by Marie Force
“Let’s hear it,” she said, her dad nodding in agreement.
“Apparently, Abby and Adam are seeing each other.”
“Seriously?” Laura asked, shocked to hear that. “What does Grant have to say about it?”
“I guess he’s being cool about it,” Owen said. “I mean, what can he say, really? He’s engaged to Stephanie, and it’s been over with Abby for a long time.”
“Still,” Frank said. “Dating your brother’s ex. That can be dicey.”
“Girls’ night out ought to be interesting,” Laura said.
“Do you feel up to going?” Owen asked.
“Not really, but since we’ll just be downstairs, I can bail out if need be.”
“That’s true. Luke is having poker night at his house for the guys. I was going to take our little buddy with me, since he’s a guy, too.”
“I’d be happy to stay with him if you don’t want to bring him,” Frank offered.
“That’s really nice of you, Frank, but I’d think you’d want to go to Luke’s and see everyone.”
“I would like to see my nephews in light of recent events. How about I lend you a hand over there, then?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Do we have rooms left?” Laura asked Owen. “Dad needs one.”
“Don’t worry about me, hon. I’m going to stay with Mac and Linda. I already talked to them. I didn’t want to put you out when you weren’t feeling well.”
Laura stuck out her lower lip in a playful pout. “You wouldn’t have been putting me out.”
“I’ll stay here next time, okay?”
“You’d better.”
“Twins,” Frank said again, making Laura and Owen laugh. “Have you told your mom yet?”
“Last night,” Owen said. “She was thrilled.”
“So am I,” Frank said, removing any doubt that he approved of their unplanned babies.
Laura was greatly relieved that her dad was so happy about the news. As soon as she stopped feeling sick all day, she hoped she would be, too.
Finished with all her measurements, Abby leaned against the counter Mac and Luke had built to hold the cash register and drew a rough sketch of what she envisioned the store might look like when it was finished. The sketch and the measurements carefully recorded in a notebook reminded her of the early days of Abby’s Attic, when she’d had no idea what she was doing or if her store would even catch on.
Now she knew what it took to make a retail venture on Gansett into a success. She only hoped magic would happen a second time. The Sand & Surf gift shop had true potential, located as it was on the front side of the hotel, easily seen by passersby.
She’d toyed with the idea of opening a shop in Austin, but had worried about a small gift shop being lost in the sea of offerings available there. And with everything with Cal unsettled, she’d been reluctant to commit to anything that would keep her tied to Texas if things between them didn’t work out. The professional indecision had only added to her discontent.
As she worked and planned, a new idea had come to her that she couldn’t wait to run by Laura. The job that had started as a summer diversion had grown into something larger in her mind during the afternoon in the still-empty space. Until she had a chance to talk it over with Laura, though, she wouldn’t let herself get too excited about it.
She was so absorbed in her sketches that she didn’t hear Adam come in until he was right in front of her, casting a shadow over her notebook.
“Hey,” she said, feigning annoyance. “You’re blocking my light.”
He tipped his head to take a look at what she was doing. “That’s really good. I didn’t know you could draw like that.”
“Anyone can draw a bunch of straight lines, Adam.”
“You’ve got the whole 3-D thing going on. That’s amazing. I can picture how the store will look.”
Flattered by his praise, she glanced up to find that he was wearing the glasses she found so attractive on him. “Did you finish with the reservation system?”
“Not yet. I need at least another day. Maybe two. I’m rewriting the entire program.”
“How do you do that, exactly?”
“You really want to know? You’d probably find it deathly boring.”
“Maybe so, but I’m interested in the logic behind it.”
“You are? Really?”
“Hasn’t anyone ever been interested in how you approach your work?”
“No. Never.”
“Well, I am.”
That seemed to please him. “I’ll tell you all about it sometime. Are you done here?”
“For the most part. I was just doodling.”
“We’ve already established that those are far more than doodles.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ve got a couple of hours before the evening festivities.” He stretched dramatically. “I’m sort of worn out after working all day, and I was thinking that you must be, too.”
He looked anything but worn out, but she played along because she liked where this was going. “How about we go across the street for a little rest before our big night out?”
“You might be able to talk me into that.”
Rolling her eyes and smiling at him, she closed the notebook and stashed it in her purse, shut off the lights and closed the door to the gift shop. In the lobby, Sarah was sitting behind the registration desk.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Adam said to her.
“I will, too,” Abby said.
“Thanks to both of you for your help around here.”
“My pleasure,” Adam said.
“Mine, too,” Abby added. And it was a pleasure to be back in the business she had loved so much. Mapping out shelving and planning for inventory had filled her with excitement and anticipation. While living in Texas, she’d missed the thrill of running her own business. She’d been bored and often lonely, which had added to her problems with Cal, who’d been so busy he hadn’t noticed her discontent.
