Secret Tastes (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 4) (12 page)

"Yes," she said, feeling relieved that she could now talk freely to her cousin and best friends about her feelings for Adam. "But I'd rather they don't tell Kane and Dylan yet, either."
 

"Sure. And Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"You'll be staying at Adam's tomorrow night, right?"

"Well, it would give me a break from the ruckus that goes on in your bedroom every night," she teased, desperately trying to stifle her nerves by making things light.

"When a man knows his way around your body, you won't be able to stop yourself from screaming even if you wanted to," Kris said matter-of-factly.

Sam blushed furiously. She knew exactly what Kris was talking about.

"Oh. My. God. Adam's good, huh?" Kris said with a wide grin.

Sam sighed theatrically. "So good I thought I was going to pass out."

Kris shouted in glee and she laughed with her.

Would Adam want her to stay with him tomorrow night?

"Hey, Sam," Adam said as he arrived at Kris and Trey's for their dinner with Kris's dad.

"Hi," Sam responded, planting a kiss on his mouth. "Great timing. Uncle Conrad will be here any minute."

Adam's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Sam kissed him on the lips, and it wasn't for show. Her uncle hadn't arrived yet.
 

"We're preparing dinner," Sam said, taking his hand and leading him to the kitchen.

Hmm.

Never one to let an opportunity pass, he tugged her back and snaked an arm around her waist. "I need more warm up before your uncle gets here," he said huskily, lowering his head and kissing her—a hot, open-mouthed, tongue-in-play kiss. Oh God, how he missed her mouth.

A clanking and a sharp yelp from the kitchen startled them and made them pull apart.

Sam sighed, a shy but happy smile playing on her lips. "I better make sure those guys haven't done anything to my dishes." She gave him another kiss—a quick but sweet peck—before walking to the kitchen.

He trailed after her, grinning like an idiot. Damn. A few seconds of kissing Sam and he was back on a high.

It was a welcome change of moods. He'd been quite anxious and more than a little aggro in the last few days since she got back. She had seemed cool toward him. Not angry-cool, but we-were-just-friends-and-nothing-was-going-on kind of cool. He'd worried that she might have regretted that they'd slept together.

He wanted Sam to show that she still wanted him. It had stung when she'd acted like nothing special had happened between them. He'd thought long and hard about it, and he was sure he was already teetering into love territory. He wanted to be certain she was at least interested enough to keep on moving forward with him. Divulging his feelings only to get shattered would have serious ramifications for their friendship.

Thank God she was still keen.

"Oh." Sam stopped just before they got to the kitchen. "I was going to ask you if I could stay at your place tonight?" she whispered. "My uncle's sleeping here and he thinks I live with you."

"Of course," he grinned. Ooh, now he couldn't wait.

"Thanks, Adam," she breathed. "Do you mind if you take my suitcase and a couple of bags to your car now before Uncle Conrad arrives?"

"Why are you whispering?" he asked, his voice as low as hers.

"Oh, um, I guess I don't want Kris and Trey to get naughty ideas in their heads."

Ah, she still wasn't ready to out them. No problem—as long as it was okay if
he
got naughty ideas.

*******

"So, Adam," Conrad said as they dug into the lemon tart Sam made for dessert, "whatever did you feed our Sammy here that she up and left Melbourne?"

Adam smiled as Sam rolled her eyes and shook her head in mock censure. It was evident from their interaction that Sam was close to her Uncle Conrad. In fact, with Conrad's dark hair being similar in shade to Sam's—apart from the sprinkling of grey—he resembled his niece more than his own daughter. Kris must have taken after her late mother.

"To be honest, Conrad, I have no idea," Adam responded. "I'd like to think it was just my charm, but surely, Sam has her fair share of more eligible admirers. So I guess you have to ask her." He glanced at Sam, who was playing with her food, and noticed her blush.

"Aww, she's gone all shy," Conrad teased. "I guess it's just love, eh, Sammy?"

"You're just as bad as Mum and Dad, Uncle," Sam muttered.

"Your parents and I are just happy you've found someone. We were all worried you'd end up a spinster."

Sam gasped while Kris sputtered in laughter.

"Dad!" Kris chided. "Why did you even think that?"

