Sex on Summer Sabbatical (8 page)

Chapter Twelve

It was almost brutal going back to reality after their trip, and it wasn’t like Tori even had to go back to work. She couldn’t imagine having to go back to her usual job after such a mellow and relaxing trip.

They had turned in the rental car and gone through security, and were sitting in the terminal waiting for their flight when Tori’s phone rang. She was startled—no one had called her cellphone the whole trip except for Adam once when he’d been at the ABC Store to ask whether she’d like dark or milk chocolate when he’d seen a good deal on chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. She hoped nothing was wrong with her parents.

After scrambling a bit to get it from her purse, she answered hurriedly, “Hello?”

“Victoria? Are you avoiding me?”

At the sound of the familiar but not exactly welcome voice she sat back and checked the display to confirm that, yes, it was Terrence. “No, I’m not avoiding you. I’m on vacation.”

“I know, but come on… This is an important lunch and I figured the funding was worth a few hours of your time—”

“Wait, what? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Tori frowned, trying to hear Terrence over the gate attendant as she made an announcement.

“I put it all in the emails.”

“What emails? Look, Terrence, when I said I was on vacation, I didn’t just mean my sabbatical. I meant I’m in Hawaii at the moment.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adam turn his head towards her. She looked at him and shrugged.

Terrence moaned dramatically. “Oh no. Freaking Hawaii? Jesus, Victoria, could you have picked a worse time to spread your wings?”

She closed her eyes, striving for patience. “Look, pretend I have no clue what you mean, since that’s exactly what the case is, and tell me from the beginning why you’re calling me, what was in the emails and what lunch?”

Terrence sighed and paused for a moment. “Okay, so I emailed you a few days ago because a few key people in our division have been invited by the powers that be to attend a work lunch. I mean, these people are all the way up in the adminisphere, the ones who control the budget for our line. You were on the shortlist to attend, but of course you’re off work. Still, we could really use you there to talk up our line and, well… It would be a good thing. So I was asked to see if you’d come even though you’re on sabbatical. And now you’re in Hawaii and rumour has it that there are cuts coming and we don’t want to be on the chopping block.”

Tori frowned, suddenly worried about the funding for her experiments being cut. “When is the lunch?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow…” Tori pulled her phone away from her ear to check the time then looked at her boarding pass. Doing some quick mental math, she said cautiously, “I don’t want you to get excited, but I might be able to make it. I’m actually flying home tonight. What time?”

“I would love you forever if you could make it.” Terrence sounded pathetically relieved. “There’s no one who can speak about our progress and goals like you can. It’s at the banquet room at Tini’s Bistro at Cambridge Crossing at twelve-thirty. I can pick you up at noon?”

“I’ll just meet you there. No need for you to get me,” she protested.

“Are you sure? I think I should—”

“You just don’t want me to change my mind. Don’t worry, I’ll be there. Besides, I probably won’t be coming from home, but the gym.” She was set to resume her regular schedule with Adam tomorrow. She smiled his way, but he was busy studying his boarding pass.

“I really want to update you on what’s been going on so that you’re prepared,” Terrence persisted. “I’ll pick you up at your gym then. Del Sol, that really big, expensive one, right? At noon.”

Tori bit back a sigh since she knew from experience there was no sense in arguing once he’d decided on a course of action. His stubbornness was one of the reasons they’d not worked well as a couple, though his persistence came in handy at work.

“Fine—meet me at the gym at noon, and we can talk on the way to the restaurant.” The gate attendant was making another garbled announcement and some people around them started standing up. “I really have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, Victoria. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

They said their goodbyes and Tori hung up her phone and turned to Adam. “Was that our boarding call?”

He gave her a quick sideways glance and shook his head.

“It was something about our flight, though, right?”

“Pre-boarding. Anxious to get home?” Adam’s question had an edge to it and she turned to fully face him.

“In a way, yes,” she answered slowly, trying to figure out what was behind his abrupt change in mood. Had it been Terrence’s call? “I mean, all else being equal, I’d rather be back at the beach and not have to leave Hawaii, but I also don’t want to sit around in the airport all day.”

