Relentless(21)

The smell of a dozen different sunscreens, coconut, pineapple, jasmine, combined with the scent of hot, sweaty bodies grinding against each other is intoxicating. I follow Adam as he moves through the crowd, parting the swaying sea of bodies for me. He makes it as close as a few rows of bodies from the stage before he turns around, wraps his arms around my waist, and lifts me up.

I try not to giggle as I get a swooping sensation in my belly. I can feel my dress riding up my back, exposing my bikini bottoms to everyone. I wrap my arms around his neck as he leans his forehead against mine.

“Claire,” he says, just loud enough so I can hear him over the music. “I’m going to kiss you.”

His breath is hot against my mouth as he slowly moves in, stopping just before our lips touch and my whole body aches for this kiss. He smiles and I pull him toward me, but he turns his head at the last second and my lips brush his cheek.

“But not here,” he says into my ear, and I’m furious with frustration.

“Put me down.”

He plants a soft kiss on my cheekbone then laughs when I wipe it away. He finally sets me down on the sand, but he holds onto my waist so I can’t turn away.

“Don’t be mad,” he yells over the music. “I just want it to be perfect, like you.”

I roll my eyes. “Boy, you’ve got a rude awakening coming if you think I’m perfect.”

“You’re perfect,” he insists as he grabs my face and forces me to look him in the eye. “Just the right amount of flaws.”

Our chests heave against each other and I can’t take it anymore. “I want to go home.”

“So soon?”

“You didn’t let me finish,” I say, making no attempt to keep myself from staring at his gorgeous lips. “I want to go home… with you.”





Chapter Nine

Relentless Desire

WE HALF-RUN AND HALF-WALK BACK to his apartment. The entire time I’m trying to mentally shutdown all the alarm bells going off inside my brain. This guy is trouble. He pursues me to the point that I’m begging him to go to bed with him. Plus, he’s admitted to having rage issues. This is wrong, wrong, wrong.

So why does it feel so damn right.

As soon as he closes his front door, he clasps his hand around the back of my neck, ensnaring a handful of my hair, and pulls my face toward him. His first kiss is soft as he presses his lips to the corner of my mouth. He kisses the other corner and a sigh builds inside my chest. His tongue parts my lips and I whimper as my body melts into him, too weak to fight it.

As if he could sense this, he scoops me up in his arms and carries me to his bedroom. He lays me down on the bed and his gaze slides over me as if I’m a meal he’s preparing to devour and he can’t decide where to start.

He reaches behind his back and turns on an oscillating fan without breaking eye contact with me. “It’s very hot in here.”

He pulls off his tank top and lies on top of me, supporting his weight on his hands as he softly kisses my forehead. “I want to make love to you,” he whispers as his lips brush my temple and leave a burning trail down the side of my face before he reaches my ear. “I want to leave you dazed and confused for a week with nothing but my name on your lips.”

I’m fading fast. One part of me wants him to keep going, but another voice inside me keeps screaming that this is wrong. I’m falling too fast. It’s going to happen again.

I need to quiet that voice.

I clutch his hair and pull his face away from my neck. “Tell me a joke. Quick.” He smiles as he leans down to kiss me and, as his tongue slides over mine, a clash of emotions threatens to rip me in half. “Please,” I beg, and he groans into my mouth.

“Claire, didn’t anyone ever warn you to never trust an atom?” He kisses the corner of my mouth so softly it sends a gust of longing sweeping through me. “They make everything up.”

His fingers skim the side of my thigh as they travel upward, snagging the hem of my dress and exposing my skin to the cool air of the fan.

My breath hitches as his fingers toy with the edge of my bikini bottoms. “Adam, did anyone ever tell you your jokes are bad and you should feel bad?”

“Never,” he whispers as he presses his lips against the swell of my breast.

His hand slides between my thighs and I gasp as he strokes me through the fabric of my bikini.

“Is this your subtle way of telling me I shouldn’t trust you?” I say, eager to fill my brain with any thought other than the voice that keeps telling me to stop.

His hand slides up to my belly then beneath the waistband of my bikini bottoms. My whole body goes rigid.

“Is this okay?” he asks, looking into my eyes as his fingers come to rest on my swollen flesh.