Second Time's the Charm
Page 9
He jerked back the remaining blankets and twisted into bed. He tried to make himself comfortable, pulling the blankets up over his chest. He stared at the wall while thoughts raced through his mind. What a day. Between Allison’s car, the robbery, and ending up back here with her, today had been exhausting. He could only imagine how hard it was for her.
All he’d be able to do is imagine. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want his help. Hell, she wouldn’t even take his bed. He could hear Allison finishing in the bathroom. He turned over as she hurried across the room.
Although the suit she’d worn this afternoon looked amazing, something in line with a naughty librarian, he couldn’t stop looking at her in his clothes. The rolled waistband hung seductively off her slim hips, barely keeping the pants from dragging on the floor.
She jerked back the quilt and jumped into the mock bed. Her hair hung loosely down her back, swaying as she wiggled beneath the covers. She pulled the blanket over her head, blocking his view of her. He turned toward the wall again and leaned his head on the soft pillow. He attempted to close his eyes, but his overactive mind avoided sleep. The tick-tock of the alarm clock dangled in the air.
Rustling blankets and pillows permeated the still room. Allison tossed and turned on the sofa, and guilt overtook Adam. He should have offered the bed again. He should have been more forceful.
He looked at the ceiling and sighed. How could this woman dominate his thoughts? He had just opened his mouth to offer the bed when a tiny stutter in Allison’s breath caught his attention. Was she okay?
A small gasp floated over the tick-tock as she rose from the couch and walked back across the room, closing the bathroom door behind her. He shifted to face the bathroom as a light glowed from the gap beneath the door.
Tonight had been stressful for her. He should have known it affected her more than she’d shown. Hell, despite all the times he’d tried to get her to open up about her parents, she hadn’t really talked about them until tonight. She’d always stuck to the safe subjects—her job, her relationship with her sister, or growing up as an Army brat. She would talk about those, no problem. However, when it came to the hard conversations? She would avoid talking about anything personal when it came to her parents. She’d especially avoided their death. She had a habit of burying her feelings far beneath her hard exterior.
He walked to the door and knocked. After a minute of waiting, he opened the door.
* * *
Exhaustion overtook Allison as she tiptoed to the bathroom, but even fatigue couldn’t quiet the disturbing thoughts running through her mind. The past twenty- four hours had been pure disaster from start to finish, and she was just so tired. Besides the emotional rollercoaster of having Adam back in her life, her job and her safety were now in jeopardy.
The walls of the hotel room closed around her until she could almost feel the breath being pressed from her body. She pulled at the suddenly too-tight collar of the T-shirt—she needed to get out. But where on earth could she go? She couldn’t imagine ever feeling safe again.
Pulling the door shut behind her, she threw on the bathroom light and leaned against the counter. Wet, salty tears rolled down her cheek, and she swiped at them with the back of her hand and tried to breathe. When had she become such a cry baby? She was a frickin’ Vice President of a company.
Her stomach dropped as she thought about living in the condo. She felt so violated, so devastated, by the break-in. She loved the condo, but what would happen when she moved her life there? The thought that someone could so easily scavenge through her things—through her home—scared the hell out of her.
At some level, she had always wanted a home and family, but she had never felt the full weight of that desire until today. Having Adam around was wonderful, but it wasn’t the same as having a man who loved her wrapping his strong, protective arms around her. She wanted requited love. She wanted someone to love her back.
Loneliness stirred within her. A sob overwhelmed her. She was so tired of facing all of life’s ups and downs on her own. She wanted a friend and partner to share her struggles with.
She pulled a tissue from the box on the counter and dabbed at her eyes. Her head whipped around at the turn of the doorknob. Anger built in her chest, but she was just too tired to act on it.
She looked up at Adam’s concerned face where he lurked in the doorway. “Hi,” she said, tossing the tissue in the trash and getting another.
“Hey. Can I come in?”
“Sure. Why not.” She waved him in with one large animated gesture, the tissue waving in the breeze.
He closed the door and reclined against the other side of the counter. His hand reached out and slid over her cheek. She closed her eyes, the warmth of his touch sending tingles down her spine. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. It’s been a rough day.”
“I’m here if you need me,” he offered while he continued to stroke her cheek. “I know.” She attempted a smile as a tear slid past her eyelashes. She looked into his deep green eyes. “I just feel…” She paused, and leaned into his warm, strong hand. She knew she should pull away but it felt so nice. “I don’t know how I feel. I just… don’t want to feel anymore.”
Her eyes closed as his thumb wiped away the last tear. She turned toward him and inched along the counter, resting her damp cheek on his chest. The scent of him tickled her senses, scrambling her thoughts. She loved his scent. She loved the subtle hint of spiced lavender from his cologne.
She was tired of struggling, tired of fighting him. He wrapped his muscular arms around her waist, stroking her back. Oh, my. She gasped as his lips pressed to her forehead, her head swimming with the soft, loving gesture.
She tipped her head back, drinking in his chiseled features. He moved toward her and brushed his lips over hers. She moaned as the soft, gentle caressing shot straight through her body. Her hips swayed restlessly as he trailed his hands toward her face.
