Chapter Seventeen
Never had being with someone meant so much or carried such risk. He kept hearing “nine years” in his head. Nine years? She’d been twenty or twenty-one when she’d last had sex. It never occurred to him that when she became Ben’s guardian she didn’t just give up her career goals—Mia gave up her life.
His one hand still rested on her hip and the other eased her sweater up and over her head. With every touch, Mia breathed out. Her skin was warm, flushed, and already had a light sheen of sweat. Her scent, something combining perfume, heat, and aroused woman, was getting him so hot, Adam had to make a conscious effort to rein in his baser instincts to take her.
“Sit up,” he instructed. She did as he asked, looking at him through a cloud of eyelashes, and that gave Adam the opportunity to pop the clasp on her bra, removing it in one move.
Holy God. He couldn’t breathe. Mia, naked from the waist up, was heart-stopping. She was beautiful, and sexy, and… he leaned in and kissed the top of one breast, then the other. Her head lolled back and Adam eased her back into the pillows. He let his hands run over her, teasing her, and loving her responsiveness.
“Adam, oh my God. It feels… it feels…”
“It feels good, doesn’t it? I want you to feel good.”
“I do, but it’s more.” She arched a little, pressing against him. “I want… I want….”
He smiled. “Soon enough. Let me take care of you. Okay?”
She nodded and he unbuttoned her pants. She’d already slipped off her shoes and he had no trouble guiding the pants down her legs along with the little wisp of underwear, and tossing both on the floor.
Lying on his bed like that, she was a vision. Never in his life had he been with a more physically beautiful woman, and that he cared for her so much made this all the better. Her body was all softness and curves. She was shapely and rounded; from her breasts, his eyes traveled down and took in the gentle tapering of her waist, the tiny, soft mound of a belly, and the curve of her hips. Her legs were long and smooth. There was no defined ribcage, no knobby knees. She was, in no uncertain terms, a goddess.
And she was his.
Adam’s hand slipped between her legs and she gasped, trembled. “Oh…”
He kissed the corner of her mouth and enjoyed the reaction when he slid a finger over her lush folds. Watching her face, he realized a climax wasn’t going to take much. She bucked a little as he played with her a bit more, stroking and teasing the wet heat, and when he moved his mouth to one breast, sucking ever so slightly, Mia exploded.
Her back arched as she fisted her hands in the comforter and although her mouth opened, no sound escaped. He’d never seen anything like this. Every nerve ending within her must have fired.
Mia felt everything, responded to everything. Her body was waiting for his touch. Nothing about this was routine, there was no detachment. He was totally in control of the situation, of the pacing, but this was still all about Mia, and that she trusted him so much made him want to make it even better for her.
This was what he’d been missing. He’d had the groupies, the gorgeous celebrities, and a lot of hot sex, but he’d never had a connection to any other human being like he did with Mia. With her trust, she gave him everything. And when she reached up and pulled him close, he realized he’d never want anyone else again. This was a commitment of the heart, and it was clear she owned his.
Mia looked up and smiled, still breathing heavily, still twitching from one of the most intense orgasms Adam had ever witnessed. How incredible would it be when he finally made love to her?
He was surprised when he felt her hands between them, and Adam realized she was working at his buttons. When she’d released them all, her hands ran up his torso to his shoulders and pushed his shirt over and down. He pulled his arms from the sleeves, then watched as she touched and studied his chest.
“My God, you’re perfect,” she said. Then her hand reached for his fly, unfastening the button and easing down the zipper. Slowly, she let her fingers graze over his erection and he gasped.
“Mia…”
She moved again and this time her hands glided around his waist and slid into the back of his jeans, over the muscles of his ass and again, her touch elicited another sharp intake of breath.
“I love that I can finally touch you like this. I’ve wanted to since the first time you kissed me. I wanted…”
Adam couldn’t take it anymore, his mouth covered hers and he took her into a kiss that wasn’t gentle or tentative—this was a kiss meant to arouse and possess. It was a kiss to let her know that he didn’t just want her, but needed her. Needed her touch, her kiss, her whole body.
Adam rolled away from her long enough to shed the rest of his clothes and find a condom. When he came back to bed, Mia sat up, her hair falling all around her like some classical painting, and her hands made a hot path over his skin. Linking her arms around his neck, she pulled him down on top of her.
“Make love to me, Adam.” Her voice was as soft as a tropical breeze and just as seductive.
Adam stroked the hair away from Mia’s beautiful face, kissed her again, and then did as she asked and loved her.
*
Mia awoke at three in the morning, curled against Adam. His arm was looped around her waist and he was snoring very quietly in her ear. Mia wondered what had brought her to this place, and the more she tried to attach a reason to it, the more she didn’t really care.
