yet her soul resides here. I can feel her here. She won’t come
to see me or herself. All she fears and loves resides within
these walls. These little decrepit boards hold her longing and
desire. Her deepest and most sacred pleasures confined, whipped,
and ultimately…satisfied.
Lily gasped as she pressed her hand to her chest.
“Interesting,” Tom said. “We’ll take it.”
“What do you think, Lily?” Adam hung the painting back on the wall. “Do you think they’re haunted by this woman?”
“Well…” She fumbled, sliding her hands behind her back. “I couldn’t say. I don’t really go down the hill anymore. It’s a little too real for me. You know, the fact this plantation has been in my family for so long and…” She fidgeted her fingers. “Well, I don’t go there. It’s been years since I walked through that meadow. It used to be lovely, but I guess there’s too much history there. My grandma took a place that was so horrific and gave it new life. She used to tell me it was for the people who lived there. She wanted to make happy memories for the ones who gave their lives on her land. She liked to sit and watch the flowers grow. One time she told me she was never alone when she’d take her walks down there. After my grandfather died, she never remarried. Her gardens and flowers were her friends and confidants. She’d taken the darkness and made it a place for sunshine to grow.”
Adam looked at his father from the corner of his eye, then back to her. “How about I take you sometime? You can see the work Nick’s done. He’d obviously spent a lot of time working on the buildings.”
Lily looked back at the muted tones and vibrant splashes of color on the painting. “I don’t know. I’m sure everything has been taken over by weeds, and those buildings were in disrepair when I was younger. I can’t imagine what shape they’re in now. It’s probably dangerous to go inside any of them after all these years. I recall the last time I went to check on that part of the property. Gosh, it must have been at least a year ago. The shacks were still standing, but in pretty bad shape.”
“Nick’s done an amazing jobs restoring two of the shacks. I can’t believe he didn’t tell you he was working on them. You really didn’t know he was down there?”
She looked up, surprised. “No, I didn’t.”
“He’s done a great job, even cleared some of the brush.” Adam didn’t smile but kept his gaze serious and intense. “I think we need to make a trip to your grandmother’s meadow.”
“If it would please you. I would go there. It was always so beautiful. I wish it could be that way again.” Lily’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Yes, it would please me very much.” Adam gave his dad a nod and took Lily by the elbow, guiding her into yet another small white room. She gasped when he pushed her against the wall, rattling the paintings. His hot mouth was delving deep inside hers, claiming her, possessing her. She tipped her head up to catch her breath. He didn’t give her much time before sliding his rough tongue between her lips again.
“Adam…wait.” She flattened her palms on the planes of his chest, feeling the fine fabric of his suit. He tried to lean in for another go at her flushed lips. “It wouldn’t be easy for me to go there. There are so many memories.” She tried to avoid his gaze. “It’s too real—the memories are so overwhelming for me.”
“Yeah?” His voice lingered in her ear as he took her hand and led her behind one of the walls where he’d stored the extra prints. He quickly scanned the space and slid his hand inside the waistband of her black skirt. He didn’t try to penetrate the thin elastic of her panties. He rested his hand on the outside, where her lust had betrayed her. She was wet. Really wet.
“I think you want to be real and overwhelmed. You need to accept your past and find strength in the fact that you’re a vibrant, accomplished, and oh-so-fucking-sexy woman.” He pressed his palm harder against her twitching sex. “This wants to be in those shacks, whipped and confined. Besides, I know what you need, Lily Flower, not what you think you want.”
“Oh, Adam.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him massage the soaked fabric.
“Kiss me now.” His command was all direct, assertive, yet loving. Just like a dom should be.
She pressed her lips against his and opened her mouth to allow his tongue to taste her. This was what she wanted, needed. Tony had made her feel accepted with his passionate touches, but Adam made her feel loved.