Begin Again (12 page)

Lana recognized her. “Ms. Pettrone. How nice to see you.” She glanced at her book. “Do you have an appointment with Mr. Armstrong?”

“No. I was hoping to catch him before the workday started.”

“Let me check.”

Lana returned in a moment…with Adam. Paulina’s whole body reacted to the sight of him. She was struck by how attractive he was in the morning light. Except…wait, his eyes were grim, tinged with red. Maybe he’d had a rough night in the sack with whatever her name was.

The notion made her decision to end things
between them even stronger.

“Paulina, this is a surprise.” His voice was husky, like it had gotten after sex. Even how he spoke sent a frisson down her spine.

“I hope it’s okay that I showed up without an appointment.”

“More than okay. Come in.”

As they walked back to his office, she felt…nervous, unsure, queasy even. She hated the reaction, so as soon as they were seated on one
of the leather couches, she blurted out, “I wanted to tell you in person that I’ve decided not to see you anymore.”

His green eyes widened. With shock? Well, she bet that women rarely, if ever, said those words to Adam Armstrong. “Why is that? I thought we’d gotten close Friday night? As a matter of fact, I’ve been more than disappointed that you haven’t acknowledged my texts or calls.”

His response spiked anger inside her, but she tamped the feeling down. It wasn’t his fault she wasn’t hip enough to accept the dating game he played. She came to the edge of her seat. “Here’s why. I saw pictures of you at a Broadway play gala Saturday night. Actually, my mother was there.” Damn, she was babbling. “Adam, you have a girlfriend. One who seems much more your type than me.”

He glanced
briefly away. “Elyssa is a friend.”

“A
longtime companion
, the note under your picture said. Which means…”

He crossed his arms over his chest. Damn him. He must know what she was getting at.

“I realize this thing between us is in its early stages, and I’m not looking for anything serious, anyway, but I can’t sleep with a man who’s sleeping with other women. It’s just not me.”

He nodded.

“I know that sounds naive, and I probably am, but it’s the truth.” Still, he continued to stare at her. Now she felt stupid and stood. “Good-bye, Adam.” Turning, she strode toward the door
.

She’d just reached for the handle when he slapped his hand on it from behind. “Not so fast, Paulina.”

Adam had been stunned by his reaction to hearing that Paulina was
at his office. And that reaction wasn’t anger at her ignoring him this weekend. It was relief. Intense relief. He’d think about that later, but now he grasped her arms gently and moved in close. Her hair, back in one long ponytail, smelled like lilacs. “Come to the couch and sit down.”

Her back to him, she shook her head and straightened. “No, I’ve made a fool of myself.”

“You haven’t.
We need to talk.”

With a deep breath, she faced him, her hair swinging over her shoulder. Her chest rose and fell, and her breasts strained against the simple white blouse. He felt his whole body respond
.

Without saying more, he tugged her to the couch. Got them both coffee and returned to sit next to her, closer this time. “Here,” he said handing her a mug. “I think we both could use
this.”

“I…” She glanced away. “I’m embarrassed. I’m not used to dealing with men like you, but I thought it best to tell you my feelings in person.”

Of course she would. He liked that about her. He
loved
that about her. She was honest and sincere; dissembling was foreign to her.

“Paulina, what happened between us Friday night was a real connection. Intensely pleasurable. But also meaningful,
to me and apparently to you. That isn’t negated by the fact that I had a previous commitment with another woman Saturday. But because it matters, I’ll tell you I didn’t sleep with Elyssa that night or, it dawned on me later, since I met you a few weeks ago.”

She watched him. “I’m glad what happened between us wasn’t some dalliance to you. But I think we’re lucky this whole notion came up now.
I didn’t know I’d feel this way about you dating other women. Hell, I’ve had no experience with men other than Donnie, and we were together since high school.” She sipped from her cup and then put it down on the coffee table.

“You probably think exclusivity is stupid. And, to make my reaction and this conversation even more ludicrous, I don’t want anything serious.”

