Need You Now (Martha's Way Series Book 2) (21 page)

“Liliana,”
he said her name in a tortured vo
ice.

She
shifted her body and leaned into him. Their faces inches apart. “Please,” she
mumbled breathlessly against his lips. “Let me comfort you.”

He
tilted his head down and kissed her hard with an urgency that was almost rough,
burning her lips with his mouth. He tasted of bourbon and warmth.
And something else.
Love.
Yes. Most definitely love. She loved
him.

It was
her turn to rip apart clothes. W
ith hungry hands, she
tore open his button-down shirt, unbuckled his belt with one hand using the
other to run her fingers over his stomach.

His
hands caught her arms and held her still. “Liliana, no sex…”

She met
his gaze. “This isn’t sex.”

He
raised an e
yebrow and exhaled a long breath. “No?”

“Foreplay.”
She smiled at him, eyes still wet with
tears. “You said no sex, but foreplay is totally okay.” She paused. “No
penetration, no house rules broken.” She licked her lips and unzipped
him. 

* * * *

The
sight of Lily on her knees between his legs stunned Adam.
Oral sex, blow job, whatever the fuck one wanted to call it was nothing new to
them. Lily had always given as much as she got and always left him winded and
wanting more. But something shifted tonig
ht. He
opened up to her. At least he started to, but she stopped him from putting
everything on the table.

Adam
tilted her chin, and caught a glimpse of the pain that coursed through his
veins in her eyes. Only hers were a little feral and mingled with lus
t, even
through
the tears still
glistening on her cheeks. Brushing his thumbs against her face, he swiped them
away, leaned into her and kissed her. She met him with fierce passion. Briefly
their teeth clashed,
then
she sucked on his lower
lip, teasing him
with her tongue, telling him who was
in charge.

“I won’t
be able to stop,” he whispered in a raspy voice against her lips.

“It’s
not up to you.” Her voice was a little labored, but filled with determination
as she pressed her hand against the firm bulge i
n his
pants.

A low
groan escaped his throat. He was a goner, completely fucking gone and at her
mercy. Even with the faintest touch, he’d be sure to explode.

“Don’t
try to stop me,” she warned.

He
needed to stop her; otherwise, he’d be fucking her till day
light. But the tension was still burning through his veins
and he craved the physical contact. Eventually, he’d have to gather his balls
together again and give her free access to everything that he was, but not
tonight. Right now, emotionally exhausted; h
e wanted
to take everything she was willing to give. “I’m not.”

She
licked her lips once more, her intentions clear. Adam felt his muscles tighten
with anticipation and moved his hips upwards from the sofa to assist her in
achieving her goal. With quick, y
et smooth motions,
she undid his pants, and pulled down his boxer briefs. His cock sprang up,
completely enlarged and rigid.

Her hand
coiled around his erection, and Adam sat frozen.
Waiting for the brush of her lips.
Needing to feel the
softness of her mo
uth wrapped around him. She leaned
forward, brushed one side of his shirt aside and slowly started to kiss his
stomach. With each brush of her lips, he took one step closer toward madness.

He
needed to touch. Shift control over to him. Impatiently, his fin
gers brushed across her shoulders, letting the straps of
her top fall, giving him easy access to her breasts. With ease, both hands
slipped underneath her blouse and cupped each breast. He molded them in his
hands, tugged on her nipples, and she moaned wit
h
pleasure. All the while dragging her lips from his navel down the trail that
led back to where her hand was kneading him.

The rosy
tip of her tongue swept over the throbbing head of his swollen manhood and
licked away his creamy nectar. He grew stiffer,
larger.
Adam inhaled sharply.

“Don’t
stop, Liliana,” he mumbled, and dropped his head back against the cushion of
the leather sofa in resignation.

She
tasted him once more, her tongue slid along his length, causing his breath to
grow louder. She repeated t
he motion, exploring every
throbbing pulse before taking as much of him as she could in her mouth.

God damn it!

Adam
grunted.

