Newly Exposed (16 page)

“Then, why do it?” she searched my eyes.
 

“I just have to; I have no other options.”

“Why?”

I didn’t want to get into this, not with her and not now. I wanted to enjoy the night and end on a good note. So, I brought her hand up to my mouth and gently kissed it. She leaned into me and I got the distinct feeling that she wanted me to kiss more than just her hand.
 

“I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

“What do you want to talk about?” she asked, leaning in further.
 

“I want to talk about how you keep moving away from me. Get over here.”

I pulled her in close, and this time, my hand went distinctly under her shirt. Her quick intake of air let me know that she was surprised, but when she settled in, I knew I was good to go.
 

I rubbed her back and reveled in the soft feel of her skin on the palm of my hand. This woman was going to be my undoing.
 

While looking out at the stars, I felt her hand creep to the hem of my shirt and in a slow, deliberate movement, she lifted my shirt up an inch and placed her thumb over the exposed skin. My heart hammered in my chest as her thumb moved up and down, right near my waistline. My nerves tingled with pleasure from her small hand, and I swore to myself to contain my emotions because one slip up and I would be sporting a tent for she and I to crowd under.
 

“Favorite cartoon,” she interrupted the silence and the thoughts of Solo on top of me running through my head.
 

“Besides
Ninja Turtles
?” I asked.
 

“Obviously.”

I laughed and thought about it. “You know, I really think you might make fun of me.”

“There is nothing you can say now that will surprise me, Adam, so just lay it on me.”

“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I took a deep breath and said, “
Muppet Babies
.”

The slow circle she was making on my skin stopped and she looked up at me without lifting her head.
 

“Scratch what I said earlier. You still have some things up your sleeve that can surprise me. Really, the
Muppet Babies
? Come on, Adam, you’re not helping your case here. You’re never going to win your man card back at this rate.”

I laughed and said, “There is one sure-fire way that I can win it back, if you want to try.”

“Don’t even think about it,” she responded, knowing what was on my mind.
 

“Then I would be careful with how close your hand gets to my waistline. You’re playing with fire, muffin, and I would hate to see you get burned.”

“Well then, I better get back to my room before I do,” she said, getting up and grabbing her purse.
 

I wanted to scream, “No,” but I held back the outburst and nodded my head. It was late, and I had an early morning workout.
 

“Can I walk you to your house?” I asked, as I stood up after grabbing my hat.
 

She took my hat from my hand and put it on my head, backwards. Her hands ran over my hair, pushing the loose strands behind my ears as she smiled brightly at me.
 

“It’s two steps away, Adam, I think I can handle it.”

“Let me be a gentleman.”

She shook her head and laughed. “Fine, by all means, walk me to my door.”

I grabbed her hand and brought it close into me so she had to press up against my side.
 

We walked probably a total of six steps and were at her front door. It was slightly pathetic, but it gave me a few more moments holding her hand. It was what I needed.
 

She turned toward me and said, “Thanks for tonight, I had fun.”

“So did I. Thank you for coming out with Scout and me.”

“Thanks for inviting me.”

We stood there, in front of her door, looking at each other. It was slightly awkward, because I was deciding what I wanted to do, and whether or not she was going to like what I was thinking about.
 

She smiled at me and was about to turn to open her door when I stopped her and gently pushed her against her door. My hands ran to her hips and pinned her in place. I was going for it. I couldn’t wait any longer.
 

I left one hand at her hip and brought the other hand up to cup her chin. Her eyes searched mine, and I waited a breath to see if she was going to protest, but when she licked her lips, running her tongue along her lip ring, I knew I was golden.
 

Slowly, I lowered my head and rested my forehead against hers right, before I took one more deep breath and pressed my lips against hers.
 

If we were in a romantic comedy on the big screen, the camera would be floating in circles around us and sappy music would be playing in the background…that was how amazing our kiss was.
 

Her lips were soft, just like her skin, and she tasted like heaven. Her lip ring was cold against my lips, sending my nerves into overdrive. My lips nipped at hers, and when she nipped back, I pressed harder, became more demanding, and licked her lips, begging for entrance. When her mouth opened, a moan escaped the back of my throat and my entire body pressed against hers. Her hands went to my lower back and lifted my shirt, where she pressed her hands against my skin.
 

Holy fuck, I was going to lose it, and because I didn’t want to scare her, I knew I had to stop this glorious feeling before things became too intense.

Reluctantly, I pulled away and stared her in the eyes. Ever so slowly, her eyelids opened, showing me a hazed over Solo. It was one of the most delicious sights I’ve ever seen. The fact that with just my mouth, I could sedate her, was so empowering. I needed more; I craved more, but right now was not the right time, so I stepped back and adjusted my hat as I tried to rein in my emotions.
 

“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked like a dumb ass.
 

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders while touching her lips. “Maybe.”

We stood in silence for a second, and I then I lost all self-control.
 

“God,” I said, as I pulled on the back of my neck. “Fuck it.”

I pressed her against the door again and took her mouth with mine. Her hands went up the front of my shirt, exploring my body, and my hands went to the hemline of her shirt to reciprocate the exploring, but I kept mine a little more PG, just around the waistline. Her hands wrapped around my body as her lips closed over mine.
 

Fuck, she was a good kisser.
 

