Need You Now (Martha's Way Series Book 2) (27 page)

“What’s
that about?” she asked Adam once they were in his car.

He
chuckled. “Your brothers challenged us in flag football.”

“Oh,
Rafa said something about beating you
r ass tomorrow.”

His
laughter deepened, as if no way in hell any of her brothers could touch one
hair on his skin. She believed it. He backed out of the driveway onto the main
road. “I promised them I’ll give free aim to at least one good hit.”

“Have
you e
ver played?”

“I’ve
played football.
Same thing.”

The
concept was the same but there was one major difference, no physical contact.
The main rule of flag football was instead of tackling players to the ground,
the defensive team must remove a flag from the
ball
carrier to end a down. Something told her all of them had no intention to
follow the rules. “You’re just as bad, you know.”

He
glanced at her, an innocent
who me?
look
on his face.

Lily
rolled her eyes. “Jason is playing too?”

He
nodded.

“He’s
getting
married in a couple of days. He can’t get
bruised.”

Adam
shrugged, not seeing her point. “What does bruising have to do with getting
married?”

She
huffed.
Men.
Some things they just
didn’t get. “Because,” she said slowly, very slowly. “Minka will not be h
appy to have her husband photographed with a black eye, or
any other mark that she didn’t personally put on his skin.”

“I
promise you Jason won’t be sporting a black eye. It’s me they want, you know.”
He reached for her hand. “How come they never went afte
r your ex?”

“They
tried.” She groaned, thinking of the many times her brothers tried to
accidentally
meet up with Nate.

“You
stopped them from rearranging his face?”

“What’s
the point? He means nothing to me.”

“If you
were my sister, I’d beat him up.”

Lily
threw her head back and
laughed,
all anxiety from earlier
leaving her body.

He
brought her hand to his lips and turned the car to the street leading to his
house. “I have a surprise for you.”

She
glanced at his profile. His features were relaxed; there wa
s even a slight smile on the corner of his lips. And her
heart did that little dance again.

Adam
parked the car and was quickly by her side. He took her hand in his. “Let’s go
to the beach.”

Puzzled,
she looked at the direction of the water. The mellow
autumn
sunset lingered over the ocean, sending a cool breeze in the evening sky. She
was wearing a light jacket and automatically began to pull up the zipper. Adam
quickly removed his scarf and placed it around her neck. “I’ll keep you warm.”

His
voice was
low and incredibly sexy. Lily moved closer
to him. Not because she needed the heat; his mere presence would warm her even
if they were stranded in Antarctica. But as always his emotional pull was
strong.

In
silence Adam led her to the private beach. Lily
paused
when she spotted the blanket and picnic basket on the sand. “What’s this?”

He
smiled. “I made you dinner.”

“A picnic?”

“I’m
trying to be romantic.”

She
laughed, tip-toed and pressed her lips to his. She released his hand and almost
sprinted to the g
rey blanket with the Martha’s
Vineyard emblem in its center. She sat and crossed her legs. Chuckling, Adam
followed and joined her. He leaned in, planted his hands by her legs, and
kissed her neck, nibbling on her skin. Arousal surged through her body and
she tugged at his sweater, pulling him closer.

“Can
anyone see us?” The beach was private, but he had neighbors, not many or too
close, but they had access to the beach as well.

“Still
too early,” he whispered between kisses that were now going up and down
her neck, melting her bones away. “But I intend to make
you come right here tonight.”

“Promise.”

He let
out a short whisper of a breath as he exhaled. “It’s a matter of life or death
for me.”

For her too.
She needed to feel every inch of him
inside her. L
ily removed the scarf around her neck,
slid her arms around his and lowered herself on the blanket, bringing his big
body along. His lips grazed her collarbone, her jaw toward her mouth. He
paused, brought his face to hers, his intense dark eyes holding he
rs prisoner. And the emotion she read in them rocked her
axis. Adam ran the pad of his thumb over her parted lips.

“I’ve
missed this.” His voice was gruff, filled with need.

Then his
lips crushed against hers with urgency, his tongue dipping in, kissing he
r deep and hard. She knotted her fingers in his hair,
electricity pulsing through her veins. “Now, Adam,” she panted and kept kissing
him. “Let’s go inside.” She tilted her hips and rocked right into his erection.

