Adam's Thorn (28 page)

Now that had her stomach
quailing.  Or maybe it was the thought of his handcuffs.

“You are sick, Barbie” she
muttered.

Grabbing a bucket and cleaning
supplies, she headed for the bathroom to do some cleaning.

She was halfway through scrubbing
the shower, her thoughts tumbling all over themselves, when a particular one
had her hand stopping and her gut clenching for an entirely different reason.

Oh God, she’d broken a golden
rule.  A masseuse never let a proper massage session turn into anything else. 
Adam had come to her as a client, and she’d aroused him. Unintentionally, true,
but she should have left the room so he could regain control, not given him a
choice and continued.

The sorry fact was that she’d
loved the feel of him under her hands, the sensation of his hot skin and her
oiled hands smoothing over all that hard muscle.

Caught up in her own pleasure, she’d
pushed him beyond his limit.

Oh God, she’d
pushed
him. 
Led him on.  A hot flush burned through her cheeks.  Now he undoubtedly thought
she was a slut, maybe loose with a lot of her male clients.  Maybe he thought
her giving blow jobs to a male client was par for the course for her.

Swallowing past a sudden lump in
her throat, she had to fight the sudden urge to ring him, to try to explain,
to…to what?  It wasn’t like there was anything between them, a reason she had
to explain.  Apologise, yes, but not explain.

Only she couldn’t apologise now. 
Not yet.

Tears actually blurred her vision. 
She was crying? 
Toughen up, princess, worse things have happened. 
Grabbing
the scrubbing brush, she attacked the tiles with a lot less enthusiasm than with
which she’d started.

Adam wouldn’t be back, and if he
did she better be prepared for a whole lot of insults, because once he realised
what she’d allowed to happen, he was going to hate her.

She tried to ignore the tear that
plopped onto her shirt, but it was kind of hard to do when it was followed quickly
by several more before she finally got a grip on herself and continued cleaning
in miserable silence.

When she showered later, she had a
little cry before sternly taking herself to task.

What was done was done.  Taking
her own advice, she got a grip on herself and overcompensated by using half a
bottle of rose-scented liquid soap.

~*~

Five o’clock.  Sitting on the
veranda step, phone to ear, Barbie nodded.  “Yes, Laura, I burned the sage. 
No, everything is fine.”  She crossed her fingers.  “No ghosts.”  Dolls falling
off rotten shelves, wardrobe doors falling open, true, but apparently it could
happen.

“Excellent.”  Laura said something
to someone behind her.  “That was Darcy.”

“New bloke in the office?”

“Hot as hell.  Young, but I like
them like that.”

“How old?”

“Twenty.”

“Oh, that’s only about, what,
twenty years your junior?”

“Not much difference at all.” 
Laura practically purred.  “I’m a cougar, sweetie.  Bona fide cougar.”

“Bona fide old married woman.”

“I can look.”

“Perv.”

“Besides, older women are made for
younger men, it’s a proven scientific fact.”

“Really?” Barbie said dryly.

“Women come into their prime at an
older age, men at a younger age, which proves that older women should be with
younger men.”

“Okay, I’m not going to argue
that.  Your husband might, though.”  Barbie watched a car turn into her
driveway.  “Oh, someone’s here and - oh God.”

“God's in your driveway?” Laura
asked.

Watching Adam’s car pull up not
ten feet from where she sat on the veranda, Barbie swallowed.
Here it comes.
 
“Uh - I have to go.”

“Wait!  Is everything all right? 
Is it trouble?”

Oh, Laura had no idea.  Adam was
unhooking his seat belt, sliding it back while his gaze remained fixed on her. 
Not one expression was on his face.

Was that a good thing or a bad
thing?

“Barbie?” Laura persisted.

Opening the door, he got out, straightening
to his full, impressive height, making her swallow.  Private car, but in uniform. 
He must have gone on duty for some reason, probably the episode earlier.  His
gaze stayed on her as he shut the door, beeped it closed with his key fob, turned
and strode over to her.

“Man in uniform,” Barbie managed
to croak.  “Gotta go.”

He didn’t falter, coming straight
up to where she sat with her mobile dangling from her hand.  Coming to a stop
before her, he reached down to grab her each side of her ribcage under the arms
and hauled her upright.