She
continued the slow and steady motion, sliding up and down his engorged flesh.
Every nerve in his body responded to her touch.
With
fingers knotted in her hair, his body melted with pleasure. His legs muscles
grew warm, fresh air entered his lungs and blood flowed into all his limbs. He
would have fallen, had he not been sitting down.

“Liliana, God…oh…God.”
His breath came in shor
t gasps.

Adam
pulled himself up, his eyes fixated on her lips. With each blow, she preyed on
him a little more, took him a little deeper, mauled him with her tongue, while
her fingers touched and fondled his thighs and everything in between.

Knowing
he was
about to go over the edge, he gripped her arms
to pull her to him. He’d bend her over and take her from behind and plunge deep
inside of her. Instead he met resistance as Lily continued to increase the
speed of each of her strokes.

“Fuck!”
he swore. “Lili
ana
…
I can’t
…
”

Her eyes
fluttered open and met his momentarily, and he knew what she wanted. Not that
he could control himself any longer.
Jesus!
His fingers tightened
through the strands of her hair as he crested. His body collapsed, releasing
all the tens
ion loaded inside of him, leaving behind
nothing but a shiver.

“Come
here,” he said a few seconds later, pulling her to him.
“Your turn.”

She
shook her head. “Tonight was all about you.”

Her
unselfishness caused his gut to tighten. But he’d never been a
selfish lover and now that he was a bit more relaxed, he
wanted to pleasure her just as much.

“Come
on, let’s go to bed,” Lily said, repressing a yawn.

He
studied her face. Her cheeks flushed to the color of scarlet, and she smiled at
him.

“You’re
okay?” h
e asked, suddenly concerned. He had forgotten
she was constantly struggling with nausea.

“Of
course,” she answered, dismissing his concern with a wave. “We’ve done this
before.”

“But
you’ve never…” He paused, not quite sure of the appropriate word.

Lily ch
uckled.
“Swallowed.”

He
laughed. “Yes, swallowed.”

“I
wanted to,” she said, holding his gaze. “Besides, in the past, you’ve never let
me finish.”

Adam
pulled his boxers back on, picked up his pants and rose from the couch. With
one arm over her shoulder, h
e drew her closer to him.
Her arm leisurely circled his waist as she nestled closer to him. The
connection felt good.

“Think
you’ll sleep tonight?” she asked as they walked down the dark hallway.

Her
voice was filled with concern, causing a strange flutter
of expansion in his heart. Leaning over, he placed a light kiss on the
top of her head. “I think I will.”

Chapter Nineteen

“You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep
re-reading the last one.”

Anonymous

Adam
entered the bedroom,
feeling refreshed from his first
night of sleep in two days. His gaze automatically went to Lily, and his heart
constricted at the sight before him. She sat on the bed in a grey camisole,
striped cotton sleep-shorts riding high up her thighs, legs crossed,
and typing away on his laptop. Her face wore a determined
look. She paused, scratched her temple and went back to typing.

He
examined her body. It was different, more curvaceous, and softer. Even more so
than when he realized she was pregnant. The changes
were subtle, but he noticed. The vision of Lily in his bed with his child
growing inside her rattled him a bit.

The jolt
he felt inside went beyond the pregnancy. He trusted her. Not the
no-sex-with-anyone-else trust, it ran far above their physical agree
ment. It was the kind of trust that resonates, forcing him
to bare his soul and let her see the wretchedness behind his smile. Her delay
in telling him about the pregnancy bothered him, but he understood her
reasoning. She was scared, so was he. It didn’t
shake
his trust.

His
heart swelled in his chest. Everything about Lily and their situation shook him
up; the good kind of tremors. The kind that made him
want
to snatch the computer away and pin her
on the bed, under him. In an attempt to stop his thoughts
from taking over, Adam walked across the room and picked
up a faded black Henley.

“What
are you doing?” he asked.

“Making
sure my students are doing their work while I’m gone,” she answered, still
typing away.

He
smiled. “Are they?”