“So you keep saying.
First, let’s deal with the exclusivity. If not dating other people for as long as this lasts between us is what you want, I’m in. And it’s too soon for this to be serious. But if it went down that road
—
”

She interrupted. “It won’t. We’re so different, Adam, we could never fit into each other’s worlds. I know the thought has occurred to you. You even told me what to wear the first time we went
out. So maybe it’s a blessing in disguise I reacted as I did about your date. We can end this between us now and be friends. What’s more, we won’t hurt our working together.”

Agitation swirled inside him. “I don’t want to end our relationship.”

“Why?”

“Because I like you. And the sex was…unbelievable. I want more of your time and more intimacy with you. We can see what happens with
the future. I won’t force anything on you. But you have to tell me if, down deep,
you
feel the same way about me.”

Her teeth came out over her bottom lip. “I guess I do. I felt bad yesterday at the thought of not seeing you again. No, more than bad. Horrible. And I’d like to enjoy what we have.” She rolled her eyes. “Especially the sex.”

“Then my answer is that we have fun both in and
out of bed and not worry about what’s beyond that.”

“All right. As long as no mud puddles are involved.”

He smiled. “No, no more puddles.”

“Then, I guess we don’t have a problem.”

“There is one more thing.” He got up and circled the couch. From behind it, he slid out a frame. It was about three by four. It seemed familiar
.

“What’s that?”

“Something that’s going to make
you more comfortable about coming here to see me, about your reaction to me.”

He turned the frame to face her.

“Oh, wow.” She looked up at him. “Where did you get that?”

“Your brother-in-law auctioned it off at a fundraiser I was at.” Now it was his turn to be sheepish. “I bought it. I came into the office yesterday when you never returned my calls just to see it again.”

Her jaw
dropped. “This makes me uneasy.”

“It makes me uneasy, too. It’s somewhat creepy.”

She raised her gaze to him. “No, Adam, not like in a stalking kind of way. What about not getting serious?”

“We aren’t dealing with that yet, remember? I showed you this so you won’t feel embarrassed about coming here.”

“I know you didn’t have to do that. How sweet of you.”

“Hmm. I haven’t been
called that before.” He gave her a grin. “So, how about Wednesday night?”

“I’d made arrangements with Nia to be free before I saw the picture of you at the gala.” “How did you come across it? Did your mother recognize me?”

“No. My sister Magdalena was checking up on her online, because she knew reporters would be at the event. She emailed me the link to see our mother all dressed up. It
was totally innocent because she doesn’t know we’re dating.”

Leaning over, he clinked their coffee cups. “What would you like to do Wednesday?”

Her gaze slid to the photo again, then back to him. “I get to choose?” Now her eyes were mischievous
.

“Yes.”

“I’d like to make love again. This time where there’s a bed, we can both get naked and not worry about anything.”

He couldn’t
help it. He burst out laughing. “I can make that happen.”

Sitting on the couch in Adam’s huge brownstone on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Paulina tugged the blanket closer around her. “This is nuts. I’m cold.”

He grinned over at her from his seat on the other end—hair tousled, eyes slumberous and blessedly unconscious of his nakedness. Though Paulina wasn’t at all
shy about her body—you couldn’t grow up with eight women in one house and develop any modesty—his suggestion tonight was a first for her.

“You got to pick the movie. I got to decide how we watched it. Fair is fair.” She laughed. It was fun to joke with him, especially after the passionate lovemaking earlier. They’d come together as if they were long-lost lovers separated for years instead
of days.

And the connection was intense, tinged with tenderness and maybe even gratitude. She’d have to think about that
.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She nodded to the television. “Don’t get any ideas during the show. This is one of my favorite films, and I haven’t seen it in a while.”

Reaching out, he ran a finger down her exposed calf, raising goose bumps and her blood pressure. “I can’t
get
ideas
out of my head when you’re around.” Watching her, he was quiet for a moment. “I wish you could stay the night.”

“That kind of thing is so hard with kids, Adam. I have responsibilities.”

“Would you want to if you could?”

“Of course.” Spontaneously, she grasped his hand. Kissed it. They locked gazes, but when his expression turned even more serious, it made her nervous, so
she looked away
.

