by Dauphin, M.
“You just wait, you haven’t seen anything yet.” He sighs and I’m brought back to reality.
He’s acting like this is going to last. This isn’t going to last. We’re from two totally different worlds, and there’s no way I can compete with the bombshells he has throwing themselves at him daily.
“Sorry I stayed so long,” I say pulling away from him.
“What?” His eyebrows push together and he cocks his head at me.
“I said one night. Now it’s turning into one night and the next day. I’ll get out of your hair now.”
As strongly as I can, I muster up the strength to walk back to the bedroom and start dressing, leaving him in shock in the kitchen. As much as I want to stand there with him all morning, take him back to bed, and do all kinds of things to him, I can’t. It wouldn’t be good for either of us, and my heart can’t take being broken right now. Not when I start a new job tomorrow, and hopefully find my passion in a Chicago public school soon.
Chapter 8
Adam
She’s moving like something scared her and all I can do is sit here and watch in shock. Why does she want to get away from me so much? I had to stop her last night, but I can’t do it this morning. It’s not fair. As much as I want to ask her to spend the day with me, I promised one night and one night is what I got, even if the majority of it was spent just... sleeping.
I haven’t been able to sleep that well in a very long time, so the fact that I fell asleep that fast in bed with her after our incredible night of hot sex, when I had full intentions of taking her multiple times before finally passing out from sheer exhaustion, is huge. I’m so comfortable with her being here. I’ll admit when I woke up after she slipped out the bedroom door, my heartbeat spiked. I honestly thought she left me like I skipped out on her last week. It would have been my fault had it happened, but the relief that washed over me when I saw her clothes still on the floor was enough to put a smile on my face.
She stayed for me. And she’s still here.
I didn’t hear Thor when I opened my door either, which shocked me until I saw his leash was gone. That’s when I really smiled. She took my dog out for me.
Now I stand here while she dresses like she’s late to work, when I know for a fact she doesn’t have a job. And it’s Sunday.
“Why—” I try to form a coherent sentence but when her eyes hit mine as she’s slipping on her shoes I know she’s gone.
Shit.
“Listen, last night was fun. Awesome. That’s just what it was, though, right? Just one night?” I can’t read the look in her eyes, and I suddenly wish I had more practice caring about women’s feelings. Usually I just brush this shit off, but I don’t want to do that with Annaliese. The second I decided to do her last night, I threw caution to the wind. I almost didn’t. I couldn’t stop worrying about Vick, and what he’d do to me if he found out. Then she touched me and all other thoughts evaporated. All I was left with was the intense pleasure I felt just from her touch.
“Okay,” is all I’m able to spit out. My brain isn’t working this morning, and my awkward comment is like one from a teenager after his first time.
“Can I take some coffee for the taxi ride?” Shit. She doesn’t have a way to get home.
“I can take you. Make yourself at home. I’m gonna get dressed then we can head out if you want.”
She looks at me with a sheer look of panic and I’m almost afraid to leave her alone for fear that she’ll bolt. When she smiles and nods, I nod and tell her I’ll be right out. She walks towards the kitchen, which is opposite the house from my bedroom and I hightail my ass into gear, throwing on the first thing that I see to get out to her before she leaves. Sweats and a button up shirt won’t cut it, however. I still have a look to uphold, so I grab a pair of khakis and a polo, throwing them on as I walk down the hall, trying to regulate my erratic behavior before she sees me and knows something’s up.
I don’t want her to leave, but if she’s going to leave I will be the one to take her. At least that’s more time I get to spend around her to try and make her see I’m really not the bad guy she’s made me out to be. Rounding the corner to the kitchen, my stomach drops at the sight of her. She’s leaning on the counter, flicking through her phone, her ass right in front of me and her long brown hair pulled up into something messy and hot on the top of her head. It takes all I have not to walk up behind her and touch her the way my hands are itching to touch her. Instead, I clear my throat so she knows I’m in the room.