She
heard him groan and slowly peeled hims
elf away from
her. “Not yet.” Arms by his side, his head tipped back, he drew out a deep
breath into the cool air. “In my head this goes a certain way.”

She sat
up. “What happened to being spontaneous?”

Dark,
heavy-lidded eyes turned to her. “I don’t mean
sex.”

Okay, he
was confusing the hell out of her. “Speak English.”

“Stay
with me, Liliana.”

“I’m
trying.” She really was, but there was that space between her legs that wanted,
needed
him
right there.

Adam
hoisted himself up. “I made you dinner.”

She
peere
d at the picnic basket then smiled at him. “It’s
very sweet.”

He ran a
hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. “I never want to be sweet.”

“Okay
then,
you’re
not sweet. Let’s go
inside and I can show you how unsweet you are.”

He
grunted.

Lily
rose to
her feet and walked into his arms. “I’m
trying to stay with you, but you’re confusing the hell out of me.”

He
tangled his fingers in her hair, slanted his head and kissed her once more. “I
told your parents I was going to marry you,” he said against her li
ps.

“Okay.”

He
smiled. “The other night, you told me to ask you again. I spent all of
yesterday shopping for a ring.”

Lily
blinked. Things were slowly starting to make sense.
The sudden trip to Boston with Jason.
The picnic.
The beach.
They first made love on
the sand to the sound of the ocean in Chappaquiddick on Jason’s private beach.
But a beach was a beach. Adam was being romantic. She smiled, tiptoed and
wrapped her arms around his neck and shouted, “Yes!”

His arm
circled her waist
and brought her against his chest.
“I haven’t asked.”

“Ask me,
then.”

His dark
eyes grew serious. He brushed his lips against hers one more time then released
her. Lily watched as Adam lowered himself to one knee and took her hand in his.
Her eyes clouded
.
Shit. No tears. Not now.

“Liliana,
in your arms I’m rooted. Will you marry me?”

She fell
to her knees beside him. The tears were now flowing down her cheek but she
didn’t care. She cupped his face in her hands and let out a shaky laugh between
her tears.

He
kissed the palm of her hand. “Does that mean yes?”

Through
stream of tears, she chuckled. “Yes.” She could have sworn he looked a little
relieved.
Like she would ever say
no.

Adam
pulled her into him with such force that it knocked them both off their
balance. His back hit the sand and she landed on his chest.
“I’m going to make love to you all night and maybe all day tomorrow.”

She
laughed. “You have the football game.”

“Football
break
to kick your brothers’
asses, then more of you.”

Chapter Twenty
-Five

“Intimacy is the act of
connecting with someone so deeply, you feel like you can see their soul.”

Anonymous

After
another deep, wet kiss, Lily gave Adam a gentle shove and pulled up to her
feet. She slipped off her jacket, yanked her sweater over
her head, tossed it somewhere on the ground, and stood in a
body-hugging black tank. Still lying on the cool soil, he watched her, eyes
twinkling with amusement.

“What
are you doing?”

Instead
of answering, Lily kicked off her boots, pulled off the tank. In
bra and a fitted pair of jeans, she threaded her fingers
to the waistband of her pants. Adam braced himself to his elbows. Dark brown
eyes heated to a whiskey color, no longer amused. She threw the jeans to the
side and stood bravely in matching black pan
ties and
bra, sending a clear message of her intent.

He rose
to his feet, removed his shoes then stood still for a beat. His thick hair
tousled from the light breeze with strands blowing in his perfectly carved
face. He was intoxicating. Lily watched him t
ake two
easy strides to close the space between them. She stood there, with their
bodies oh, so close, goose
bumps on her skin, not from the coolness
in the air, but with desire, and the heat he generated.

“Our
neighbors are going to think you’re crazy,” h
e said
in a low, gruff voice that only increased her arousal.

“Do you
care?”

“No,” he
answered without giving the question much thought.

She
didn’t think so. “I’ll race you to the house.” She grinned and he smiled. A
slow dangerous smile that told her she
stood no
chance of winning whatever game she wanted to play. “Winner gets to do whatever
they want.”

He
raised his eyebrows, curiosity piqued.
“Anything?”

