Secret Tastes (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 4) (7 page)

BOOK: Secret Tastes (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 4)
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She looked so guilty that he moved closer to her and cupped her face. "Hey, it's okay. I don't mind. Honestly. And remember this whole thing is a fair exchange for the both of us."

Sam smiled. It was forced, and he didn't like it. He wanted a happy smile on her face, not a pretend one.

He placed his thumbs on each corner of her mouth and pulled upwards, so she was fake-smiling wider.

She laughed—for real, this time.

"That's more like it," he murmured, his gaze drawn to those luscious lips. He couldn't help himself. He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss, conscious that she might not want this.

To his delight Sam didn't pull away. In fact, she tentatively put her hands on his shoulders. He pulled her closer, his lips revelling in the softness of hers.

He tried—really tried—to keep the kiss light, not wanting to overwhelm her—or anger her. But he failed miserably. In the next second, he was devouring her mouth, his tongue exploring its sweetness.

Sam moaned and placed her arms around his neck, her soft body plastered against him, heating him up—and making him hard—fast.

"Jesus, Sam. What are you doing to me?" he mumbled against her lips.

As if snapped out of a trance, Sam pulled away abruptly.

"I'm sorry," she said, her faced flushed.

He gaped at her. "Why are you sorry?"

"Um, I don't usually do that."

"Do what?"

"Just kiss men like that out of the blue."

His lips twitched. She could be so shy, and he found it so endearing. "I feel very privileged then," he teased.

"So you should be," she said with a bashful laugh.

"Can I have another one?"

"Another kiss?" Sam whispered.

He nodded.

She gulped. "Okay."

"You're nervous," he said softly.

"I know. It's ridiculous. We've already kissed. Twice. Good kisses."

"No. Not good kisses," he said, holding her face with his hands.

"No?" she asked, looking disheartened.

He grinned. "They weren't just good, they were hot. And I really, really want another one."

Sam's lips curved up. "What are you waiting for then? I already said okay."

Slowly, he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. In no time flat, they were back to the level of passion they had been at earlier. His hands explored her back, eager to touch her. When Sam moaned again and pressed herself harder against him, he felt his control hang by a thread.

He wanted to touch her breasts. He wanted to unhook her bra and play with her nipples and find out how she liked it. Hell, he wanted to flick his tongue on them.

"Sam," he croaked against her neck. "I'm getting very close to carrying you to my bedroom. Stop me now if you don't want this to go further."

To his extreme disappointment, Sam gently pushed away.

"You really want me?" she asked softly.

He smiled. "Badly."

She chewed her lip. "How did we get this… hot for each other so suddenly?"

"I don't know. I was with someone else before, so I didn't know until tonight that kissing you would make me burn," he joked, but he was just as surprised that this thing with Sam had combusted so unexpectedly.

He watched her, deep in thought and looking worried. He hid a sigh. It looked like he'd need a cold shower before he went to bed. He suspected he'd still be so horny he'd have a hard time sleeping.

"Okay, but…" she said suddenly.

His heartbeat accelerated. "Okay, but…?" he repeated, itching to know what was holding her back.

"We're friends, Adam."

"I know, Sam."

"This won't ruin our friendship?"

He could understand her worry. This
could
adversely affect their friendship—and their mutual friends. "I can see how it could be a problem if our expectations about what happens afterwards don't match," he answered truthfully.

"If we do this—sleep together, I mean—what do you expect to happen afterwards?"

"I can't say I've thought about that. Like you, I'm just as surprised at how fast we got to this point."

"I know," she agreed, staring at him with uncertainty mixed with longing. "Maybe we should think about it first?"

He let out an exhale. "I was afraid you'd say that," he said, smiling broadly to let her know it was okay.

"For what it's worth, I'm very tempted," she said shyly, peering at him through her lashes.

He groaned. "Sammy, I'm still hard, so if you really want to think about it first, change the subject quickly."

"Oh," she said, her wide eyes travelling to his crotch.

