The Family Man (12 page)

As they ate their brownies, Adam wrapped his arm around her and guided her to his side. He leaned against the trunk of the palm tree, and she cuddled up next to him, soaked up his delicious warmth as they watched the movie. When Chris Noth extended a rose and said, “There is such a thing as perfect, and it’s out there,” Sara truly felt for the first time that she had already found it.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Adam kissed the top of her head, then shifted so he could kiss her temple. A moment more and his lips were on hers. Warm, soft yet firm, and so very nice. Sara let herself sink fully into the kiss, her birthday present to herself.

When the kiss ended, he smiled down at her and said, “Happy birthday.”

She smiled back. “You said that already.”

“What, there’s a limit?”

“No, I guess not.”

“Good, because I think I might have a few more birthday wishes in me.”

Sara’s heart rate kicked up again at his words. All birthdays should be this great.

As the credits of the movie started to roll and the people around them began folding blankets, Adam whispered in her ear. “You ready to get out of here?”

No, she wasn’t. She didn’t want to go home, didn’t want this night to come to a close. Some need she’d been ignoring for a long time roared to life within her. Maybe the night didn’t have to end just yet.

Her nerves sparked like electricity gone wild as they gathered their things and walked back to his car. When he opened her door for her, she swallowed the nervousness threatening to overtake her and turned to face him.

“This is the best birthday I’ve had in a long time,” she said.

He smiled that sexy, flirty smile of his. “Be careful, you might make my ego go supersize.”

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

His expression changed. He didn’t really look serious, but his playfulness stepped aside and showed a bit more of the man beneath.

“I’m glad. I had a good time, too.” He lowered his lips to hers again, this time in a kiss so tender it caused her heart to expand and reach for him.

All of her senses were heightened. She felt every nuance of the kiss, every movement of Adam’s hands on her back, every thumping heartbeat in her chest. When they parted for air, she tamped down her normal caution.

“Would you like to come back to my place for some birthday cake?”

She wanted much more than to feed him cake and he probably knew it. But no matter how daring she tried to be, she wasn’t the type of woman to come right out and invite him home for sex. It was hard enough to even accept that she was willing to have sex with him, knowing that despite how perfect he’d felt tonight he might not be the best man for her.

Why wasn’t he?

The question stopped her, made her examine who Adam Canfield was outside of a guy who flirted with tremendous regularity and who eschewed responsibility as if it was the Ebola virus.

He was a guy who bought her daughter a kite just
because he thought she’d like it. He was a guy who gave her the most romantic birthday of her life. Maybe Ruby and Tana were right. Maybe her idea of perfect wasn’t realistic. Maybe perfect was holding her in his arms right now.

With a final kiss, he ushered her into the car. But as soon as he got in and pulled out of the lot, he reached across and wrapped her hand in his. Warmth curled its way up her arm and throughout her body, the kind of warmth that made the world take on a shiny new glow.

Her nervousness threatened to dim the glow, however, when they reached her driveway. Was she making a mistake?

Stop second-guessing yourself
.

She kept that mantra running through her mind as she got out of the car, unlocked the front door and led him to the kitchen. She hadn’t been in the kitchen more than fifteen seconds when her phone signaled she had a text message. Who would be texting her this late? If it was Tana, she was so grounded.

But it was from Ruby.
Girls are asleep. Just get them in the morning
.

Hmm. Sara only half believed her neighbor’s claim. She had a sneaky suspicion Ruby had seen Adam come inside with her and wanted him to spend the night. She didn’t know whether to scold Ruby or thank her.

She glanced up and met Adam’s eyes, eyes that
held desire in them. If they delivered on the unspoken promise, she’d be forced to thank Ruby in the morning.

She smiled as she turned toward the fridge to retrieve the cake. When she had her back to him, she texted a response.
OK
.

As she started to open the refrigerator, Adam came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His breath warm next to her ear, he whispered, “I’m not hungry for cake.”

Sara held her breath, aware this was her point of no return. The thought of tumbling into bed with Adam flushed her skin and sent yearning surging through her.

