Page 19 of (Un)Spoken

Is this a purely hypothetical thought, or is there someone you have in mind?

ME

On a scale of 0-10, how stupid would it be to try and hook up with my brother’s best friend?

HADLEY

100. But if we’re talking about Adam Rice, then you should do it anyway

ME

You are supposed to say don't do it

HADLEY

If that’s the reaction you were looking for, you texted the wrong friend, babe

I rolled my eyes and tucked my phone back into my pocket. She was right. If I wanted a reasonable answer, Hadley was the last person I should have reached out to. The girl was the most empathetic and kind person on the planet, but Lord knew she didn’t like to think things through when it came to the male sex.

I was about to join the rest of the party when someone came to my side. As if my thoughts conjured him, Adam sat down on the bench before passing me a bottle of water. “Didn’t feel like joining everyone else?”

“I’m still trying to soak everything in,” I sighed contentedly. “I only have a few more days, and I want to enjoy every minute of it.”

He followed my gaze, smiling softly at the setting sun. “Yeah, it’s something.”

“You know when you see the same thing all the time, so you lose appreciation for it?” I said. “That’s how I feel like my life has been lately. Like I’ve just been going through the motions.” I turned toward him. “But here? It’s like the world has forced me to stand still. Time’s suddenly stopped, and I have to enjoy the world around me, notice what I took for granted before.”

“I know the feeling.”

My heart stuttered as he turned to look at me, letting his eyes drift across the corners of my face. Although I told myself that Adam would never see me as anything morethan Cole’s little sister, I let myself wonder for a moment what it would feel like to have his lips on mine.

“Poker,” I blurted out, needing something to pull me out of the dangerous direction my thoughts had veered.

He chuckled. “Looking for a rematch?”

“Not yet.” I chewed on my lower lip. “I was hoping you’d teach me. I’d like to learn so if I’m ever invited to another game, I can win all my money back from you fools.”

“I’ll always save you a seat, Tor.”

My cheeks once again flushed pink.Those traitors. Adam stood, offering me a hand to help me do the same. But as I got to my feet, he didn’t let go, instead staring past me like he was in the middle of an internal debate. Just as I was about to ask him what was on his mind, he said, “How about tonight? After everything else wraps up? We can meet out here.” He cleared his throat. “Or in your cabin, if you’d like.”

“Cabin would be better,” I answered quickly, wondering what it would be like to have Adam in my borrowed space. Even though it wasn’t my real home, the idea of having him there made me feel vulnerable and a little exposed. But I’d shied away from enough challenges in my life, and if I wanted to find myself, I had to start facing some of the things that scared me.

Adam stared at me, and for a moment, I thought he’d take it back. Then, all the pressure inside my chest evaporated when he said, “It’s a date.”

“That’s it?”I squawked, throwing down my hand of cards. “Just all of the cards in order?”

“Yup,” Adam chuckled, shuffling the deck between his hands. “That’s called a straight.”

I rubbed my forehead, trying to organize the rules and gameplay in my mind. When Adam laid it out in basic terms, it was easy enough, but once the cards were dealt, my mind started to get frazzled, unable to keep track of what cards I needed and wanted.

“Maybe I should just stick to Go Fish.”

I leaned back in the chair, studying him across the patio table. When Adam came over, my cozy little cabin suddenly felt too intimate, as if I couldn’t get enough space to breathe. Luckily, on the back porch, Cole had set up a wrought iron bistro table. It was only big enough for two people, but with the fresh air filtering around us, I could break away from the brewing tension, ignore the way my pulse fluttered every time Adam took a step toward me.

“Stop stressing, Tor,” Adam chuckled. “It’s just me and you here. I’ll take it easy on you.”

My lip instinctively tucked between my teeth, hating that my mind immediately wondered what other things this man could show me. I wasn’t naive when it came to sex, but if the rumors were true, Adam was a lot more experienced than me. I’d never been adventurous in the bedroom, an obnoxious parting gift from years of religious education that taught sex was a sin and only meant for procreation. Even though I’d broken away from the church years ago, the voice still nagged in the back of my mind, making me feel shameful when I wanted something that wasn’t strictly vanilla.

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