“What’re you thinking about?” Adam asked as they crossed the street to the Beachcomber and scooted in a side door that led to the stairs.
“How much I’m looking forward to having the store open. I missed it while I was away. I hadn’t realized how much until today.”
“I’m sure you’ll make a big success out of it.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence. I was thinking…”
“What?”
“I haven’t spoken to Laura about it yet, so it may not happen.”
His hand on the small of her back guided her up the stairs in a proprietary way that she enjoyed. “Tell me anyway.”
“I’m going to propose that we call it Abby’s Attic at The Surf. I was thinking that customers who patronized the Attic might be more likely to check out the gift shop if we give it a name they recognize.”
“That’s a great idea. I’m sure Laura will think so, too.”
“I hope so. She may have something else in mind. I don’t want to step on any toes.”
“Can’t hurt to pitch it to her.” They reached the third floor and stopped outside her door. “Where’s the key stashed this time?”
She gave him a saucy smile as she reached into her top to retrieve the key card.
“That’s so hot. You have no idea how hot.” Inside the room, he surprised her when he spun her around to press her back against the closed door. For a long, breathless moment he only stared at her, seeming to take a detailed inventory of her features.
“What?” she asked, unnerved by his intensity. The scent of expensive cologne filled her senses, making her want to get even closer to him.
“You’re beautiful. And you’ve got me thinking about you far more than I should be. Do you know how hard it is to write computer code with a gorgeous, sexy woman occupying so much of my attention?”
Flattered and aroused, she dug her fingers into his hips. “How hard is it?”
“Very, very hard.”
Before she could make
a joke about whether they were still talking about computer code, he removed his glasses, stashed them in his pants pocket, tipped his head and brought his lips down on hers lightly and gently. “All I could think about today was how you looked naked and spread out before me in bed with your silky dark hair fanned out on the pillow. I thought about how sweet you tasted against my tongue—”
“Stop,” she whispered, mortified by the image he painted.
“Why?”
“It’s embarrassing to think about what I must’ve looked like.”
“How can you be embarrassed when I just told you that thinking about it had me turned on all day?” To make his point, he pressed his erection against her belly.
“All day, huh?”
“All. Day.”
“That must get painful after a while.”
“You have no idea.”
Hearing that he’d thought of her that way and been aroused by the memories of what they’d done together the night before made her feel more brazen than usual. Her hands moved from his hips to the button of his jeans. She tugged on the button, drawing a gasp from him.
“Abby…”
“Yes?”
“What’re you doing?”
“This.” She unzipped him carefully as he was rock hard, reached inside his boxers and wrapped her hand around the thick column of flesh that seemed to get even harder in her grasp.
His head fell to her shoulder, his breathing became ragged, and his fingers dug into her bottom as he pushed against her.
He was longer and wider than she remembered from last night in the shower. Her sex clenched in anticipation of taking him in as nagging worries took hold that she pushed aside to stroke him. She ran her thumb over the head, rubbing the fluid gathered there over his tender flesh.
He bit down on her shoulder, making her cry out from the unexpected shock of it. And then he was kissing her, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to tangle and tease. Adam made her forget all about what she was doing to him until he surged into her hand, harder than ever.
Breaking the kiss only long enough to whip her shirt up and over her head, he made quick work of unhooking the pink bra and pushing it off her shoulders.
Abby’s first impulse was to release her grip on him so she could cover her bare breasts.
“No,” he said, seeming to know what she wanted to do before she even finished having the thought. “No.” He cupped her breasts, squeezing and caressing, making her crazy with the promise of what was to come. Then he bent his head and used his tongue and lips on her nipple, sucking hard enough to cause her legs to buckle.
“On the bed.” He turned them as one and walked her backward until her legs connected with the bed and she fell back, bringing him down on top of her. He began all over again with deep, drugging kisses that sucked every rational thought right out of her head. Her entire world was reduced to his hot mouth, his talented tongue, his hands on her breasts and the press of his desire against her belly.
He left a trail of fire with kisses to her face, neck, throat and between her breasts. Her back arched off the bed, seeking the heat of his mouth on her nipples. With her fingers tangled in his hair, she directed him to where she needed him most.
“Here?” he asked, dabbing her nipple with his tongue.
“Yes. Please…”
“So polite.” His lips vibrated against her nipple. “Such a lady.”
“I was before I met you.”
“It’s okay to be a little naughty.”
“How naughty is a little naughty?”
Laughing, he turned his attention to her other breast. “Let me show you.” Licking and sucking and teasing, he set out to destroy her defenses, to make her forget all about being a lady. The noises he coaxed from her were hardly ladylike, but before it registered that she should be embarrassed by her reactions, he would do something else, drawing more sighs and moans and whimpers from her.
