The Attraction of Adeline

by Lisa Wells

  “That just doesn’t—”

  “For crying out loud. Let the man tell us the story,” said Mr. Carpenter, who’d been listening from where he sat in his chair next to the yard game setup. Like Jack, he wore a fedora. Something he started doing after he saw Jack wearing one. One afternoon he came to Jack’s office, said he’d always wanted to wear a gentleman’s hat but just hadn’t, and by God it was time to remedy the situation. He demanded that Jack take him shopping for a fedora. Jack had been happy to do so, flattered that his boss liked his style.

  Jack cast him a smile. “I told her I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. That I wanted to spend the rest of my life with a woman who has such a passion for life and fun.” Saying that felt like the truth. Not a lie. Of course it was a lie. Their story was a lie.

  Mr. Carpenter nodded.

  Jack hated lying to his boss. Wanted to retract his answer the moment he said it, but that would embarrass Adie, and he wasn’t going to embarrass her in front of his coworkers.

  There was a chuckle behind him. He turned and saw Mrs. Carpenter and Adie.

  Mrs. Carpenter looked amused. Adie’s face was ashen. Like she might throw-up.

  Mrs. Carpenter cocked her head. “Jack, dear, how many beers have you had?”

  “Pardon me?” He jammed his hands in his jean pockets. Did he sound drunk?

  Mrs. Carpenter gave him a smile full of honest curiosity. “Adeline just told me a completely different tale of how you proposed.”

  His right knee buckled, and he took a step back to regain his balance. His harebrained idea was about to get him fired. “You don’t say?” His heart jumped around and sweat popped out on his forehead. “What tale did my fiancée spin for you?” His jaw was locked, making it hard to sound natural. Why hadn’t they gone back over their plan in the car? Because he’d been too busy trying not to blurt “I think I’m falling in love with you” to her.

  “She said you had the question, will you marry me, engraved in the bottom of a dessert plate.”

  “Which is it?” his boss asked, coming up to his wife and dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

  Adie laughed. “Jack, darling, we’ve been busted.”

  Hell, was she going to come clean? His insides lurched. No. Not now. Not at this point. This was not the time to come clean.

  Adie came over to him and slid her arms around his waist and ran a finger down the side of his face. “Did you forget which story we decided to go with?” There was a twinkle in her eyes. He’d never seen them twinkle—like that. Smirk a lot. But not twinkle.

  He played along. “I remember just fine. I’m afraid you are the one who forgot.”

  Debbie cleared her throat. “How did he actually propose?”

  Adie fanned herself with her hand. She glanced at his boss. “I’m afraid the truth is rather embarrassing, thus our need to make up alternative ways he proposed.” She glanced back up at Jack as if asking him to verify this.

  He nodded. What was she up to? Whatever it was, he hoped it worked. His boss’s face was red, and it wasn’t because of the heat.

  “Well, now you have us all intrigued,” said Sage, who’d been sitting under a tree listening quietly. “And, since we’re all adults, please don’t keep us in suspense. Adeline, how did Jack propose to you?”

  Adie’s easy stance disappeared. Panic darkened her eyes. “Darling, why don’t you tell them? It’s your story. Your proposal.” She obviously hadn’t thought anyone would push for the real story. She thought they’d all be well-behaved accountants, letting her and Jack keep their embarrassing secret.

  He had nothing. His mind more worthless than the income records of a crooked businessman. “Adeline, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave it to you.”

  Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

  What choice did he have? He sure as hell didn’t have a story to tell. And, really, how bad could her story be? “I’m sure.”

  She pulled away from him, squared her shoulders, and peered at his co-workers. “The truth…” She exhaled a loud breath. “We’d just made love under the stars on his rooftop. When he’d recovered his senses, he said to me, ‘Adeline Rigby, you rock my world in more ways than one, would you marry me?’”

  Jack stood rooted to his spot in the yard. He was pretty sure he was having a heart attack. He didn’t know if he should laugh, or kill her. How could she say that…to all of his peers? To people she didn’t even know?