But even though Mia would like nothing better than to stay snuggled in bed with Adam, her mommy instinct had kicked in, and she had to find out how Ben was doing. Wiggling away, she managed to get up without waking him.
He moved a little, rolling onto his back and settling back into a restful sleep. Looking at him, Mia couldn’t help but think about what else they could do together in that big bed. The throbbing between her legs seemed incessant when Adam was around. She couldn’t help but want him; no matter what happened, she would always want him.
Her clothes in a tangle on the floor, Mia looked about for something to wear. On a chair by the picture window was a basket of folded laundry. Picking through it, she found a T-shirt and made her way to the bathroom. The shirt was a little snug around her chest, but it fit, and hung nearly to her knees. Looking in the bathroom mirror she smiled. “Property of Notre Dame Football.” Her boyfriend the football player. Who’d have thought it?
Mia couldn’t remember ever feeling happier. Even though she had an injured boy on her hands, and she knew she was going to catch fallout from her mother about it, she felt happy down to her toes. This thing she’d started with Adam was good and right.
Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, she found her purse and her cellphone and settled on one of the stools in the kitchen to make her call. Bubba greeted her with a big sloppy kiss and a wagging tail.
“Hey, boy.” Mia smiled. The dog was a mess, but she loved him already. He circled by her feet and plopped down in a heap, groaning for good measure. She checked her messages before calling the nurses’ station.
“Hi,” Mia said when the voice came on the line. “This is Mia DeAngelis, I was just wondering how Ben is doing?”
“Hi Mia, your grandmother told us you’d be calling.”
“I’m sure she did.” If nothing else, the people who loved her knew her very well. “He’s okay?”
“A little restless, but that’s understandable. The cast is going to take some getting used to. But he is sleeping and he’s not in any pain.”
“That’s good. Nana’s okay?”
“She’s playing checkers with Ben’s roommate.”
That sounded like Nana. Ben’s roommate was also recovering from a badly broken leg, but he’d gotten his in a car accident that had also severely injured his mother. The poor boy. It was no mystery why he wasn’t sleeping. “Thanks for the update. I’ll be there in the morning.”
“Get some sleep,” the nurse said. “He’s fine.”
Mia ended the call and relaxed a little. The moon was just setting, and the sight of it hitting the water on the horizon was spectacular. As she stood at the French doors, looking outside, a pair of arms slipped around her waist from behind. Adam’s body enveloped hers and she’d never felt so completely protected.
He kissed her neck and looked outside with her. There were no words exchanged and they just enjoyed the silence for a little while.
“Ben’s okay?” he finally asked.
She nodded. Leaning against him, Mia relaxed immediately and almost started to doze off. That is until her stomach growled. And it growled loudly enough for the dog to cock his head and prick his ears. Adam laughed.
“Hungry?”
“I guess I am. Sorry.”
He turned her in his arms and Mia felt her insides go warm and squishy at the sight of him. He wore only a pair of athletic shorts. His chest was bare and Mia let her hand rest on the soft mat of hair in the center. He was muscular, strong, but not bulky, and when he pulled her close she could feel the erection in his shorts. What kind of miracle was at work here that he wanted her again?
“You’ve had quite a workout,” he said. “I guess I could feed you.”
“I’m not the only one.” Unable to help herself, Mia’s hands trailed down Adam’s sides and around to the small of his back. His skin was tight, smooth, and she left a soft kiss in the center of his chest just because she could. His eyes closed and held her away from him, obviously trying to keep his own hunger under control.
Mia didn’t want him in control. In fact, at that moment she wanted Adam more than she wanted food, so she kissed him again. And again. And again. Finally, he lifted her up and set her squarely on the kitchen island.
Tapping her forehead, he smiled. “You have a very bad girl living in there.”
“Who’d have thought? Is that a problem?”
Slipping his hands under the T-shirt, he shook his head. “Hell, no. God, I love how you look in my shirt.”
Now that she was more eye-to-eye with him, Mia decided to press her luck. Leaning forward while he caressed her bare skin, she kissed his neck, his ear, and his temple all while letting her hands explore.
“You’re playing with fire, Mia. Much more of this, and I’m going to take you right against the wall.”
That she could get him this crazy, this aroused, was something she’d never even dreamed of. Okay, maybe she’d dreamed about it, but she’d never thought she’d have this kind of power. Wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him long and deep, Mia sent Adam a pretty clear message.
His tongue invaded her mouth, and when he kissed her back, she truly felt as if she were being devoured. One of his big hands was between her legs and the other was kneading her breasts, and instead of pulling back from him, she pushed her hands deep into his shorts, which ultimately dropped to the floor. His eyes were dark, hungry. There was no sign of the blazing blue, just black heat.
“Fine,” he growled, grabbing for her. “Hang on.”
