He moved his hands, releasing her head and sliding both hands on to her hips, anchoring her even closer to him. She felt herself smile underneath his kisses and after a few seconds he was smiling too, stopping for a second so they could both come up for air.
He bumped his forehead against hers and let out a sexy laugh. "Well, I guess that got things out of the way." His eyelashes flickered against her face, tickling her cheek. His gaze was downwards, directly into her cleavage.
She let out a laugh herself. "It certainly did. Adam Brady, did you have an ulterior motive for getting me to wear this dress?"
They were still locked together. It was the first time, in a long time, she hadn't felt self-conscious. It was the first time, in a long time, she'd felt comfortable in someone's arms.
He lifted his dark eyes to meet hers. "Busted." His cheeky grin stretched from one ear to the other. His voice was husky. "I would have spent all night wondering just when to do that. I'd already spent most of dinner thinking about it." He gave a little shrug. "It seemed easier just to do it now."
"What – get it out of the way? See if you really wanted to take that walk in Marietta with me?" She was teasing him because he still hadn't let her go. She didn't have any doubt that Adam Brady was exactly where he wanted to be.
It was weird. Usually after a first kiss there was that moment of hesitation – wondering if the person had the same reaction that you had. This time she didn't doubt it for a second. She could see the little pulse racing at the bottom of his neck.
Adam was trying to appear casual. Trying to be laid back. But they could probably light up the whole parking lot with the amount of hormones flooding through them both.
He leaned back a little against the car. "Oh, I definitely want to take that walk." He pulled open the handle behind them and stepped away from her, opening the door to let her climb in.
She was surprised by how much she missed the feel of his body against hers. It was ridiculous. But his eyes hadn't left her, so she moved slowly. She was more than capable of getting in a car, but the dress restricted her movements and she had to slide in bottom first, then swing her legs around.
Adam closed the door with a shake of his head. "You've no idea how much I like that dress." He laughed as he walked around to the other side.
The drive only took five minutes and he parked in the main street. "Where to?"
She looked around. There were a few people around and it was still warm out. Grey's was more a jeans kind of place. Her red dress might raise a few eyebrows. She wasn't quite sure she was ready for that.
But something told her it was now or never. As soon as they were spotted together, Marietta would talk. Before, she'd always been uncomfortable about the topic of gossip. But with Adam? It didn't feel quite so scary. She might even want people to talk. Want other women to know that she was the person he was seeing.
He came around to help her out the car as she slid her legs out, keeping them tightly together. It was easy to take his hand as he helped her out. It was even easier to end up back in the position she had before, bumping right up close to him.
The walk into Grey's was the most self-conscious of her life. But Adam didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he handled it well. He slipped his hand into hers just outside the door and didn't give her a chance to hesitate.
A few heads turned as they walked in. Lisa with her bright red dress. And hand in hand with the new doc. She could practically hear phones ringing all round town.
Cameron behind the bar gave her a little nod. "Looking good, Lisa," he said casually. "What'll it be?"
"How about one of those cocktails you were drinking the other night?" Adam gave her a cheeky wink. "It might match your dress?"
The beer from earlier was beginning to kick in. Another cocktail and she might finally stop thinking that everyone was staring at her. She'd much prefer it if they just stared at Adam.
She gave a nervous smile to Cameron. "I'll have the strawberry daiquiri." She glanced around. "What's with this place tonight? It's practically buzzing."
He gave a wave of his hand. "Oh, that guy was in earlier."
"What guy?"
"Jared somebody. The guy that Nancylynn Pruitt's going to marry. I think half the locals just came in to celeb spot. Not that I'm complaining."
Lisa looked around. "Well, I don't see him. He must have left already. I heard that he and Nancy are practically attached at the hip."
Cameron opened his mouth as if to say something, then gave a little shake of his head. He put the drinks down on the bar. "Enjoy."
Adam carried their drinks over to one of the booths. Adam had opted for a beer and decided just to leave his car parked in the high street.
As a few heads turned in their direction Lisa started to pick at the hem of her dress. "Leave it," said Adam huskily. "The dress is beautiful. The color suits you. Let people stare. You're just living up to your nickname."
She rolled her eyes. "What one is that?"
"Luscious Lisa."
She choked on her drink. "What? Where on earth did you hear that one?"
"From some of the guys. They have nicknames for everyone. You were lucky. They were mostly complimentary."
"Luscious Lisa is complimentary?"
"I think so." He leaned towards her. "Whereabouts in Marietta do you stay? Now I've decided to have a beer I'll need to walk you home."
"I think I can find my own way home. Marietta's not that big a place to get lost in."
There was a glint in his eye. "You've already tagged me as a gentleman. There's no way I'm letting you walk home alone. Not with that dress on anyway."
She shook her head. "Where do you live?"
"Bramble Lane. I just bought the house. I like it. The kitchen and bathrooms need a little work but the bedrooms and sitting room are perfect. All I had to do was move my furniture in."
"Bramble Lane is nice. But it's a big house for a single guy. What made you buy a house there?" She tilted her head. "Do you have a secret family to move in?"
He shook his head. "I don't even have a dog. But that's in my plans too. To tell you the truth I don't actually have enough furniture to fill the house. Two of the bedrooms are empty and I still need to buy a dining set. I think the word you would use to describe my décor right now would be sparse."
She laughed. "Well, I stay on Front Avenue above the bridal salon. My apartment has hardly any space. Certainly no room for a dog. Although I'd love one. I think the word you would use to describe it is compact."
"Ever think of moving?"
Lisa shifted uncomfortably. "Not really."
"So, how do you like your new job? It must be a big change from Washington."
"It is. But it's exactly why I came here. I didn't want to just specialize in one area. And I didn't really want to be a family doctor. So, working in a hospital like Marietta General is perfect for me."
"What's your favorite ward?"
"It depends. Sometimes I love general medicine, other times it's peds." He paused for a second. "It must be the same for you. I've seen you in different wards."
She gave a careful smile. "I move about the place. The staff know me. I've been around for a while. They know they can rely on me."
"And the fairy tales?"
It seemed as if she was thinking about how to respond. "Everyone remembers fairy tales from their childhood. Most kids love them – even older ones who like to pretend they don't. With the elderly patients? Sometimes it's just someone sitting telling them a story, or they feel a familiarity about it. Whatever it is, it seems to help. So that's why I do it."
It was noisy in the pub and they were leaning close together to hear each other talk. Adam reached over and brushed her hair back from her face, resting his hand behind her ear. "And that's why I like you," he whispered in her ear. "Now," his eyes glanced dangerously downwards again, "How about I get us another drink?"
It was dark by the time they'd emerged from Grey's. Lisa was feeling much more relaxed now. She was enjoying Adam's company. He was easy to be around. And the sexy smile was making her stomach flip in more ways than one.
Another few drinks and a few compliments on her dress were making her feel a lot more confident. After Joe and Melody had left it had seemed so easy just to default into wearing black all the time. It was professional. On fat days it was slimming.