When It Hooks You (It #1) (16 page)

Trish pulled Adam’s half-filled plate and chopsticks to set in front of him. She didn’t want him to move from her side. He reached for his glass, and they clinked. Rather than make a toast, Adam leaned in to brush his lips over hers in a brief kiss.

They continued dining on Chinese cuisine in their atmospheric, floating restaurant. The boat moved past where they’d boarded the water taxi and rounded the river’s bend, turning east toward the lake. Trish felt like the kid in the
Polar Express
upon getting a first glimpse of the North Pole. She’d seen this iconic slice of Chicago many times, but from this vantage it shone like a wonderland. The river shimmered with luminescent fire as the lights of the surrounding buildings transformed its surface into living stained glass.

Trish didn’t so much as blink as she feasted on the sight. After they’d passed the alabaster face of the Wrigley Building, standing out like an angel with colored lights illuminating its spired halo, she turned toward Adam. “Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for being here.” His fingers widened their span on her arm, traveling from her elbow up to her shoulder. His other hand molded around her jaw, holding her still while he lowered his lips to hers—as if any power in the universe could’ve persuaded her to move away.

Their mouths moved against each other in slow motion. He took his time, savoring her. She gave the sommelier props for the exquisite blend of honeyed wine and peppery spice on Adam’s tongue. The last part of the river slipped underneath them before Adam ended the kiss with a series of soft pecks. “Looks like we’re entering the lock.” His voice was huskier than usual. “We should clean this up and move over to a bench seat before Mo needs to maneuver to the harbor.”

They gathered the cartons and tossed them into the bag. Adam topped off their glasses with the remaining wine before adding the empty bottle to the bag. They took seats on the back bench, watching the changing skyline as they trolled along the edge of Lake Michigan to the nearest harbor.

Upon docking, the captain ascended. He and Adam folded the table and chairs, handing them to two teenaged boys who’d come over to help. “We’ll keep this,” Adam said of the candle, handing it to Trish. As she took it from him, her eyebrows pulled together in a question he didn’t answer. She looked down at the candle’s pulsing electronic flame and touched it to prove to herself it wasn’t actual fire.

Adam and Mo shook hands, then the captain stepped onto the dock and gave Trish a friendly salute goodbye.

“We’re staying on?” she asked, pushing her arms through her sweater. The light breeze coming off the lake took the temperature down a few degrees.

“Yep. Let’s see if I remember how to drive one of these things.” Adam practically skipped down the two steps to the captain’s chair.

“
You’re
driving?” She was right behind him, lowering into the passenger seat while he pushed buttons and flicked switches.

“Scared?” He peeked at her from the corner of his eye.

“A little. When’s the last time you captained one of these?”

“A few weeks ago. I was only teasing about remembering. One doesn’t grow up on the East Coast in a well-off family without learning his way around a boat. This will be like sleepwalking compared to captaining a sailboat.”

“Have you gone out on Lake Michigan before?”

“Oh yes, many times. Ask Michael.” Just when she started to feel reassured, he added, “Of course, never at night.”

The engine purred and the boat pulled away from the dock. Adam flawlessly steered them through the maze and out of the harbor. Her doubt was tempered by a new wave of desire for this confident, skilled captain of the waves. He kicked up the speed once they’d moved beyond the other boats and hit open water, sending any of her remaining fears bobbing in the wake behind them. Her body thrilled at putting its fate into his capable hands.

She gave herself over to delighted squeals. Just when her vocal chords felt nearly depleted, Adam spun the boat back toward the city and slowed the speed. Before them spread a sweeping view of Chicago’s distinctive skyline.

After Trish took a few calming inhales, she joked, “So we’re not making a break for Indiana or Michigan?”

“I’m happy right here.” He kept one hand on the wheel and laid the other over her hand, pulling it to rest on this thigh. He gave her a long look before returning his attention to the mildly restless water in front of them.

To their right, the narrow carnival that was Navy Pier jutted into the water, its glowing Ferris wheel standing out like an exclamation point. As they drew closer to the city, they joined several other boats parked in the water, and Trish remembered there was a fireworks display at the pier on Saturdays throughout summer. She swung around to beam at Adam. “I’ve never seen the fireworks from the lake before.”

