Take This Man (4 page)

She
felt as though she’d been struck between the eyes with a two by four. He’d
stopped by her place. What did that mean? And if he’d been upset to find her
gone, why had he never tried to contact her?

He
was speaking again. “It didn’t take you long to make your choice, did it? Guess
I can’t blame you, though. A rich lawyer versus some work-a-day chump, what’s
to choose, right?”

Now
she felt as if he’d punched her in the stomach. He thought she was an
opportunist who’d gone off with Jason because he had more money. After
everything they’d once been to each other, Adam thought she was a gold-digger?

Hurt
and rage surged through her, and she opened her mouth to defend herself. But…
no
.
Let him think the worst
. They were nothing to each other now. His
opinion of her didn’t matter.

“You’re
right.” She forced herself to maintain a cool gaze. “It was no contest. And
yes, I am here with Jason.”

Adam’s
mouth lifted in a smirk. “So where is he? Don’t tell me your knight in shining
platinum deserted you to wander the streets alone.”

“We’re
not attached at the hip,” she snapped. “He has personal business to take care
of.”

“Family
shit? And he didn’t want you around?” Adam’s smirk turned mean. “What’s the
matter, don’t his mommy and daddy approve of his girlfriend? Your blood not
blue enough?”

She
wasn’t about to spill the beans concerning Jason and Coop. Elyse knew Adam had
no idea about Jason’s sexual orientation, and it certainly wasn’t her job to
inform him. Time to say goodbye. This conversation had become nothing but an
exercise in humiliation.

“Yep,
you’re right. You’re absolutely right. His high-toned family doesn’t want
anything to do with a worthless piece of trash like me. Hey, don’t let me keep
you, you’re a busy man. I’ll be on my way. Maybe I can pick up a trick on the
corner or something.” She turned on her heel to storm off.

“Shit,”
he growled, grasping her upper arm. “Wait—”

She
knocked his hand away. “Don’t fuckin’ touch me.”

An
older couple emerging from the restaurant stopped to gape at them in alarm.
Great. They were causing a scene.

“Shit,”
Adam repeated. “Elyse, I’m sorry.”

“Okay.”
She couldn’t look at him. “Me, too.” Jesus, how embarrassing. “Let’s—”

The
older man’s wife started hustling him away, probably murmuring something to the
effect of
Don’t get involved with those two maniacs
.

“Let
me take you back to…wherever you’re staying,” Adam said.

“You’ve
got to get to work. I can get back on my own.”

“For
God’s sake,” he sighed. “I feel like enough of a prick already. Could you
please let me do this for you?”

She
hesitated a moment longer, then agreed. He came around to the passenger side of
the truck, and helped her into the high seat.

His
hand, warm on her elbow, spread heat throughout her body, spiraling through her
breasts and pulsing between her legs. Elyse sat with her thighs clenched. It
was all too much—his touch, his smell, his presence.

Get
a grip, girl
.

They
pulled out of the parking space and Adam hesitated, waiting for instructions.

“We’re
at the Excelsior.” Elyse held her breath, waiting for some smart-ass remark
about staying at the ritziest place in town. But Jason enjoyed his luxury, and
he was footing the bill. No cheap motel near a strip mall for him.

They
drove in silence. Adam squinted at the road in concentration. After a bit,
Elyse looked down at herself and began to laugh.

Adam’s
eyebrows rose and he glanced at her in concern. “What is it?”

“I
was just thinking.” She gestured to her attire, her usual running gear of
shorts and baggy T-shirt. “If I really was going to pick up a trick, I don’t
think I’d have much luck in this get-up. I’d make a pretty low-rent hooker.”

It
wasn’t even funny, but she was getting punchy. She was overwhelmed by all the
emotions assailing her in so brief a time.

“You
look good, whatever you wear,” Adam told her, his voice low, his eyes still
focused on the road. “You always have.”

Her
laughter dried up.

“You’re
a runner now, huh?” he asked.

“Yes.
I took it up after I…” She let the sentence trail off. After she left Summit.
Everything seemed to circle back to that night.

There
was no more talk the rest of the ride. Adam pulled the truck into the hotel’s
drive. The big red four-wheel-drive truck looked out of place among the shiny
high-end SUVs and sedans in the parking lot. The motor idled while Elyse opened
the door and gave Adam a last look. She wanted to say something, something
momentous, like a character in a movie. But of course, her mind went blank.

“Thanks
for the ride.”

If
it had been a movie, Adam would have said something, too. Called her name.
Something. Anything. But all he did was nod silently. Elyse climbed down from
the cab and shut the door, heading for the hotel entrance. She didn’t look
back.

****

Adam
stood at the counter in the sandwich shop, waiting for his ham and cheese sub.
He’d been in a daze all morning, absolutely for shit at work, ever since
running into Elyse. The minute he set eyes on her, all the old pain and anger
came roaring back. And then he had to go and be the world’s biggest asshole.

Shit.

She
was still with Devereaux. After all this time, why should that burn a hole in
his gut? Christ, he was the one who got them together. He wanted to drive her
away. Mission accomplished. In spades.

He
never figured she’d take off though, leave town. With Jason.

What
had
he expected? That was the problem. He hadn’t been thinking at all.
He’d been reacting—reacting to the churning fear in his gut.

“I
love you, Adam.”

He
still remembered the night Elyse said those words—and the panic they stirred in
him.

“I’m
not going to rush you,”
she
had said
. “I just want you to know I’m not going anywhere. I know one day
you’re going to tell me you love me, too.”

But
she was wrong. He never did
.

By
the time he manned up and faced his feelings for her, she was long gone.

