Page 48 of Play Maker

At least I wouldn’t spend any time trying to figure out where last night left us. Without looking directly at him, I poured myself a cup of coffee and headed for the fridge to drown it in salted caramel creamer.

The air conditioning dried the fine sheen of sweat on my neck, and I took a big drink before I attempted to engage Adam in conversation again. Hopefully, this time without the undertone of accusation.

“Good morning. Yes. I slept well.” I sounded like I had a stick up my butt, but I succeeded in answering his question like a normal person.

He laughed and put his bowl in the sink. “Good to hear, but I don’t need the vanilla version. Go ahead and say what you’re thinking.”

“You have a very talented tongue.”

Adam grinned. “I’m up for more anytime, Sunshine.” When he took a step toward me, I flinched back. He stopped immediately and frowned. “If something is wrong, you need to tell me. No keeping secrets, remember.”

“Nothing is wrong,” I lied, but Adam raised a brow.

“You’re all stiff again, and that’s not the face of a well-satisfied woman.”

I tried to judge my current expression, but without a mirror, I was lost. My face was my face. He was wrong about my satisfaction level though. “I’m uncomfortable right now because I’m not sure how to act in this situation. You were supposed to be at training, and I wasn’t ready to see you yet.”

He tilted his head and studied me for a long moment, then extended his palm. “I know how to fix this.”

I instinctively put my hand in his, though I was suspicious about his intentions. If he tried for another round, I wasn’t sure I had the willpower to say no, but Iwassure it would be a mistake. Once was a fluke, twice made a pattern.

Adam tugged me gently, pulling until I stood between his spread legs staring up at him. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and traced my jaw on the way down.

“My mom always says communication is key. I’ll stay away as long as you need me to, until you’re comfortable, but I’m not going to promise I won’t be spending every second thinking about last night. I’ve been thinking about you since the beginning, so nothing has changed other than the accuracy of my fantasies. Any time you want to pull my hair, I’m game.”

The memory of Adam’s thick hair between my fingers last night made my hand twitch. He fantasized about me?

My lips parted, and his gaze shot to my mouth. We hadn’t kissed last night. Another surreal aspect of the situation I didn’t know how to address. What if he was a horrible kisser? Considering the skill of his tongue, I highly doubted it, but unlikely things happened every day.

What happened now? Were we supposed to be touchy feely friends? How long before Eva found out and murdered me in my sleep? The questions built in my mind until one escaped.

“Why didn’t you kiss me last night?”

His fingers curled around the back of my neck, and he tilted my chin up. “Last night was for you. Kissing you will be for me.”

Everything about this situation was new to me, but I understood one thing for certain. I wanted to kiss him—wanted his mouth on me in every way possible. No amount of bad friend voodoo or common-sense restraint slowed the growing urge.

“Why can’t it be for both of us?” I knew I was pushing where I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.

Adam let out a possessive growl and gave in, lowering his mouth to mine. I’d thought I was prepared, but he pushed away from the counter to flip our positions. My head spun as he pinned me in place.

His thumb pressed down on my chin, parting my lips to deepen the kiss. I let out a quiet whimper and ran my hand down his bare chest, tracing the curves and edges of muscle and bone. Adam devoured me, leading me down a hungry path and demanding I follow.

Gladly.

I’d waited my whole life to feel this rush of need, the desperation and pure unfiltered lust. Like he promised, Adam showed me what I’d been missing in my previous shallow relationships.

I sank into the kiss, testing, teasing, giving and taking with a sigh. The hands cupping my face trembled, and he groaned. Adam shifted forward, and I felt his hard length against my stomach. No doubts there—he wanted me—but he didn’t push.

A heady feeling of power shook me. I could have what I wanted. Right now. I slid my palm lower over warm skin, tracing the deep V of his abs.

Adam flattened his hand over mine when I reached the waistband of his shorts. “Not here, Sunshine,” he murmured against my mouth.

His words pulled me from my lusty haze. We were in the kitchen of our shared apartment, and not thirty minutes ago, I’d been actively trying to avoid him. For exactly this reason. When I was with him, I forgot the rest of the world. Forgot how my actions could hurt other people, and how inevitably my relationships always ended with me alone.

I twisted my head to the side, breaking the kiss. For a long moment, I felt Adam’s uneven breath against my cheek, then he took several steps back. I shivered at the sudden loss of warmth and had to curl my fingers into my palms to stop myself from reaching for him.

Adam held his hands loosely at his sides, but I could see the tension in his body. “So what’s it to be? Do we go back or move forward?”

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