She scrabbled for footing on the
veranda, finding herself level with his face when he pulled her against him.

Oh God, his eyes were dark, so
dark.  His mouth so stern, his expression so authoritative.  He had the very
aura of a man who was taking no prisoners.

Trouble?  She was in deep shit up
to her neck and sinking fast.

“Adam, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

He swallowed her words.  Simply
took her mouth and kissed her hard and fast, his tongue sweeping in to lick
deep and leave his taste.

Dazed, she could only blink at him
in shock, her eyes widening when she saw the flare in his eyes, unable to
recognise if it was fury or desire, everything happening too fast.

One minute she was gaping at him,
the next he’d bent, his brawny shoulder was at her stomach and next thing -
holy heck, she was over his shoulder, his arm clamped around the backs of her thighs.

Shocked to the core, she couldn’t
believe it.  Her?  Full figured Barbie Declan was actually over a man’s
shoulder?  And his knees weren’t buckling?  His steps weren’t faltering? He
wasn’t rolling on the ground with a ruptured disc in his spine?

The ground whirled crazily, the
steps appeared in her vision and then the floor for the hallway as the security
screen slammed shut behind them.  The lock clicking had her head jerking up.

“Adam!  Adam, put me down!  What are
you doing?”  The hallway runner sped past her eyes and she scrambled to get a
hold on his back, hands slipping across his shirt before she finally grabbed on
to the thick, black utility belt for purchase.  “Adam!  For goodness sake, what
are you
doing
?”

Another turn and she recognised
the old carpet in her bedroom.  He bent, she went flying through the air and
then she was laying on her back on the bed, gasping for air as she stared up
into Adam’s face while he leaned down over her, his hands each side of her
head, the muscles in his arms bunching.

He wasn’t even winded.  How hot
was that?

“You better be ready,” he said,
his voice deep, dark.

“Ready?” she croaked.  “For w- what?”

Straightening, he stepped back,
just one step, unbuckling the utility belt, every movement slow and deliberate.

Coming up onto one elbow, she
couldn’t believe her eyes.  “What-”

“Barbie.”  One word, a threat, a
promise, a spine-tingling order.

“Adam-”

Lifting his arm, he pointed at her
in silent command.

Oh God, was it sick that his unspoken
authority was making her moist?  That the way he unbuttoned his shirt and
stripped it back off his shoulders had her stomach pitching?  The deliberate
unbuttoning of his pants and rasp of the zipper had her nipples pebbling?

He toed off his boots and stripped
everything off, his thumbs shoving down his pants and boxers in one go, socks
with them, so that when he straightened, he was pure, beautiful male, naked,
already half aroused, muscles flexing and bunching, so tall, so strong, so…dominating.

Not once did his gaze waver, pinning
her to the bed.  Taking in his male beauty, she could only gulp and shift
nervously.  Moist heat pooled low, making her press her thighs together.

Oh sweet, merciful God, he wanted
her.  It was there in his eyes, in his already half aroused shaft.

He actually wanted her.

There was no doubt that she wanted
him, God no.  Wanted him so badly that desire was sliding through her veins in
a slow, burning stream.

“One choice,” he said softly.  “I
go or I stay.”

Was that a choice?  With him
standing there in his buff, all hot and deliciously male?  He’d certainly
tipped the scales in his favour,
heavily
in his favour. It was no
contest.  She definitely wanted him to stay.  Her throbbing body certainly did,
and she literally ached now to feel him against her, her core wet, her skin
fairly humming in eagerness.  “Adam…”

“I stay, it’s my way.”

Oh geez, that sent shivers down
her spine.  Decadent shivers.  “Yes.  Stay.”  Her voice was husky with need,
her thighs clamping together in an effort to control the tremors.

Her thighs.  Her
very
plump
thighs.

All at once, the insecurities
she’d thought she’d long ago pushed away came soaring back, making her aware of
her full figure next to his chiselled, muscular perfection.  Suddenly self-conscious,
she glanced away, pulling at her skirt that had climbed up her legs when he’d
tossed her onto the bed without breaking a sweat.

“Don’t bother tugging it down,” he
said.  “It’s coming off.”