“Me neither,” she said, then turned toward this man who kept surprising her.

His mouth captured hers the moment she faced him, hungrier this time. He groaned as his hands slid up her back and pulled her closer—close enough that she felt the physical effect she was having on him.

That knowledge fueled her own passion, and she deepened the kiss even more. Somehow, they moved away from the fridge and she kicked it closed with half a thought and started leading him, their mouths still tasting each other, down the hall toward her room.

Adam’s hands, strong hands with long fingers, slid up her neck and into her hair, urging her mouth closer to his own.

A sense of urgency followed them, like they were
both determined to feel the other but afraid the other would back out before skin met skin. Desire licked at Sara like bright, intoxicating flames, waiting for her consent to burst into a full conflagration.

“You’re sure?” Adam rasped as if it took all his willpower to ask the question.

The fact he would ask when he was so heavily aroused knocked aside whatever lingering doubt might have been lurking in Sara’s mind. She wasn’t sure she could speak, so instead she took a step away and, before she could think herself into backing out, lifted her dress over her head.

When she tossed it aside, she noticed Adam staring. Self-consciousness assaulted her as she looked down at herself.

“What?”

Adam closed the distance between them and ran his fingertips over the part of her breast exposed above her bra. “You’re beautiful. And I want you, now.”

Sara knew the feeling. She tugged his shirt from the waistband of his jeans. “Then you’re going to need to get rid of this.” When he whipped off the shirt and flung it aside, she ran the tip of her index finger along the inside of the top of his jeans. “And these.”

He leaned forward. “Why don’t you help me?”

Her nerves crackled as she reached for the button on his jeans and worked it loose. The nervousness made her hesitate, but then Adam’s hands were there, helping her lower his zipper so slowly she thought
she might scream. Before the jeans came off, however, Adam pulled her close and kissed her again. First her lips, then her cheek, moving to the lobe of her ear and trailing down her neck to the swell of her breasts.

Sara’s hands went to the back of Adam’s head, her fingers snaking through his hair, pressing him closer. Those wonderful hands of his slid under her bra and flicked open the clasp. Then they moved down to the waistband of her panties, and started sliding them down as he captured one of her breasts in his warm, wet mouth.

Sara’s body spasmed with pleasure and demanded more. So much more. She shoved her hands inside his jeans, and he got the message. A few more heated moments and they were both naked and falling back onto the bed, a tangle of limbs and crazy desire. Sara’s ability to think was so occupied with physical sensation that she barely recognized the sound of a foil wrapper ripping before Adam was there, above her, looking down at her in the half dark.

“This is what you want?” he asked, looking like he might die if she said no.

Something about the expression on his face, a sort of unexpected hopefulness, had her thinking that he didn’t always ask this before making love to a woman. She tried not to examine the thought too closely, to assign it too much meaning.

“Yes,” she said and captured his mouth for another
kiss. She couldn’t get enough of those kisses, like they were some exotic delicacy she was helpless to resist.

Even though they’d been touching a lot tonight, Sara was totally unprepared for the feel of Adam’s body next to hers with nothing between them. If she’d known it would make her feel more alive than she’d felt in her entire life, she would have caved the first time he’d flirted with her. So she was glad she hadn’t known, because now she’d discovered there was more to him than what he often showed the world around him.

He was a man to whom she could lose her heart if she wasn’t careful.

If she hadn’t already.

With Adam’s next movement, Sara’s thoughts fragmented like lovely shattered glass into single impressions. The feel of Adam’s back muscles moving under her hands. The warmth of his breath as it moved across her skin. The sounds of pleasure coming from them both. And finally the tightening of her own muscles, as well as Adam’s entire body, as they reached the peak of their lovemaking.

Adam sank beside her, his mouth next to the crook of her neck. “That…was…” He sounded like he could barely breathe, and that made Sara smile as she supplied a word to finish his sentence.

“Awesome.”

“Yeah.”