"And don't look down there," he commanded. "You'll make it harder."

Sam's gaze flew back to his face. "Oops, sorry," she said apologetically in that cute way that made him smile.

He sighed. "Come, I'll show you the rest of the apartment."

*

"And I've saved the best for last—my bedroom," Adam said with a wicked grin.

Sam rolled her eyes. "And here I was thinking what a gentleman you are," she teased.

He put on an innocent look. "Hey, my bedroom is all part of the tour."

"Okay then. Go right ahead."

He led her to his room and went straight for the bed. He sat down on it and tugged her hand so she'd sit with him.

"This here is my bed," he said with a deadpan expression, taking on the tone of a professional person demonstrating something. "It's very comfortable. As you can see, these sheets are clean and fresh. They're made from the finest quality Egyptian cotton for supreme comfort. When you lie on them, you'll feel like you're on a cloud."

Sam bit her lip, struggling to hide her smile.

"Feel it," he urged. "See for yourself how soft they are." He ran his hand in a circular motion on the sheet.

Sam complied and copied his actions. "You're right. They're very soft."

"Yes, that they are," he said, continuing in his professional voice. "But to truly experience their incredible luxury, it is my recommendation that you get naked and feel these nice sheets around you."

Sam laughed out loud. "You're incorrigible."

"No. Just still horny," he said jokingly, although it was the truth.

She slapped him playfully on the thigh. "I thought we're going to think about it first," she complained.

He plopped down on his back and closed his eyes. "Okay, how long do you need? Twenty seconds? Here goes. One… two… three… four… five… six… seven…"

His eyes flew open when he felt Sam straddle him. When she leaned down—her face inches from his—he forgot to breathe.

"Adam, just kiss me. Don't make me think," she whispered.

The way he was feeling, how could he say no? With an agile motion, he rolled them and he was on top of her.

He pressed his lips against Sam's, but he could sense some internal conflict going on within her. He held back, forcing himself to keep the kiss soft and gentle. Even though his body was in dire need, this was something they shouldn't take lightly. They
were
friends, and he knew Sam wasn't the casual-sex type of girl.

After a few seconds of sweet kisses, he pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Sam, I do want you think about this. If we sleep together, I don't want you avoiding me afterwards because you've regretted it."

She smiled. "I'm just nervous. I've never had sex with someone who wasn't my boyfriend. I'm not into one-night stands."

"Well," he drawled. "Does being a fake boyfriend count?"

"Is this going to be a one-night stand?"

He stared at her. "Would you think less of me if I say I haven't thought farther than tonight?"

Sam put her hand on his cheek. "Lucky for you I already know what kind of person you are. If not, I'd be running for the hills right now."

"So what does that mean?" he asked softly, caressing a strand of hair off her face.

She let out a self-deprecating laugh. "All this analysing is probably killing the mood."

"Well, I actually can't think right now," he said wryly, sitting up straight. "How about I take you home before we do something we're not ready for?" That wasn't what he wanted, but Sam clearly wasn't ready for this. If she was, they wouldn't still be talking. He had to give her space.

He got out of bed and held out his hand to her, helping her get up. He drew her close when she was on her feet.

"When you're ready, you tell me. Okay?" he said softly.

She nodded.

"And to answer your earlier question about whether it's going to be a one-night stand, I hope not. I'm not big on one-night stands either. I'd rather see where it could lead."

Sam gulped and nodded again.

"Of course, there's always the risk of ruining our friendship, but can we agree on something right now?"

"What's that?" she whispered.

"I know we'll try not to hurt each other deliberately, but at this point there's no way to tell where we'll end up. Can we promise to remain friends no matter what happens in the future?"

"That's sensible. We also have our mutual friends to consider."

"Exactly."

She smiled. "I agree."

He grinned. "Good."

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Well, what do you expect, Samantha? You were the one who got cold feet last time," Sam muttered to herself as she arranged her toiletries in Adam's en suite bathroom in preparation for her parents' visit.