"Yeah, Conrad," Adam said with a frown. "Sam's a very attractive girl."

"Oh, it wasn't the lack of admirers," Conrad said. "Even from their teenage years, there'd always been boys following these two girls like love-sick puppies. But Sam has always been picky and shy with boys. I think you're her first real boyfriend."

"That's not true," Sam protested. "Ask Kris."

"No, Adam's not her first boyfriend, Dad," Kris confirmed.

"Oh, well, what do I know?" Conrad responded. "What I mean is, this moving to Sydney for you, Adam, is a big thing. Just like my daughter moving for Trey, and Jasmine moving for Kane."

Kris and Trey smiled at each other, their expressions tender and full of love.

Adam could see why Conrad—and Sam's parents—believed that he and Sam were in love. The precedents were Sam's cousin and best friend—one engaged, and the other already married, to the men they'd met in Sydney. He bet Conrad, Helen and Ted were expecting him to propose to Sam soon.

He glanced at Sam, who was still playing with her food. He grabbed her hand and put it to his lips. "Well, I, for one, am glad that Sam and I are together."

He meant every word of it.

*******

"See you on Monday," Adam said to Trey as they said their goodbyes.

"You're not going to Sam's apartment on Saturday?" Trey asked softly so as not to be overheard by Conrad, who was chatting with the girls.

"Oh, she's moving on Saturday?"

"Yes. Her stuff from Melbourne is arriving Saturday morning. We're helping her unpack and all that."

"I'll see you Saturday then," Adam answered. He felt slightly miffed that Sam hadn't told her about her move. Sure, they weren't officially together yet but she must know he'd want to help, didn't she?

"So, where's Sam sleeping tonight?" Trey whispered with a wicked grin.

"Where else but in my bedroom. Did you think I'll let her sleep anywhere else?" he asked.

"Good luck with that," Trey said with a laugh, obviously thinking Adam was joking. "At least it makes me feel better knowing I won't be the only one not getting any tonight."

"What do you mean?"

Trey made a face. "Kris won't let me touch her while her dad's around. She doesn't want him to hear us."

"Oh. Just keep the volume down then."

Trey snorted. "No. We've tried that before but we just can't."

"Well, then, a night won't kill you."

"A night
and
a morning," Trey complained.

"Tough for you, bro. I
won't
be thinking of you when I get some tonight."

"As if," Trey said with a smirk.

Before Adam could respond, the others approached them.

"It was great to meet you, Adam," Conrad said.

"It was my pleasure, Conrad," he responded sincerely.

"I won't see these girls again for a while so you take care of this one, okay?" Conrad said, putting his arm around Sam's shoulders. "Don't let her wiggle away. She's a great catch. And don't wait too long before you make your decision about the future."
 

Adam grinned at Sam's mortified expression.

"Honestly, Uncle! Why the hurry?" she cried.

"We know you, Sammy," Conrad said. "You love thinking things through to the nth degree." Turning to Adam, he said, "A tip, Adam. Sam likes taking her time before coming to a final conclusion on most things. Just be patient with her. Her brain's so fastidious that it just refuses to stop analysing."

"We're going now," Sam said hastily, grabbing Adam's arm and leading him to the door.

Conrad chuckled. "Bye, Sammy. And don't worry about your parents. They're fine."

"Thank you, Uncle. Come visit us again. I do miss you even if you embarrass the hell out of me sometimes."

Conrad laughed out loud.

Adam glanced back and gave Conrad a wave and a grin. He was grateful for his little tip.

Sam felt Adam's hand on the small of her back as they waited for the elevator. Involuntarily, she leaned against him. Adam's arm snaked around her waist and he kissed her hair.

The lift came and they boarded. To her surprise, Adam crowded her to a corner, pinning her against the wall with his body.

"Did you miss me, Sammy?" he asked huskily, running a knuckle on her cheek.

Her heart pounded like mad, excitement and worry warring within her.

"Adam, someone might come in," she whispered frantically.

"So? Then they'll see a couple making out in the corner."

"Wait 'til we get home," she said, placing her palms on his chest to push him away. But she ended up caressing that muscular chest of his that she'd been yearning for for weeks.