“Hey.” She turns and smiles at me, holding a to-go mug in one hand. I glance down at my favorite mug and cringe inwardly. “I hope this one’s okay?” she asks holding up the mug.
“Perfect.” I smile. I have throwaway coffee cups in the cabinet next to my travel ones, but I’m not telling her that. Now I’ll have a reason to get to see her again, all I have to do is get her back to her place before she finishes the coffee.
“Great. Then I’m ready when you are.” She walks by me and I catch a whiff of her scent as she leaves the kitchen. She smells like freshly cleaned clothes, even though she’s wearing her clothes from last night so I know for a fact they aren’t freshly cleaned. Hell, she shouldn’t smell that good, and I shouldn’t be so attracted to it, but I am. And I really don’t want to have to take her home, but I do. I can’t exactly keep her here with me all day when she obviously wants to leave, even though that’s exactly what I’d like to do. I’d like to fuck her more, I’d like to see her smile more, and I’d like to get to know her.
Annaliese is the first girl in a long time I’ve wanted more with and she wants nothing more than one night with me. Fucking irony.
I sigh and rub my face, wondering how I got so wrapped up in her. At first, I thought it was the image of her that I kept playing in my mind. I thought it was the fact that she was insanely hot, and insanely drunk, and insanely willing. Part of me figured that I dreamed her up to be so much better than she really was, but spending the best night I’ve spent with anyone, ever, I learned last night that I didn’t give her enough credit. She’s way better, way cooler, way hotter than I built her up to be.
Because she’s real.
“You coming?” Her hand is on the doorknob, she's staring at me with a slight grin on her lips, and something pulls in my gut, almost forcing me to ask her to stay, but I don’t. I just smile and nod, grabbing my keys as I walk toward her, escorting her out the door and to the elevator. I know I’m going slower than I usually would, but I have this feeling that this is the last time I’m going to see her privately like this, so I’m really trying to milk this for all it’s worth. As we wait for the elevator I glance over at her and she’s sipping her coffee, deep in thought about something. Her face is relaxed, but there’s a bit of stress in her expression, like she’s worried about something.
“You okay?” I’m not one to really care much about the emotions running through the women I fuck, mostly because they range from crazy serial killer to roses and rainbows coming out of their ass in a matter of hours, but Annaliese isn’t like that. She shows true emotions that pull at my heartstrings when I’m least expecting it. I don’t want her to be worried. I don’t want her to hurt.
“Fine.” She smiles a fake smile at me and goes back to sipping her coffee absentmindedly.
When the elevator doors open, she walks in and I wait a second before moving inside the small metal room. All of these feelings I’m feeling and I’m afraid to say anything to ruin this time I have with her. She’s made it perfectly clear she doesn’t want to keep someone like me around. The entire ride down to the parking garage is silent. I keep trying to think of things to talk about with her, but she’s off in her own little world. It’s giving me time to catalogue all of her features though. The legs that don’t stop, the dark brown, messy hair. Her sunglasses are hiding her eyes, but I know the beauty that lies behind them. My sunshine in an otherwise dark world. She’s radiant and she doesn’t even know it. We make it to the garage and she
waits to follow me to my car. I have three. I don’t take her to the AUDI, since I know how she feels about me rubbing my money in her face. Instead, I head to the Corvette, hoping that’s low-key enough for her. Approaching it, I click the locks and she laughs from next to me.
“Seriously? An AUDI and a Vette?” Her laughter is like a drug and I’m suddenly laughing with her.
“What’s so wrong with that? Can’t a boy have his toys?” I smile and ask as I walk to her side and open the door for her. She smiles and thanks me, and before she leans down to get in she stops and my breath hitches when she places her sunglasses on top of her head and those eyes land on mine.
Shit. She’s beautiful.
“Thanks for everything.”
“My pleasure,” I whisper and lean in to gently kiss her cheek before she tucks her head down and sits in the passenger seat.
