When Adam Met Evie

by Giulia Skye

  So he’d just lie here and take mental flight to somewhere else—anywhere else. Anywhere away from a handwritten note that made him feel cheap and worthless. A note he didn’t want to throw away because it was the only thing he had left of her.

  Deciding to make something to eat, Adam rummaged in the kitchen box for some quick and ready food. He was hungry without appetite, but he’d swallow down whatever drab meal he’d manage to put together and get on with his plan to … to … What?

  It always came back to this. The same old question.

  What the fuck was he doing with his life?

  Adam first asked it a month after his retirement when the TV and magazine interviews, that had once been rife, dried up after his last Olympics. The days that had followed were long and empty. He’d had too much time on his hands to mull and stew. He’d been afraid. Afraid that he’d made the wrong decision. Afraid that these shadows of days would preempt the rest of his life. He had some money saved, and he had the apartment, but he knew the money would run out eventually if he didn’t have a plan. But then came Celebrity Stakes and he’d been swept along by the riptide of fame and fortune.

  And he still hadn’t worked out what he wanted! He currently had no plan other than to wait for Shane and Krista’s return in ten days with nothing to do except read and think. Once upon a time, in the thick of living in Saskia’s world, this would have been pure bliss, but now, after knowing Evie, he was back to living long, empty days and long, stuffy nights. Alone.

  He had done the right thing in letting Evie go, hadn’t he?

  And yet, what had he actually achieved?

  Abandoning his search for a meal, Adam sat on the edge of the truck. Evie was gone but nothing had been resolved. His life was still a public mess. Saskia was still hunting him down, refusing to let him go.

  And he’d acted like a total shithead this morning.

  Closing his eyes, Adam was haunted by the image of Evie’s face when she’d realized he no longer wanted to be with her.

  But that was just it. He did want to be with her.

  He recalled the night he’d almost thrown his phone into the sea wishing he could throw away his problems just as easily.

  Wasn’t that exactly what he’d done with Evie?

  He’d thrown her away, but Evie wasn’t the problem because the problem still remained.

  He pushed off the edge of the truck but had nowhere to go. No matter how shocking it would have been for Evie to hear the truth, Adam realized he should have told her this morning. He should have sat her down and told her everything about himself, giving her the choice. Did she want to face that type of publicity? Did she want her privacy violated? Did she want to become a part of his world?

  If she’d said yes, they could have come up with a plan. Together. No one needed to find out straight away. They both had time left on their tourist visas to stay in Australia. He had money and means. They could remain lovers on the run until they’d figured something out.

  But what if she said no? Would she stay with him when she found out the truth? And would it be the same between them if she did?

  Adam paced alongside the truck, thinking about Zac and Evie’s father. Evie didn’t take kindly to being lied to. Wounds like that took time to heal for her. Perhaps it was better to leave it, then? Perhaps he’d done the right thing after all.

  But he missed her. He wanted her. Going back for Evie felt right—she felt right—and there was only one way to find out if she still wanted him.

  He secured the tent, jumped into the truck, then plugged his Australian mobile in to charge while he used its GPS to refresh his memory on the route to the Brown Lizard. It buzzed in his hand with a text from Shane.

  Got away early. Back in Darwin in the morning. Come the day after?

  Adam reread the message and didn’t know whether to laugh at the irony, or weep with relief. At least one of his lies to Evie had come true. He texted Shane back.

  Great! See you in a couple of days.

  Then he steered the truck toward the lights of the city.

  There were other ways to forget a man, Evie realized as she sipped her third white wine spritzer of the evening. The alcohol buzzed around her temples, made her feel light on her feet. She leaned against the bar and watched her new German friends own the dance floor. Their names were Ines and Sofia, and they were young, gorgeous and confident. They liked two-for-the-price-of-one cocktails and clingy, low-cut dresses, and their enthusiasm for the crap dance music was curiously infectious.

