Breaking the Rules (19 page)

Adam stared at the wall, rubbing the hand not resting on her calf across his five o'clock shadow. “Okay, I suppose I can see that,” he stated, nodding. “But can you think of a reason she would tell me she needed space instead of telling me she was scared? I had told her I wasn't going anywhere, so why would she think I was lying to her and that I would leave her
eventually?”

Carly wiped a traitorous tear from her cheek. “Maybe she is used to people leaving her. I'm not saying what she did was right, but maybe that's how she's always dealt with people getting too close to her.”

Adam shifted in his seat. He stood, reaching out to pull Carly from her seat. “Thanks, you've given me a lot to think about.” After a quick hug, he turned away from her, grabbing his leather jacket. “See you Thursday?”

Carly was more confused now than she had been when she was still in her bedroom
, and Adam wasn't speaking to her. Right when they started talking, he was leaving her. Again. “Yeah, sure.” She tried to come across unaffected by his aloof demeanor, but she was crumbling inside.

Before he could get to the door, Carly had to ask the question that had been eating away at her as they talked. “Hey, did you tell your sister about us?”

Adam shook his head with a smile. “Nope, but you were totally wrong about her. She pulled all of this thinking that maybe you and I
should
hook up. Thinks we’d be perfect for one another. Can you imagine?” He softly kissed Carly’s cheek as he opened the door.

***

Adam nearly tripped as he turned to the stairs. “You can go in now,” he laughed, seeing his sister propped against the wall with her nose buried in a book.

“
Leaving so soon?” He wanted to wipe the smug look off his sister's face.

“
Yes, it was amazing,” Adam joked. “We had a wild and crazy orgy while you were gone. We’re thinking about finding some kinky sex club for tomorrow night.”

Julia jabbed him in the arm. “Shut up. You can’t blame me for giving two of my favorite people a nudge toward one another.”

“Jules, we’re friends. End of story. Please quit meddling.” He reached down, pulling Julia into his arms. “You know, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you have to stop,” he whispered to her, unsure if Carly stood on the other side of the door listening to them.

Rolling his eyes, Adam pushed Julia towards her front door. “Goodnight, pain in my ass.”

“Night, idiot.”

The past six weeks had flown by. Carly had managed to find a stagehand job, thanks to some poor bastard coming down with mono, and Adam had started talking to her again. They still weren't together, but they were friends. Both of them had admitted they weren't ready to jump back into bed, allowing their hearts to become even more wrapped up in one another.

“So, are you going out again tonight?” Julia called out from the couch.

“Yep,” she said, blotting her new plum lipstick. “How about you? Got any big plans?” Carly already knew the answer. It seemed like all Julia did was sit around the apartment night after night. While Carly was happy that Julia and Micah were still getting along, talking every night, she wished her friend would get out and live a little.

Julia popped the lid on a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. “Micah and Caleb should be calling soon.” She turned to look at Carly. “Hey, you wanna head home for Thanksgiving? We could hit the mall on Friday morning with Annie, I'm sure she'd love that.”

Carly wanted to go home for the holiday more than anything. It had been a long time since she was able to break away from work long enough to fly home. This year would be no different now that she had a job. “Can't. That's less than two weeks before
curtain goes up. I'm sure they'd have my ass if I even asked.”

Julia shrugged. “Okay, just figured I'd ask. So, what's up with the outfit? Got a hot date tonight?” She eyed Carly suspiciously.

“Nope, just dinner with a friend.” This time around, it was Adam asking Carly to keep her mouth shut about them trying to work on their differences. The way he saw it, Julia was just going to push harder if she knew they were talking and they needed to go slow.

“Okay, have fun,” Julia said, waving her hand in the air dismissively.

***

Adam sat at the corner table of a little bistro trying to resist the urge to check the time
again. Things had been going great with Carly since they started talking again, but it wasn't enough for him. If she could trust him to stand by her side as she kept working through her insecurities, he was ready to have her back in his life on a more intimate level. Of course, now that she lived with his sister, they would have to get creative about sleepover time...

He heard a pair of heels clicking across the hardwood floor and looked up. He stood, rounding the table to pull out Carly's chair. “Holy shit, Peanut,” he said, trying to catch his breath. “You look amazing.” Adam pulled her in for a hug, kissing her softly on the cheek.

Damn, he missed the feeling of her creamy skin against his lips. That one taste had him hungry for more. He quickly returned to his seat, hoping Carly hadn't noticed his dress slacks tenting.

