got his kid back for him. He’ll believe he owes you forever.”
It was nearly one o’clock in the morning when Dr. Breaker
called. Thomas took the call, looked very relieved as he listened.
He was smiling when he turned to Becca and Adam. “Everything’s
okay. Nothing there but your beautiful normal stuff, Becca. He
said not to worry.”
Becca had rather hoped there might be something, nothing terminal,
naturally, but something. Otherwise, they still had not a single
clue about anything. Krimakov had kidnapped Sam to get her
back to Riptide. Then he’d shot her in the shoulder to deliver that
ridiculous note. In the gym parking lot. Nothing made sense.
That night Adam came to her. It was very dark in her room. She
was lying there, unable to sleep even though it was very late, staring
toward the window, looking at the slice of white moon just
above the maple treetops. The trees were silhouetted stark and
silent against the night, and they were perfectly still, no breeze at
all. Thank God the house was air-conditioned. It was cool in her
bedroom.
Her door opened, then closed quietly. His voice was soft,
pitched low. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just me. And I’m not here to
jump you, Becca.”
She looked over at him, standing with his back against her closed
door.
“Why not?”
He laughed, a painful sound, and walked toward her, tall, strong,
and she wanted him.
He said, stopping beside her bed, looking down at her, “You
never say what I expect. I want to jump you, at least a dozen times
an hour, but no, this is your father’s house. One doesn’t do that un
der the parental roof -when one isn’t married. But don’t get me
wrong. If I could strip that nightgown off you, I would have it
gone in a second flat. But I can’t. Not here. I just wanted to see
how you were doing. Oh hell, that’s a big lie. I’m here because I
want to kiss you until we’re both stupid with pleasure.”
He was beside her then, drawing her up and against his chest, and
he kissed her, lightly, then with more pressure, and she opened her
mouth and didn’t want him to stop. His breath was hot and sweet,
his scent rich, dark, and that mouth of his was delicious, and she let
herself enjoy him fully. She wanted more and more. It was Adam
who pushed her gently back after what seemed like only an instant.
“You’re beautiful,” he said and streaked his fingers through her
hair, pushing it behind her ears. “Even with your hair still a bit
brassy.”
“I’m not stupid with pleasure yet, Adam.”
“I’m not, either, but we’ve got to stop.” He was breathing hard, his hands flexing and unflexing against her back.
“Maybe we could kiss just a little bit more?”
“Listen, if we don’t stop right now, I’ll start crying because I
know that sooner or later we’d have to stop. We’ll stop now before
it kills me.”
“All right, then. You be strong and let me mess with you just a
bit.” She kissed his chin once, then again. She touched her fingers
to his cheeks, his nose, his brows, lightly traced over his mouth. She
looked at his mouth as she said, “I haven’t told you this before,
Adam. So much has happened. We haven’t known each other all
that long, and nothing we’ve done together has been remotely normal
or predictable. But here goes: You’re very, very sexy.”
He stared at her in the dim light as if he hadn’t understood her.
“What did you say? You think I’m sexy?”
“Oh, yes, the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. And finally I’ve gotten
to kiss you. I like it, very much. I kissed your chin because it’s sexy, too.
He looked inordinately pleased with himself, and with her. “I
guess being sexy is okay. Is that all you think of me,Becca? I’m just
a sexy hunk? Isn’t there anything else, maybe, that you’d like to say
to me?”
“What else should I say? Your ego is big enough without my
saying more.” Then she looked up at him beneath her lashes, a