by Noelle Adams
“I wish it was warmer out,” she began. “It would have been great to pack up a picnic basket with sandwiches and salads and sit on the beach and eat.”
“We still could…”
She smiled and shook her head. “Too cold for me. You have those great heat lamps out on the deck so dinner out there will be great but I prefer to be a little bit warmer if I’m going to suffer through the sand while I eat.”
“Suffer through the sand?” he asked, chuckling.
“I’m not a huge fan of the beach because I hate having sand all over me. It’s pretty to look at, not so much fun to get rid of.”
“Ah.” He nodded with understanding and had to admit, he wasn’t a fan of the sand either. “Okay, so if it’s not a picnic on the beach, where to?”
Cassie stopped and considered the possibilities and then looked at Adam with an impish grin. “Let’s just get back in the car and drive and we’ll know when we get there!” She turned and walked towards the front door and opened it. With a glance over her shoulder, she asked, “Are you coming?”
Adam watched her walk out the door, clearly excited by all of the possibilities. He wasn’t so sure. He liked to have a plan; to know what was going on and all of the possible variables. Adam didn’t do cruising around searching for something to do. He was a man with a plan at all times.
The sound of the car horn blasting brought him out of his reverie. With a slight growl of frustration, he headed out to join Cassie in the car. With resignation, he climbed in and drove back toward town. His first inclination was to ask exactly what she wanted to eat so that he could find a place that fit the bill immediately and be done with the aimless driving. However, turning and looking at Cassie, she looked relaxed and happy and he figured she hadn’t been wrong in any of the other things she’d asked to do, how bad could this be?
Thirty minutes later, Cassie pointed to what could only be described as a shack on the beach side of the road. The sign out front boasted ‘Lobster Clubs’ and Adam cringed at the thought of actually getting out of his car and eating there.
“Here!” she cried. “Let’s check this place out!”
Glaring, he replied, “Here? Really? I mean, we could go dumpster diving and get the same kind of atmosphere.”
“Oh, look who suddenly let his sense of humor come out and play?” She grinned as Adam pulled the car into one of the three parking spots in front of the shack. Cassie was climbing out of the car before he had it turned off. She ran around to his side of the car and practically pulled him out of his seat.
“Don’t be such a snob, Adam. Some of the best places to eat are holes in the wall.” She had his large hand in hers and pulled him towards the counter where they could place their orders.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to do a picnic in the sand?” he asked, stalling in hopes that she would change her mind and go someplace civilized to eat.
“We have tables around back, buddy,” a large man with multiple neck tattoos said. Adam held in the cringe that wanted to wrack his body. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
Cassie scanned the menu and placed their orders. She did not even ask for Adam’s input; she was willing to deal with the hissy fit he was sure to have if she actually let him have a good look at what was behind the counter. The Board of Health rating clearly stated an “A” but Cassie had her own doubts about that. “Go grab us a table,” she told Adam as she shooed him away while she paid and waited for the food.
“Why? I don’t see a big crowd here.”
Rolling her eyes, Cassie gave him a soft shove and sent him in the direction of the beach. “Nothing too sandy!” she called out playfully as he stomped away. He was really quite cute when he was pouting, she though and smiled.
Within minutes she had a tray that was filled with two lobster club sandwiches, French fries, Cole slaw and sweet tea. Walking around to the rear of the building she found Adam sitting with his back to her, facing the ocean and talking on his cell phone. She let him finish his call while she set the table and seated herself.
Nervous anticipation filled her as Adam finished his call and went to pick up his sandwich. He looked up at her. “What?”
“No, nothing, I was just waiting for you to finish your call before starting,” she rambled. “Everything all right?” she motioned toward the phone.
“Just checking messages.” Adam picked up the sandwich and hesitantly took a bite and let out an unmanly groan of delight. Cassie caught the expression on his face and hid a smile behind her own sandwich as she took a bite. The sweetness of the lobster combined with the perfect amount of spices and mayo made for a wonderful sandwich. The bread was a freshly baked sourdough with a crispness to it that added just the right amount of texture to the mix.