She’s in the car. I have her in my car. The first woman that isn’t my sister to grace the seat of this car. Why am I so nervous to be in a car with her right now? I take my time walking to the driver’s seat so by the time I get the door open and slide into the cool leather seat, my heart has stopped racing and my hands are no longer shaking. She’s doing all kinds of things to my emotions, and it’s scaring the shit out of me. I swore off things like this after the divorce and became the man I wanted to be, not caring about women’s feelings. This woman has me rattled, to say the least, but I like this feeling. The feeling of wanting to make someone else happy with no benefit to yourself. I want to make her happy, even if it tears me down in the process.
I start the engine and I hear her hum and giggle as the engine revs up. Her reaction to the force of this car is enough to get me hard, and when she leans forward and runs her hand over the dash I moan inwardly, weirdly jealous that her hands aren’t doing that to me right now.
“You a fan of Vettes?” I ask smiling.
“My dad deals with different types of cars for a living. If I didn’t have a thing for hot muscle cars, there’d be something wrong with me.” She’s looking around like she’s never seen any of the details this car has. I know she has, since her dad owns one identical to this. Maybe she’s just being nice.
“You wanna take her for a spin?” I ask. Typically I don’t let anyone else drive my cars, but letting her drive will give me more time to convince her I’m not such a bad guy after all. I need her to realize that spending time with me isn’t the worst thing that could happen to her. And then, I need her to realize that she wants me just as badly as I want her.
“Really?” she asks timidly, which is cute as hell. Even thinking about her behind the wheel of this car is making my dick jump eagerly.
Down boy.
“Sure. As long as you don’t have anything pressing. We can head out of the city so we might be gone a while. There are some back roads I used to play on when I was younger we can hit up.”
She’s eyeing me suspiciously, but she doesn’t ask for clarification of my statement. Not that I wouldn’t tell her, but I really don’t want to go into that part of my life today. I just want some time with her, without the stress of the city, the business, or the stress that I’m fucking Vick’s daughter, weighing down on me.
“I’m good. Let me text my roommate and let her know I won’t be home ‘til later.” She pulls out her phone and sends a few texts, laughing as she reads the responses. I want to ask what they’re talking about, I want to be involved, but I don’t want to seem pushy. Too soon to seem pushy.
We drive for a little over an hour and by the time we’re outside the city, she noticeably relaxes. This area always calms me. A little west of the city limits of Chicago, fields, no skyscrapers. There are a few towns nearby, but nothing near as busy as downtown Chicago. I haven’t been out here since my grandma passed away years ago, but coming back with Annaliese by my side is calming.
“How do you know this place?” she asks quietly, finally breaking the silence between us.
“My grandparents owned a family farm out this way. It’s how I got my start in the business world and where all of my family wealth came from.” I look over at her as I continue driving down a two-lane road, one I’ve driven down plenty of times in a past life. One that didn’t involve my millions spread out over multiple banks and high-class underground fights where I could lose two grand in one night. A life that involved first loves, first times, and first heartbreak. Everything good and bad happened here, at this small family farm.
“It’s beautiful out here. I’ve never had the chance to come out this way, but it’s really nice.” She looks out her window, then back at me and grins. “When do I get to drive?” The smile that breaks across her face as her eyes flick to the steering wheel and back to me is enough to make me want to give her anything and everything she wants.
“Right over here.” I nod at the barn that sits at the back of my grandparents' property. We keep it in the family, but pay someone else to upkeep it.
“Aren’t you afraid the owners are gonna be mad?” she whispers like they can hear us.
I let out a chuckle and shake my head at her innocence. “Nah. Being that they’re living in my family home, being paid by my family, I don’t think they’re gonna mind. Just don’t screw up the fields.” I point to the fields in the distance and she laughs. Her phone dings and as she’s checking it, a strand of hair falls out of her bun and I instinctively reach over to push it behind her ear. When my fingers graze her cheek, I feel the warmth on my fingertips from our connection. She looks up at me, stunned that I would do something as sensual as that, but I don’t move my hand. Slowly, I continue tucking the stray strand behind her ear as our eyes stay locked on each other’s.
