Richard, decided Adam – he needed a dose of Richard. Richard had a way of kicking his ass when he needed it. He had a feeling he needed it.
But for now…
He looked at Birdie with that grin that made her heart skip a beat.
“I’ve got the honeymoon suite,” he told her, winking.
Birdie laughed.
She knew they made an unlikely couple. But she didn’t care. She wanted to go to the honeymoon suite with Adam and put it to excellent use.
“Show me,” demanded Birdie, and he did.
*****
Richard couldn’t get hold of Adam. All the talk of tattoos had reminded him of too much. He needed to talk to Adam.
But since he couldn’t, he called his old friend, Marley, and met him for drinks and Wings.
Marley did have an ulterior motive for seeing Richard. He did like Richard, of course. But Marley didn’t like how much time Birdie was spending with Adam.
It all seemed far too intense. He didn’t want to see Birdie get hurt.
But he didn’t want to see Birdie with Adam at all. He could admit that he was jealous. He had always been the one for Birdie. He had always been the one who waited for her. Who the hell did Adam think he was, coming in and trying to sweep her off her feet?
He needed to know what the rich sonofagun was up to. It was nothing good. Marley was sure of that.
So. he met Richard, and he bought him a few drinks. Richard always talked too much after a few beers.
Finally, Marley judged him ready, and made his move.
“So, Adam and my Birdie, huh?”
Richard laughed.
“Oh, I think she’s his Birdie now. He’s set his sights on her. Nobody stands a chance after that.”
That sounded like an odd way to put it.
“What do you mean, he’s set his sights on her?” prodded Marley.
Richard shrugged and took a deep pull of his fifth pint. “Oh, you know how mom and nana are always after us to get married. Well, Adam more than me. They think that the right woman can solve all of his problems. Now, I can’t say that I agree with that. Adam needs to solve his own problems. But he saw Birdie and decided that Birdie would do.”
Marley felt the rage beginning to simmer, but he made it go cold, into a hard place inside him. He couldn’t afford to let anger rule his words, not in this. “Birdie would do, for what?”
“Why, for a wife, of course. He told me that Birdie is unlike anybody he has ever met before. He’s quite taken with her, honestly. He’s decided that Birdie would be a suitable wife, a suitable daughter-in-law, and a suitable mother for his children. Birdie is toast,” declared Richard.
“I wouldn’t put it quite like that,” growled Marley.
“Oh, she would be happy with him. You know that. Adam is the perfect gentleman. And, well, dad might be a bit strict and demanding, but mom and nana are sweethearts. You know that. Most women would kill for a family like that. Adam is offering her all of that. Just not love, in the conventional sense of the word. You know, he made a pretty good argument against that kind of love, too. Made it sound like a silly adolescent concept,” said Richard and got up, signaling that he needed to go to the loo.
Marley took a few deep breaths, trying to find his calm again.
So, that was Adam’s game. He wanted a mother for his children, and a wife to satisfy his family. He wanted to make that robotic father of his happy, and he was going to take a bride to do that.
He had chosen Birdie, because Birdie would ‘do.’
Marley could hardly believe the arrogance of it all. Birdie was the most wonderful woman he had ever known in his life. He would never know anybody better. He knew that.
Birdie had been through too much in her life to be suckered into a loveless marriage to a billionaire, simply to be used as some kind of breeding stock, or companion to his mother and grandmother. The very thought made his blood boil.
Just who did the rich bastard think he was!
There was no way he would let this get that far. He would talk to Birdie and get some sense into her. Birdie would listen to reason. She didn’t need to be a rich man’s plaything for life. She could have so much more.
She deserved to be with a man who would worship the very ground she walked on. A man who would love her, who would make her feel loved every day of her life – a man like him.
Marley had waited too long, he realized. He needed to move, and move fast. He had seen the signs. He had seen how Birdie’s eyes misted with happiness whenever Adam was around.
He didn’t deserve to even kiss her little toe. He deserved nothing from Birdie.
He had to do something to make sure that Birdie was safe from him and his cold calculation. He wanted to talk to Birdie, make her see that everything she wanted was right in front of her eyes, had been all along.
If she didn’t want him, he could live with that. But he couldn’t live with the idea of seeing Birdie, with all her sweetness and her strength, living without love – all the consuming love that she deserved. She deserved to be adored.
He was gripping his beer bottle so tightly that he had to pry his fingers loose, making himself relax slowly.
He took a deep breath and fished his phone out. He needed to talk to Birdie.
Stepping outside, where it was quiet, he dialed her number. It rang, but nobody picked up.
It was her day off, he reasoned. There was no call to panic just because she hadn’t answered her phone.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling that his entire world had just collapsed, somehow.
Chapter 10
Birdie found herself tiptoeing in early. She felt wonderful.
She told herself that a few times, but she didn’t. She felt extremely nervous.
“Marley?” she called, knowing he was in there.
“Birdie, where were you all of yesterday? I tried calling you a million times. I was worried!”
Birdie found herself grabbed in a bear hug that made her feel even guiltier. “I know, I’m sorry, Marley. I… God, I don’t know how to say this.”