  Evie drained her wine, gloriously, spitefully so. She should be drinking water to quench her thirst—but bring on the buzz, she wanted to enjoy the way her eyes were losing focus, her head spinning in just the right way, like she was sailing out to sea.

  Drifting with the tide.

  What a load of bollocks.

  How could she have fallen for such an aimless loser? What else did Adam have going for him other than muscles and excellent driving skills? He had no ambition, no oomph that made him strive and achieve. He was a coward; she knew it the night he told her he’d walked away from his business, and she knew it this morning when he let her go rather than put some effort into growing their relationship.

  Stupid bloody man.

  Evie placed her empty glass on the bar and skipped out onto the dance floor, the hem of the milk-chocolate sundress she’d bought that afternoon skimming her thighs. It was thirty-eight degrees outside, but the bar had air con so she was able to wear her hair out, long and loose.

  It swished around her back and shoulders as she lost herself in the thumping, steady rhythm. After several tracks, the beat merged into something slower, smoother. She swayed her hips—then looked down as heavy male hands snaked around them. Another way to forget a man? Replace him with someone else. She swayed her hips a little more.

  But then her body went on high alert as the masculine arm, sprinkled with dark hair, wrapped itself around her body. The guy leaned in behind her.

  “Hi Evie,” he said, and she stilled at the sound of the familiar accent. “Remember me?”

  The music seemed to get louder, more intoxicating. The dance floor more crowded.

  “Kiwi?” Face-to-face with her drunken snog from Airlie Beach, she focused and shouted over the music. “You remember my name? You were pretty drunk that night.”

  Kiwi laughed, having the good grace to look embarrassed. “Good times, hey?”

  Meh. His kisses had been okay, but she’d been far more dazzled since.

  “So, you made it to Darwin?” She extricated his arms from around her waist and asked him about his route to the Top End, holding on to his hands in a friendly gesture that told him she wasn’t interested in a repeat of that sangria-fueled night.

  Kiwi took the hint, but not for long. Giving it one more try, he pulled Evie close. He wasn’t as good looking as she remembered—and younger too—but he had an easy, friendly smile. The type of smile that got him things. “Let’s get another drink,” he said.

  Evie’s head swirled. She could do with the ego boost of being wanted and desired, even if the guy wanting and desiring her was only looking for an easy lay. She wouldn’t have sex with him, but she could do with more wine and some company at the bar while she drank it.

  She turned and slammed into something hard. Kiwi caught her on the rebound and she looked up.

  Adam towered over them, his jaw set in a hard line. “Having fun?”

  Evie could do nothing but gawp as Adam turned his stare to Kiwi. Mine, his ominous glare seemed to say. Kiwi pushed her back onto her feet, seemingly not drunk enough as to be oblivious to the air crackling with something that didn’t include him. Adam blasted him with another caveman look. Beat it.

  “I’m going to get that drink.” Kiwi released her, but not before making a point. His eyes darted toward Adam a split second before kissing he
r full on the lips. Her eyes flew open at the wet and foreign sensation, and all she could see past the side of Kiwi’s face was a furious Adam, statue-still in the middle of the dance floor. “Catch ya later.”

  Evie let Kiwi pass then folded her arms to resist wiping her lips. She should rub Adam’s nose in it, pretend she’d enjoyed another man’s kiss, but one look at him told her he wasn’t in the mood to play games.

  And neither was she.

  Adam knew he had no right, but the part of him expecting to find Evie sobbing into her pillow got pretty pissed off at finding her in the arms another man.

  He’d just checked in to this rowdy hostel, booking a double room in sheer hope that Evie would share it with him, and had at first planned to search the dorms and kitchens for her, but when he’d heard the music, he’d made a beeline to the bar, knowing she’d be there.

