The Attraction of Adeline

by Lisa Wells

  “Am I ready to see if Dexter loves me? Ummm, no. Did I mention I’ve never had a dog?”

  Jacks mouth fell open. “Never?”

  “Not even once.”

  “Then it’s about time you had a dog. Just don’t let him smell fear. I’ll go in first.” Jack opened the door and stepped inside, turning on the light.

  A monster dog sprung to his feet and nuzzled Jack, causing him to fumble Adeline’s treasure box.

  Adeline lurched inside, intent on catching her treasure box before Jack dropped it.

  The dog stopped nuzzling, growled, and glanced around Jack directly at Adeline.

  Adeline froze. This wasn’t a dog, it was a horse. With rolls and rolls of loose gray skin. Jaws that drooped to his chest. Ears bigger than plates. Eyes that needed a lid tuck.

  Dexter pushed Jack out of the way with his head.

  Adeline slowly took a step back, intent on shutting the door between her and the beast.

  But Dexter, who was wicked quick for such a large dog, got behind her and nudged her back inside.

  “Nice puppy,” she said, wondering if he could smell the sweat popping out on her forehead. Did sweat smell like fear? The sweat came as a result of her fear. Shit.

  Dexter trotted back in and stood in front of her.

  “Pet him,” Jack suggested.

  Adeline tentatively reached out and touched Dexter’s shoulder blade.

  Dexter sniffed her hand and arm.

  “I take it you’re Dexter.” She realized now why Jack said the dog had to like her. If Dexter didn’t like her, he could do some major damage with the size of his jaws. “You’re a handsome doggie.” She spoke as if she was talking to a toddler. “A little on the wrinkly side—”

  Dexter barked, stood on his hind legs, and placed his paws on her shoulders. Adeline’s pulse quadrupled, and she stumbled backward until she managed to reclaim her footing.

  Standing on all fours, Dexter came up to her chest. But standing on his two hind legs, he was taller than her.

  Dexter tilted his head as if sizing her up. His brown eyes fixed her with an intense stare.

  Adeline tilted her head in the opposite direction. “Well, hello there,” she said softly.

  “Dexter, get down,” Jack said. He set Adeline’s treasure box on the floor and walked toward them.

  Dexter didn’t budge.

  “Thank God he seems to like you,” Jack said.

  Adeline laughed. “Is that true? Do you like me—”

  Dexter barked and licked Adeline from chin to forehead with a tongue the length of a child’s slide, before she thought to close her mouth.

  “Ewww,” Adeline said, scrubbing her tongue on her sleeve, pushing the dog away. Could she die courtesy of a French kiss from a dog?

  The dog walked over to Jack and sat down on his foot.

  Jack laughed. “If he licks you, it’s because he likes you. You’ve passed the Dexter test.”

  Adeline heard him, but she wasn’t listening. How many germs were in a dog’s slobber? What kinds of diseases were spread through dog germs? She bent down to her treasure box and removed her Germ-X. Squirting a large dollop on her hands, she rubbed it on her face, barely resisting the urge to put some on her tongue.

  “You have Germ-X in your treasure box?” Jack asked, sounding like he was accusing her of putting fool’s gold in a bank. “I thought it was full of valuable things you didn’t trust with the moving company.”

  She placed it back in her box. “Germ-X is very important. I didn’t want it to get lost in the move.”

  “What else is in that treasure box?” Before she could stop him, he stepped forward and pulled out her pink teddy bear. “Aren’t you a little old for teddy bears?”

  She plucked the bear out of his hand. “That was a gift my mom gave me when she gave me up to social services.” She dared him with her eyes to make fun of her.

  He ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry.” He didn’t touch anything else in her box.

  “No big deal,” she quipped.

  For a moment, a very long moment, they stood staring at one another. A moment that could only be described as uncomfortable. A moment during which Adeline felt awkward, confused, and nervous. A whole freaking lot of nervousness. A moment that took an hour.