Marley felt as if a bucket of icy water had been dumped on his head. He knew this was bad.
“Let’s sit down,” said Birdie.
Worse and worse, thought Marley.
“Marley,” said Birdie, when they were both sitting down, “you know that Adam and I… Oh, hell, we eloped. We got married in Vegas yesterday.”
Everything inside Marley froze. “You what?”
“Got married,” said Birdie, and laughed, showing him the ring.
Marley finally found his words. “It’s only been a day. You can get an annulment.”
Birdie frowned. He must be in shock, she reasoned. “Marley, I’m not getting an annulment. We’re happy. We’re in love. Marley, he loves me so much. He needs me. I love him.”
Marley shook his head. “Birdie, the man has been playing with you. I should’ve done this before. I met Richard yesterday. His brother.”
“Oh, is he nice?”
Marley stared at her. “You’ve married a man without even meeting his family. Birdie, what’s wrong with you? Never mind. It can all be sorted out. I was wary because of Adam’s reputation. But yesterday, Richard told me that he decided to marry you because you would make a suitable daughter-in-law for his mother and grandmother, and a good mother for his children. He married you because his father expects him to, and soon. He married for duty, Birdie. Not love. He told Richard that he had chosen you, as coldly and methodically as you choose a cut of meat for a stew. He doesn’t love you. He deceived you.”
Birdie felt her entire world tilting and dipping.
She rejected the idea.
Shaking her head, she got up, angrily. “I think I know how my husband feels better than you, Marley. I don’t know what you’ve got against him, but you’re wrong. You’re wrong!”
Marley was also standing up. Birdie went toe to toe with him.
“If I’m wrong, why don’t you ask h
im? Why don’t you ask him if this is true? Why would I lie to you, Birdie? I’ve watched out for you for years. I’ve done everything I could to make you happy. I’ve loved you for years, given you time. Even if you go and marry some other man, do you think I’d do anything to jeopardize your happiness? I have to tell you the truth. You deserve more than he can give you. You deserve to be loved, Birdie. I’m sorry.”
Marley turned and walked out, leaving Birdie shattered.
She hadn’t known. She hadn’t known how Marley had felt, for so long. No wonder he was angry. He was lashing out because he was hurt, thought Birdie, desperately trying to make herself believe it. But there was a part of her where the doubts had been sowed, and now she knew she would never stop wondering.
*****
Birdie was blissfully happy. She had been married for four weeks, and she was, strangely enough, planning her wedding. She had been accepted into Adam’s family with great enthusiasm, and some shock, though apparently, only Richard knew that they were already married.
Adam couldn’t keep his hands off her. She loved that. Every night, she felt as if she were a bride all over again. He made her feel desired and special in ways she had never felt before.
He never seemed to make any demands of her.
She had moved in – kind of – with him, and he had asked her to make his condo hers, too. She could do it all up in frilly pink laces, if she liked, he told her. That had made her giggle, and they had ended up in bed together.
The tattoo had come out beautifully, too. Adam had gotten over his nervousness and now sat like a model client. He’d even started teasing her about giving him a little tramp stamp. That day, they’d had their last sitting, and Birdie had finally told him what it meant to her – she had risen from the ashes, too. But he had known that. She loved how she hadn’t had to explain. He knew her.
Of course he loved her. He had told her so. He acted like he loved her. He needed her.
Damn Marley for making her doubt everything!
Things between Birdie and Marley were a little strained, though. She kept expecting Marley to apologize to her. But he hadn’t. He simply refused to be a part of the wedding, too. He didn’t want to watch her make the biggest mistake of her life for the second time, he had told her.
Birdie was angry with him. No matter how he felt, about Adam or about her, he was supposed to be her friend. He was supposed to be there for her, as she had been there for him, so often.
As she watched the sun set, waiting for Adam to come home, Birdie told herself, again, that she was blissfully happy. But it seemed a bit forced. She couldn’t seem to make herself believe it as easily as she had before.
When she felt hands on her waist, she jumped before she realized that it was Adam. Birdie leaned back against him, gently.
“You nearly scared the life out of me,” she admitted as she rested her head against him, savoring the feel of his hard body against hers.
Adam could privately admit that she’d been scaring the life out of him lately, too. The last few weeks had been blissful – and terrifying. Richard had told him, shamefaced, about his conversation with Marley. Adam had been living in terror for the last few weeks, wondering when Marley would tell Birdie about that damn conversation.
Not a word of it was true. Not a word of what he had said was true. He loved Birdie. He loved her with a fierceness that shook him. But he had gone about all of it wrong, and he knew it. He didn’t want Birdie to know it. He wanted Birdie to accept what they had between them now, and not judge him for his motivations before he fell in love with him.
Before he had been ready to admit to himself that he was in love with him, because that meant that he was no longer in complete and sole control of his life. Nobody could possibly understand how important that had been to him, after he had lost control once and nearly died for it.
Except Birdie. Birdie would understand, if she came to know of it. But the waiting was beginning to get to him, turning him into a nervous wreck. He didn’t think he could stand much more of it. He might have to resort to a man-to-man conversation with Marley, even if they were evenly matched if it came to blows. Birdie would never forgive either of them for that. Marley was important to her, though Adam had begun to notice some stiffness between them.