A sigh. “What’s the movie you brought?”

“
Love Actually
. Liam Neeson is to die for.”

“Hell, competition of the greatest magnitude.”

“He does remind me of you some.”

A full, satisfied grin
.

“I’ll get us refreshments.” He rose and went to the kitchen. His place was stunning, a lot like his office, decorated with modern art and leather furniture, with teak
accents everywhere. And it was big. The high ceilings and large windows made her feel dwarfed.

When he returned, she sipped her beer—some fancy kind she’d never had before
—
while he switched on the TV and started the DVD. He was attentive to the movie until he finished his drink. “My back is starting to hurt from sitting up. Let’s stretch out on the couch together.”

She gave a sham frown.
“Liar.”

“No, seriously, I have some problems with lower-back pain now and again.”

She couldn’t resist. She was drawn to him in every way. So she lay down and made room for him behind her. He drew the extra-large blanket of soft velour up to cover them both. Spoon-fashioned, his full body aligned with hers made her sigh
.

His breath fanned her ear, making her shiver but not from the
cold this time. “See isn’t that better?”

It was. Until his hand started to wander
.

Before long, Paulina lost track of the movie and Liam Neeson and focused her attention on Adam. Only Adam.

The text exchange the day after Paulina had come to his home read:

Since you’re worried about our differences, I think we should alternate choosing what to do. We each get to
pick an activity. Let’s see if we enjoy them together.

Sounds good.

You like jock stuff, right?

Doesn’t everybody?

Let’s do something athletic Sunday. You decide what.

Sure. Prepare to get your ego crushed.

I’ll prepare. See you after church.

So he stood in front of All You Can Play, the huge business in Brooklyn billed as a wonderland for adult athletes. Its front
consisted of reflective glass, the glossy appearance framed by slick chrome lines. The facade was too modern for his taste, and he
liked
modern, but the exterior fit its purpose.

“Afraid to go in and face me?”

He hadn’t heard Paulina come up behind him. Pivoting, he smiled broadly. All that hair was drawn back into the long ponytail again, and it bounced with every small movement. A white
tank top bared tanned shoulders, around which she’d looped a long-sleeved shirt. Beneath navy shorts, her muscular legs made him remember having them wrapped around him.

He cleared his throat. “Not afraid at all. I was admiring the building.”

She swept it with one long gaze. “Yeah, I like it, even if it is too modern for my taste.”

“My thoughts exactly.” He put his hand on her neck.
“Ready to show me up, woman?”

“Of course.” As they went in through the sliding-glass doors, she poked him in the ribs. “I’ll try not to hurt you, old man.”

Adam grunted. “I’ve only got eight years on you.”

The attendant, a muscular guy with a name tag that read
Joseph
focused on Paulina. His approving gaze made Adam jealous, which was absolutely absurd. “Half of the areas are always
open, but if you want any one of these”—he pointed to a printout on the desk—“you need to reserve it.”

Over her shoulder, he scanned the list along with her. “You pick,” she said
.

“The half basketball court.”

After they signed up, she pointed to another station. “Me, next. And it’s open now.”

Joseph directed them through a winding maze of games that could have come from a county
fair, through video rooms, to the back of the warehouse-like area, where she stopped.

“Ah, a batting cage. You play softball, don’t you?”

“I play a lot of things, Adam.”

“Hmm, I know.” She chuckled. “You go first. Maybe I’ll pick up some pointers.”

“I can handicap you.”

“No need.”

She walked into a cage. The area was about twelve feet high, six feet wide and thirty feet
long, all encased by chain link. Turning to a mechanism off to the side, she fiddled with the knob. “I set the pitch for fast. But you don’t have to.”

“Go ahead. I’ll keep track of how many you hit.”

She situated herself at the plate, bent her knees and wiggled her butt, making it stick out. Grasping the bat in the right place, she waited until the ball shot out of the cage. Paulina slammed
it into the net at the far end of the lane. And he counted…one…four… ten…until the machine stopped.