She
looked up from the
screen, an expectant look on her
face.
“For the most part.”
She chuckled and closed
the MacBook Pro. “I also had to confirm my doctor appointment.”

“In New
Jersey?” he asked, a reminder they were still a long way off from marriage. Not
that he expected la
st night’s event to sway her
decision. Well, maybe he did. But more so, he’d wanted to confide in her.

She
nodded, confirming his thoughts.

He
pushed away the disappointment that stirred his insides, walked over to his
side of the bed and picked up his cel
l phone. “When
is it?”

“The
Wednesday after I return home,” she answered. Her voice revealed nothing.

Adam
glanced at his calendar. Shit. He was scheduled to fly to Russia the day after
the wedding for the Russian Grand Prix, one of the last three races of
the season, and was planning on going back to Italy for a
few days. In his mind, Lily would be by his side during this trip. He sat on
the bed and ran a hand through his hair. “Come to Russia with me.”

She let
out a shaky laugh. “What?”

“After
the wedding
, I have a race in Russia.” Adam caught
the sudden stiffness of her body. His racing was not particularly ranked high
on her list; he realized that at Vapor when she tried to break things off. What
was it she said? He searched his memory for her exact word
s. Yes, she wanted tame. Racing wasn’t tame, but he loved
it. Speed helped control the rage inside him. For the first time since he went
on his quest to get her to marry him, he found himself wondering how much he’d
have to give. Not wanting to dwell on th
e reality of
their situation, he took her hand in his. “Come with me and we can fly back
together for your appointment.”

“Adam,
that’s crazy,” she said, glancing over at him in shock.

“Why?”

She
laughed again. “Well, for one I have to go back to work.”

He
opened his mouth to tell her she no longer had to work but
thought better of it. “Extend your vacation,” he said instead.

“It’s
tempting, but I can’t.”

“It’s
only three days.”

She
shook her head. “I have to work, Adam. I don’t have millions in the bank.”

H
e stayed silent. No need to point out he’d earned enough in
his thirty-one years that neither ever had to work again.

“Besides,”
she smiled. “I may need to use my days later as the pregnancy progresses.”

“Liliana,
I want to be a part of this. Don’t deny me
that.”

She
slipped her hand out of his, cupped his face, leaned forward and kissed him.
Adam exhaled, releasing some of the tension building in his shoulders.

“Never.”
She held his gaze. “But I understand
you have a race, so come after if you’re not too t
ired.”

“I can’t
change your mind?”

She
shook her head. “Not on this one. But…” Her hands brushed over his head and
settled on the back of his neck. “I’m willing to try to change yours.”

Knowing
she was referring to his no-sex stance, Adam chuckled. “You’re
not going to give up on that, are you?”

“Nope.
A girl has needs.”

“What
happened to Bob?” The battery powered boyfriend he’d gladly help operate.

She
laughed. “He’s not nearly as sexy as you are. And frankly, if I were to rank
the satisfaction level, I’d
say you’re much better at
hitting the spot.”

Adam
laughed, amused by her persistence.
Not
that he wasn’t regretting his decision.
Hell, last night he would
have taken her, and just a few minutes ago he had to fight back another strong
temptation. She lower
ed her head to his neck and
nuzzled his skin, trailing open-mouthed kisses along the underside of his neck,
sending hot shivering tremors down his groin. He sucked in a deep breath and
gently pulled her away. Disappointment crossed her face. For safety rea
sons, his own, Adam stood up. She glanced at the aching
bulge in his pants, and met his gaze. Amusement flickered in her eyes.

“All right.
Get up, we’re going out,” he said
hoarsely.

She
laughed,
a nice, warm laugh. “How
long do you intend on keeping this
up?”

“Until you say yes.”

Her eyes
narrowed.
“To marrying you?”

He held
her gaze.

“What if
I never say yes?”

He
shrugged and pretended her question didn’t affect him. But it did. “Then we no
longer have sex. Come on, get dressed.”

“Where
are we going?”

“To
my restaurant.”

“Why? I
thought you closed.”