All the uncertainty, fear, and isolation disappeared as his hand cupped her chin.
Her mouth opened for him as he ran his tongue along the inside of her lip.
She could live without the love. This, she couldn’t live without.
Him. She needed him. She needed to be kissed and loved into oblivion. She needed to forget. So what, that he didn’t feel the same? She could just pretend he did for tonight. She would deal with the repercussions tomorrow.
She stepped back and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go to bed.”
Chapter Ten
Adam followed behind Allison as she slid onto the bed and reclined on her back. God, she was beautiful with her flushed cheeks, pink lips and sparkling blue eyes. And she was all his. She grasped his hand and tugged till he fell toward her. He lowered himself until he was leaning on his elbow, inches from her face.
His breath hitched as he hungrily sealed his lips to hers. Her eager gasp wrapped around his gut. She wanted him. He could feel it as she arched her back toward him, pushing her body against his. Hands stroking. Hips rocking. He grew harder with every pulsating thrust.
Threading her fingers in his hair, she pulled him closer. His lips glazed her skin, hungrily tracing the soft curve of her neck. Her body tensed as she threw her head back, giving him an all-access pass.
A low groan escaped her throat as his hand found its way to the soft skin beneath her T-shirt. He loved that groan. He loved that he brought that groan out of her. That groan shot straight to his hips.
His hands found her chest. The nipples tightened with every stroke. His mouth longed to taste her, to feel her. He pulled back, and, lifted the bottom of her shirt over her head so he could fling it onto the floor. He leaned down, enveloping her breast with his wet mouth. The taut, hard pebble contracted beneath his tongue, rolling between his teeth. With each flick of his tongue, her hips writhed, demanding more attention.
He pulled his lips back and made quick work of removing her sweatpants. God, she was hot, her skin beckoning to be touche
d while her eyes flashed with desire. Desire for him.
She leaned into him, her breasts rubbing against his chest. He couldn’t hold back. His mouth encased hers, lips surging toward her until she opened for him. He consumed her, tasting the spiciness of her tongue, the sweetness of her lips.
Allison teased her fingers under the waistband of his pants, and he pulled back from the soft, tantalizing feel of her hand. If she kept that up, he might explode long before the actual performance. She trailed her fingers up his abdomen and rubbed her nails over his chest. Nerve endings blazed.
“You’re overdressed.”
He drew back and stood at the end of the bed. Allison crawled toward him and placed her hands on his hips. She leisurely ran her hands down his thighs, pulling his pants to the floor. Slow and seductive.
“Perfect.” She whispered as she inched back and widened her silky legs, inviting him inside of her.
Her eyes caressed his growing member. He cupped her ankle and trailed his moist lips up her leg. He stopped at her thigh, and he urged her legs to drop further, wider, with his coaxing tongue. Salty. Sweet. Hot. The taste of her enveloped him as his tongue caressed up to the triangle of her soft curls.
Allison gasped as he nuzzled her, urging her thighs open with an ardent lick. Her hips rose to meet him as he flicked her over-sensitive nub with his tongue. He wrapped his arms around her, grabbing her ass, lifting her hips higher, and angling her toward him. He placed a finger inside her as he licked the length of her lower lips. A gasp escaped her lips. “Take me now.”
“Not yet,” he groaned as he inserted a second finger. He drove it into her as he kissed and teased her thighs.
“Please, Adam,” she begged.
Pleasure kept him from giving in to her demands as his mouth travelled toward his hand. Her pleasure. His pleasure. Both intertwined. He sucked and titillated her sensitive opening as his fingers continued to thrust in hard, brutal strokes.
Her hands wrapped around the bed sheets as she screamed his name. Her body twitched, her inner walls pulsating around his digits. He watched her ride the wave of orgasm. He extracted the manual massagers and lifted his head to look into her eyes. He rubbed the wet opening and said, “Don’t go anywhere.”
He tried to pull away but Allison reached down and lifted his face toward hers. “Where are you going?”
“Patience,” he scolded as he took her mouth with his. Her insolent hips rose again in desperation. She was already willing to go again. A groan escaped him as he gently pushed her down on the bed. His hands pressed her arms to the mattress as he kissed her forehead.
“One second.”
“Better make it a quick second, Mr. Byrnes. I’m not done with you yet.” Adam stood, admiring the view as a pout flitted across Allison’s face. “Are you trying to torture me?”
He stared at her extended bottom lip—big, round and ridiculously sexy. He would love to take that lip in his mouth, run his tongue along the edge. He smiled as he remembered that he could. He just had to hurry up and head over to the bed. Torture her? With his daydreaming? He appeared to be torturing himself.
“Maybe a little.” He smirked, and reached for his wallet, pulling out a condom.
She gazed at the hard length of him as he rolled it on. “It’s working,” she breathed.
He moved toward her and positioned himself between her spread thighs. His erection throbbed as he took her lower, pouty lip into his mouth and nibbled. His member, large and swollen, found its way inside of her. Filling her. She moaned in appreciation.
She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. He kissed the palm as his heart burst from the look in her eyes. With every thrust, he could see this was so much more than just sex. His heart was tied to every surge of her body. Her moans elicited pure joy from him.