“And you have an important lunch date to get back for tomorrow. If that guy’s picking you up tomorrow at noon, you know we’re going to have to cut back some things we usually do, like spending my lunch together after our workout.”

Oh
. “That’s true. I’m sorry about making other plans without talking to you first, but Terrence was practically begging and—”

“That’s okay,” Adam interrupted. “It’s not like we had anything formal planned. Just a habit. And you couldn’t turn down someone begging you for your time.” He shrugged, obviously trying to pull off nonchalance, but Tori could tell that he was upset.

She tucked her hand through the crook of his elbow where it lay on the armrest between their seats. “What’s wrong? Is it that I’ve scheduled something during the time we usually spend together? Or,” she added with a growing sense of what the problem was, “is it because I’m being picked up by Terrence and having lunch with him?”

He didn’t answer right away, so she continued, “Because if that’s what’s got you in this mood, you need to understand that this is purely a work thing.” She explained about the lunch and the connection to her funding. “And Terrence is one of the other research scientists in the loop on what I had to put on hold, so he needs to update me on what’s been happening since I left work.”

“So you guys are just co-workers? Because the way you talked to him sounded like you have some kind of history or something.”

Tori gaped at him for a second. “You’re really jealous.” She couldn’t believe it.

“I’m not jealous, I just…want to know where we stand.”

The call for boarding for their section came then and Tori let that slide for the moment while they gathered their belongings then boarded the plane. She knew that she would have a captive audience for the five-plus hours they’d be on the flight.

They settled in their seats on the right side of the big, double-aisled plane. After take-off, Tori resumed their conversation.

“Okay, you say you’re not jealous, that you want to know where you stand… I assume you mean with me, as a couple. I’m not sure what you want me to say. I mean, what exactly isn’t clear?”

Adam shrugged.

“Oh no. We’re not doing the not talking thing. What is it?”

“Just forget I said anything.” Adam finally looked at her and his expression softened. “I’m just being stupid. Let’s not end the great time we had on the trip on this note.”

“Adam, I just want to understand what you meant by that. Obviously, at the time you said it, you had something specific in mind that you aren’t certain of with us.” She looked away at the back of the seat in front of hers. “Maybe I’m just being stupid now, but I just can’t figure out what changed.”

“You’re not stupid. You’re the smartest person I know, way smarter than I am. And I get that it’s about work. It’s all good.”

Tori sighed, frustrated. “It’s not all good. What the hell? Now you’re putting yourself down?”

Adam swallowed and his jaw clenched. “Look. Tori, you are smart. And so is this Terrence guy. You both have doctorates and do important research. I honestly just don’t understand what you find interesting about me or that we really have in common. You’d…be better off with someone like him.”

Her jaw dropped.
What the…
? “You are so motivational and dedicated. You enjoy life and treat me like a queen. We’re attracted to each other and we’ve never had a problem talking to each other about anything, at least until today. Why would you think that I’d be better off with a pretentious jackass like Terrence?”

That earned her a faint smile. “Pretentious jackass, huh?”

“Yes, I like you much better than Terrence. Okay? That’s about as straightforward as I can be. We’ve always been on the same page up until now, so can this ridiculous, bizarre conversation be over, please? I want to finish this trip with the Adam I started it with.” She tried with her eyes to communicate her desire to reassure him of his place in her life.

Adam picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “Nothing more about all of that. You’re right. I suppose there are always going to be arguments and misunderstandings, but as long as we’re honest and forthcoming about things, I doubt we’ll have many bizarre conversations.” He didn’t relinquish her hand and she sat back to simply enjoy being near him.

And if a part of her brain whispered that she wasn’t exactly being forthcoming to Adam with her summer goals, it was easy enough to shove that aside, knowing that she thought of him as being much more than she had in the beginning. And those goals had nearly been met, and when they were complete, she could mentally move on.