They ate in silence for several minutes with Adam finishing his sandwich first before even touching the fries and slaw. Cassie was halfway through her own sandwich and put it down and took a sip of her tea before putting all of her attention back on Adam.
“What now?” he snapped.
Cassie merely picked up her sandwich and smiled. “Told you so.”
They finished their lunches and Adam cleared the table. It made Cassie smile to see that he genuinely didn’t mind helping out with menial tasks. He could have been a total snob and treated her like the hired help but he didn’t and she greatly appreciated that.
Once back in the car Adam suggested they scope out the local shopping and spas so that they could prepare a package to offer the executive wives while their husbands met with Adam to talk business. Cassie readily agreed and she relaxed back in her seat, happy to let Adam be in control.
By the time they arrived back at Adam’s palatial estate, it was after six and Cassie was beat. They had not only found great places to shop and some wonderful salons; they had spoken to what felt like a hundred people as they arranged packages at many of the local businesses. Adam saw her lean against the wall of the elevator on their way up to the main floor and felt concern.
“We could order in tonight if you’d rather not cook,” he suggested.
“No, really, I’m fine. I just want to kick off my shoes and maybe change into some sweats or something before I get started.” Adam got off the elevator on the main level while Cassie indulged and took it up to the next floor.
Once inside her bedroom, she stripped out of the black Capri’s and sandals she had worn today along with the sweater that went with them and pulled out a pair of silky pajama pants. She would have preferred the sweats but she had forgotten to pack them. Walking into the bathroom in nothing but the black lacy underwear she’d chosen for today, she freshened up after splashing some cold water on her face. A quick glance in the mirror showed her hair to be a wild mass of waves and curls that looked completely out of control.
Frowning, she searched through her toiletries and found a clip that she used to put her hair up in to a pony tail. A quick change into the silky pants, a cami and an application of lip gloss and she felt ready to tackle dinner.
Her bare feet felt wonderful after having shoes on all day and the plush carpet in her bedroom, the hallway and stairs felt decadent. The coolness of the ceramic tile in the kitchen gave her a bit of a jolt but she quickly adjusted. A look around found Cassie to be alone and she wondered for a moment where Adam was at, but taking advantage of the uninterrupted time, she began to prep their dinner.
Adam found her standing in the kitchen with her back to him. The steaks were seasoned and on a platter, there was a large bowl with salad greens in it and she was whisking something together in another smaller bowl. It was one of the first times that he could sit back and observe her without her knowing he was there. She wasn’t talking to him, her staff, or herself and she looked very serene, very at peace and happy with what she was doing.
Something was cooking on the stove top and whatever it was smelled wonderful. Adam had not even known that she had come back down to start dinner until he smelled whatever it was that was cooking and broug
ht him up from his office to investigate.
Cassie put the bowl down and lifted the lid on the pan that was steaming. She gave it a little shake and replaced the lid then pivoted and went to the spice cabinet and began sifting through until she found what she wanted. Putting a dash of one thing in the bowl and a sprinkle of something else in the pan, Adam couldn’t help but compare her to a dancer as she moved about. Every movement had purpose and was executed with such grace that it was hard to look away.
She finally caught sight of him and merely smiled and went about her task. “I think the grill is ready for these,” she said as she walked over and picked up the platter and headed out to the large grill out on the deck. Adam followed.
“I can do that if you have to keep an eye on what you’ve got going on inside.”
Smiling, she shook her head and lifted the lid from the grill and placed the steaks on. “These will be quick,” she stated, knowing that they both preferred their steaks rare. Pulling a small timer from her pocket she set it and went back in to the kitchen.