“Here
you are, sir.” The kid behind the counter, who looked about fifteen, rang him
up and handed him the paper-wrapped sub. The “sir” made Adam feel old and even
more morose. He’d been so distracted by his thoughts, he forgot to tell the kid
to put extra hot peppers in the sandwich.

With
a scowl, he turned and headed toward the door. Before he got there, a hand on
his arm stopped him.

“Hey,
you.” It was Kim Hansen, his…well…he didn’t know how to define her. They were
friends. They also slept together off and on. Adam shied away from the term “fuck
buddy” because he genuinely liked Kim. But he didn’t consider her his
girlfriend.

There
was nothing wrong with Kim. She was nice looking, with a slim shape and long brown
hair. She had a cute freckled face, and a funny little space between her front
teeth that showed every time she smiled.

Of
course he’d run into her today, when his mind was consumed with Elyse. Yeah, he
was batting a thousand for sure.

“Hi,
uh, hey…what’re you doing here?” His face got hot as soon as the words were out
of his mouth.
Duh
.

Kim
grinned at the too obvious question. “Same thing you are. Grabbing some lunch
before my shift.”

“Uh,
yeah. The coffeehouse, right?” At least, he thought that was her latest gig. She
never kept a job for long, due to boredom, or an inability to put up with what
she referred to as “petty shit.”

“Yeah.
Listen, you want me to grab some take-out before I come by tonight? I’ll bring
Chinese.”

Adam
was caught short. “Huh?” Suddenly he remembered they’d talked about her to
coming to his place today after work. These dates usually involved a few beers,
maybe something to eat, and an hour or so in bed before Kim headed home.

Shit.
He wasn’t up for it tonight.

“Excuse
me…” Someone jostled past him. The shop was filling up with lunchtime customers
and was getting crowded.

He
edged away from the growing line of people, which pushed him closer to Kim. “Ah,
you know…let’s do it another time…” Adam turned his gaze on the door, wishing
he could dematerialize and escape Kim’s probing stare.

“What?
Why?” Of course she’d want an explanation. Kim wasn’t the kind to meekly let
the matter drop.

“It’s
just, uh, tonight’s not good…”

Kim
frowned at him, and he knew
she knew
he was bullshitting her. A few of
the people in line looked at them curiously. He exhaled deeply and made a
decision. “Look, we need to talk. Get your sandwich and meet me in my truck,
all right? I’m parked right out front.”

She
didn’t bother with lunch, but followed him directly out to the sidewalk.

“What
is it?” she demanded.

Adam
balked for a moment, taken aback by how pale her face was. “Let’s get in the
truck.” They needed some privacy.

She
shook her head, oblivious to the passersby on the street. She looked almost
scared. But no, that couldn’t be. “No. I’m not getting in the truck. Don’t fuck
with me. Just tell me what it is.”

What
he said next surprised the both of them. “I think we should take a break.”

“A
break?” She looked like he’d sucker-punched her.

“Yeah.
I just—” Shit. He was fucking this up. He didn’t want to hurt Kim, but he knew
from the dumbfounded look on her face he was doing exactly that.

Her
look of surprise vanished and her mouth twisted with contempt. “Get over
yourself, Vostek. Break from
what
? From screwing? ‘Cause that’s
basically all we do together, isn’t it? Or do we actually have a
relationship
that I’m not aware of?”

Adam
had nothing to say. He knew his announcement was completely out of the blue,
and he suddenly realized how much he had taken Kim for granted. Maybe she
wanted more with him than hanging out and getting busy.

Call
him clueless. Yeah, he was an asshole.

But
he’d made the right decision. If he slept with Kim tonight, he’d be imagining
she was Elyse. And she deserved better.

Hell,
maybe he did, too.

Adam
suddenly felt as though the earth shifted under his feet. In cooling things
with Kim, he recognized he was making another decision.
He didn’t want to be
with anyone but Elyse
.

Kim’s
fists were planted on her hips. “And I guess I’m supposed to wait by the phone
for you to call when you decide the
break
is over.
Dream on
.”

She
turned away, ready to storm off, then whirled back at him in a fury. “You’re a
real chickenshit, aren’t you Vostek?”

He
stood there like a lunk while she raged at him, knowing he deserved it, knowing
there was no way to defend himself.

“You
want to be a lonely pathetic fuck your whole life, don’t you? Well, go for it.
But in case you ever change your mind, do
not
come running to me.” Her
forefinger was a gun pointed at his face. “Are we clear?”

Yes,
ma’am
. “Clear,”
he croaked.

“Good.”
She turned away once more, only to swivel back and grab the sub sandwich from
his hand. She smacked the hell out of him with it, whapping him on his head and
shoulders. The wrapper tore and bread, cold cuts, and shredded lettuce flew
through the air and fell onto the sidewalk.

Satisfied,
she thrust what was left of the sandwich into his hand and stalked off.

Adam
flicked a slice of tomato off his shirt. All right. He had it coming.

People
inside the shop and those happening by were staring, their faces reflecting
curiosity, alarm, or amusement. A couple of women who witnessed the entire
scene glared at Adam like they wanted to finish what Kim started.

For
the second time in one day, he had created a public scene.
Good goin’,
Vostek.

He
stuffed the remains of his lunch in a trash can and got into his truck. He knew
when to beat a hasty retreat.

But
he still didn’t know what to do about Elyse.

Chapter
Four

Elyse
and Jason sat at a picnic table outside Daddy’s Bar-B-Q, eating lunch. The
aromas of smoky barbecue and hot grease enveloped them.

“I
didn’t expect you back so soon.” She squirted some ketchup on her French fries.
“I figured you’d be
occupied
all day.” She allowed a bit of snark to
creep into her tone. She still thought it was a bad idea for Jason to go back
to his old boyfriend.