He rhythmically drew in and out, intensifying the pleasure. She shifted her hips, allowing him to push deeper and deeper inside of her. Her muscles tightened around him as she continued to let him ride her at his determined pace. He felt as if he would burst at any moment.
Adam rocked back and forth, his resolve waning. Her body shuddered in release as her contracting walls massaged his engorged member to a staggering climax. Allison screamed in pleasure, nails digging into his back, her body bucking in satisfaction.
Bodies entwined, they both fell asleep, smiling in gratification.
* * *
Allison woke before the sun had a chance to peek through the curtains, her body pleasingly sore. She lifted her head and peered over the man next to her, but the clock face was as elusive as her freedom. Adam’s arm was draped over her stomach, hindering her view and keeping her pinned to the bed. She thought about moving his arm, but the last thing she needed was Adam awake.
She rested her head against the soft hotel pillows and closed her eyes. Images of last night floated across her eyelids. She had such a good time—amazing, actually. It was unfortunate it wouldn’t happen again. If she’d learned anything about Adam over the years, it was that he didn’t stick around.
They’d both gotten what they’d wanted. Now, maybe they could go back to the relationship they’d had before he came home for the funeral. It had been hard to concentrate with him around, anyway. Maybe, now that their curiosity had been satisfied, they could get back to the way it was before. Where he ignored her existence.
Allison’s stomach pinched and her heart grew heavy. She glanced over at his sleeping face. He looked so innocent, so full of promise. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe this time he’d want all of her, not just her body.
After all, the past twenty-four hours had been a nightmare and Adam had been so good to her. She didn’t want to be ignored. She liked having him in her life. She liked his humor and affection. The mind-blowing sex didn’t seem to hurt things, either. Ugh!
That was why she needed to get as far away from this man as possible. Thoughts like that always led to her heart being obliterated. She needed to rely on her instincts—they’d served her well over the past few years. She could trust them. Adam, on the other hand, had proven himself to be untrustworthy, and she would not make that mistake again. As they saying went, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
The hardest part was that she did trust Adam. She trusted him with her life. She just couldn’t trust him with her heart. He wasn’t the type of man that would stick around to love her. And no matter how many times she tried to deny it; she had some imbedded defect that couldn’t stop loving him.
She needed to squelch those feelings and quick. She couldn’t enjoy the memory of last night if she was mooning over the man in her dreams. Those dreams would serve to keep her warm when he was gone. And she knew he would go. The women of Phoenix probably missed their good-looking detective.
Allison wrapped her fingers around his wrist and lifted his arm, inching toward the side of the bed. Her eyes widened, and she stopped all movement as he mumbled. She cringed when he swung onto his back, but his eyes never opened. His arm moved to his side, releasing her from its clutches.
She jumped from the bed and lunged for yesterday’s suit on the floor. Her head swiveled around. Where in the hell are the rest of my clothes?
She grabbed her purse and palmed her underwear. She skulked toward the bathroom, gently shutting the door before she flicked on the bathroom vanity light. The mirror conveyed a frightening picture—mascara smudges and Medusa hair. Thank God Adam hadn’t seen her like this.
She washed her face and dug through her purse for a brush. She needed to get out of the hotel before Adam woke, but that didn’t mean she wanted to do the full- fledged walk of shame back to her apartment. Heaven forbid someone she knew— heck, one of her employees—saw her escaping this debasing booty call looking like she was… well, escaping a booty call.
She ran the brush through her snarled hair and dug through her purse for something to tie it away from her face. A miraculously-found ponytail clip held her shoulder-length, dark-blond hair in p
lace as she quickly dressed in her clothes from the day before. She opened the bathroom door and peered through the darkness at Adam’s sleeping form.
Relief colored her face as his chest move up and down in a rhythmic pattern. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with the “morning after”. She made a beeline for the door to the hall and twisted the handle. She kept an eye on Adam as the handle opened under her hand.
His breathing remained constant as she whipped open the door and entered the hallway, the door closing behind her. Shoes in hand, she made her way to the elevator and pushed the down button, and then leaned against the decorative table in the center of the hallway so she could slip the shoes on her feet. The elevator opened and she darted into the car.
The breath she didn’t know she was holding whooshed out of her lungs as she descended toward the liberty of Michigan Avenue. She slid her sunglasses from the side pocket of her purse.
Shit. She exhaled as she placed the sunglasses over her eyes. She thought of the pile of paperwork sitting on her desk at the office, and the possibility of running into Adam. She had no desire to see him, but she had to get the work done this weekend. She had no choice but to stop at the office before she headed home. Hopefully, if she were quick enough, no one would see her making a pit stop in the suit she wore the day before.
The elevator doors opened to the crystal chandeliers and dark wood of the lobby. She whisked past the ornate dark-blue and gold carpeting and draperies lining the floors and walls. The fresh flower bouquet offered a subtle fragrance as she quickly made her way to the stairs leading to the street. She opened the door, and stopped by a man in a long black coat, a whistle hanging around his neck. She swore the doorman stared accusingly at her, however, that might have been her own guilt coloring her interpretation.