  “Would you like a tour?” he said, as if coming out of whatever trance he was in.

  TThey hadn’t seen each other in three days, which probably had something to do with the current vibe of awkwardness attacking her sense of ease around him. He had been called out of town on an unplanned business trip. She’d been surprised to learn he travelled a lot with his job.

  He looked tired. Like he hadn’t gotten much sleep while he was gone. Why was that? Had he hooked up with someone he met there? Was he really gone on a business trip? Did their arrangement mean they would both abstain or be discreet when they weren’t abstaining?

  Damn. Why hadn’t she asked that question? There should probably be a rule about that. There should be a list about all of the rules. “A tour would be helpful,” Adeline said, glancing up at the high ceilings and banishing the memories. It didn’t matter why he was tired. They were a temporary gig. Nothing emotional. Nothing personal. Just helping one another out.

  He hooked his thumbs in his jean pockets. “This building used to be a three-level department store. The remodelers sectioned it off into ten lofts. Each unit has three levels,” Jack said, leading them toward the winding stairwell. “Upstairs are the bedrooms.”

  Adeline followed him up the stairs, trying not to stare too hard at his ass in the process. The guy really did have a nice ass. Especially in jeans. She failed to realize he stopped until she ran smack into him. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  He laughed. Like he knew she’d been staring at his ass. “This will be your bedroom.” It was the first room off the stairs. “Mine is at the other end.” He opened the door to her room.

  Adeline stepped in and gasped. The room was larger than her condo in its entirety. Or almost, anyway. “This is the guest room?”

  He walked through the opened door. “Do you like it?”

  “What’s not to like?” Adeline stared at the king-size bed. She’d never slept in a king-size bed. And the pillows were the big plush kind. The kind you find on a bed fit for a princess. She padded barefoot over to the bed and sat gently on the edge. Then she bounced and fell backward into the soft mattress. “Oh my God. This is a piece of heaven. Like angel food cake for the body.”

  Jack sat down beside her, on the edge of the bed. “I’m glad you like it.”

  A tiny flutter kicked around in her stomach. The bed suddenly felt like the twin-size bed at her old place. They stared into each other’s eyes; when his widened, she jumped up. “What’s through this door?”

  “That’s the ensuite,” he said, coming up behind her.

  She glanced inside the door at a pristine, deep white tub with black claw feet. “I’ve never seen a claw-foot tub in an actual house before. It’s gorgeous!”

  He grinned. “Thanks. A friend of mine was part of the design and decorating team.”

  “He’s a brilliant decorator.”

  “I think so. And he’s a she.”

  “Oh. What’s on the lower level?” For a person who didn’t do jealousy, Adeline was surprised at the sharp bite of it. What was up with that? Whatever was up with it, she didn’t like it. Jealousy tasted like sauerkraut. Adeline hated sauerkraut.

  “A home theater and a personal gym.”

  She turned, thinking he’d moved back. He hadn’t, her nose was almost touching his white T-shirt. She glanced at his bulging chest muscles. “So that’s how you stay so buff.”

  “Noticed, have you?” he said, taking a step back and striking a pose for her like a body builder in front of a judge.

  She rolled her eyes. “You were almost naked in my bedroom the other morning. It would have been hard not to notice.”

  He lowered his arms, and his eyes took on a serious
glint. “How does your head feel? Any headaches?”

  Adeline sighed. “You can stop worrying about my head.” While he had been gone, he called twice a day to check on her. At four a.m., since that’s the time she told him she normally woke up, and again at eight p.m., since that’s the time she told him she normally went to bed. But at night when he called, instead of asking her how her head was and then hanging up, he would insist on chatting in French. The guy had actually spent a year abroad in Paris. Which made sense considering Kinley had spent a year abroad in Paris as well. The two did college up right.

  “I like worrying about your head. It’s a much more intriguing thought to mull over than the tax audits I’ve been working on. Besides, worrying about your head gave me an excuse to call you.”