“You like it?” She asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Hell yes, he loved it. She was wearing a black cashmere sweater dress that rode high on her thighs, paired with heels that had to be at least four inches high. He tried to push back images of those strappy shoes wrapped around his waist as she rode his cock.

“Um,” he choked out. “Yeah, I like.”

When Carly laughed, she tossed her head back, elongating her graceful neck. If her goal with tonight's wardrobe choice and up-do
had been to kill him before the main course, she was on the right track. “You're not so bad yourself,” she whispered, leaning in so he could see the slightest hint of cleavage.

O
ver two months of pent-up sexual frustration filled the air between them. While they hadn't discussed it, it seemed both of them were ready to take their relationship to the next level. Either that or Carly had turned into the biggest flirt on the planet.

“So, um...” Adam wasn't normally one to have problems saying what was on his mind, but he was still nervous that Carly would run again. “I'm just gonna say it, and I hope you won't bail on me.” Carly fidgeted with her napkin and silverware. “Can you look at me?”

“Sorry,” she said quietly. When she looked up at him with those gorgeous green eyes, his heart skipped a beat. “Go on.” She folded her arms in front of her, pressing the breasts he was trying hard to avoid looking at up and together slightly, making it hard for him to focus.

“I love you, Carly. And I'm tired of being your friend.” He reached across the table, enveloping her tiny hand in his. “I'm not asking you for forever, not right now anyway, but I want us to see if we can get back on track.”

The waiter brought over the bottle of wine Adam had ordered while he was waiting for Carly to arrive. Adam took the first glass, nodded in approval and waited until they were alone to continue. “If you can promise me that you will trust I won’t leave you, I will do everything I can to show you every day that I'm here for the long haul.”

***

Adam was saying exactly what Carly wanted to hear. She had been waiting for this since about five seconds after he hung up on her that fateful night. Now, her heart was racing, and she hoped he couldn't feel her body shaking. While he said it wasn't a proposal of any sort, this felt real. It felt permanent. And the reality of their love crashed down around her.

“I love you, Adam. So much,” she started, trying to stave off the tears building behind her eyes. “I don't want to be without you ever again.”

“Why do I feel a 'but' coming here?” Adam asked nervously. Oh, he knew her too well.

Carly nodded. “We still have the issue of you living in Wisconsin and me living out here. That might work for now, but what happens when it doesn't work anymore?”

Adam ran his hands through his hair that was still overgrown and sexy as hell. “We deal with that when the time comes.” He leaned over the table, lowering his voice to barely a whisper. “Right now, I know that I don't want to spend another night in New York, knowing you're here too, without making love to you.” He sat up straight, dramatically unfolding his napkin and placing it in his lap. The ball was in Carly's court this time.

As she digested his words, all she could do was nod. Was this really happening? “Would it be rude to leave before
we order dinner?” Carly asked, giggling like a little girl. She didn't want to be in public with Adam; she wanted to be very, very private with him. She had never minded not having sex for long periods of time, but that was when there was no emotion involved. Her body craved that connection with Adam that she'd been missing.

Adam brushed Carly's cheek with the backs of his fingers. “Patience, baby,” he laughed. “Besides, you're going to need energy tonight.” When he winked at her, she felt her core begin to throb in anticipation.

“Fine,” Carly huffed, slumping back in her seat like a petulant child. “But let's get something that won't take forever.”

***

After what had to be one of the quickest meals eaten at the quaint bistro, Adam practically pulled Carly out onto the sidewalk. If a cab didn't come soon, he was going to toss her over his shoulder and run down the street with her. Of course, she was petite enough that someone would probably think he was a kidnapper, which would ultimately delay them.

“You're sure about this?” He asked, leaning down to press his lips to hers. He wanted to taste her, but knew he wouldn't stop if his tongue entered her mouth. She was his drug.

Carly nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. “For the first time in a long time, yeah, I'm sure. Thank you,” she said sweetly, pulling his head down to hers for another kiss.

They ducked into the first cab that pulled up to the curb. As soon as the cabbie had the address of Adam's hotel, he turned his attention to Carly. “I can't wait to get you to my room and see what you have under here,” he whispered into her ear, gently nipping at the lobe before he pulled away. His fingers traced the short hemline of her dress, pushing the soft fabric higher with each pass.

Carly's body shifted so that she was leaning into his, her head falling back against his neck. Adam draped his arm over her shoulder, allowing the fingers on one hand to dip beneath the neckline as the other hand continued to inch the bottom of her dress higher. She sucked in a ragged breath, her fingers digging into his thigh. “Adam, make him hurry,” she pleaded, shifting her body around on the vinyl seat.