He smiled and returned both hands to the wheel, weaving their boat between two others and stopping about thirty yards away from them. The lively glow of the moon and lights of the pier danced off the inky black water. “Does this look like a good spot to drop anchor?”

“Perfect. You seriously should get a job planning dates for
The Bachelor
.”

He laughed. “Maybe if my other ventures don’t pan out, I’ll look into it.” He situated the boat and stood, gesturing Trish toward the deck. Once there, he lifted one of the bench cushions and pulled out a blanket. “Quite a bit cooler out here. You might want to pull out those slippers I bought you.”

“Aha, so this is why I needed them.” Sliding out of her sandals, she curled her chilled toes before slipping the smooth silk over her bare feet and jumping onto the wide bench at the back of the boat. Using the side cushion as a backrest, she swung her legs up and stretched them along the bench’s length. She patted the space next to her. “Come over here. We’ll both fit.”

Bringing the blanket with him, Adam slid next to her. The cushion was barely wide enough for the two of them, so she hooked a leg over one of his to conserve space. He wrapped an arm around her back while he spread the blanket over them, completing their nest. Trish snuggled against him. “You never finished answering my question about us being opposites. Bottom line—are we?”

“I think so, yes.” He tilted his palm upward, intertwining his fingers with hers. “You’re light. Easygoing and delightful to spend time with. I’m dark. Brooding, I guess you’d say.”

“You’re delightful.” She jerked her face toward him, looking him directly in the eye. “You’ve been acting like a boy with a new puppy ever since the cap’n turned over the keys.”

He kept his eyes steady on hers, pressing his lips together before saying, “I’m lighter when I’m with you.”

She arched an eyebrow. “You sure it wasn’t the boat’s influence?”

He tilted his head and looked skyward, a playful smile twitching his lips as he appeared to consider. “The boat didn’t hurt. But it’s definitely you that flicked my switch.” He lowered his eyes to look at her. His irises burned with same intensity she’d noted when she’d first met up with him earlier that day.

Trish traced her fingertips along his jawline, where she felt the beginning of day’s-end stubble. Touching her lips to his in baby kisses, she kept her eyes open long enough to watch his lids lower. The kisses melded into a single, long, lingering one that was only stopped by the crackling of the first fireworks.

With silly grins, they turned their faces toward the show, but kept their arms around one another as they watched the miniature explosions burst into glittering color. Adam shifted, and his hot breath tickled the side of her throat. His lips soon followed, pressing lightly and then lifting away to slightly reposition, as if searching for her most receptive pleasure points. When he struck gold, she sucked in a breath, and his tongue joined the action to dig in full force. She curled her leg up and over his hip, encouraging him to continue. His hand had moved to her thigh, fingertips pressing into the thin fabric of her dress. His fingers fanned out, circling over her hip, grabbing and releasing.

Trish leaned into him. He shifted sideways until he was flat on his back and she was on top of him. He’d broken suction with her neck, and now she dove into him. Their wet, hot mouths slid against one another, and their hands explored. All while the sky burst with electrified spasm after spasm. The booms matched each wall of resistance crumbling within Trish.

Adam clutched at her long dress, inching it up far enough that he could slide his hands underneath to discover the supple flesh exposed by Trish’s lacy thong. The blanket must’ve fallen because cool night air rushed over her newly exposed skin. The sudden chill did nothing to cool her burning insides.

Screw revirgination.
Adam was worth losing it to. Judging by the enthusiastic way his hands kneaded her fleshy backside as he pressed his hips into her, he was thinking along the same lines. The solid, bulging mass of his erection pushed against the thin layer of her lace.

“Adam.” His name came out in a breathy whoosh. She planned to tell him she’d retrieve the blanket so they could hide under it and consummate their love—or at least their deep infatuation—right there on the open lake, but a catcall from a nearby boat stopped her.

It also stopped Adam’s motion. “I’m sorry,” he said, pulling the hem of her dress down to her thighs to cover her. He tilted so that she slid off of him onto the cushion.

“It’s okay.” She stroked her hand along the side of his face, relishing the warm gusts of his heavy breath blowing onto her. “More than okay. It was fantastic—which bodes well for things to come.” She kissed his mouth and his chin and then his neck.