She ran her hand over his sweat-slickened back,
loving the feel of those sinewy muscles. How could a guy who sat on a pier or a bar stool all the time stay in such good shape? Did he have a gym at home? Did he run? Both things seemed at odds with what she knew about him, but then hadn’t she been discovering he was more than what first met the eye? And he’d been in the army, where fitness had probably been drilled into him.

“Happy birthday,” he said and kissed her neck.

It certainly was.

A
DAM SAT ON THE SIDE
of Sara’s bed, watching her sleep. Even with her hair tousled, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. How had he not realized that the first time he’d seen her? And it wasn’t just her physical beauty that attracted him. It was her dedication to being a good mother to two little girls who might have otherwise been lost. The way she’d made love to him like she didn’t have any doubts about him, like he was the best thing to ever walk into her life. Even that part of her that urged her to be selfless, to put her life on the line for others if need be.

He admired it all. Maybe he even loved it all.

And it all scared him half to death.

He needed to get away for a little while, make sure he wasn’t making a mistake—for both of their sakes. She didn’t know he was damaged goods. He couldn’t help thinking that she deserved better. Sure, he was feeling less like a lone wolf these days, but could he
really be the type of responsible, giving man she needed?

She might need time to reassess, too. Desire had gotten the better of them, but they both had to be sure before they took things any further. He didn’t want to hurt her or the girls again.

She stirred beneath the blankets, enough to make him want to forget his entire line of thought and crawl back into bed with her. He had the sneaky suspicion that he could make love to her a million times and it wouldn’t be nearly enough.

He watched as she opened her eyes. She looked sleepy as she smiled at him.

“Is it morning?”

“Technically. I better go before your girls wake up and you have uncomfortable explaining to do when they see my car still in the driveway.”

She lifted her head and looked at the clock, then back at him. “You don’t have to go yet.”

Dang the woman. She had to know how hard it would be for him to resist the invitation in her words. Rarely had he done anything more difficult. He lifted his hand to her cheek and caressed it with his thumb.

“If I get back in that bed, neither of us is going to make it to work on time.”

She smiled. “We could call in sick.”

He laughed. “Sara Greene, I think you have a little bit of wicked in you.” He smiled. “Not that I mind.”

Sara lifted herself to a sitting position, holding the sheet up to her chest. What a pity.

“Thanks for last night,” she said.

“I could say the same thing,” he said. “It felt like my birthday, too.”

She laughed just before he captured her mouth with his. The sheet slid from between them, tempting Adam to within an inch of his life. With a growl, he pulled himself away and stood. He didn’t know what to say, hadn’t faced this situation in a long time. Normally, it was a kiss and a quick goodbye after sex. This wasn’t the same—another sign he had to get out of here and think, let her do the same. But how? Did he just turn around and leave?

“You better go get some sleep. Hate to hear of you sleeping on that oh-so-taxing job of yours,” she teased, saving him from an uncomfortable exit at the same time.

“I give the woman great sex, and she insults my career,” he said, shaking his head.

She lifted her hand, making a so-so gesture. “Mediocre sex.”

Though he needed to stay away from her, he took several steps forward and sank on one knee onto the bed, then pulled her naked body into his arms, kissed her thoroughly. She moaned, setting him on fire for her again. He lifted his lips.

“A woman doesn’t moan like that after ‘mediocre’ sex.”

He expected a teasing argument, perhaps a jab in the ribs. Instead, she lifted her body against his.

“You’re right,” she whispered, then kissed him to the point of turning his willpower to pudding.

To hell with good intentions. He wanted her again, and she seemed to be of the same mind. Who was he to deny her?

S
ARA COULDN’T WIPE
the smile off her face. Not when she woke to find the bed still warm where Adam had lain after they’d made love again. Not as she’d taken a shower and dressed. Not even when Ruby came through the side door with the girls, the former with a knowing grin on her face.

“Hi, Mommy!” Lilly said as she launched herself at Sara. “I missed you.”

Sara tried to ignore the twinge of guilt, telling herself she deserved time for herself on occasion.

