Page 26 of Adrian (Love Under the Lights 3)

“You know I hate it when you frown.”

I startled because I hadn’t realized Adrian was home. I smiled when I saw him crossing the room toward me. We were a little more than two months into our relationship, and my stomach still did flips whenever he was near. Somehow, I knew that would never change.

“Studying is kicking my ass,” I lied. Capping the highlighter I was using to note passages in the textbook in my lap, I slid it between the pages to mark my spot before I closed the book and set it on the coffee table in front of me.

He let out a hmph as he dropped down on the couch next to me, and I giggled when he lifted me up and onto his lap. I smiled up at him as he cupped my chin in his hand and tilted my head back before covering my lips with his. My pulse quickened when his tongue teased at the seam of my lips before he gave me a proper kiss. The heat of his tongue against mine was a sensation I looked forward to every day. We spent a good deal of every day kissing, and I loved it. Before Adrian, I’d have said kissing was overrated, but I didn’t feel like that anymore at all. His kisses were everything.

“It’s like you’re physically incapable of keeping your hands off her for a full minute,” a wry voice declared.

Adrian and I both laughed as we broke apart because Jen had caught us making out. Again. I’d forgotten that she was out with Duke for his monthly grooming session. The truth was that even if I’d remembered, I’d still have thrown caution to the wind and made out with my man. Duke barked excitedly as he raced across the travertine tile to the couch. Using the little stair ramp I’d ordered from Amazon, he got up onto the couch and hopped onto my lap for hugs and kisses.

“You need to start shouting or something when you come through the door,” Adrian told her.

“I was on the phone with you four minutes ago and told you I was right behind you,” Jen huffed.

Adrian snickered. “It slipped my mind.”

Jen shook her head. “You can memorize twenty pages of dialogue at will but retaining that your poor assistant was right behind you was too taxing for your brain. If you two weren’t so damn cute together, I’d be annoyed.”

“I’m looking to move way past cute,” Adrian admitted. “I’ll give you an extra week off to any destination of your choice if you leave now so that I can get back to kissing my woman.”

“Paris in the spring, it is,” she laughed as she headed toward the door. “I’ll see you guys later.”

Jen was barely out of the room before Adrian was kissing me again. We both let out sounds of annoyance when my phone started ringing. I needed to be available for my tutoring clients, which meant I had to at least check who the caller was. Seeing that it was my mother again, I paused. She called a lot, but normally not back to back.

Sliding my finger across the screen, I answered. “Hi, Mom, you’re on speaker, and Adrian’s here,” I warned her.

“Oh, good. Adrian, I need your mother's phone number.”

My stomach clenched as my eyes darted to Adrian. “Um, why?” I asked.

“Since you both claim this is a real relationship, it’s time for your father and me to meet her.”

It wasn’t time. In fact, I wasn’t sure it would ever be the time for that to happen. Adrian had taken me to meet his mom within two weeks of our becoming official. Since then, I’d gone to lunch with her once, and she’d come to Adrian’s for dinner twice. Vanessa Clarke was a down-to-earth, normal, loving parent who valued her child. The idea of her bearing witness to the way my mother went at me with her caustic tongue made me nauseous.

My mouth opened and closed twice as I tried to formulate a response that would make it clear my answer was a firm no without starting a war. Before I could figure out what to say, Adrian took the phone from me.

“Mrs. Smythe, it’s Adrian. My mom is about to leave for an extended vacation, but when she gets back and the time is right, we’ll set something up.”

“I’m sure she’d love to hear from me anyway,” my mom insisted.

I was certain the opposite was true. There was a reason that people other than my sister and my mom’s horrible country club friends actively avoided her.

“Like I said, when the time is right, I’ll set something up. Is that all you wanted?”

“There’s no need to be rude,” my mother huffed.

“Right, I see that was all you wanted. Casey and I are busy right now so we’ll have to catch up with you another time. Bye, Mrs. Smythe.”

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