"Did you miss me?" he repeated, nuzzling her neck.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Good. 'Cause I missed you, too." Adam planted a kiss below her ear.

"Really?" she asked, her heart expanding. He missed her!

"Uh-huh," Adam replied, leaving butterfly kisses along her face. Her eyes closed as she placed her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him.

Adam's lips found hers and she melted against him. What was it about his kisses that made her feel like she was being drugged?

Adam grabbed her hips and devoured her mouth. She let out a moan as she felt his hard-on. Good to know she wasn't the only one getting aroused.

"Are you two getting out?" a voice asked.

Sam's eyes flew open as she pushed Adam away in panic. An elderly couple and a middle-aged woman were staring at them with saucer eyes.

"Sorry," she said in a small voice and scurried out, dragging Adam with her.

Adam was chuckling as he led them toward his car. "You should have seen your face, Sam."

She glared at him. "I'll have you know I'm not an exhibitionist."

"We were just kissing," he said in laughing protest.

"I was plastered all over you and you had your hands on my ass! I swear you were grinding your hips against mine when the door opened."

A man who was loading something in his car glanced at them in surprise. Sam's face burned. Great. Now she was even proclaiming to the world what they'd just done in a public place.

Adam shrugged at the stranger as they walked past him. "Can you blame me?" he asked the guy.

"No," the man said with a laugh. "Not at all."

Sam gave Adam one of her most blistering scowls.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, looking regretful. "I really just missed you."

She sighed, her indignation dissipating. If he put it like that…

Besides, it was her fault too. She was just as much in a haze of passion as he had been. Well, she couldn't help it. Adam was just too hot. She could understand why Sandy wouldn't let him go.

Hrmmph. Sandy. Shameless Sandy. She bet Sandy wouldn't have felt one iota of embarrassment if someone caught her canoodling in the elevator.

A thought hit her. Was that one of the reasons why Adam found that woman attractive? Because Sandy wasn't ashamed to show how much she enjoyed being with him? In contrast, here she was giving him a hard time for showing her how much he missed her?

They got to Adam's car. Before he opened the passenger door, he tilted her chin. "Forgive me?"

She gave him an apologetic smile of her own. "There's nothing to forgive. Sometimes I'm just too… modest."

Adam grinned.

This time, she deliberately put her arms around him and kissed him. Passionately.

"Mmm, Sam, there are people about," Adam murmured.

"We're just kissing," she responded.

Adam laughed sexily. "Let's go home."

Oh, yes, great idea.

*******

"Mmmm."

Sam giggled as Adam pinned her against the passenger side of his car as soon as she got out.

"There's no one here but us," he whispered in her ear.

She looked around. The basement car park of Adam's apartment was indeed empty.

"Someone can turn up at any second," she said. But instead of retreating, she clutched his shirt and pulled him to her for a torrid kiss. She even lifted a leg and wrapped it around him. She did cross her fingers that no one would catch them in that position.

"Oh, you've changed your mind about being an exhibitionist, have you?" Adam murmured, his voice heavy with desire.

The unmistakable sound of an approaching car made her freeze. "Uh, not quite yet."

Adam chuckled. "We'll continue this upstairs," he said, releasing her.

They retrieved her suitcase and a couple of heavy bags from the boot of his car. Since it was already Thursday night, they'd decided it was more convenient if she stayed with Adam until Saturday morning when she moved into her new apartment.

Kris had secretly winked at her, but funnily enough, Trey didn't seem to have any clue that convenience wasn't the real reason for this arrangement.

She wondered why that was? Hadn't Trey even considered that his best friend might be interested in her? Was that such an unthinkable thing? Was it because she was so different from Sandy?

Darn. Now her doubts were threatening to ruin her night. Why, oh why, did thoughts of Sandy keep on intruding?

She held the elevator door open for Adam, whose hands were full with her heavy bags. Just as the lift was about to close, a guy came running inside.

"Hey, Adam."

"Hey, Paul. How's it going?"

"Not bad, thanks."

Paul turned his attention to Sam, eyeing the suitcase she was holding on to. "Hi, I'm Paul," he said with a charming smile.

"Hi, I'm Sam."