  This place was one big backpacker party and the scowl he’d worn when he’d pushed through the bar doors had earned him a place on the bouncer’s radar. But Adam hadn’t cared. He hadn’t cared if he was one of the oldest people here. One of the tallest and broadest. Hadn’t cared one bit if he stuck out like a storm cloud in a bright blue sky nor if someone recognized him.

  He’d only had one goal. To scan the crowd of revelers for Evie. His eyes had been trained to seek out the messy bun on top of her head, and the usual ratty vest and dusty shorts she wore, only to do a triple take when he’d clocked her lovely face framed by flowing hair. Her slim body wrapped in a dress that matched the color of her eyes.

  Evie looked gorgeous and now that the douche who’d kissed her had gone, he reached out to tell her.

  But she pulled back.

  “What are you doing here, Adam?”

  “Looking for you.” He reached for her again, wanting to lead her away somewhere quiet. Somewhere private. “We need to talk.”

  “So talk.” Evie flicked his hands away. The music pulsed and bled to the next track, and the dance floor heaved with a fresh wave of music. They were nudged right to the middle of writhing bodies.

  “Outside.”

  “No.”

  She rocked her hips to the music, the crowd and noise falling away so that it was just the two of them again, like it had always been. He watched her move her body, a sexy wood sprite dancing just out of his reach.

  “Fuck it,” he said. “You wanna dance?” He grabbed her and crushed her body against his. “I’ll dance.”

  Her eyes turned wild and wide, as if they were daring him to unleash what they both knew he’d been holding back this morning. Adam moved his body with hers, thrusting motions that were making him crazy. Making him see things clearly again. His eyes skimmed her mouth. Her lips parted. He pulled back. Not yet.

  The music turned fast and frantic, the crowd jumping as one. They were pushed and bumped, but Adam held their ground. His groin pressed against her as they moved with the music. He cupped her butt with one hand, cupped her face with the other and heard someone tell them to get a room.

  “Is this enough heat for you, Evie?” He pressed his erection against her inner thigh. “Wanna make me burn for you a little longer?”

  She shook her head. “I want to know why you’re here.”

  “I don’t know.” He had a goddamn hard-on in a cheap hostel nightclub. Couldn’t she see he was a man losing his mind? Losing his mind over her. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing and that’s the truth. But whatever it is, you’re a part of it. I want you to be a part of it.”

  As the music smoothed to a mellow rhythm, they came apart. Evie brushed away wild waves of hair that had fallen across her face. He could see the play of emotions in her eyes: fear, confusion, relief, excitement.

  Baby, he knew the feeling.

  CHAPTER 26

  Cool air slicked over Adam’s back as he lay naked on top of Evie in their private double room. It was tiny, with a small sink in one corner and paper-thin walls, but the bed and seclusion were all they needed.

  Adam watched Evie’s face as he entered her. “Tell me what I have to do to make it up to you?”

  She moaned softly. “You already have.”

  Reaching up, Evie nipped the base of his neck, her breath quick and choppy. He loved that sound. Loved the way her legs wrapped around his body, how the heel of her foot tapped his butt, urging him farther. Deeper. She groaned when he obliged. A soft molten noise that ignited his steady rhythm.

  She came first, muffling her cries against his chest, her breath hot, slicing him open. He pumped harder, seeking his pleasure and inhaling hers. When he growled out his orgasm, she clamped her hand over his mouth and damn if it didn’t kill him.

  Somehow he managed to catch his breath again. “That was a hot move.” He shifted his weight, increasingly aware he was still alive. Just about. “I nearly passed out.”

  “You were very loud.”

  “Could you blame me?”

  She grabbed his face and smacked a kiss on his lips. “You came back for me.”

  “I should never have let you go.”

  They lay side by side, neither speaking for some time. When Adam glanced over at her, he noticed her eyes had been fixed on the same cobweb on the ceiling that he’d been staring at too.

  “So …” she said. “What happens now?”

  Adam watched how the cobweb wafted in the air-conditioner’s stream. He knew what should happen. He should tell her the truth. “I want to see where this goes. I want to give ‘us’ a try.”