“Ah…”  Desire and
self-consciousness warred, each torturously pulling her a different way.

In a lithe move he was suddenly
over her, bending low, hands again braced each side of her head, his position
forcing her to recline back onto the pillow.  His face was calm, but carnal
desire gleamed in his dark eyes.  “My way.”

Oh geez.  Oh lordy, she had a
feeling this wasn’t going to be easy. Combined with the intensity with which he
gazed down at her, she wasn’t sure if his words were a threat or a promise.

“Um...Adam…”

“My way means you’re naked and you
won’t attempt to hide your body from my gaze, my exploration.”  His head
lowered, the lock of dark hair tumbling over his brow.  “Let’s get a few things
sorted out right now, so there’s no doubt.  I like a woman with meat on her
bones.  I like a woman with a full figure.  I love the curves and softness.”

Ooohh, that sounded wonderful. 
Barbie relaxed a little.

His gaze slid down to her lips.  “I
like to hear a woman moan, I like to
make
a woman moan.  No holding
back.”  His gaze lifted, eyes practically burning with carnal heat.  “I’m going
to explore your body, I’m going to touch and taste.  I’m going to take
possession of this lush, soft body.”

Any second she was going to have a
heart attack, there was no way her heart could possibly handle beating so
erratically.  Barbie moistened her lips.

His smile was pure hedonism.  “Such
full lips, baby.  Full lips that held my shaft while that hot little mouth of
yours sucked me dry.”

Oh yeah, she wasn’t going to
forget that.  Barbie couldn’t help the blush in her cheeks, but nor could she
hide the pleased smile, either.  She knew she’d given him a mind-blowing
orgasm, and she wasn’t going to hide that knowledge.

“I’m going to return the favour.” 
His teeth were a flash of white, his grin more that of a predator than a potential
lover.

A predatory lover?  Hell, yes. 
Her eyes widened just a little nervously.  But having him go down there? 
Uh…
 

Lowering his head, he trailed his
lips across her jaw line, the tip of his tongue leaving a damp trail.  “Ever
had a man go down on you, baby?”

Seriously?  He wanted to know
that?  Her hands clenched involuntarily in the doona when he nipped the pulse
in her neck.

“Tell me.”  He nipped her throat
again, making her squeak.  “Now.”

“N - no.”

“Then you’re in for a treat.”  Adam
lifted his head to gaze down at her.  “You’re going to cream, baby.  I’m going
to make you cream, lick you dry, and have you screaming.”
Heat pounding, pulses dancing wildly, Barbie stared at him.  She was creaming
now, never mind later.  The thought of him…
oh geez
.

“But first,” he said softly, “I
want you out of these clothes.”  Rolling off the bed, he held out a hand to
her.

Swallowing, Barbie took it, warmth
surging through her when he enclosed her hand in his larger one and pulled her
up from the bed.  Then he totally unnerved her by leaning back against the post
and crossing his legs at the ankle, arms folded across his chest.  Waiting.

She plucked at the buttons on her
blouse, an unaccustomed shyness enveloping her.

His gaze fell to her fingers.

She undid one button, swallowed,
undid the next, dry mouth, a third button, finger starting to shake a little,
fourth button.  Bodice gaping open.  Fifth button.  Sixth button.  Seventh
button.

Peeking at him through her lashes,
she saw that his hot gaze was still on  her movements.  Calm, controlled, but
the carnal desire had brought a slight flush to his chiselled cheekbones, a
slight flare to his nostrils.

It should have made her feel
empowered, knowing she could arouse him like this, but instead she felt a
little nervous, a little excited, a whole lot unsure, and damned hot inside and
out.  Her skin fairly prickled with heat.

She wasn’t aware that she’d halted
until he ordered quietly, “Don’t stop.”

Gulp
.

Shrugging her shoulders, she slid
the short sleeves back and down her arms until the bodice of the dress bunched
above her hips, leaving her upper half clad only in the red satin camisole with
the black lace cupping her breasts, thin black straps across her shoulders.

Another peek at him.  Oh boy.  His
nostrils had flared a little more as though scenting the air for her, and when
his gaze lifted to ensnare hers, he had the definite look of a hungry predator.
And she was the prey. 
Oh yes
.
  Thrill factor one thousand and
escalating fast!