  His evening phone conversations usually started with, “What are you wearing?” To which she would reply, “Pas votre affaire,” which she was pretty sure meant none of your business, and then they would talk about the details of her moving in with him and how their days had gone. All in French. “I’m fine. I don’t even have a little bit of a headache.”

  “In that case, what are you wearing under those very sexy sweats?”

  “None of your business.” She resisted an urge to smile. A smile would encourage his nonsense.

  He raised his arm and wrapped his palm around the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. “You know what is my business?”

  “Accounting?” she said, surprised at her ability to think of the retort while he was touching her.

  He groaned. “God, you make my brain spin,” he said huskily.

  She opened her lips to reply, but before she could, he claimed a kiss.

  Desire blossomed low in her belly, burning curlicue paths in every outward direction, creating a million needs. Needs that would have spectacular payoffs if met.

  Jack nipped her bottom lip, drawing her attention to that need. The need to have him devour and not caress. The low-key flirting of the past three nights started a fire she wasn’t aware of until now, when it was burning hot.

  Oblivious of her craze-like need, he lazily drew her lip into his mouth and sucked on it like it was an all-day lollipop.

  She whimpered and lifted her hands to his head. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she arched into him.

  He murmured his approval, so she pressed tighter against him.

  For all of the chaos in her brain, she managed to come to three exquisitely clear decisions.

  One, there was no way in hell she was going to settle with not having sex with Jack Foster.

  Two, there was no way in hell she was going to tell him of decision number one.

  Three, she was going to do everything in hell to bring him to the same conclusion on his own. Starting now.

  She stood up on her toes and put pressure on the back of his head to deepen the kiss. The friction of her body sliding against his set her on fire.

  His hands came down and gripped her ass. “Adeline—”

  The sound of the doorbell cut off his sentence.

  Shit.

  He broke the kiss and pulled back. “Did you invite someone over?”

  She touched her throat, trying to hide the pounding pulse there from his view. “Just a few guys who like kinky sex.” Everything inside of her wanted to say, let’s ignore the doorbell! But that may clue him in that she wanted to break the rules. He had to think it was his idea. An idea he made happen. After all, it was his idea to say no sex in the first place. And her stupid mouth that had made a promise to adhere to their pact. And then they’d limited their kisses—and damn it, she really hoped he wasn’t keeping track.

  Together they turned and walked down the stairs to the front door.

  Dexter stood there, his tail wagging.

  “Sit,” Jack commanded before opening the door. A large, skinny box was all they found.

  “Did you order something?” Jack asked, bringing the box inside. “It has your name on it.”

  Adeline peered at the box. “I didn’t order anything.” She held out her arm, indicating his apartment. “I don’t even have my bags unpacked. Until we arrived, I wasn’t even sure of your address.”

  Three minutes later they stared at the contents of the box.

  “What is it?” Jack asked.

  Adeline picked up the note laying on the tissue paper.

  Adie, I bought you one when I bought myself one. I’m also including a costume in case you and my brother decide to break your no-sex rule. P.S. This is a nonreturnable gift. Kinley.

  Adeline felt herself blush. She looked up at Jack. “It’s a stripper pole and role-playing costume. From your sister.” A sane person would have lied. But a sane person wouldn’t still be high on sexual needs and would have a working brain.

  Jack’s mouth fell open, and his eyes widened like snow saucers. “Did you tell her you wanted one?”

  “Of course I didn’t tell her to send me a stripper pole.”

  “That’s not what I asked you. I asked if you told her you wanted one?”

  “What are you…a lawyer cross-examining a hostile witness?”

  He exhaled. “Sorry. That’s the auditor in me coming out. Always looking for the loopholes in what people say and ask. Did you confirm to my sister you were moving in with me? I told her I was joking. Did you let the cat out of the bag?”