And so it went, one sensation on top of another, building and growing until she was desperate for completion.
“Adam…”
He raised his face from the hip bone he’d been investigating with tiny nips of his teeth that ratcheted her desire to unprecedented levels. She hadn’t even known that hip bones could be sexy.
“What do you need, honey? Tell me.”
“More. I need more.”
Displaying the same efficiency he’d shown with her top and bra, he removed her jeans quickly, leaving her only in string-bikini panties that matched the bra.
“Should I be worried at how adept you are at removing a woman’s clothing?”
“Not at all. You shouldn’t be worried about anything.” He pulled his own shirt up and over his head, baring a most excellent chest to her visual perusal. Defined pectorals and rippled abs that made her sigh.
She ran her fingers over each of them. “How does a computer geek get muscles like these?”
“Many, many hours in the gym.”
Pressing her lips to the flat disk of his nipple, she said, “Time very well spent.”
He cupped her mound through the silky panties, making her strain for more. “I’m glad you think so.”
“Adam?”
“Hmm?”
“There’s something else I should tell you before this goes any farther.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“It’s more embarrassing than ominous.”
“You’re not getting embarrassed anymore, remember? You’re enjoying a fling with a man who finds you incredibly sexy and desirable.”
While she appreciated the reminder, this particular issue had caused her untold problems in the past. As they were down to his unbuttoned jeans and two pairs of underwear standing between them and the next step in the relationship they weren’t having, she couldn’t postpone this discussion any longer.
“What is it, honey? Put it out there and let’s talk about it so you can stop fretting about it.”
“The problem I told you about the other night… It’s not the only one.”
“Okay.”
She turned her head, avoiding his gaze as she searched for the words. It was easier to say when she wasn’t facing those dazzling blue eyes looking down at her and seeing her in ways she hadn’t been seen before. “Sometimes…well, most of the time…I get nervous about…you know…”
“Having sex?”
“Yes.” She cleared her throat and forced herself to continue. “When that happens, it’s difficult for the guy to… To get it in.”
“So…things dry up?”
An infusion of heat took over her face, reminding her of past humiliations. “No, that’s not it.”
“Then what? It’s okay to just say it. I swear I’m not judging you. Not at all.”
Encouraged by his kindness, she swallowed hard and looked up at him, forcing herself to look directly into his eyes. “It’s like my muscles there seize up and can’t relax enough to allow entry.”
“I see.”
“You do?”
“Uh-huh. All that means is we have to make sure you’re as relaxed as we can possibly get you before we try that.”
“That’s often easier said than done.” Cal, in particular, had become frustrated by her inability to accept him, which had put further strain on an already strained relationship. But Abby didn’t want to think about him now. Not when she was lying nearly naked in the arms of sexy, thoughtful Adam McCarthy.
He brushed the hair back from her face, his thumbs caressing her cheekbones. “We need to find the off switch for that overactive brain of yours. We need to make it so you’re not thinking about anything other than how good it feels when we’re together this way.”
“I wish I could do that. You don’t know how badly I wish I could.”
“It’s not up to you to do that, honey. It’s up to me. If I do my part the way I should, you won’t be thinking about anything other than how good it feels.”
She had to look away again because she simply couldn’t believe how tu
ned in to her he was after only spending a few days together.
“You’re thinking again,” he said, kissing her neck and nibbling her ear. “Tell me. Let me in.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ll have me falling for you when we said we weren’t going to do that. Because you’re already making me wonder how I spent so many years with the wrong men when the right one might’ve been so close. So very close.”
“Abby…”
“Forget I said that. You’ve got me all discombobulated and saying things I shouldn’t be saying.”
“I want to hear what you’re thinking. Do you want to know why?”
She nodded. God help her, but she wanted to know everything about him.
“Because you’ve got me thinking the same sort of things. How could we have spent so much time in each other’s orbit but never known this was possible?”
Tears filled her eyes, the emotional response infuriating her. “We said we weren’t going to do this,” she reminded him again.
He peppered her face with kisses, putting particular emphasis on her eyelids, licking the salty moisture from under her eyes.
“We both just got out of big entanglements,” she continued, even as his tenderness destroyed her defenses. “We’ve got no business doing this.”
“And yet here we are, thoroughly entangled, all but naked in each other’s arms with nowhere else either of us would rather be. Am I right about that?”
Powerfully moved by his assessment, she said, “Yes,” the single word barely a whisper.
“Sometimes,” he said, kissing her so sweetly, “the most important things happen when you least expect it.”
“Is this an important thing?”
“I don’t know about you, but it’s become very important to me over the last few days.”
His admission gave her the courage to offer her own. “Me, too.”
“How about we have a little fun now, take the edge off, and later, after we do our girls’ night and poker night, we meet back here and take all the time it takes to get you relaxed enough to make love?”