Page 3 of Wait For You

Hannah squeezed his elbow again. “You’re the best, Uncle Jack.”

I was still smiling a few minutes later when I slipped down the hallway to go to the bathroom off McKenna’s study.

That door was closed, so I leaned against the wall and waited. A moment later, it opened, and Adam stepped out. The second I saw him, my pulse shot off like a rocket.

Adam stopped in front of me. We studied each other. Objectively speaking, Adam was handsome. He had dark hair paired with blue-gray eyes. He was tall with broad shoulders.

My pulse raced along, and wave after wave of heat rolled through me.

“I stand by my observation,” he finally said, his voice all low and rumbly.

“What?” My voice sounded breathy, which was ridiculous. I literally couldn’t think. I didn’t even know what he was talking about.

“You’re cute,” he said, his voice dropping an octave lower. “You’re also sexy.”

My pussy actually clenched. Suddenly, I wanted to kiss him. But there were no kisses in my life.

He lifted a hand, and his knuckles brushed along my cheek.

The air felt lit with a charge. “I want to kiss you.”

I was about to open my mouth and say, “Please do,” but then he said, “I’m not going to because I think I know what happened.”

“What do you mean?”

Adam was quiet for several beats. I didn’t know where this feeling came from, but I felt an intense sense of protectiveness emanating from him. “When I saw you earlier, I wondered why you’re kind of prickly. But then I remembered you were married to Rich. I knew him in high school before you dated him. He was a controlling asshole to his girlfriend back then.”

I blinked. My heart raced, and not in a good way. I swallowed nervously because I remembered Rich talking about his high school girlfriend. He’d said she was a “fucking bitch” and that she’d cheated on him.

As if he could read my mind, Adam said, “She never cheated on him. He was just a controlling jerk. I imagine he was with you too. Guys like that don’t usually change.”

All I could do was stare at Adam.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that,” he added, his tone laced with a gentleness that cracked the edges of my hardened heart.

I shrugged. “It’s okay.” My voice was barely above a whisper.

His fingers trailed down my neck, and I still wasn’t afraid. “Maybe another time. If you want to kiss me, let me know.”

I felt bereft when Adam stepped back from me. He pressed two fingers against his lips and blew me a kiss before walking out of the room.

My knees were liquid. I had no idea how I walked into the bathroom, but I did. It was all I could do not to chase him.

Late that night, long after I went home, I texted McKenna. Do you happen to have Adam’s number?

Chapter Three

Tessa

Me: Do you happen to have Adam’s number?

Five minutes pass, and I fervently wish I could un-send the text I just sent to my friend.

McKenna: Adam? My brother Adam?

I hesitated for a moment, my heart pounding unsteadily in my chest and my belly twisting with churning anxiety. What white lie could I tell one of my closest friends so she would give me her brother’s phone number?

Me: Yeah. I had his phone number in my contacts, but when I got my new phone, I lost some of them.

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