He felt like an idiot but Adam couldn’t help but follow. He had nothing else to do. When Cassie turned and nearly ran in to him, he knew he had to get out of her way. Walking towards the stairs, Adam went down to the lower level and found what he was looking for. Sprinting back up to the kitchen, he found a corkscrew and poured them both a glass of wine.
Cassie grabbed hers as he held it out to her on her way back out to the grill to flip the steaks. “Thanks.”
Ten minutes later, Adam was sitting down and enjoying a meal that had no rival. He knew that Cassie was an exceptional cook; he just never had the time to truly sit and savor what she created for any of his events. He told her so and watched a delicate blush creep up her cheeks.
“That’s quite a compliment, Adam. Thank you.” Cassie took a sip of her wine and sighed. A girl could get used to living like this, that’s for sure. “So tell me what your favorite meal is.”
“I think I’m eating it right now,” he replied as he cut into the tender steak. “I definitely want to use this butcher again and the produce guy was right on the money, too.” The menu had ended up consisting of the steaks, a baby field green salad with a lemon balsamic vinaigrette dressing, roasted new potatoes with herbed butter, baby carrots and toasted French bread.
For Cassie, the meal itself did not present that much of a challenge but it was nice to be appreciated. While cooking was second nature to her, Cassie never really had the opportunity to cook for someone personally. Sure, there was her family but they were biased. It had been a long time since she’d been involved with anyone and back then, she never had the desire to cook for him.
She wanted to cook for Adam. She enjoyed his praise of what she had done. Cassie found herself wanting to be with him more and more and it had nothing to do with a working relationship and everything to do with a personal one.
What bothered her most was that here they were, in a romantic setting and he had not made any attempt to touch her or kiss her again. Was that kiss in her apartment on Thursday merely a fluke? Maybe he didn’t enjoy kissing her? Maybe Adam thought about it and realized that it would be awkward for them to get involved? Of all the times for her father to fall in love it had to be with this man’s mother! Talk about bad timing.
She must have sighed because Adam put his fork down and looked at her. “Are you okay? Do you feel all right?”
Great, he was concerned for her health. That should have been a sweet thing but right now it just fed her frustration. What was wrong with her, for crying out loud? Why didn’t he enjoy kissing her? Cassie knew she wasn’t a supermodel but men did find her attractive. Maybe Adam was used to more sophisticated women. Well if that was the case he could have at them! There was nothing wrong with her and she had it on the tip of her tongue to tell him so!
“Cassandra?” he interrupted her thoughts. “Seriously, are you all right? You look like you’re in pain.”
Damn straight she was in pain. Emotional pain. Psychological pain. How dare he kiss her and then never try to do it again! Here she was fawning all over him, trying to get his praise and approval and for what? So he can ignore the fact that they’d kissed? Cassie realized Adam was staring at her and waiting for an answer.
“What? Oh, no, I’m fine. My mind just wandered. Sorry.” She stood abruptly and began clearing the dishes. All this inner dialogue about Adam killing her self-esteem had Cassie missing out on the brilliance of the starry night. She had been looking forward to sitting out and enjoying it over dinner but she felt too ill to sit still any longer.
Adam followed her in to the kitchen. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked, confusion sparking his words. “You seem angry.”
Cassie turned to him, her eyes ablaze. “Do I? Do I seem angry to you?” she demanded. When Adam stood there, dumbfounded at her tone of voice, she went on. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong, I am a decent person. I may not be in your league but I am a damn fine human being who cares about people. I am good at what I do and you know what? Plenty of people appreciate that and find me attractive!”
Geez, how much wine had she had? She thought to herself, wishing more and more that she could stop the verbal assault that seemed like a runaway train. “I mean, here we are in this fabulous place, having a great time and you…you just are treating me like a damn sister. We’re not related yet, you know!”
If she hadn’t been so angry, Cassie would have laughed at the expression on Adam’s face. He was clearly confused and wanted to speak but all he could do was sputter. That was fine with her because she had more to say; only now, she was pacing back and forth from the deck to the kitchen with the remnants of their dinner.
