All I Ever Need Is You
Page 28
Finally, with one more swipe of his tongue over her lower lip, he let her up for air. “We weren’t done talking about the house yet, were we?”
Every part of her felt warm and sated as she smiled and shook her head. “No, not yet.”
“How about we continue our conversation in bed?”
If the water hadn’t begun to cool so rapidly, she might have voted for staying in the tub with him forever. “Throw in a couple of steaks, a bottle of wine, and some fresh-baked bread, and you’ve got a deal.”
A few minutes later they were both wrapped in plush bathrobes, he’d called for room service, and they were sitting on top of the soft duvet drinking from a couple of mini bottles of wine from the minibar.
“I’ve thought about the couple who lived in that house more than once since we moved away fifteen years ago,” Kerry said, “but I always assumed their house must have sold to some lucky family. If it’s in as bad a state as you’re saying, I’m guessing that’s not what happened.”
“Unfortunately, it went to some distant family members who forgot all about it.”
“You have to save it, Adam.”
“Because you loved it as a child?”
“Yes, partly because I loved it as a kid. But also because that house, more than any I’ve ever known, represents true love. A love so pure,” she teased, “that even you couldn’t have missed it.”
He shook his head, feigning disgust, but she felt as though she was starting to see through him just a little bit.
“You’re planning to go by to see it, aren’t you?” he asked her.
Clearly, she thought, he was starting to see through her a little bit, too. “Sitting beneath that oak tree was always one of my favorite places to be.”
He frowned. “I’d hate for your good memories to be changed.”
“Don’t worry.” His concern was so sweet that she had to reach up to stroke his bristly cheek. “They won’t be, no matter how bad you think it looks.”
“How about we go together? That way I can show you why it’s not a completely lost cause.”
“I knew it,” she said, leaning in even closer so that she could kiss him. “You were already thinking of taking the house on.”
He kissed her back before saying, “Maybe.”
“No,” she said softly, “you’re not a maybe kind of guy.”
The sudden tension in the room had her realizing that she must have overstepped somehow. Did he think she was talking about them? Or that she was wishing for more than the agreement they’d made?
Kerry wished she could read his expression, wished she could figure out how to take things back to the playful, sexy place. Fortunately, the ringing of the suite’s doorbell broke the slightly tense moment.
“Hang tight, I’ll go get our food.”
Adam was effortlessly gorgeous as he took off the robe and pulled on a pair of jeans to head out of the bedroom and into the connected sitting room. She could still hardly believe that she’d slept with him—or that she’d ever considered not sleeping with him for one second. Because even with that one weird moment they’d just had, having sex with Adam Sullivan was the best thing she’d ever done in her entire life.
The very best thing.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Your turn now,” Adam said between bites. “Tell me how things are going with the wedding biz.”
Kerry laughed as she took a bite of bread, swallowing it down with some red wine before saying, “You can’t possibly want to hear about the minute details of planning happily-ever-afters.”
“I like listening to you be passionate, whatever the subject. Especially,” he added with a wicked grin, “when you’re being passionate about something on my lap in the bathtub.”
She threw the rest of her roll at him as she laughed again. He liked seeing her loose like this, her hair down and tangled around her shoulders, her mouth curving up again and again into easy smiles.
“Well, if you insist,” she said with her own little wicked glint in her eyes, “I’d be happy to tell you all about the couple I met with for the second time today.”
Surprisingly, he found he really was interested. Still, he had to tease her by saying, “Let me guess. They were disgustingly, droolingly in love and they called each other Poopsie and Button.”
He was expecting her to laugh again, but she frowned instead. “Actually, they weren’t like that at all.”
She looked so sad about it that he pushed the tray of food aside so that he could pull her onto his lap and put his arms around her. “Then what were they doing in your office?”
She sighed, leaning closer to him. “That’s what I keep asking myself.” He pressed a kiss to her neck, and she shivered a little at the sensation before saying, “They couldn’t agree on anything. Not location. Not size. Not style. Not even the month to have the wedding.”
“Maybe,” he suggested, “he feels like a fish out of water talking to a wedding planner.”
