by Suzanne Ruby
He moaned as if he could feel her wetness increasing, but then he disconnected and pushed away. Fully away.
And her heart braced for the worst.
* * *
ADAM STUDIED THIS selectively timid, intoxicating contradiction of a woman in his bed. Half of him wanted to turn the lights completely up and study every single inch of her.
The other half was so turned on he couldn’t reach into the bedside table drawer fast enough.
No, they hadn’t discussed such a delicate issue, and he wasn’t about to break the mood now. Even though they’d done little more than kiss, he was pretty sure she’d come already, which made it almost impossible for him not to. And someone who wanted the lights off might not be comfortable asking him to use protection.
He tore open the package and rolled the condom over his throbbing erection.
Her look of relief wasn’t lost on him. And as soon as she voluntarily, albeit hesitantly, parted her legs to welcome him, nothing else seemed to matter.
Now that was an image he’d play over and over and over again.
He eased his full length into her slowly, when what he wanted to do was plunge as deep and fast and hard as possible. He managed to reel in that impulse when her body shuddered beneath him. Instead, he moved in even slower, deeper strokes.
She rewarded his decision with a soft, deep groan.
That did it. His mind zeroed in on the exquisite warmth wrapped around him.
Tight. She was so unbelievably tight. And hot. He’d never felt anything like her. No way he’d last long enough to give her a second orgasm, especially once he started kissing her again. She tasted of steak and wine, and he imagined how the rest of her would compare. In fact, he couldn’t help but imagine he was kissing her hot velvet heat right now as he penetrated her in two places at once.
He explored her mouth. Imagining, imagining...until the walls of her sex tightened fully around him. He could no longer hold back as he thrust as deep into her as possible.
She opened her eyes, and their gazes locked at the moment of his release. Then, with a soft, shy smile, she promptly looked away.
Although he could have stayed inside this heaven-on-earth forever, he reluctantly withdrew and laid beside her.
She promptly repositioned herself on her side, facing him, and rested one of her lovely arms across his chest.
Eventually, his breathing returned to some semblance of normal even though his heart kept beating out of his chest.
Either he’d forgotten how amazing a woman could feel, or he’d never had a good woman in his life, because she was unbelievable. And they didn’t even get beyond missionary. He was definitely hungry for more of her.
Which reminded him. Food. His stomach growled at the thought.
“I heard that,” she said.
Thankfully, she wasn’t asleep.
Baby, however, was resting peacefully on one of the bed pillows they had managed to knock to the floor.
“I guess I’m still a little hungry. Especially since I missed out on dessert.” Adam cleared his throat, then kissed the top of her head to let her know it was okay to be timid.
For now.
She looked at him, and damn if she wasn’t more gorgeous with a postcoital glow.
At least, he assumed that was what happened, judging by the responsiveness of her body.
“Mine growled, too. I’m surprised you didn’t hear it,” she said.
“I could burn some asparagus for us.”
“You can burn my asparagus any day.”
Finally, a woman who appreciated his lack of culinary prowess.
“I do have something we can eat. Something I can’t mess up,” he said.
He eased out from under her embrace and stood, then promptly disposed of the condom in a nearby trash can for lack of a better immediate option.
Meanwhile, she sat up and arranged the sheet around her.
He peeled it away. “I’ve already seen you.”
“Oh, really? With the lights turned down so low?”
“I guess I failed to mention my night vision.” He grabbed the plaid wool blanket from the foot of the bed and spread it open.
“Here you go, oh, bashful one,” he said.
She climbed out of bed, and he wrapped it around them both like a cocoon.
Together, they ambled down the hallway, all the way to the thick buffalo-hide rug in front of the fireplace.
He eased out from under the blanket.
“Sit,” he commanded.
She complied.
“Stay,” he continued.
Adam practically felt those gold-green eyes of hers looking over his completely nude body, which made his cock twitch again.
Down, boy...
He grabbed two spoons from the drawer and set them on the counter. Right next to the legal paperwork.
The stack represented an informal deposition mishmash of his prior problems, along with the newest allegation of theft. Oh, and his attorney’s suggestion to file defamation charges against Donald Becker, so Adam had titled the document accordingly. Felt really good to list his name first.
He looked to Kirby, who had turned her attention back to the fire.
If timing was everything, he had everything in that moment. He opened the nearest drawer and stashed the document, then retrieved his second choice for dessert from the freezer.
He padded back to the fireplace, where his efforts earned him a fabulous lethal-weapon smile.
“The Häagen-Dazs!” she said as she opened the blanket for him.
He snuck a glance at her slender legs, which were folded to one side, and admired the way the warm glow of the lucky flames seemed to lick her skin. This time, however, she didn’t shy away from being admired. Maybe he’d set a good example by acting so confident in the buff.
Maybe he’d continue to set a good example by turning up the lights next time. If there was a next time.