  For a moment, no one spoke. The silence thicker than a tax-audit manual.

  The sound of laughter, coming from Sage, broke the tension. Quickly followed by the boss’s guffaw.

  Everyone else joined in, including Jack, relief flooding him. He spun Adeline around so that they were facing one another. He leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss. A kiss of gratitude. She’d just saved him.

  Who knew her perchance for bluntness would garner a thumbs up from his co-workers and boss. “So that’s how it came to be,” he whispered for her ears only.

  She shivered against him. “I started to say blow job,” she whispered back, “but decided at the last second that lovemaking sounded better for this crowd.”

  Oxygen suddenly seemed in short supply.

  “You two, stop whispering. It’s not polite,” bellowed Mr. Carpenter. “It’s a damn shame you’re not a part of our corporation and coming with Jack to our annual retreat,” the boss said.

  Jack couldn’t wait to get Adie alone. But they weren’t alone at the moment, and he concentrated on what was being said to him. He, too, wished Adie could come with him on the retreat.

  If not today, then during the retreat, he hoped to learn more about the promotion. And then Adie would be out of his life.

  The thought no longer brought instant relief. He was going to miss the smell of baking and jasmine and lavender in his home. He wanted to spend every possible moment with her before she had a reason to leave.

  Mrs. Carpenter took a seat next to her husband and placed a hand on his arm. “Precious, you’re the boss, surely, you could make an exception and allow Adeline to come.”

  Mr. Carpenter took his wife’s hand and kissed her palm. “I’m afraid not. There are rules for a reason. Without them, chaos ensues.”

  “That sounds just like Jack,” Adie said. “He’s all about rules. Hates to break them.”

  Sage laughed. “Dad is big on rules. If you break a rule in our family, all hell will rain down upon you.”

  “Whatever will you do with yourself while Jack is gone and you have no one to cook for?” Debbie asked, making it sound more like an insult than a genuine question. As if Adie’s career was a joke.

  “Cook? What’s this about?” the boss asked.

  “That’s how we met,” Jack explained. “She placed an ad in the grocery store I frequent, advertising her skills as a personal chef.”

  “You’re a chef?” Mr. Carpenter asked.

  “I am.”

  “I see. Debbie, didn’t you say last year’s chef was unavailable to cater the first meal of the conference this year? Something about a wedding in the family.”

  “Yes, but…”

  “No buts…let’s hire Adeline to be our chef for that meal. Then she can come to the retreat, and no rules have been broken.”

  “Darling, you are brilliant,” Mrs. Carpenter said, kissing her husband on the cheek.

  “That’s not possible,” Debbie said, her voice raised in frustration.

  Mr. Carpenter frowned at her. “Have you hired a replacement?”

  “I have someone in mind. Someone who lives there.”

  “Then it’s settled,” he said, glancing at Adeline. “Are you willing to cook dinner for us at our retreat in the Cayman Islands on the first day, and in return, you’ll have a few free days on the island?”

  Adie reached out and grabbed Jack’s hand. He laced his fingers with hers and squeezed. “What do you think?”

  “What’s not to like about the idea of having my fiancée on a beac
h?”

  She smiled big. “Sounds like I’m going.”

  Mrs. Carpenter clapped her hands. “Lovely. Adeline you’ll get to spend a romantic vacation with Jack, and no rules have been broken. And I’ll have someone to shop with while they’re all busy talking accounting. That’s a bonus for me.”

  “When is the trip?” Adeline asked.

  “It starts on Friday,” Mrs. Carpenter said. “But, Adeline dear, I’d love it if you would join me and go early. Sage and I always go ahead with Mr. Carpenter and enjoy some down family time. But this year, her love life has interfered, and he’s decided to participate in a golf tournament for charity before he flies out. I could use the company and help getting things situated at the resort.”

  “That’s a fine idea, darling, I worry when you travel alone,” Mr. Carpenter said. They were like two love birds around each other.