Her tongue darted out of her mouth and teased mine. I pressed against her harder and moved my tongue into her mouth, where she matched each and every one of my strokes.
 

She moaned in my mouth, and that was it, I needed to leave before I took her up against the door and fucked her. I didn’t want to do that. When, not if, but when I took Solo in the bedroom, it was going to be long and slow. I was going to enjoy every last minute of it.
 

I pulled away and took two big steps back to put some distance between us. Her lips were swollen and her eyes were clouded over with lust. Her shirt was lifted ever so slightly, showing her flat stomach. She was gorgeous, and I was in so much fucking trouble. She was everything I’d ever looked for in a girl.
 

“I have to go before I do something I’ll regret.”

Her face fell at my words. “Wow, and I thought that’s what you wanted,” she said defensively, as she turned and dug in her purse for her keys.
 

“Wait,” I pulled up behind her and spun her around. “That’s not what I meant. I meant, I need to leave now before I lose all self-control and fuck you up against your door in the middle of the dark night. When I take you, Solo, and I will, it will be long and slow. I will cherish every last inch of that gorgeous body of yours, and when you think you’re about to come undone, I will start all over again. That is how you deserve to be treated, to be worshipped, and right now, I don’t have enough strength or control to do so. So, I’m going to say good night and hope that you will come around to see me tomorrow.”

I gave her one last peck on her cheek and then took off toward my room. I needed to get away, because I was seconds away from progressing our relationship to something I knew she wasn’t ready for just yet, even though it was all I wanted.

Chapter Fourteen

Solo

“Why do we have to set up all this food if no one ever eats it?” Nolly asked, as she unwrapped a tray of pastries.
 

“People eat it; the models just don’t touch it.”

“This is such a waste of money,” she complained. “We could be spending this money on something else, like a car for me or maybe a raise.”

“We get paid pretty damn well.”

“More money is never a bad thing,” Nolly smiled.
 

“I guess you’re right about that.”

Levi and Ty had a calendar to shoot today, and thankfully, they were using the house and pool as the backdrop. I enjoyed days like this on occasion, where I could roll out of bed, put some clothes on and then do my job. I didn’t always love shoots out of the house, because at times, they were one right after the other, and I needed to separate work from life, but on days where I was dragging ass, I loved to work from home.
 

“Tell me again why you’re so tired,” Nolly said, as she organized the fruit platter that actually looked pretty damn good.
 

“Just a late night, couldn’t sleep.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just thinking about work and all of that,” I lied.
 

I pulled out some clothes that were delivered on a rack and picked out the fabrics that would easily cling to the men when wet. I knew exactly what worked best now for all of the wet shoots. As I was setting a linen shirt on a hanger, I looked up to see Adam running toward the pool area, where I was standing. He was wearing a pair of workout shorts that hung low on his hips, showing off the waistline of his boxer briefs, and, of course, he was shirtless. His hair was pushed back by a hat again and he had an iPhone strapped to his arm. His body flexed with each step, and as if in slow motion, I watched him glide across the pavement in all of his muscular glory. Every sinew in his chest twitched from his movement and the sun beating down on us in the early morning had his skin glistening with sweat. He was mouthwateringly good looking.
 

“Earth to Solo,” Nolly said, pushing my shoulder. “Do you need these pants?”

“Umm, what?” I asked, trying to pull my attention away from Adam.
 

Nolly looked over my shoulder and a giant smile spread across her face. “So, I’m guessing he’s the work that kept you up all night.”

“It’s not like that,” I whisper-shouted at her, so she would keep her voice down. We had PAs setting up lights and screens; I didn’t need Nolly blowing up my spot.
 

“Then, what is it like?” she crossed her arms and stared at me for an answer. I knew this side of Nolly; she wouldn’t get anything done until I explained to her what was going on.
 

“Let’s not get into this…”

“Hey, muffin,” Adam’s deep voice came from behind me.
 

My entire body tensed from his presence, not because I didn’t want him around, but because he set my body on fire and I didn’t need Nolly seeing how Adam turned me into a pile of mush with a little hello.
 

I turned around and came face to chest with him. His chest was completely devoid of hair and it looked so damn smooth, all I wanted to do was lick him up and down. The deep V in his waistline stood out against his boxer briefs and his pecs begged for my hands to run all over them, exploring every last contour.
 

When I looked up at his face, he noticed my perusal of his body and he fucking enjoyed it, because that dimple of his was deeper than ever.
 

“How are you doing?” he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I backed up so he couldn’t touch me, and disappointment crossed his face from my stand-off-ish attitude, which made me instantly feel guilty. He’s been nothing but sweet to me and just because people were around didn’t mean I needed to be a bitch. I just wasn’t good with PDA, not that we were making out in front of anyone or in any kind of relationship. I just didn’t need everyone asking me questions, because I could already feel Nolly’s eyes blazing behind me and I knew I would have to at least face her questions.
 

Calming myself and making sure I wasn’t being a bitch, I looked up at Adam and smiled. “I’m doing well. Did you have a good run?”

“I did,” he looked around and said, “I went with Nikko and Gunner, but apparently, they couldn’t keep up. I have a gym session with the trainer today and I’m not sure what to expect cardio-wise, so I squeezed in six miles before we got started.
 

“Oh, only six miles,” I laughed.