“You come to my home, bring me pizza, watch TV with me and then you kiss me and run. What the hell was that about? I know I’m not pinup material but really, you are the first guy to actually sprint from the building!” She slammed the dishes in to the sink and mentally thanked God that nothing shattered.
“So I have no idea what is going on here. Maybe you do this kind of thing all the time where you just go around kissing people and then pretending like it didn’t happen but I’ve got to tell you, Adam, it’s weird. It’s wrong and it’s weird and it’s just…”
She never got to finish because Adam had had enough and had walked up to her and cut off her words with his mouth. It was hot, hard and hungry on hers and it took Cassie less than a second to jump on board and open for him. Adam’s hands immediately went to her hair to pull it free from its clip while Cassie’s arms twined around his neck to keep him close.
It was glorious madness, was all Cassie could think as Adam continued to kiss her more intimately than she’d ever been kissed before. His tongue stroked hers and she tasted the wine, the sweetness and wanted to drink him in. Too soon he moved his mouth from hers and trailed kisses to her cheek, her throat, up to her ear lobe before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her over to one of the oversized sofas in the living room.
Settling her down and sliding down next to her, Adam’s hands began a journey of familiarizing himself with Cassie’s body and his mouth found his way back to hers. Cassie whimpered with need and wrapped one leg around Adam’s to give them full-body contact. In the next instant, she found herself pinned beneath him and staring up in to his heated gaze.
“Dammit, Cassandra, I was trying to be a gentleman,” he said, his breath ragged. “I knew you were recovering and I knew that if I touched you, if I kissed you that I’d want to make love to you and I don’t think you’re feeling up to that just yet.” Adam rested his forehead on hers. “For once I was trying to be the good guy.” He placed a gentle kiss where his head had just rested and positioned himself more comfortably between her legs; enjoying the sight of her gasping for her own breath.
“Really?” her voice was wispy and soft and it made him groan.
“Yes, really.” He reined tiny kisses all over her face before settling back in on her mouth again. She purred with delig
ht to have him back where she most wanted him. Winding her fingers in Adam’s hair, all Cassie could think was that she wanted to make love with him. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but right now, with his aroused body pressed so intimately against hers, she couldn’t find it in her to really care.
“Adam?” she whispered against his mouth. He raised his head, his eyes glazed with passion. “Can we take this upstairs? Please?” She was crazed and desperate to be with him and as much as she should have been questioning why it had to be this man, all Cassie could think about was getting naked with him and spending the night locked in Adam’s arms.
There was a brief hesitation in his gaze before he stood and held out a hand to her. “Are you sure?” He needed her to be sure. He needed her to want him as much as he wanted her. When Cassie smiled and nodded, Adam scooped her back up into his arms and considered the possibilities. He strode to the elevator doors and slapped the button on the wall. Once the doors were opened and they were inside, he set Cassie on her feet and pinned her to the wall with his body as he feasted on her mouth once again.
By the time they arrived at the top floor, Adam was nearly ready to lose control. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She wasn’t supposed to make him this crazed or to want this much. The doors opened and Adam took Cassie’s hand and pulled her into his room. The moonlight pouring through all of the glass on the far wall lit the room in a more romantic way than anyone could have asked for.
He didn’t stop until they were next to the bed and without asking, without waiting, Adam reached down to the hem of the tiny white cami Cassie was wearing and pulled it over her head, tossing it to the floor. She let out a small gasp that turned to a sigh as his hands reached up and cupped her full breasts.
She was beautiful. That was all Adam could think. Her skin was milky white and smooth as silk and just touching her with his hands wasn’t enough. Lowering his head, he took one pink tightened nipple in to his mouth and suckled. Cassie’s knees gave away and Adam gently helped her to stretch out on the bed and followed her down; immediately going back to the task of laving her with his tongue.