She
smiled wickedly.
“Anything.”

“I’m
going to win,” he assured her.

Adam was
bigger, taller, and def
initely faster. She knew all
that, but at this moment her heart was beating more profoundly, dancing with
joy. And she felt like living on the edge.

He
playfully pulled a strand of her hair. “Can BOB come out and play? I’d like to
watch, or maybe help him
find your sweet spot.”

The idea
of pleasuring herself while Adam watched sent a sensation down the pit of her
stomach to that hyper-sensitive area between her thighs. “You’d have to win the
race,” she said over her shoulder and bolted toward the house. Lil
y didn’t think Adam made any effort to move until she was
halfway there; still he caught up with her.

“Oh,
this is going to be fun,” he said by her side, not even out of breath.

Adrenaline
coursed through her veins, keeping her breathing steady, she pushed
harder and sprinted a bit quicker as the cool air bit into
her lungs. He stayed by her side with no effort, slapped her ass playfully then
left her eating his dust. “You cheated.” Her playful scream was met with
ripples of laughter.

Lily
entered the house
a few seconds, okay, minutes after.
While her breath came in short gasps, Adam looked as if he barely moved. “You
cheated,” she repeated.

He
chuckled, came to stand in front of her. His fingers delved into her hair and
held on. “You’re a sore loser.” He k
issed one corner
of her mouth, then the other. “Pay up.” In one swift movement, he swept her off
her feet into his arms and carried her up the stairs, drugging her with a
molten-hot kiss.

Somewhere
in the back of her mind, she heard Adam kick the bedroom d
oor open then plopped her on the bed. He stood back, tilted
his face down, and with smoldering eyes drank in her body.

“I’m
beginning to show a little bit.”

He
nodded, eyes hooded. “I’m taking it all in.” His hand slid under her, cupped
her behind and pull
ed her to the edge of the bed.
Deft fingers glided over the thin silver bar going through her navel, the round
of her stomach before finding her silky thighs and slowly removing her panties.

“Do you
like?”

Adam
placed one knee on the bed, his arms resting
on each
side of her body, holding her prisoner. He gave her a very hot look. “I’m
feeling a lot of things right now, like is the least of them.” He claimed her
lips into a hot, tongue-thrusting kiss.

At the
words, the touch, her body liquefied. Her immedia
te
reaction was to arch her back and pressed her chest against his, deepening
their kiss which garnered a low, sexy growl deep from his throat.

And then
her bra was gone, tossed carelessly aside somewhere in the room. Adam’s teeth
scraped over her nipple.
He then took one brown bud
into his mouth and sucked vigorously as he slid a hand into the liquid heat
between her legs.

“You
want me?” he asked.

“Always.”

He
smiled. “Show me.”

She knew
what he meant. Sex between them had always been uninhibited, free,
and easy. They had no problem pleasing each other or
themselves while the other watched. He took her hand, entwining their fingers,
and led her to the liquid heat between her legs.

“No BOB,
just you and me.”

When she
started, he pulled his hand back and wa
tched her
stroke the delicate spot. It went on for a beat, their gazes locked on each
other the whole time. But then she increased the speed of her stroke and lost
herself in the sensation. She couldn’t help but close her eyes. Oh God, her
body edged to th
e point of ecstasy. “Adam.” She let
out a fervent plea.

“Open
your eyes, Liliana,” he demanded and she obeyed. Adam removed her hand,
captured her finger in his mouth and suckled on it, tasting her.

Lily
arched her back, needing to fill the void. He respon
ded
by sliding his own blunt masculine fingers deep into her delicate softness,
then another, making her buck forward.

“Adam.”

“Tell me
what you want, Liliana.”

“You,”
she stammered, “in me.”

He shook
his head. “Not yet,” he said, before sliding to his kne
es between her legs. He cupped her ass again and pulled her a little more
to the edge of the
bed,
placed her legs over his
shoulders. “So fucking beautiful,” he rasped, then ran his tongue over her
mound.

Lily let
out an incoherent cry, her muscles tighten
ing against
him. Adam stroked, touched, and licked every single inch of her until she was
breathing like a lunatic as her body floated into ecstasy. It took a few
minutes before the shaking stopped and her breath settled. But she wanted more,
so much more.