  Adeline sat down on the arm of a dark brown leather chair. “I didn’t know the cat was in the bag on our living arrangement.” She frowned at him. “It’s not like we’re doing something wrong. Why didn’t you tell her yourself?”

  He made a sound—sort of a laugh, sort of a grunt. “Are you kidding? My sister’s a hopeless romantic. This gift, I have no doubt, is her way of trying to manipulate what’s going on between us. What else did you tell her?”

  “That we’re not having sex.”

  He nodded. “Point proven.”

  Adeline groaned. “Damn it. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that when I told her of our arrangement.” Damn. Maybe she shouldn’t have confided so much in Kinley. “Let’s just box this back up, and we can put it in storage with the rest of my stuff.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “That would be best.”

  Well…hell. Any man worth his salt would have—

  “Although…isn’t there is a rule of thought that would say life’s too short to let a perfectly good stripper pole go untried before it goes into storage?”

  Adeline strolled over to her chair and fell back into the seat cushion, crossing her legs at the ankles. This guy was worth his salt after all. “By all means…give it a try.” She waved a hand at the box. “I’ll watch. Be here to catch you if you fall.”

  He laughed. “I was thinking more along the lines of you giving it a whirl while I watch.”

  She crossed her hands behind her head and scooted down in the chair until she could rest her head on the arm of the chair. “Don’t be trying your loophole tricks on me. I see what you’re doing. If I were to role-play and dance for you, you would immediately accuse me of trying to get you to break our no-sex rule.” How was that for being subtle? Nothing like just blurting out where you want to lead the man.

  He placed his hand over his heart. “I am wounded. Now, I must insist you dance and play the appropriate part for your costume, just so I can prove to you that I have the willpower of a super-hero saint. I promised you a non-sex relationship, and that’s what you’ll get.”

  Hot damn. He’d just dropped the gauntlet. “You insist?” She raised her eyebrows at him.

  “Unless, you’re the one who’s afraid you won’t be able to maintain your self-control around me. I mean, one kiss did seem to have you much more hot and bothered than it did me.”

  She stood up, thought rational thoughts for about three seconds, and then discarded them. “I call bullshit.”

  “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  Thirty minutes later, they were sitting on her bed, looking at the stripper pole set up in h
er bedroom, not his. He’d vigorously argued for his bedroom so she couldn’t practice without him being present. They were sipping on margaritas out of a can. Between them, they’d finished off a six pack.

  She popped up off the bed. “Are you ready?” she asked, handing him her empty can.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you should choose some dance music while I slip into my costume.” Adeline picked up the unwrapped box and carried it into the bathroom. Maybe she should have checked out the contents before she started this game of cat-and-mouse with Jack.

  The sound of the song “Do The Funky Chicken” blasted through the doors. She giggled, opened the door, and stuck her head out. “Something a bit more refined.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jack smiled. “Right. More refined.” He shook his head. Being around her made him smile all of the time. It had been a whirlwind, meeting Adeline, spending the night at her house, convincing her to move in… It had only been a handful of days, but he felt like he’d known her forever.

  He pulled up a play list of love songs. The sound of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” filled the bedroom. On second thought, that wasn’t a good song. No way would he be able to maintain his distance… The door opened and Adeline stepped out.

  “Do you like?” she asked, tugging the top closer together.

  His groin tightened. “Immensely. Who are you supposed to be?” Hell. He was already a goner. Why had he bragged about amazing self-control? The same part of his brain made that claim as the part that had added the no-sex rule to begin with.

  She pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket. “I’m an adult educator for the adult student who is not well-motivated to learn.”

  He nodded. Now that she mentioned it, she did look like a nerdy college professor. A very sexy, nerdy college professor. Her hair was pulled up in a bun with several pencils sticking out of it. Her suit jacket was buttoned up, pushing her boobs together and showing off her cleavage and a pink lacy bra. She wore a short skirt. Under which he could see the straps of a garter belt snapped to a pair of sheer black stockings.