that.
Lyn stood alone except for one of the employees several feet away who had come out for a smoke. A security patrol car passed. She glanced to see the SUV’s brake lights come on, and the vehicle eased into a parking place. It would be only a few minutes before Adam joined her. She turned to stare at the snow-covered mountains in the distance and caught her breath at the beauty of it. In her ugly situation, the loveliness was welcome. A moment later, she moved to look at the window display. Ski clothing, warm-up suits, boots, any and everything to wear for northern New Mexico’s winters. She pushed the hood of the jacket off her head and ran her hands through her hair to fluff it.