He shook
his head.
“Officially this weekend.
Come on, we’re spending
the day together.”

* * * *

Lily
noticed the small group gathering in front of The Wharf’s Side the minute Adam
pulled the Maserati into the restaurant’s entrance. She glanced at Adam and his
jaws clenched but he continued to park the car. She looked back at the faces;
they looked li
ke tourists, stragglers, mostly women
in tight pants and fitted shirts, exposing ample cleavage.
Groupies.
And they were waiting for
Adam.
Her man.

“Looks
like some of your fans are waiting,” she said, looking back at Adam. For the
year they’ve been togeth
er this was her first
encounter of this side of his life. At times, she had even forgotten he was
famous.

Adam
didn’t answer; instead he turned off the ignition and walked over to open her
door. Within seconds, they were mobbed by screaming female admirers
.

“Adam,
can you take a picture with me?” a woman with a British accent asked.

“Can you
autograph my breasts? Mine are bigger than hers,” another said.

Ouch.
That hit below the belt. No need to pick on her B-cup breasts.

“Who is
this with you, Adam?” Anoth
er asked.

“Is this
your girlfriend?” The questions continued.

“Relax,”
Adam whispered in her ear. “It’s all part of the career I’ve chosen, roll with
it.” He squeezed her hand. “I got this. I got you.” With that he turned to the
small mob around them. “Thi
s is my girlfriend,
Liliana,” he said to the crowd. His voice was calm and unhurried.

A low
rumble swept through the group, upward roll of eyes. A few wrinkled their noses
or pursed their lips in disappointment.
All of this because Adam, the superstar Form
ula One racer, had publicly bestowed the title
girlfrien
d
on her.

The
announcement was news to her as well. The words stunned Lily, causing her heart
to thump like a pistol.
Girlfriend.
They had officially
entered relationship territory. When did that happen?

She
already knew the answer. The day he found out she was pregnant.

“I’ll
sign a few autographs and take a few pictures,” Adam said to the group of
women, “but after that I’d like s
ome privacy.”

Heads
nodded with understanding. They smiled at him, completely under his spell. Lily
grunted.

“Give me
ten minutes,” he said while pressing against her.

Adam
released her hand and walked into the crowd. Lily stood back and took in the
scene.
A beautiful blonde threw her arms around him
as her friend snapped a picture. Then two pretty women with a pair of
magnificent racks crushed their forbidden fruits against him. Through it all,
Lily had to admit Adam looked completely unaffected, and in hi
s element. He draped his arms over their shoulders and
smiled for the camera.

The
madness continued for about five more minutes. But for Lily, it felt like
eternity. Adam continued to laugh, smile, and pose for pictures. Arms crossed
over her chest, she ki
cked a few leaves with the tip
of her boots and tried to ignore the burning desire to walk over and kiss her
boyfriend until he was breathless.

Boyfriend.
Ha. She stifled a chuckle.

There
was still so much to learn about him.

Who was
his biological father?
Was he still alive?

Did he
even know the man who impregnated his mother? Was it one of her clients?

And more
importantly, did he carry any side effects from the condition of his birth that
might have been passed on to their child?

On the
external he appea
red to be in good health but Lily
knew not all wounds were obvious. Not that it mattered; her love for him ran
deep and unconditional. Her phone vibrated. Knowing she had not connected with
Minka yet, Lily smiled and fumbled through her purse until her han
d found the phone. Her eyes stared at the number, she
glanced over the text and her stomach turned icy.

Lily, I miss you. I love you.

Nate.
She had deleted all of his information from her contacts, but after three years
together, she’d recognized that n
umber anywhere. Even
after a year and well over him, the sudden text caught her by surprise. Still
holding the phone, she stood for a couple seconds, contemplating how to tell
her ex-fiancé to go screw himself.

Common
sense told her to ignore the text and
hope he got the
message but this was the same Nate who decided his goods were too good to only
share with her and decided to spread the wealth. The same Nate she kicked out
of her apartment. The same Nate her brothers were still threatening to kill.