Adam laughed, “Something wrong, Peanut?” He dipped deeper into the top of her dress, cupping one swollen breast in his hand.

Her free hand flew over her mouth as she started to moan. They were going to wind up on one of those late night taxi-cam shows on cable television if this ride lasted much longer. His self-control was fading as he brought Carly close to climax without any part of his body buried inside of her. While the thought of making her come apart in the backseat of a taxi thrilled him, he wanted to feel her clench around him when it finally happened.

***

Carly wasn't sure her legs would hold her by the time they reached the hotel. Between her dangerously high and thin heels and Adam taunting her throughout the entire ride, her thighs were quivering as she stood. She was grateful when Adam noticed her plight and wrapped an arm tightly around her waist.

“Problems?” He whispered against her neck, gently sucking near the hollow behind her ear.

He knew exactly what he was doing, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to slap him for affecting her so deeply in public or wrap her legs around his waist, letting him feel her heat against his torso. The only thing stopping her from the latter was the fact that if she did that, every patron in the hotel lobby would know she was wearing nothing but a black satin thong.

The door to Adam's room hadn't even closed when Carly reached for the button on his pants. As soon as he told her this was what he wanted, thoughts of both of them naked, tangled in each other all night
consumed her mind.

“Baby, I need you,” she moaned, her fingers brushing between his boxer briefs and his hot skin.
She turned her hands, sliding them further down until she felt the tight muscles of his ass against her palms.

Adam's strong hands slid from Carly's thighs up to her hips, dragging the soft cashmere against her sensitive skin. She lifted her arms over her head so he could strip her dress away from her body. Her hands moved to unbutton his light green dress shirt.

“Fuck, Carly,” Adam growled as her fingers ran across his bare chest, stopping only to trace circles around his tight brown nipples. He lifted her off the ground, gently laying her across the bed. “I've missed you so much.” He rested his arms on either side of her head, bending down to kiss her. His mouth devoured hers, need and passion palpable between them. He tasted like mint with a slight hint of red wine, not a combination Carly had imagined together, but in that moment, it was her favorite flavor.

“I've missed you too,” she admitted breathlessly. “I want you inside of me. Now.”

“Such a greedy little girl,” he chuckled, rolling to his side. His head moved down her body, planting hungry kisses along her neck down to her breasts.

She turned her body to his, pulling him to her. “There's time for that later. Right now, I need to feel you inside me. Please.” If he didn't fill her soon, she was going to burst into tears.

Adam hovered over Carly's body, staring down at her while his hard cock taunted her clit. “If we do this, there's no turning back. I can't lose you again,” he said, desperation powering his words. Carly understood what he meant. She couldn't imagine not being with him.

“I'm yours,” she moaned, turning her head to kiss his forearm. “I want you to take me.”

Carly gasped as he plunged into her until the tip of his cock bumped against her cervix. He stilled, allowing her body to adjust to the stretch of his girth. Impatient as ever, Carly's hips bucked off the bed, needing him to move. He took his cue and began slowly thrusting into her until she came apart, her inner walls gripping him tightly. Moments later, he followed her over the edge.

***

Adam was almost ashamed that he hadn't lasted longer. He tried, he really did, but whenever he stopped to hold off his own climax, Carly would start to take control, arching her back and grinding her hips. There was no way he could stop the explosion.

He looked down at the object of his boyhood crush, curled against his chest trying to resist falling asleep. He knew exactly how she felt
; it was likely she had been sleeping just as poorly as he had during their time apart. As he picked up his phone to set the alarm, a new message came in.

Julia: You here or there?

He looked at the clock on the phone. If Julia was texting him at nearly midnight, there was a reason for it. Adam pulled his arm out from under Carly's head so he could respond.

Adam:
Here. What's up?

Julia: Can you come over for a bit?

“Shit,” he grumbled.

Carly stirred next to him. “What's wrong, baby?” When she propped herself up on her elbow, the sheet fell, exposing her breasts with their taut nipples. Adam
certainly didn't want to leave this room, but he was trying hard to be the dutiful brother.

“Julia wants me to come over,” he sighed.

“She seemed like it had been a rough day earlier. You'd better go.” For all her faults, Carly honestly was a loyal friend. A lesser woman would have left her friend to figure out her own problems, but Carly was telling him to get out of bed and dressed to take care of his sister.