It was making him even edgier.
So, he did what he always did, when he felt like it was getting to be too much. He kissed her neck, softly, and felt her heart beating faster as his hand moved up her to cup her breasts.
“Aren’t you hungry?” asked Birdie, but her voice was already throaty with desire. He smiled as he realized, again, how much she needed him, too. It was a reflection of his need for her.
“I am. For you, my wife,” said Adam, and Birdie was lost again.
She felt his head bend just a little and turned her face to meet his searching lips, as his hands rubbed gently over her breasts. She felt his lips brush over hers, so soft, before taking the kiss deeper. Birdie’s lips parted, welcoming the seeking touch of his tongue. She loved the rough texture of it, how it slid over hers so insistently.
She loved how his lips moved over hers, so possessively.
She loved how his hands moved over her body, safe and secure in his knowledge that she belonged to him. She loved him.
He belonged to her.
He did.
Birdie turned to him, pressing her body against his, needing to feel him, wanting to know how much he needed her.
She moaned as she felt his lips move down her neck, and she gloried in how she felt his erection begin to press into her.
He needed her.
He did.
Birdie’s hands slipped between them to undo his buttons, desperate to feel more. Her nimble fingers were quick, getting them undone and sliding her hand underneath to feel the strength of his chest.
Adam’s arms were around her, his hand on the small of her back and pressing her closer to him. Her head fell back as she felt his lips moving down her neck, slowly, finding and kissing every inch of it. She whimpered as she felt him cup her bottom and move her even closer.
His mouth kissing her, his hard manhood pressing against her – Birdie felt needed. She had to. He needed her.
But she needed to feel more.
Her fingers found his nipples and scratched softly over them, making him shudder. She loved making him shiver, the power it gave her.
Moving away, she smiled at him as, on the balcony, in the failing light of day, she undressed for him. She didn’t care if anybody else was watching. She shed her blouse, her shorts, and stood there in her underwear. She unhooked her bra and slipped it off, slowly, seductively, and watched as his eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched with the effort of not reaching out for her.
He needed her, she told herself, as she turned around and slipped her panties off, bending over at the waist and giving him an unforgettable view of her wet, swollen, needy pussy as she did so.
She felt him moving to her, gripping her hips, before she could straighten. She felt his cock sliding between her lips, moving gently, rubbing against her where she throbbed desperately with her need for him.
But Birdie wasn’t done. She wanted to feel his desperation for her.
Moving away from him, she smiled up at him before turning her attention to his erection. She had come to know it, so intimately, in every way. She wanted more.
Kneeling in front of him, she tugged his pants and boxers down to his feet. Birdie wanted him to feel her eyes on him, as she had felt his on her. She licked his cock, softly, gently, up and down the shaft. She moved her tongue around his head and tasted the salty liquid that beaded at the tip.
It meant that he needed her, she told herself.
Parting her lips, she took his head into her mouth and sucked on it, gently, softly, as her hands cupped his balls and fondled them lightly. She knew now exactly how much pressure he needed. She knew his pleasure, and she would give him more than he knew he needed.
She rocked her h
ead slowly, taking him in slowly, just an inch at a time. She used her tongue to give him more, to slide over him, find that sensitive spot underneath that made him moan and tangle his hands in her braids.
She hummed deep in her throat as she took him in further, tightening her lips, tightening her mouth, and swallowed gently, making his hand clench in her braids.
Her hands were on his ass, squeezing, feeling how tight his muscles were. She felt the slight scarring along there, and tried to remember not to squeeze his tattoo.
But he moaned, he pressed his face closer, his hips started moving, and Birdie couldn’t think of anything but him, his taste, how he filled her.
Too much, thought Birdie, too soon. She wouldn’t be done so quickly.
She moved away, pulling away from him.
“Lie down,” she told him.
He didn’t care that the tiled floor was hard. He did as Birdie asked, his erection standing up, quivering, desperate for more attention.
Birdie kissed his knee, kissed her way up the tattoo that they’d created. She kissed his hips, making him jerk as she got closer and closer to his hard cock again.
She kissed the tip of it and moved away, making him sigh.
“Birdie, please,” he said, and his whisper was more proof of his need for her.
He did need her, she told herself, as she moved over him to rub her breasts on his hard dick. She rubbed her nipples across the tip of it, and she felt it all the way to her desperately needy pussy.
Adam could hardly breathe as he watched Birdie rub herself on him like that. He had never seen anything that brought him so close to losing all control.
Birdie moved down to take his cock inside her mouth again. This time, she moved, bobbing her head up and down, sucking it in earnest. She felt Adam’s hips thrust, moving, as he sought more. She held his hips down, insistent that she move at her pace.
“Birdie, I need you, please,” said Adam again, and she needed to hear it.
She pulled away, and before he could protest, she was straddling him, holding his erection in place as she sank onto it, enveloping him in her hot, wet, tightness that made him gasp in undeniable pleasure.
Be My Everything (Brothers From Money Book 11) Page 25