She opened the door, squinting against the wind, and her heart leapt into her throat. It was Adam, bundled up in a heavy parka and fleece hat. Her heart pounded in her chest. He was the last person she’d expected to see at her door. “Come in, quickly,” she said, pulling the door open the rest of the way, and shutting it quickly behind him to keep the frigid air out.

“What are you doing here?”

There was a long moment of silence. “I wanted to make sure you were safe,” he said, sounding almost apologetically. “The storm coming in, it’s likely a big one, you know.”

“I heard about it on the radio,” Amelia said, her tone as cold as the weather. “I did hear that.”

“Well, you are here all by yourself, I wanted to make sure that you were okay, that you had enough wood, and food, and all of that.”

“As you can see, I’m alive and all set.” Amelia knew her tone was harsh, but she was having a hard time concealing her annoyance. Did he really think he could give her the cold shoulder for days and then just pop up on her doorstep, feigning concern?

“Why are you really here?” she asked finally. “I know it’s not just to check the height of my woodpile. You could have asked me at the pub if you were really worried. You must have known this storm was coming.”

Adam pressed his lips together and his eyes searched her face. His own expression, more readable than it usually was, was one of sadness. “I didn’t want to talk to you at the pub,” he said finally.

“Why?” Amelia demanded. “Because of Callum?”

She saw Adam’s jaw tighten. He stepped closer to her. “Yes, because of Callum,” he all but spat the name out. “You should stay away from him.”

“Why is that? Do you know him well?” Amelia asked, her voice tight. She lifted her chin.

“I grew up with him,” Adam said tightly, “so in fact, yes, I do know him very well. He’ll leave you hanging, mark my words.”

“And you wouldn’t?” Amelia challenged. “In fact, I think you already did,” she snapped, her voice tightening, and she willed herself not to let the tears come. “You turned me down on Christmas, and said we couldn’t do this anymore. So tell me Adam, if you don’t want me, why are you here?”

“Not want you?” He stared at her for a second, and then before she could speak, or breathe, or think, he had stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She was up against the wall, his body angled over hers and his hands on either side of her head.

“Oh god, Amelia, if you could only know how much I want you.” He touched her cheek gently, his fingers trailing down her jaw, and she could feel that they were shaking slightly. “I was nearly mad with jealousy tonight,” he whispered, his mouth close to hers. “I saw you come in from being outside with Callum, flushed like you were after that first night I was here.” He closed the last inch between them, and Amelia felt his powerful frame against her body, from chest to thigh, and he was rock hard, throbbing against her leg. He was staring down at her, one large hand still cupping her chin, fingers brushing the side of her neck, so close, close enough to nearly kiss her, but not quite.

“I saw that, and I wanted to come over that bar and throw him out, for daring to touch you. But I knew I had no right, nothing I could say, because I had let you go, and why shouldn’t you let him touch you, kiss you?”

Amelia could see the muscles in his jaw working, the aching need as he looked down at her. “I was so stupid,” he murmured. “So goddamn stupid on Christmas night.” He ran one hand through his long hair, bracing himself with the other.

“I want you, Amelia,” he whispered. “I want you so much it hurts.” She could see the effort it took for him to admit it, and she couldn’t think of what to say in return. Her heart was lodged in her throat, blocking her speech, her body ached for him to touch her more, everywhere. “I can’t think of where this is going,” he said. “You’re leaving in a few weeks, and I can’t think of any reason you’d want to stay, or even how you could. You have a life to go back to. But I was a fool to think that you weren’t worth suffering for.” He touched her cheek gently again. “What’s a little heartbreak compared to a moment with you?”

She stared up at him, her eyes wide and liquid, and whatever it was she wanted to say but couldn’t get out, he seemed to intuit.

“Amelia,” he murmured softly, and her head tipped back, her lips parting just a bit. That was all the encouragement he seemed to need. He groaned, and then a second later she found herself pressed against the wall again, his body hard against hers. He dipped his head to kiss her, his tongue slipping into her mouth.

He tasted of beer, soft and grainy, and she breathed in the smoky scent of him. Her hands went to his long hair as she pressed her mouth harder against his, whimpering softly as she arched her back, wanting to feel him, hard and thick, pressed against her. She’d been aching for him all this time, and now he was here.