The realist in him admonished that he’d better enjoy all of this while he could. If he got a job in sunny Florida, there wouldn’t be any need for a fireplace.
And, unfortunately, there wouldn’t be any Kirby.
7
KIRBY AWOKE TO a glorious half-naked Adam leaning over, stoking some pitiful-looking embers.
It all came back to her, warm and easy. They’d come out to the great room, shared some ice cream and kisses in front of the fire and created a bed from blankets and pillows, and she must have fallen asleep.
He’d put on a pair of black sweatpants at some point but thankfully forgot the shirt.
Now that she was fully rested, every most-intimate inch of her reawakened with that hurts-so-good yearning over what they had done last night and what they might do next.
“May I help?” she asked.
He glanced down at her. “Good morning, beautiful. No, I’ve got it.”
“Should we add some wood?” The idea of staying in front of the fire with him all day warmed her throughout, even though she had to get home to feed Lady at some point. Then again, Reese had a key, and she owed Kirby a favor.
“I better not start a fire I can’t finish,” he said.
The warm feeling cooled several degrees, and the “so-good” part of the hurts-so-good equation quickly diminished. Maybe she was getting a little too comfortable.
While he continued to stoke, Kirby wrapped herself in the blanket, slipped past him, grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter and wandered down the hall to the master bath. There, her pink toothbrush awaited, alongside some toothpaste.
Then it occurred to her. The paperwork she’d seen last night on the counter was missing. At least, it hadn’t caught her eye when she had grabbed her purse. In fact, the island looked as if it had been wipe
d clean.
The whole thing served to remind her that, despite the physical intimacy, she still knew nothing about this man.
Reese was right. Kirby needed to be careful. Not to mention, she still needed to ask some questions. Pleasure kept getting in the way.
She brushed her teeth and washed her face. By the time she returned to the kitchen, he had his cell phone pressed against one ear and was deep in conversation.
Baby practically inhaled her breakfast from a bowl he had provided. For a fleeting moment, Kirby could totally see Baby as Adam’s dog. They seemed to belong together, although she wouldn’t dream of asking him to adopt her. Not with his work schedule being as nonstandard as hers.
He held up one finger to indicate he wouldn’t be long.
Must not be too personal of a call, she concluded. He didn’t move to another room, or even a few feet away.
“Now, what’s this about again?” he asked the person on the other end. “Fine, but it better be important.”
He slammed the phone on the counter.
“Is everything okay?”
“Lydia, my boss, called an emergency meeting for eleven.”
“On a Sunday? Maybe those sofas started talking,” Kirby said in the most playful tone she could muster.
No response from Adam as he poured some coffee for both of them.
“Hmm. I wonder what they would say. Perhaps something like, ‘Enough already! You’re wearing me out,’” she teased.
Adam looked at her but wasn’t playing along. Instead, he grabbed both mugs and nodded toward the fireplace.
She settled into the sofa, accepted one of the coffees and took a sip.
After easing in beside her, he stole a quick and tender kiss. He set down his own mug and angled himself toward her, propping one elbow on the pillow behind him and resting his temple on his fist.
She recognized a serious-talk pose when she saw one. Of course, on him, the pose was seriously sexy. His flexing biceps and rippling abs competed against his baby blues for her attention.
“I’d like to get a few things out in the open. And, who knows, maybe you would, too. Especially since I’d like to see you again,” he said.
She almost choked on her sip of coffee.
“Good idea.”
What she wanted to say was that this was a risky idea. She hadn’t prepared herself for any soul-baring discussions. She could hide her body beneath the blanket, but if he asked her what she did for a living, she’d have to come up with something that wasn’t a complete lie.
Maybe she could tell him she was a rookie reporter, quietly excuse herself from The Deep assignment and take Seth’s offer to cover the boring oil-and-gas scandal instead. No harm, no foul.
Except that would mean passing up another golden opportunity, and for a man she barely knew. Even though the attraction was more intense than anything she’d ever felt, she’d be a fool to give up this chance for someone she’d known less than, what, seventy-two hours? Crazy. Besides, the jury was still out as to his own intentions.
“Look, Kirby, I don’t want to be doing what I do at the club. I had some problems at my other job, and I landed at The Deep. I wanted to lay low until the problems faded and I could get on with my life. And...it looks as though that might happen soon. I’m up for a job in Florida.”
Florida? His intentions seemed obvious now. To let her know he wasn’t looking for anything remotely serious. Except for a serious job. But, hey, kudos for the honesty, even though it stung.
All the better, in a way. She’d tried to ignore her guilt over sleeping with him and still using him as a source. This slapped a titanium leash on those feelings. Then there was the other part of his confession...
“What kind of trouble, if you don’t mind me asking?”
He ran his hand through his hair and expelled a nervous laugh.