“Have a nice date?” Tana asked, a little too much awareness in her young eyes.

“Yes, thanks. It was late when I came home though, so Ruby suggested you sleep at her house.”

Sara didn’t like the idea that Tana might suspect what had happened the night before. Sure, she was only thirteen, but she wasn’t as blissfully unaware of some things as Sara might like.

“Go on, get ready for school,” Sara said as she nodded down the hall.

When both girls had disappeared to their respec
tive rooms, Sara busied herself popping bagels into the toaster and retrieving cream cheese from the fridge. She refused to look at Ruby.

“Well, how was it?” Ruby asked.

“We had a nice time. Went to movie in the park, had a picnic. Even had a birthday candle on a brownie.”

“Sounds romantic. And then?”

“And then he brought me home.” Sara made the mistake of making eye contact with her neighbor.

“Come on, have a heart. Give an old lady a vicarious thrill.”

Sara crossed her arms and faced Ruby. “You are incorrigible.”

“Why? Inside this grandma’s body beats the heart of a much younger woman.”

Sara laughed, then glanced toward the hallway before meeting Ruby’s eyes again. “It was wonderful.”

Ruby clapped her hands once. “Well, I suspected it would be. I mean, that boy has the body for it.”

Sara rolled her eyes and turned to retrieve the bagels from the toaster. No matter how much she scolded Ruby, she couldn’t deny her friend was right. Adam Canfield had a body she doubted she’d ever tire of seeing, touching, holding. Add to that his layer of kindness, and…well, how was she going to get him out of her mind and the goofy grin off her face long enough to go to work?

She barely corraled the smile, but memories of the night before and all her interactions with Adam accompanied her throughout the day. It was difficult to concentrate on tracking down burglars or investigating a report of illegal gambling at a resort when memories of how Adam had felt as they’d made love kept popping into her mind.

She started watching the clock for quitting time a full two hours before the official end of her day. Had she ever done that?

Sara released the pen she’d been using to fill out a report and faced the fact that she was falling for Adam, and falling hard. An odd cocktail of scariness and excitement swished around inside her. Could he be the one she’d been looking for all this time?

She tried to picture Adam at home in her house, being a dad to her daughters, being responsible. She bit her bottom lip when she realized the image still didn’t quite seem to fit.

But oh how she wanted it to. How could she not experience another night like last night again? If she found that responsible, paternal type, would he make her feel as utterly complete as Adam had?

By the time the clock finally inched its way to 5:00 p.m., Sara was literally aching to see Adam again. Putting her responsible, mommy self aside for a little while, she headed to the Beach Bum, where she suspected she would find him. But when she arrived, his usual stool was occupied by a man
she didn’t know—a tourist, if his sunburn was any indication.

“Looking for Adam?” Suz asked when she saw her.

“Yeah. He around?”

“Nah. He skipped out a while ago. Said he had something to do tonight. Figured he had another date with you.”

Okay, she would not read too much into Suz’s words, either positive or negative. He’d mentioned their date, but he had other plans tonight. Well, what did she expect? Him to put his life on hold so he could spend all his free time with her? No. That was silly and juvenile.

This was actually good. After not being with the girls at all last night, they needed a girls-only night. Maybe she’d take them to see a movie, indulge in a humongous bucket of popcorn.

She really tried not to think about Adam as she drove through Horizon Beach toward home, but it didn’t work. She scanned parking lots, the windows of businesses, the surrounding streets for any sign of him. She felt about fourteen with her first big crush.

She might have missed the wreck on Palm Street if she hadn’t been searching so diligently. The pickup truck hit the Corvette as it stopped at the stop sign at Palm and Canal. Patrol would be en route soon, but still she pulled over to see if anyone was hurt.

By the time she parked, called in the accident and got out, the drivers of the two other vehicles had exited and were yelling at each other.

“Don’t you stupid rednecks know what a stop sign is?” the driver of the Corvette screamed at the driver of the truck, Bonnie Shouse, well known to Horizon Beach’s patrol officers because of her inability to hold her liquor.