“God, Amelia,” he groaned, and his hands were at her waist, pulling her against him. His mouth went to her neck, her collarbone, sucking and biting at her skin. Her hands scrambled for the buttons on his shirt, pulling them apart, tossing it to the floor. It was cold in the kitchen, but neither of them noticed. He pulled her hoodie over her head, tossing it aside, his hands going to her breasts, cupping them in his hands. Thumbs rubbing over nipples that hardened immediately in response. She moaned, her hands going to his belt, undoing it, then the button and then the zipper. Him kneeling on the floor in front of her, removing her jeans, his fingers hooking in the soft cotton of her panties and yanking them down her thighs.

She was shivering, but with anticipation, and not cold. His broad palms ran down the outside of her thighs and then up the inside, pushing her knees gently apart, his fingers curving around her flesh as he slowly brought them up to the apex of her legs. He slid one finger along the crease between, not enough to dip inside, just enough to tease. She moaned again, a word that sounded like “please” forming on her lips, and his face moved closer, his mouth a breath away from her, and she arched her hips forward, aching to feel it there.

He parted her slowly with his fingers, his breath warm against her, and she heard the low noise he made when he touched her and felt how wet she was. She felt his lips then, the soft rasp of his stubble, and his tongue licked slowly over her, delving between her lips, stopping to suck gently at her clit, and she gasped, her head falling back against the wall as he sucked and licked, his pace never speeding up, his fingers teasing at the edges of her, promising her more, always more. Her hips rocked against his face, but he still didn’t speed up, not until she was panting and begging. His name falling from her lips in a symphony of “please, Adam,” and “oh god, Adam, please, please,” and then he slid two fingers into her, slowly, and began to flick his tongue against her clit, pausing every now and then to suck the hard nub of flesh into his mouth, rolling it between his lips, and she felt the pleasure beginning to wash over her a moment before she utterly dissolved, her back arching and her fingers clawing for something as she yelled his name, her thighs on either side of his face as he licked her to orgasm, not stopping until her knees went weak and she nearly stumbled.

She was in his arms, his broad hands on the sides of her waist, lifting her up, and her legs circled him instinctively. He pressed her against the wall, one arm around her waist, and a second later she felt him, hard and thick, the tip pressing between her legs. With a gasp and a thrust of his hips, he was plunged into her, parting her with an exquisite burst of sensation, and she moaned aloud, every inch of her body sensitized. He held her against him, her breasts crushed against his chest, nipples rubbing tantalizingly against the short curls of hair, and he was thrusting up into her madly, his face in her neck, forehead pressed against the wall as he fucked her, hard this time. He was panting, the room suddenly hot, full of the scent of their skin and sweat, and he set her down suddenly, his hand on her shoulder turning her, and she put her hands against the wall, arching her back as he grabbed her hips, hard, and then his cock was buried in her again, slick and hot from the wetness that was coating the inside of her thighs, and all she could do was hang on as he pounded into her, all of the frustration and anger and jealousy being expelled as his fingers dug into her ass, his mouth on her shoulder as she felt his rhythm start to stutter, his hips jerking as he gasped her name. “Fuck, Amelia,” he moaned. “I’m going to…I can’t…” he gasped, and then she felt him come, his cock swelling inside of her, hard as stone as he wrapped an arm around her stomach, holding her hard against him as his cock jerked and throbbed inside of her, his breath hot against her neck as he moaned.

They were utterly still for a moment, their bodies slick with sweat, and Amelia wondered for a moment if she could even move, or if she would crumple to the ground when he pulled away from her. He slid out of her, and for a moment she felt like she might do just that, and then she straightened slowly.

He reached for her, pulling her against him, and she breathed him in again, smoke and musk, and felt the warm weight of him against her. She felt secure, wrapped in his arms, and she rested her head against his chest for a moment.

“Come back to my place,” he said. “I know you can handle it here on your own, but I’d feel safer if you were with me. And I know my place is set up for a storm.”

As if to underscore his point, the windows rattled with the force of the wind, and Amelia jumped a little. She opened her mouth to say no anyway, that she’d be fine, and then another, harder gust of wind slammed into the window. Her face paled a little, and she nodded.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll come back with you.”

Adam smiled, and leaned down, laying a soft kiss against her lips. “I meant it,” he said. “No worries about the future, no promises, nothing but what we have right now. Let’s just enjoy it. And I won’t turn you down again.”

“I thought you just said no promises,” Amelia teased gently.

“Well, maybe just the one.”