“I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but here goes. One of our equestrian clients accused me of harassment when I used to work as a trainer. None of it was true. But my employer believed her over me, although there wasn’t any proof, and even less motivation on my part.”
She studied his expression. Either he was telling her the truth, or he was the consummate liar.
“Okay. I believe you.”
After all, he didn’t have to reveal any of this to her. What would he have to gain? Yet, the information did raise more questions about him than it answered.
He rested his head back on the pillow as if the confession had taken so much out of him. “I can’t tell you how much that was weighing on me.”
“So, someone accused you of harassment. It’s your word against hers. What I don’t understand is why your employer wouldn’t back your version.”
“He might have, except some damn investigative reporter aired a story about it. My employer’s other clients threatened to bail if he didn’t terminate my contract. Because of the exposure. I was no longer employable in my field.”
Something about the whole scenario nudged at her memory. It sounded vaguely familiar.
“Which reporter? He or she should be the one out of work.”
“Seth Wainwright. A name and face I’ll never forget. I haven’t trusted a word that’s come out of the news media’s collective mouth since.”
A chill crept across her flesh. Her instincts warned her to tread carefully.
“That’s awful, Adam.”
In more ways than you know.
He moved in close and hugged her tight. The chill dissipated beneath his warmth.
“Thanks for hearing me out, and for not bolting for the door.”
No, she hadn’t bolted. In fact, his admission gave her a segue to an unfortunate admission of her own. This was an opportunity to touch on the truth without cracking it wide-open, and to get his reaction.
“Since you brought up the topic, there’s something I should probably tell you,” she said. “I always wanted to be a reporter. But not the kind you described.”
At that, he pulled away and gave her a questioning look.
“You’re kidding, right?”
She shook her head. “My degree is in journalism. It would be nice to use it. In fact, it’s my dream.”
He exhaled a deep breath and looked away.
“So what’s stopping you?” he asked without so much as glancing at her, as if he were addressing the flailing embers of the fireplace instead.
In fact, the dying embers offered a fitting metaphor for how their morning together was turning out.
“Just waiting for my big break. For now, I’m stuck behind a desk.”
A partial truth, but at least she didn’t lie. So much for testing waters. If she offered more, she’d likely alienate him and jeopardize the story.
“A desk job, huh? Nothing wrong with that.” He finally looked at her with an obviously forced smile.
Not that she blamed him. She understood his hesitancy. If only there was a way she could make him understand her feelings, as well.
Maybe there is.
“I did have a chance, right out of college. A golden opportunity with a network affiliate.”
“What happened?”
The wrong decision happened, impulsive and heated and driven by a desire over which she had no control. Rather, one that had complete control of her.
“I chose to follow a gold-plated opportunity instead. All the way from Chicago to Houston. Turned out the plating, and everything underneath, wasn’t gold after all,” she said, even though speaking the actual words almost made her choke.
He pulled her close and caressed her arm.
“What did he do to you, baby? You can tell me. You’re safe here.”
Maybe it was the way he called her baby again, but he made her feel safe. Even safe enough to confe
ss what she’d needed to all along. What she’d been too humiliated to admit to family or friends, counselors or clergy.
Besides, if he rejected her after what she was about to say, then there wasn’t a future between them anyway. Might as well find out now, and get an honest response rather than a paid-for one.
She swallowed hard, even though her mouth suddenly went dry and her lungs felt as though they were wrapped tight with the coarsest rope.
“My ex-husband didn’t want me, sexually, after we got married. Couldn’t bring himself to touch me in that way, and rejected me every time I tried to change his mind. Each rejection diminished me, as a woman, until I no longer felt like one at all.”
Now she was the one who couldn’t look him in the eye. But the door was open, and the painful truth needed an escape after being held in far too long.
“He wouldn’t even kiss me. At least, not the way lovers kiss. He still loved me, so he claimed, but was simultaneously disgusted by me.”
It was as if a long-festering wound had been lanced. She wanted to get all the sickness out of her system in a single purge.
She clenched her jaw and bit back the humiliation.
With a soft but firm hand, he angled her face toward his, and she reluctantly looked at him, fearful of what she would read in his expression.
Instead of repulsion, she saw bewilderment.
“Listen, that had nothing to do with you, Kirby. Some people pull that passive-aggressive bullshit to punish those they claim to love. Won’t happen with me.”
It wasn’t what she had expected to hear, yet it was everything she needed.
“How can you be so sure? You don’t even know me.”
He shook his head.
“You’re so beautiful, and you don’t even realize how much. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll leave my baggage behind if you’ll abandon yours.”
“You’ve got a deal, baby.” She initiated the kiss this time, and his body responded in full. It was as if Adam had reversed the guilty-of-being-undesirable verdict handed down by her ex.
Baby barked at their feet.
“She thinks we’re talking to her. I better get dressed and take her for a walk,” Kirby said.
Adam pulled her back down as she tried to stand.