“No, Trish.” He put his hand to her shoulder, gently but decidedly pushing her back, away from him. “I told you when this started—I’m not available for a relationship.”

“I know. I don’t expect a relationship. I just thought we could end our last date on a memorable note.” She tried to walk her fingers up his chest, but his hand covered hers, pressing her palm to his pounding heart as the sky burst with the grand finale.

They stayed silent rather than shout over the thundering explosions. Instead of watching the display, they watched each other, his eyes shimmering with reflections of the show. Deep inhales helped Trish calm her breathing. She felt his heart rate drop, as well.

When the assault on their ears fizzled, Adam was the first to speak. “You put your rules in place for a reason. You can’t cast them aside in a heady moment. You’d regret it.”

She waved her head from side to side, her long hair swishing across the firm planes of his chest. Apparently she’d done some unbuttoning during their make out. “I thought it through before I was heady. I want to do this.”

“Even though you might never see me again?”

She didn’t want to think past him saying that final good night. Staying in the present was the only way she’d been able to enjoy a second of this date.

“If you recall,” he continued. “I’ve got my reasons, too.” His fingertips skimmed the side of her face, brushing her drooping strands behind her ear. His mouth tightened and his gaze drifted from her face to the darkness beyond. His pained expression stopped her from trying to discredit his reasons. It didn’t matter to her that he couldn’t follow up sex with a relationship, but it obviously mattered to him, and she had to respect that.

She dropped her forehead to his chest in defeat. “This sucks.”

“If rules were easy to follow, we wouldn’t need them,” he said, cupping the side of her face to lift it off of him and plant a light kiss to her cheek. “We’d better go.” The sky was flat and black. A lingering sulfuric scent was the only evidence there’d been any fireworks at all.

Trish and Adam stayed quiet on the ride to the harbor. A cluster of boats clogged the entrance, so Adam idled the engine and they bobbed, awaiting their turn.

“What time does your plane take off tomorrow?” Trish asked to break the strained silence.

“Two twenty.”

“From O’Hare?”

“Yes.”

More silence. She hadn’t expected to feel jubilant at the end of the night, but this stiffness was wrong. She couldn’t let them end in awkwardness. “Stay with me tonight. At my apartment.”

His gaze flicked from the boats in front of him to her. As expected, his tensed features spoke protest.

“I won’t try to seduce you,” she said. “Promise. I…it felt like we were finally able to fully relax with one another tonight, and…please come over. We can talk some more, fall asleep, and…” Her brain ticked through a few simple calculations. “I’ll drive you to the airport tomorrow.”

“You have a birthday party to get to.”

“Yes. In the suburbs. My brother’s house is a pain in the ass to get to via train, so I’ve rented a car. He doesn’t live far from the airport. I can drop you off and make it to the party on time.”

“I need to get my things at the hotel.”

“We’ll have plenty of time in the morning to stop there.” All the pieces fit together so neatly. It was obviously meant to be. “Please, Adam. I’ll wear my grubbiest T-shirt and most unflattering PJ bottoms. You won’t find me the least bit tempting.”

“What would I wear?” He was thinking through specifics. That was a good sign.

“I keep a pair of men’s sweatpants in my bottom drawer and have plenty of big T-shirts.”

“Why?”

“For moments such as this, I suppose.”

He turned his gaze toward the thinning boats ahead and moved forward toward the dock. Trish sensed the softening of his position and decided not to press too hard. She let him focus on aligning the boat in its spot. They disembarked, turning the rental over to a crew member, and crossed the decking to shore.

“You understand this is strictly a non-physical sleepover.” He peered down at her out the corner of his eye as they walked.

She hid her smile, not wanting to scare away the big fish she’d caught. “Aye, captain.”

Chapter 14

O
NCE
A
T
H
ER
P
LACE
, Trish let Adam change in the bathroom and gave him a toothbrush from the five-pack she’d recently purchased. While he was in there, she pulled on a pair of pink flannel pajamas pants and a tight gray T-shirt. He finished, and as they brushed past each other in the hall, trading places, he eyed her new attire. “I thought you said grubby.”