Voyeur Extraordinaire(62)

The woman’s voice rose and I moved closer to the door, feeling only slightly guilty for eavesdropping. Bruno didn’t move with me. Instead he plopped down on his butt and watched me with a reproachful expression.

Adrian’s voice was calm and collected while I could hear the emotions in every word the woman spoke. That was Adrian: detached, unemotional, cold.

“Fine!” the woman snarled, then a door was slammed shut. I froze. It was silent. If Adrian was still in the corridor, he wasn’t making a sound. A few minutes later, heels clacked loudly on the granite floor of the corridor, then the front door banged closed. The woman had left. Adrian had sent her away because of me. Maybe I should have felt at least a little guilty but I was almost giddy that he’d chosen me. It felt like a small victory. I wasn’t even sure what exactly I’d won. Adrian’s attention? Certainly not his heart, or he wouldn’t have been with the woman to begin with. Giddiness was washed away by annoyance and anger.

Steps rang out and I quickly rushed over to the kitchen area and perched on one of the black hardwood bar stools that lined the bar of the kitchen island. A trail of water droplets followed in my wake. The moment my butt hit the stool, the door swung open and Adrian entered, still gloriously underdressed. He was barefoot and his feet were narrow and elegant as he strode toward me. Was he even wearing anything under his pajama pants? At least, the bulge was gone. The argument with the woman had obviously killed his erection.

Bruno curled up on the stone floor, thoroughly unimpressed by the situation. I tore my gaze from Adrian and checked my mobile – still no message from Amy.

Adrian leaned against the counter, only an arm length away. His pajama pants hung low on his hips, revealing the V where his torso narrowed. I quickly stashed my mobile back in my purse, then knitted my fingers together to stop myself from reaching out and trailing the skin over his hips.

“You should get out of your wet coat. We can hang it over my heated towel rack.”

Personally, I thought every layer of clothing I kept on was a barrier between myself and another major mistake, but I didn’t want Adrian to know that I was nervous about us being alone in his apartment. I hopped off the stool and peeled my coat off, then put it in Adrian’s outstretched hand. His eyes traveled the length of my legs up to my too short skirt, over my hips, then he froze. He reached out for my blouse, startling me. His expression darkened as he pointed at the safety pin holding my blouse together. “What happened?” Anger radiated off of him and I wasn’t sure where it had come from.

I fumbled with the two remaining buttons. “Angry customer.” As if that explained anything. Adrian seemed to think the same. “Explain it to me,” he said in a barely controlled voice.

“Why should I?” He acted as if he had any right to know what was going on in my life. We weren’t dating. Hell, we weren’t even casual lovers. That required more than one failed attempt at sex.

He swallowed. “Did he hurt you?”

“What?” Then it dawned on me what he must have thought: that someone had assaulted me. “God no. I’m working in a bar, remember? And a guy got angry when it was closing time. He wanted another drink. I ignored him and he grabbed my shirt to stop me from leaving. The buttons flew off. That’s all.”

He shook his head. “Maybe you should look for another job. You shouldn’t have to deal with bastards like him.”

“Oh. There are bastards everywhere,” I said pointedly. “Just ask the woman you just sent off without her happy ending.”

He straightened, every muscle in his arms and chest flexed. “I don’t give a shit about her, but I owe you a happy ending.” His voice was low and seductive. He took another step toward me, so close I could feel the heat coming off of him. I curled my fingers around my purse. Don’t kiss him, Nora. Do not kiss him.

He bent down, bringing his mouth closer. Fuck, why did his lips have to look so kissable. He was an asshole, but a sexy asshole, and he was right. I wanted my happy ending, even though I was pretty sure his happy ending didn’t extend over his bedroom walls, while mine was the forever kind of thing.

Our lips were almost touching, and my heart was trying to burst through my ribcage. I ignored the alarm bells ringing in my head as our mouths came together. Adrian’s scent surrounded me as he wrapped his fingers around my upper arms, keeping me steady. I could smell the faintest hint of sweat on him – and what I could only describe as sex. I jerked away, pressing my butt against the bar stool. “No,” I gasped out. Adrian raised his eyebrows. “I can’t believe I let you kiss me again.”