  “It’s no longer complicated for you?”

  “Oh man, it’s still that.” He sighed, reaching for her hand and kissing the back of it. “I’ve never felt like this before. We’ve only known each other three weeks.”

  “Three weeks and three days.” She turned to lie on her stomach and placed her chin on his chest. “Two people don’t usually spend every minute of every day with each other when they first meet.” She then calculated how many hours they’d spent in each other’s company, processing figures in her head at lightning speed. “So, if we were living our normal lives, living at separate addresses, working nine-hour days, five days a week, seeing each other, say, two to three times a week, we’d be at this point in about six months’ time.”

  “Our first major bust-up and makeup sex.”

  “Yes, I suppose this would be the point where we realize it’s not just a passing fling.” Evie linked her hand with his again. “Or at least this is the point where, right now, we both acknowledge that we don’t want it to be a passing fling.”

  Adam nodded. “It’s more than a passing fling. But I have … baggage.”

  “I know.”

  He felt her tense, and he knew she was sucking up all her courage to ask him some of the questions she’d been storing up. “Do you have a child or children?”

  “No.”

  “Are you in trouble with the police, or involved with anything dangerous or illegal?”

  “No!” Jesus. Adam hadn’t thought she’d have those types of questions. “Absolutely not.” He sat up. “I told you that cannabis belonged to Shane’s cousin. I don’t deal with drugs. Never have and never will.”

  “Calm down,” she said, smiling. “I meant legal issues back home, with your father and business.”

  He settled back. “Nothing illegal, but yes, there are legal, complicated issues. Business issues.” This was the moment he’d tell her the truth, he thought. What better time and place? It was 2 a.m. and she had nowhere else to go, and he could present his true self and back his words up using the hostel’s Wi-Fi.

  But the words wouldn’t come, lost in his search to find the best place to start. He closed his eyes as Evie stroked his chest, a world of patience and calm. She soothed him. Comforted him. Moments passed by and he knew the most difficult part would be telling her about Saskia. Even if he could make Evie understand Saskia had never mean
t anything to him when he married her, didn’t that sound just as callous as the fact that he was technically having an affair? Evie had integrity. Michael Adams didn’t.

  “Are you recovering from a broken heart, or bad love affair?”

  “No, honey, I’m not. I told you, there hasn’t been anyone for a long time.” He sighed and gave her a little squeeze. “It’s just complicated business matters which could result in me losing everything.”

  “The gym and your co-ownership?” Evie propped herself up. “You’ve got to sort things out with your dad.”

  Adam rubbed his face. “He’s just too damn irritating. I’m too mad at him.”

  Evie kissed his chest again. “I spent years coming to terms with my own father issues. You’ve got to sort your emotions out for your own sake if nothing else. That type of anger eats away at you. It’s not healthy.”

  He pulled her closer. Adam didn’t want to explore his issues with his dad, but perhaps he could use them as a way of telling Evie about his swimming career. His father had been there, on the sidelines at every race, had chaperoned him throughout the early years of competition, and he’d invested a lot of money into his son’s career. A fact Bobby Adams never failed to bring to the foreground.

  Evie shifted against Adam’s chest. Yes, he should tell her about his Olympic achievements first. Make her proud of him before he told her she didn’t even know his real name.

  But then she rolled onto her back. “There’s something I didn’t tell you about my father.” She sighed and pulled away a little. “I don’t think they were famous in North America, but have you ever heard of a Brit-pop band called Travesty?”

  He turned his head, curious at this sudden tangent. “No, I haven’t.”

  “They became pretty big in Britain the year I turned fourteen. They were played everywhere—they were everywhere.” He noticed Evie hesitate, like she was reliving an uncomfortable memory. “I was watching this show on TV once and my mother walks in just as Travesty were on and, God, her face. I can still picture it.”