When she
was finally able to open her eyes, he brought himself up to his six foot-plus
height. He quickly stripped off his clothes and stood magnificently naked with
a raging erection. So when he brought her legs to his chest,
shoulders,
dragged her furth
er to the tip of the bed and made room for himself between
her thighs, she hoisted her hips then closed her eyes to welcome him home.

“Open
your eyes, Liliana.” He smoothed her bangs away from her temple and tilted her
chin so their gazes locked. “I need y
ou to see me,
us. Look with me.”

His
voice was thick with desire and need. She opened her eyes to see just the same
intensity reflecting in his eyes. A need she knew that didn’t come easy or
readily displayed, but he was letting her see all that he felt. W
ordlessly telling her he loved her.

Adam
needed her as much as she needed him. This generated a cocktail of emotions
within her. Her gaze lowered to where he was positioned between her thighs and
watched as he pushed himself inside her damp entrance with a
slow thrust, stretching
the
walls of her body until he
was lost so deep she felt him to the depth of her soul, causing her heart to
slip at their stark connection.

“Fuck,”
he groaned. “You feel so good.”

“Harder.”

“Slow.”

She
lifted her hips and rocked ag
ainst him.
“No, fast and hard.”

Adam
swore, expelled a slow, steady breath,
then
began to thrust, long and deep, holding
her gaze captive as he increased the speed of his stroke, pounding her with
rigorous strength until the orgasm rippled through her in s
tunning waves, sending her flying. With one more masterful
thrust, he came along with her.

“Wrap
your legs around me.”

She
obeyed. His body collapsed over her, chest pressed against her breast. She
could feel the thunderous beat of their hearts dancing to
the same chaotic rhythmic tune. Lost in their euphoria,
neither made an attempt to move. At least not until her stomach reminded her
she had not eaten. Even then, she kept a firm grip around his neck.

“You
need to eat,” he said, against her throat.

“I’m fi
ne.” She didn’t want him to move. Not ever.

Her
stomach screamed out of hunger again. Adam laughed softly, lifted his head and
brushed a kiss against her temple. “Come on. We have a picnic at the beach
waiting.”

Oh,
yeah, she had forgotten all about that.
“It’s still
good?”

He
loosened her arms from his neck, walked to his dresser to grab a fresh pair of
boxer briefs and slipped into his favorite black pair of sweatpants. “Should
be, but there’s leftover in the fridge. Let’s take it to the beach and eat. I
have to clean up anyway or the seagulls will find a way to
open the basket.” He picked up his jeans from the floor, dug into the pocket
and retrieved a small black velvet box.
“Your ring.”

Her
heart leaped in her chest. They’d never gotten to the ring part
of the engagement. “Oh.”

He
turned to her with a worried look on his face. “You don’t want it?”

“God, yes.”
She let out a short laugh. “I was just
so…um…horny I skipped the ring part.”

Adam
approached the bed, took her hand in his and took the ring out of
the box and slipped it on her finger. “Does that mean
you’ll still be my wife?”

She
laughed, a deep laugh filled with joy. “What do you think?”

One hour
later, Lily was full and had eaten way too much, but she didn’t care. Dinner
had been delicious, simple but thoughtfully prepared by Adam himself. Fresh
avocado dip with crispy crunchy pita chips, roasted eggplant, red onions and
bell peppers in a
wrap, fresh squeezed lemonade and a
baked blueberry pie from Herring Creek farm for dessert. Between laughter,
touching, lots of touching, a kiss here and there, some lingered, some quick,
and the mellifluous sound of waves rushing to the shore, they ate
everything, and had lost track of time. But that happened
when one’s heart was dancing with joy.

The sun
had completed its tour for the day, and now replaced by a myriad of stars,
which dotted the sky and danced against the ocean. The cool breeze caressed
her skin and Lily hugged her knees, wriggled her toes in
the soft velvety sand beneath her feet. She peeked once more at the cushion-cut
white diamond ring encircled by a row of pink and white bead set of diamonds
Adam had slipped on her finger. Classicall
y elegant,
it was perfection.

“Cold yet?”
Adam asked not too far away as he
tidied up the remnants of their picnic.

“Come
warm me up.”

He
dropped to the sand beside her. “Want to go back inside?”