Chapter Thirteen

Irritated, Tori blew a piece of hair out of her peripheral vision with more violence than it warranted. The past two months had been an exercise in extreme frustration, so she hit the bag in front of her with extreme prejudice.

Oh, not everything was bad. In fact, two of her three sabbatical goals were going swimmingly. Complete successes. Her workouts with Adam were really starting to pay dividends, and he had introduced her to all sorts of new activities she wouldn’t have previously considered, which combined exercise and fun. They’d been hiking, biking, rollerblading and canoeing. She’d been hooked up to a harness and gone rock climbing. Swimming was now part of her regular routine, and they’d played tennis several times.

Adam wasn’t all about fitness, either. There had been the mind-blowingly romantic trip to Hawaii. They’d also done several day trips around home. One weekday Adam had been free, they’d devoted the whole day to browsing through a museum—and, ironically,
that
was the day that had been the toughest on her feet. In response, that night he’d given her a foot massage and pedicure, painting her toenails a beautiful coral pink they’d impulsively picked out together at an all-night drugstore. Ever since that first time she’d shown up at his place with her toenails done, to his admiration, she’d made sure to keep them done and having him suggest trying to do it himself had turned out to be a lot of fun, and sexy to boot.

They’d been on a ton of ‘normal’ dates as well—movies and dinners, and a summer concert in the park.

And they still hadn’t got past third base.

Tori punched the bag again, feeling violent.

It was enough to make a girl want to buy a battery-operated best friend.

Punch.

All that physical exertion.

Punch, punch.

All the romantic dates.

Punch, kick.

It was as if Adam had decided to become the perfect boyfriend and spoil her for all others. Except he hadn’t consulted her, but had relied on his grandma’s advice about saving it for the marriage bed.

Kick, punch, punch, kick.

And her sabbatical was over. It was Labor Day, and she was going back to work tomorrow.
Damn it
. And no sex in sight.

“Whatever you’re thinking about, you’re really pummelling the bag, sweetheart,” Adam praised from where he was keeping the bag from swinging for her. “Great job.”

“Thanks,” Tori muttered, still focused on the end of her summer. Only one more night, then it was over. Suddenly, an idea hit her.

One more night…

She back away from the bag, indicating she was done. “Are you free later?”

Adam’s eyebrows shot up as he handed her a towel then pulled together into a frown. “Of course. Aren’t we going to the blues festival together?”

Tori flushed, which she hid by mopping her face. Sometimes, she let her mouth get ahead of her brain, and it happened more often than she liked around Adam. It was a wonder he thought she was intelligent at all—she could be such a ditz and he was always so collected and together.

“I meant afterwards. Do you want to come over? I thought maybe we could celebrate the end of my sabbatical together.”

For some reason, Adam’s mouth twitched, as if he was trying not to smile, maybe? Suspicious, she watched him with narrowed eyes, but he was instantly back to his usual calm self.

“I’d love to. You have a lot to celebrate. You’ve done a fantastic job of successfully meeting your personal goals for your time off, and I’ve been honoured to be a part of it.”

Ha! If he only knew…

“Say, why don’t you pack a bag?” Tori suggested in an oh-by-the-way tone of voice, striving to sound offhand and casual about it. “After being out at the festival, you’ll probably want to clean up before we, uh, celebrate. You can plan on showering at my place.”
Oh, real smooth there, Ms Worldly Wise. Might as well just say flat out—you’re spending the night, big boy, so come prepared for a slumber party.

Was that another twitch? No, just rubbing his lips together.

“Great idea, thanks for thinking of my comfort. In fact, I’ll bring a few different outfits in case our plans take an unexpected turn.” Adam turned his brilliant smile on her, and she could almost feel her brain cells melting. What exactly did he mean by that? Tori shook her head. All she knew for sure was she would have him right where she wanted him—in her bed, one way or another—before this sabbatical was officially over.

Or she’d die trying.

Adam was going to die trying…not to laugh.