She was still getting over her disappointment that Adam had seemed a bit distant. Well, okay, he was his usual friendly self, but she would have preferred it if he'd kissed her on the lips instead of just on the cheek when he'd greeted her.

She shook her head in exasperation. The truth was she missed him, and the last couple of days had been full of daydreams about him—of what could have been if she had listened to her body and not her head.

She'd been in an almost constant state of arousal when she thought of Adam—and she'd been thinking of him way too much since they last saw each other. It was a revelation in a way—she'd never lusted after someone like this before. How come it was all bubbling up now? Was it because she knew Adam was now available while he hadn't been in the past?

She had always been good at putting a lid on her emotions, but somehow the lid that had recently been lifted was being stubborn. It didn't want to close anymore.

Gosh, what a dramatic change after she'd allowed herself to lose a little bit of control. A few hot kisses and all she could think about was jumping him. Maybe there was a wild, wanton woman hiding within her, after all. And right now, she was itching to walk up to Adam and kiss him senseless.

So what was stopping her? She'd already resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't know what the future held if they hooked up until—well, until whatever was going to happen happened. Like any relationship that was just beginning, there was no telling where it would end, or when.

And why the hell was she still thinking and rationalising? Hadn't she already decided she wanted to be with Adam despite the complications? Jasmine took the risk with Kane even though he was the brother of her sister's best friend. Ari jumped in with Dylan even though he was Jasmine's then-future brother-in-law. And Kris—well, her dear cousin Kris went for what she wanted even though she'd been warned that going for Trey wasn't a good idea.

They'd all had their challenges and difficulties but look at where they were. Happy, in love, blissful.

She might as well admit it to herself. It was that scary experience when she was just eighteen that still affected her outlook on men and sex.

Her first time was very unpleasant. Not only had she given her virginity to an inconsiderate lover ten years older than she was, but she found out belatedly that he was already married.

When her period didn't come on time, she'd been so terrified. She'd walked around for two weeks, scared to death of what the future held, what her family would say, how she'd take care of a baby she wasn't ready for—at eighteen.

Fortunately, it had been a false alarm. She'd never been more relieved in her life when her period made an appearance.

Lesson learned, she'd promised herself she wouldn't be as easy again when it came to men and sex. Nine years later, she was still hanging on to that view.

She smirked. She knew damn well that wasn't the full picture. Frustratingly, she got far more satisfaction from pleasuring herself than from sleeping with any of her three exes. She'd even spoken to a psychologist friend about it who'd suggested it could be her unpleasant sexual ordeal and fear of getting pregnant that was stopping her from fully opening up and enjoying sex with a man.

She suspected her friend was right. It was a stupid fear, really. She was on birth control—even if she hardly ever had sex—and she'd still want to use a condom. As for the mediocrity of her past experiences, wasn't that why she should look for a man who knew his way around a woman's body? She was willing to bet Adam was an expert in bed if his kisses were anything to go by.

So what in the hell was stopping her? Force of habit? How ridiculous.

Humph. She was tired of thinking about this. Now where was Adam?

Purposefully, she went to look for him. She couldn't find him in the living areas so he must be in his home office. The door was closed and she guessed he was hard at work. Of course. It was Friday—a work day. She really shouldn't be bothering him.

Chicken.

She narrowed her eyes, annoyed at herself. She pressed her ear against his office door and listened. All she could hear was some tapping on the keyboard. He wasn't on a phone call or anything.

"Adam?" she asked, swallowing her trepidation.

"Hey, Sam. Come on in," he called out.

She opened the door and stepped in. "Hi. I'm done planting the evidence of our hot affair."

Adam grinned and stood up from his chair. "Good. Are you off to go grocery shopping now?"

"Yes. But there's one more thing." Before her courage deserted her, she lunged at him and kissed him hard.

Adam was clearly surprised, but when his arms went around her and he started kissing her back, she relaxed, letting herself melt into his embrace. Ah, this was what she'd been craving for two days.

BOOK: Secret Tastes (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 4)
7.2Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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