As he lifted her again, Mia linked her arms around his neck. The next thing she knew, her back was against the wall nearest the big windows, and Adam entered her. Mia cried out, loving the invasion, the feeling of fullness. Her body stretched to accommodate him in this new position. It took Adam a second to catch his breath, but then he adjusted his grip on her and started to move.
There was nothing soft or romantic about this joining, it was about lust, and satisfying it as quickly as possible. Every thrust went deeper and deeper, touching her, driving her a little higher, a little closer to heaven. Mia felt Adam’s breathing quicken and his body heat up. She held him because it made her feel safe, and because he seemed to need it. Keeping her lips pressed to his neck, she whispered his name. There was something desperate about the way he was holding her. Something possessive. And whatever it was that was making him feel this way, Mia was willing to let him use her body for whatever he needed.
She held him tight as the rolling sensations built inside her. Heat, incredible heat, spread out from her center. She was headed toward release, and feeling his shoulder muscles bunch under her hands, she expected he was too. It wasn’t long.
In a moment that was almost primal, Adam let loose, thrusting one last time and spilling himself inside her. His sounds were rough and violent as his body spasmed. He screamed her name and Mia held on even tighter.
Everything was trembling, and in the seconds following his climax, Mia had her own. It came on slowly, in waves, but then her body shattered, over and over. Her heart broke open and everything inside came pouring out. Shuddering in Adam’s arms, holding on, Mia understood the depths of her feelings for this man. The love.
Mia loved him.
And there was nothing she could do about it.
*
The woman was a cookie junkie.
After their wild kitchen sex, Adam grabbed a container of chocolate chip cookies his grandmother had sent home with him, poured two big glasses of milk and nudged Mia back to bed.
Settled on top of the covers with their snack, he watched her devour the sweets like a starving ten-year-old, while Adam gave himself a silent beating. What the hell made him lose control like that? He took Mia right against the kitchen wall. There was nothing gentle or tender about what he did to her, it was a hot, sweaty fuck.
That’s not to say Mia didn’t enjoy it. It was amazing. From the way she screamed, he was pretty sure she saw stars, but that didn’t excuse him. He should have controlled himself. He should have treated her more gently.
And on top of it all, he didn’t use any protection.
They ate and drank in silence, and when he put the glass on his bedside table, Mia surprised him by crawling up and straddling his lap. She faced him, used her thumb to wipe the corner of his mouth, and then she looped her arms around his neck.
With her soft body settled right on top of him, of course, he got hard again. She was addictive.
“Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?” she asked.
“Why do you think something’s bothering me?”
“Because you haven’t said five words to me since we came back to bed, and I’m wondering why. I have a theory, but I’d like to hear it from you.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” How did she know he was bothered? On top of everything else, his girl had ESP.
“Okay, I get to try? Fine. I think you feel bad because, well, things got a little wild there.”
“I was more than a little wild. It wasn’t okay to treat you like that.”
“It wasn’t?”
“Mia, I should be more careful with you.”
“I’m not made of glass. I won’t break.”
“Still, I should have…”
“Done exactly what you did. It was incredible, and I love that I can drive you crazy. It makes me feel beautiful, sexy… powerful. And I’ve never felt powerful.”
Looking in Mia’s eyes, he lost himself. The deep, luminous brown was drawing him right in. “You are all those things, and so much more.” He was in awe of her, simply in awe of her generous heart. “You weren’t scared?”
“God, no. Scared? Of you? How can you even think that?” Her hands stroked his face and Adam felt his feelings for her well up from the pit of his stomach. She was so sincere, so open with him.
“I didn’t use any protection.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I went on the pill a couple of months ago.”
That made him smile. “Planning ahead?”
She froze, turned red. Damn, it was so easy to make her blush. “I guess I was hoping things would change, yes. Is there anything you need to tell me about?”
“There’s nothing. I’m healthy.”
Her voice softened and her lips brushed over his. “Then stop this, okay?”
He nodded and smiled at her. This beautiful creature was amazing, simply amazing. “So, we should plan on kitchen sex on a regular basis?”
Snuggling into him, she laughed. “I think you have a lot to show me. Be creative.”
Taking that as an invitation, Adam pulled off the T-shirt she was wearing and admired the now naked woman settled in his lap. Her breasts alone were an absolute feast. Mia licked her full, beautiful lips and Adam could feel his heart pounding out of his chest as he touched her. “What do you want to know?”
Mia reached for his shorts, inching them down over his erection, and smiled shyly. “Everything.”
Then she wiggled her sweet spot against him and he groaned. Oh, God.
“Show me,” she whispered.
Damn. Adam didn’t think he was going to survive her, he truly didn’t. But if he did, he pretty much figured he’d be Mia’s slave forever.
Not a bad outcome.