Not
at
Tori. That would be mean, and he knew by now that he was falling in love with her—if he wasn’t already there—crazy ideas and all. But the whole situation was getting farcical. She wanted him. He wanted her.
She
was going to pull out all the stops to have sex tonight so she’d meet her goal.
He
was going to do everything in his power to
not
have sex with her until after her sabbatical was over in order to prove a point. Adam rolled his eyes. What a screwball comedy this was turning out to be.

But the end was in sight, either way. Tori’s time off had come to a close and one way or another they were soon going to finally make love.

Adam ignored the twinge of arousal that hit him and waved goodbye as they left the arena to head to their respective locker rooms. He would pack a bag for tonight. He would even let her manoeuvre him into having him spend the night—and he couldn’t wait to see what reason she’d come up with for that. As for the sex, he figured if he could just hold out until morning, the sabbatical would be over, and their coming together would be less about fulfilling an objective, and more about expressing their connection and love.

Somehow, tonight had taken on talismanic properties in Adam’s mind. If he gave in before the night was over, it would doom their incipient relationship to failure. But if he could just hold out till morning—
and not a moment longer,
his cock joined the conversation uninvited—he would have a chance at winning her, for good. Forever.

And the hardest two months of his life would have been worth it.

The hardest…and the best. With sex out of the picture, Adam had been forced to get close to her in other ways, and he had been surprised to find he enjoyed all the time they spent together—the long conversations, trying new activities together, making the most of the summertime. He’d fallen in love with her without even trying. But oh, by the end of those days…

He groaned as the memories assailed him. All the cold showers. All the solo sessions at home after their dates—and occasionally in the car when he knew he couldn’t make it home. Oh, and a couple of times in her bathroom. Luckily for him, she seemed to lose track of time when she was doing dishes.

He’d had to set himself a strict no-penetration rule, or else he would never have been able to pull it off. And Tori, as sexy as she was, just wasn’t quite brazen enough to force the issue on her own. Adam had gambled on her innate reserve keeping her from doing something irrevocable, like pulling his cock out and climbing on. That would’ve been game over in a heartbeat.

As that thought occurred to him, Adam began to get nervous about what she had in store for tonight.

He’d throw a towel in the car. Maybe he’d have time to yank off between the festival and her house. Some timely self-love? Might be the only difference between success and failure.

He was competitive, but this was about more than winning. Because part of losing at this game, Adam was afraid, would be losing his heart in the process.

And that was the one thing he couldn’t risk.

* * * *

“That was great. I’d never even really listened to blues before, but it’s definitely perfect to hear and see live.”

Adam smiled in mellow agreement and used the arm that was around her shoulders to give her a squeeze as they strolled back to his car. He’d been oddly insistent about driving separately and meeting her there—something about running late—but for some reason, Tori’d sensed an off note to the seemingly innocent request. So she’d insisted in turn that he come pick her up, even if it would make them late for the headliner. Carpooling was in, right?

Once that strange snafu had been dealt with, they’d had a fantastic time. Her shoulder notched under his felt just right—really, the whole relationship felt just right. She even forgot their age difference most of the time, and when it did come up, it really had ceased to be important. Adam was just Adam, not some random twenty-something anymore.

Arriving back at her place, Adam pulled an overnight bag out of the back seat and snatched up a hand towel that had been under it.
Hand towel?
At her quizzical look, he slowly went a dull red. “Just picking up,” Adam mumbled, paradoxically stuffing the towel under the driver’s seat. He then grabbed her carryall and the backpack cooler and headed towards the condo, leaving a bemused Tori with only the blanket to carry.

“Mind if I take that shower?” he asked once they’d unpacked their gear and she’d started doing the dishes they had taken along for their wine and snacks.

Tori smiled to herself. So far so good. “Go ahead. You can use the master suite. It has a better showerhead.” At least she hoped, or else she was going to look pretty stupid saying that. She wasn’t exactly a showerhead connoisseur—she hardly ever took showers, preferring baths. In fact, she’d probably taken more showers at the gym in the past couple of months than in the previous ten years combined.

No. Tori didn’t really know what the showerhead quality was like. But her shower had one thing the guest shower didn’t—a see-through glass door.