Escape to Heaven (Heaven on Earth Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter Five

“Are you hiding from me?” Adele’s body responded to the sound of his voice. Hell yes, she was hiding from him, but not the in the way he meant.

“Why would you ask me that?” She turned from the window, glanced at him briefly, and then turned toward the kitchen sink, needing to stay busy. She didn’t want to do something stupid like thread her fingers through his short hair and kiss the living shit out of him in her kitchen.

She walked over to the sink and began rinsing more dishes and putting away the leftover items from their lunch - of which there wasn’t much. It shook her that Stefano made her feel things she had not dared feel in years. Her yearning for him was impossible to resist, and the attraction to him was undeniable. Adele caught him looking at her several times during the cookout and felt her body react to his heated stare. His gaze had been focused on her so intently, her skin had goose bumps and tingles shot through her body at the sheer knowledge that he wanted her with such intensity.

Sure, it had been all fun and games when she’d invited him over today, but there was no denying the fact that something had drawn her to him. Now it was time to pay the piper. The lingering question in her mind was if she was up for the challenge.

He arrived at the sink and stood at her side, his lean hips resting against the counter, only inches away from her. “You’ve been avoiding me all day. I’ve tried several times to talk to you, alone, but you’ve never allowed me the opportunity—until now. I’m just wondering if it’s something I’ve said. Did I offend you in some way?” His smile seemed casual, but she could tell there was something else there.

Her voice was a bit shaky as she began speaking, and she hoped he didn’t notice the tremor. “Of course not. I’ve just been focused on the food and making sure everyone had enough to eat.”

She continued to avoid his gaze, not wanting him to see how strongly she reacted to his presence. “I’m glad you were able to make it today. I think my brothers enjoyed getting to know you.”

“Uh, sure they did.” His voice was full of doubt. “But I had a good time regardless. They weren’t too hard on me. Well, except for Ethan. That guy doesn’t like me very much, does he?”

She heard the laughter in his voice and had to agree with him that her brothers hadn’t really “enjoyed” anything about it. But they had tolerated him because she’d asked them to, and that was all that mattered.

“You’re right, he doesn’t. But he’ll be okay soon. It just takes him a bit longer to warm up to people.” She continued putting away the dishes, with Stefano moving out of her way as she moved around the kitchen.

“So, would you like to have dinner with me?”

Adele was caught off guard by the question. Although she was attracted to him, she wasn’t sure now was the time to begin dating. Stefano was too sexy for his own good, and the last time she had taken a step like that, it had turned into a nightmare. Not that all men were like that. Her brothers sure weren’t, and eventually she would have to take a leap of faith and begin dating again. Why not start with Stefano?

Dinner was just dinner, and there was nothing wrong with enjoying a meal with a handsome, sexy, want-to-strip-his-clothes-off-and-jump-him-in-the-kitchen, perfectly nice man. Right? Although she was attracted to him, it didn’t automatically mean he felt the same way. Maybe he was truly just being friendly and she was looking at this the wrong way. No, she didn’t really think he was only asking to be friendly, but it was a good counterargument.

“Why?” At his startled look, she clarified her question. “Don’t look so shocked. I just wanted to know why you want to take me out to dinner.”

“Can’t a man ask a woman to dinner? Does there have to be a reason?”

She chuckled a bit and looked at him dead-on. “Yes, there should be. Don’t you think so?”

His piercing gaze didn’t leave her face. “What if I told you that I just want to get to know you? Talk to you without looking over my shoulder, waiting for a serrated blade to be aimed at my ribcage.” He smiled a bit, and she knew he wasn’t really that concerned, but she fully understood why he would make the comment as he continued listing the reasons he wanted to date her. “Let’s find out if we have anything in common besides a love of Hank’s Gym and Ethan’s finger-lickin’ food.” His voice dropped an octave, “Adele, you must know how attractive you are, just how beautiful you are to me.”

His hand crept up to her face, and he began to trail a finger down her cheek. Without forethought, her body jerked back. It was a natural instinct. No one touched her without her permission. Not anymore. She turned away from him and walked away.

His hand stilled in the air and then dropped back to his side. “I’m sorry, Adele. That was uncalled for.”

“Yes, it was,” she snapped. Her voice was harsh—too harsh—and he didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of her past fears. She forced her breathing under control and took a few deep breaths to calm her natural instinct for self-preservation and survival. She sighed and faced him again. If she was going to move forward with her life, she needed to take this first step. “But don’t worry about it. So, about this dinner? What did you have in mind?” She just prayed those words wouldn’t come back to haunt her.

*****

Red flags were popping up all over the place. Stefano knew something was up, and he didn’t like it one bit. Her reaction to him touching her face was a telltale sign of physical abuse, and his protective instincts went off the Richter scale. Damn, how the hell was he going to overcome this and convince Adele that he would never harm a woman? Everything in him recoiled at the thought of a woman being abused by a man. He was pissed, and he wanted to demand to know what happened.

He had known Adele for only a short time, but he was already aware there was something special about her. There was no doubt that she was beautiful, but there was something more. Something that drew him to her in a way no one else ever had. In that very moment, he knew he would do everything in his power to have this woman in his life.

“What night is best for you? I can pick you up here.”

He saw her take a deep breath and knew she was making a decision about what to do next.

“Wednesday. But I’ll meet you there at the restaurant.”

“No, that’s not going to work for me.” Her eyes narrowed, and he knew he had to tone it down a bit. “What I mean, but don't seem to be saying the right way, is that I would really like this to be an old-fashioned date. Which means I would come and pick you up. If you truly want to meet at the restaurant, I completely understand, and that would be fine with me.”