  Jack admired how Mrs. C was able to keep Mr. C calm. When dealing in business matters, her husband was known to have a temper and be scathing to employees who didn’t meet his standards. But when he was around her, he was a different man. He was a man in love.

  Adie gave Mrs. C an apologetic look. “I’d love to accompany you to the retreat early, but Jack and I have wedding plans—”

  “Go and have fun,” Jack said, cutting her off.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jack felt happy. At peace with his wounds. At peace with the love growing in his heart for Adie. The picnic was over. Adie, as far as everyone was concerned, was officially his fiancée. They were alone in his car and headed back to his place.

  The lusty sound of Adie’s laughter interrupted his thoughts. “What’s so funny?” he asked, pulling into his garage.

  Adie was a success. His boss liked her, and more importantly, his boss’s wife liked her. Mrs. Carpenter wasn’t easily won over. There was more than one story going around the offices about damn good accountants who never made partner because Mrs. Carpenter got an adverse feeling about their spouses. The fact she invited Adie to come to the island early was huge.

  “I was just thinking about something Mrs. C said about leading a man to water and convincing him he wants to drink,” Adie replied, when he opened her car door.

  “You two weren’t swapping recipes?” Jack asked, smiling because Adie was smiling. She’d been smiling a lot today.

  She reached out and took his hand, entwining her fingers with his. “Oh, she gave me a recipe all right,” she said, walking toward the elevator. “But instead of a kitchen recipe, she gave me a bedroom recipe.”

  Jack’s mouth went dry. “I’m not following.” Could it be any worse than her proposal story? Her wonderful, horrible proposal story. He was never going to live that one down with the guys in his office.

  The elevator door opened. Adie let go of his hand and entered ahead of him, taking a position with her back against the wall. He followed, punched the button for the ninth floor, and stood facing her. Waiting for an explanation.

  “What’s not to follow?” she asked.

  “Bedroom recipes?”

  She gave him an eye roll. “Sex recipes.”

  Jack groaned. “You’re kidding, right?” Damn. He shouldn’t have left them alone for so long. Adie wasn’t capable of normal small talk. He loved that about her. But still…she needed monitoring.

  “That would be a big fat no.”

  He swallowed, his throat feeling narrower than a straw you use to stir coffee. “Who brought this topic up?” Did he really want to know?

  Adie frowned up at him. “I asked her what her favorite go-to recipe was, and she asked me if I wanted her go-to recipe for the kitchen or for the bedroom.”

  He blinked. Was she telling him the truth? Of course she was. Adie did truth better than anyone. A quirk that was both an asset and a liability.

  “I chose bedroom.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “It must have been the right answer because she said, and I quote, ‘I knew you were someone special when I saw you walking down the sidewalk and Jack couldn’t take his eyes off of you.’”

  “Do I dare ask about her bedroom recipe?” Probably never go to sleep mad. Or some other mundane idea.

  “Oh, I’m not allowed to tell you until after we get married.”

  “You’re an imp.”

  She puckered her brows. “What’s an imp?”

  “In your case, it’s a female hellion who makes her man smile when he wants to frown.”

  She opened her mouth and slowly licked the right corner with the tip of her tongue. “Your imp asked her if she thought you were the right man for her.”

  He hooked his thumbs in his jean pockets. “What did Mrs. C say?”

  Adie flattened her palms on his chest. “She said you were perfect. You’re strong-minded enough to put up with my sass, but not so controlling as to try and strip away my cheekiness.”

  The elevator came to a stop, and the door swished open. “She said cheekiness?” he asked, stepping back and letting her exit the elevator first.

  Adie grinned. “Yep—cheekiness.”

  Jack unlocked the door and opened it. Was that true? Did someone else think he was a good match for Adie? It wasn’t just himself who felt like they’d be good together on a long-term basis? Did Mrs. C see it as well?