“Didn’t want to hide that beautiful face,” I whisper, my voice filled with lust. Her eyes are wide and she’s not saying anything. When her eyes flick to my lips I know she’s thinking the same thing I am, so I take the opportunity and move my hand to the back of her head, slowly connecting my lips to hers. Her lips are perfect for kissing, so plush, and they still taste of the vanilla lip-gloss she applied before we left. It doesn’t take her long to relax into my kiss and start kissing back, trailing my lips with her tongue, asking to taste me. I groan and open my mouth more, letting her in, and tasting her fully for the first time. Every time we’ve been together, I’ve been so focused on the rest of her body that I haven’t paid her lips much attention. Being here now, I think I could kiss these lips all day. Her hands come around my face and she pulls back slightly.
“I know they may not mind us driving around here, but public sex isn’t something I feel like getting arrested for,” she breathes, her eyes drilling into mine, showing me every emotion she’s hiding from me. My dick is so hard just from this little encounter I need to start thinking about puppies or some shit just to be able to get out of the car without sporting major wood.
“Right,” is all I’m able to get out. What is she doing to me? Adam Callahan doesn’t do girls in public. My publicist would have a hay day with me if he found out about this little excursion today. He’s already going to be pissed that I left my phone at home today, not wanting to be bothered by anyone.
“So... is it my turn yet?” Her smile breaks through and she takes a deep breath.
“Oh, yeah. Absolutely!” I say with a little more energy than I had before. She feels more, just like I do. She feels it, but she doesn’t want to because she still thinks I’m a bad guy. I’m not a bad guy. I just need her to get to know the real me and not the one the magazines make me out to be.
She hops out of the car and practically runs to the driver side as I turn off the car and move the seat back before getting out. I smile as she glides into the seat like she was built for it, then lean in to show her where some of the controls are.
“Cruise control, wipers, blinker—“
“Um, Adam. I’m not stupid. I can handle a car.” Her eyes lock on mine and the heat between us is insane. If she isn’t feeling this, there’s something wrong with her. “Question i
s, can you handle my driving?” She bats her eyes at me and caresses the steering wheel and I stand and groan.
“Jesus,” I bitch to no one after she shuts the door and smiles at me, her massive sunglasses taking up the majority of her face when she smiles. She looks so damn cute and sexy all at the same time, if that’s even possible. Sitting behind the steering wheel of my car, I can’t help but smile at the energy radiating off of her. I slide in the car and click my seatbelt, praying she’s not a terrible driver, and trying to find some type of emotion other than incredibly happy. I’m happy with her. Small things like this make me happy, and it’s all because of her.
“Good to go, driver.” I smile as she looks over at me and grins, lifting her sunglasses and winking at me before she reapplies her focus to the car. She pulls out of the small gravel parking area and starts off like any normal person would do in a car.
Then she hits the road.
The moment all four tires are on the pavement, she’s a totally different driver. These roads out here aren’t straight, and they aren’t flat. I’ve never went over 50 on these roads for fear of killing myself, but when I look over and see we’re already pushing 60 I can’t help but grip on to my ‘oh shit’ handle. I look over at her, maneuvering the car like it’s second nature, hands placed on the steering wheel, not gripping it too tight, not nervous at all. She’s grinning and flicks her gaze over to me before chuckling and returning it to the road. I wouldn’t be worried if we were somewhere else, but she doesn’t know these roads like I do. There are curves coming up that killed a kid when I was in school.
We approach a turn in the road, surrounded by corn fields now on both sides, and before I’m able to warn her about the turn, she anticipates it and slows just enough, maneuvering her way around it with ease, like she’s done it hundreds of times before.
I sit in disbelief, eyes wide, heart slamming in my chest.
She looks over and grins at me before returning her gaze to the road. She’s still smiling and I can’t take my eyes off of her. The most beautiful woman to ever grace me with her presence. I decide right then and there that I’m keeping this woman.