Her pursed lips told him she wasn’t quite convinced. He knew he had come on a bit too strong. His corporate-shark approach was never going to work at convincing Adele to take a chance on him. He tried another tactic and hoped this would go over better.

“Adele, I promise you’ll be safe with me. You might even enjoy yourself. I’ve even been told I cut a mean rug on the dance floor.” He smiled a bit, flashing his pearly whites in her direction. When he noticed her lips quiver, as if readying for a smile, he felt more comfortable with the direction things were going. “I’ll make sure you have my contact information before I leave tonight. And, to help you feel more comfortable about the decision, you may want to tell the guys where we’re going and when. I don’t mind. I know they like to make sure you’re safe.” He stood up from the counter, grabbed a chip out of the bowl, and walked toward the kitchen door, exiting back into the living room with the other guys.

Adele could not believe what just happened. The man was sexy as sin and he wanted to take her out on a date. She’d thought she would be repulsed by strong, alpha-male types—except for her brothers, who didn’t really count. There was something about Stefano that told her to take a chance, to give him a chance.

Oh well, the first step had been made, and she wouldn’t back down now. Adele gathered up the triple-layer coconut cake and apple pie she had purchased earlier that day from her neighborhood bakery and walked into the living room. The guys always made room for dessert, and she would not disappoint. She’d just have to put this attraction to Stefano on the back burner until another time.

Once she’d said her final goodbyes to Tyler and Ethan and the door was closed and locked behind them, Adele gave a sigh of relief. The day had ended better than she’d thought it would, with only a few skirmishes between Stefano and Ethan. It seemed as if Ethan kept giving Stefano sideways glances or would completely ignore him, literally growling under his breath whenever Stefano spoke to her.

Noah had tried to bring him into the conversation several times and Stefano seemed to hold his own with them, but Adele knew they still weren’t happy she had invited him over to the house.

Well, it was just too damn bad, and they could kiss her ass if they didn’t like it. Laughing under her breath, she fully recognized the irony in the situation. Sure, she could only say these things when they were gone, but it didn’t make the statement any less true. She was tired of living a half-life, and she didn’t want to hide behind them any longer. She hadn’t had panty dripping, mind-blowing sex in a very long time, and if she had anything to say about it—and she did—her five-year drought was about to come to a spectacular end.

The house was locked up tight, and Adele made her way upstairs to her bedroom. It was her favorite part of the house. She’d decorated it using her favorite theme—red roses. Her floor-to-ceiling windows had rose red sheer curtains that covered the entire length. On the walls, she had framed photos of roses on white or black backgrounds. Every week, she picked up a dozen fresh roses just for her bedroom. She loved the smell of fresh roses, and it always made her feel good to wake up and see her beautiful flowers sitting on the table across the room.

She pulled out a nightgown and gathered her items for the shower. The warm water would release some of the tension in her muscles, and she would be able to get a good night’s sleep. With the water heated to just the right temperature, she undressed and stepped into her own personal spa. Standing under the spray of the powerful showerhead, the hot water kneaded her shoulder muscles. She released a deep sigh and forced her body to relax, letting go of the tension from the day’s hectic events. Unfortunately, although her body was becoming more relaxed, her mind wasn’t slowing down one bit and her thoughts continuously turned to Stefano.

Recalling his intense gaze, she knew he had continuously sought her out during the day. To her surprise, she wasn’t afraid or turned off by his interest in her. On the contrary, she found that she enjoyed the attention and was looking forward to their date on Wednesday. Although they did not have much time alone today, he always seemed to be close by, just within arm’s reach if she chose to do so. His arm would brush hers as he moved from one place to the other, or he would place his hand on her lower back as he walked behind her. Her skin would jump and her body would heat, just from a fleeting touch. A low chuckle escaped her lips. Damn, she really needed to get laid. Not just any man would do. Oh no, that wouldn’t work at all. She only wanted Stefano, and after today, she was pretty confident that he felt the same way.

Finished with her shower, she stepped out and toweled off her damp body, the air-conditioning cooling her skin and causing goose bumps to rise. She quickly completed her nightly routine of moisturizing her body and got into bed, leaned back against her headboard and opened up her latest novel. She was so engrossed in the story that when the phone rang it caught her off guard.

She glanced at the clock and noted that it was after eleven. No one called her that late, so she picked it up, thinking it was one of the guys.

“Hello?” Dead silence greeted her. “Hello?” No return acknowledgment came her way. She hung up the phone. “Asshole.”

Ten minutes later, the phone rang again. A little annoyed at this point, her tone was less than friendly when she picked up the telephone.

“Hello?” Nothing. “Who the hell is this?” Silence. “Asshole!”

She slammed the phone down this time and waited for it to ring again. She looked at her Caller ID and noticed the number had been blocked. After she’d waited for thirty minutes and nothing happened, Adele finally lay down to go to sleep.

“Stupid-ass pranksters. I wish I knew who that was.” Although she was wound up pretty tight, Adele fell asleep within minutes.

On Monday morning, the alarm pulled her out of a restless sleep and Adele turned over to slam her hand on the snooze button. “Son of a bitch!” Her phone had rung four more times during the middle of the night on Saturday. When nothing happened during the day on Sunday, she chalked it up to wayward kids. Then Sunday night when she was sleeping, her phone began to ring again. Two more times she was prank-called, with the person on the other end simply not saying anything. After the second call, she turned off the ringer. Unfortunately, sleep eluded her that night, and she was a nervous wreck until falling into a restless sleep sometime after three in the morning.

Now she was not only pissed off and extremely tired, but a little bit nervous as well. Who the hell would call her in the middle of the night and simply not say anything? The first time or two could be excused by a prankster, but to call several times again in the middle of the night, on two separate nights, when any sane person would be asleep. Well, that was another story for another day and she could not focus on that right now.