  His condo was quiet except for the soft whir of a fan he left running in his living room and the loud snoring of Dexter. He took a step back to allow Adie to enter. She smelled like the bonfire they’d built to roast marshmallows at the end of the picnic.

  Adie bent over and scratched Dexter’s ears, giving Jack a great view of the outline of her ass, and then she stepped over the dog and into a puddle of moonlight coming through the bare window. The bright beams spotlighted her. She was wearing a blue-checkered sundress and strappy white sandals. “Beautiful. Simply beautiful,” he murmured.

  The combination of innocence and heat had driven him nuts all day.

  He wanted to know what kind of lover she would be on a nightly basis.

  Would she be the hell-on-wheels she presented to the world 90 percent of the time? Or the soft and bewitching southern-belle she’d been all afternoon with his cohorts? Or the college professor intent on teaching him there were consequences to being a bad student.

  He closed the door. “Adie?” Was that his voice?

  She turned to face him. “Yes.” Her voice was as breathless as his was husky. She was standing near the fan, close enough for the hem of her dress to be blown up around her knees. What would happen if she took a step closer? How high would the breeze lift her skirt?

  She stepped away and walked over to a small lamp and turned it on. Pivoted. Leaned against the wall and stared at him with her big blue eyes.

  His groin tightened. Blue was his new favorite color. He used to have a box of crayons that had fifteen shades of blue. Which one of the blues would closest match the color of her eyes?

  He moved a step closer and raised a hand to touch her. He paused when the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Weird. The same thing had happened to him that night he’d watched her dancing at Kinley’s party. That’s what caused him to lose his balance and brush against the light switch which in turn caused her fall.

  Was his gut trying to warn him away from her? From giving his heart to her? It didn’t matter. It was too late. His world was no longer spinning in the same direction. It had taken a one-eighty the day they met.

  He took another step toward her. “I want you.” He wanted to say I love you, but he didn’t want her to bolt. So he settled for the other truth. He loved her, and he wanted her. Long term. He was too old to pretend they could be friends.

  Their one night of sex destroyed that option. No way in hell could he be just her friend on a long-term basis. It had been less than a week since they’d had sex, and it was killing him not taking her to bed every time he looked at her.

  She licked her lips. “Of course you want me. I’m very wantable.”

  He ch
uckled. He did that a lot around Adeline. Her wit always caught him off guard. “Wantable? Is that a word?”

  She flattened her palms against the wall, down low by her hips. “Wantable—noun—an imp you want to have sex with. You did mean sex, right?”

  She broke their locked-gaze and glanced down. Her lashes cast shadows on her cheeks, and she propped one foot up on the wall. She reminded him of a pin-up calendar girl.

  “I find you very wantable. Are you willing?” he asked.

  “To have sex?” She said sex as if she needed to make it clear to him that if they did something it would just be sex in her eyes. Not love.

  He groaned. “Has any man ever told you that your lips are irresistibly beckoning when they part to form the word sex?” He’d never found himself so fascinated with a woman’s lips as he was with hers. They were plump, heart-shaped, and even without lipstick, a beautiful shade of red. They were currently glistening from a dab of clear lip-gloss. He’d noticed her discretely applying it in the car as they pulled into his place.

  “Irresistibly beckoning? Like a water siren leading a captain and his ship to the sharp edges of a reef?” she questioned.

  He ran a finger along her full bottom lip. “Your sharp edges turn me on,” he said, inhaling her warm scent.

  “They’re supposed to keep you at a safe distance.”

  He braced his hands on the wall on either side of her head and bit back a smile. “Instead they’re pulling me into your lair.” He’d never wanted to taste a woman as much as he wanted to taste her. He needed her to tell him what he wanted to hear.

  “Are you going to kiss me or just talk about kissing me?” she said in her distinct blunt style.

  He brushed his lips against her forehead. “Don’t rush me.”

  “Jack?”

  He pulled back. Stared into her eyes. Hell, he could barely breathe. “Hmmm?”

  She grinned wickedly. “I’m not wearing any panties.”