“I’d have known if that were the problem,” she said with a shake of her head. “This was different. Like they were both determined to push at each other.”
“But they’ve gotten this far, right? To the point where she’s wearing a ring that he gave her and they’re talking with the best wedding planner in the business.”
That got him a small smile, which he was glad to see. “True.”
Every part of her felt warm and sated as she smiled and shook her head. “No, not yet.”
“How about we continue our conversation in bed?”
If the water hadn’t begun to cool so rapidly, she might have voted for staying in the tub with him forever. “Throw in a couple of steaks, a bottle of wine, and some fresh-baked bread, and you’ve got a deal.”
A few minutes later they were both wrapped in plush bathrobes, he’d called for room service, and they were sitting on top of the soft duvet drinking from a couple of mini bottles of wine from the minibar.
“I’ve thought about the couple who lived in that house more than once since we moved away fifteen years ago,” Kerry said, “but I always assumed their house must have sold to some lucky family. If it’s in as bad a state as you’re saying, I’m guessing that’s not what happened.”
“Unfortunately, it went to some distant family members who forgot all about it.”
“You have to save it, Adam.”
“Because you loved it as a child?”
“Yes, partly because I loved it as a kid. But also because that house, more than any I’ve ever known, represents true love. A love so pure,” she teased, “that even you couldn’t have missed it.”
He shook his head, feigning disgust, but she felt as though she was starting to see through him just a little bit.
“You’re planning to go by to see it, aren’t you?” he asked her.
Clearly, she thought, he was starting to see through her a little bit, too. “Sitting beneath that oak tree was always one of my favorite places to be.”
He frowned. “I’d hate for your good memories to be changed.”
“Don’t worry.” His concern was so sweet that she had to reach up to stroke his bristly cheek. “They won’t be, no matter how bad you think it looks.”
“How about we go together? That way I can show you why it’s not a completely lost cause.”
“I knew it,” she said, leaning in even closer so that she could kiss him. “You were already thinking of taking the house on.”
He kissed her back before saying, “Maybe.”
“No,” she said softly, “you’re not a maybe kind of guy.”
The sudden tension in the room had her realizing that she must have overstepped somehow. Did he think she was talking about them? Or that she was wishing for more than the agreement they’d made?
Kerry wished she could read his expression, wished she could figure out how to take things back to the playful, sexy place. Fortunately, the ringing of the suite’s doorbell broke the slightly tense moment.
“Hang tight, I’ll go get our food.”
Adam was effortlessly gorgeous as he took off the robe and pulled on a pair of jeans to head out of the bedroom and into the connected sitting room. She could still hardly believe that she’d slept with him—or that she’d ever considered not sleeping with him for one second. Because even with that one weird moment they’d just had, having sex with Adam Sullivan was the best thing she’d ever done in her entire life.
The very best thing.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Your turn now,” Adam said between bites. “Tell me how things are going with the wedding biz.”
Kerry laughed as she took a bite of bread, swallowing it down with some red wine before saying, “You can’t possibly want to hear about the minute details of planning happily-ever-afters.”
“I like listening to you be passionate, whatever the subject. Especially,” he added with a wicked grin, “when you’re being passionate about something on my lap in the bathtub.”
She threw the rest of her roll at him as she laughed again. He liked seeing her loose like this, her hair down and tangled around her shoulders, her mouth curving up again and again into easy smiles.
“Well, if you insist,” she said with her own little wicked glint in her eyes, “I’d be happy to tell you all about the couple I met with for the second time today.”
Surprisingly, he found he really was interested. Still, he had to tease her by saying, “Let me guess. They were disgustingly, droolingly in love and they called each other Poopsie and Button.”
He was expecting her to laugh again, but she frowned instead. “Actually, they weren’t like that at all.”
She looked so sad about it that he pushed the tray of food aside so that he could pull her onto his lap and put his arms around her. “Then what were they doing in your office?”
She sighed, leaning closer to him. “That’s what I keep asking myself.” He pressed a kiss to her neck, and she shivered a little at the sensation before saying, “They couldn’t agree on anything. Not location. Not size. Not style. Not even the month to have the wedding.”
“Maybe,” he suggested, “he feels like a fish out of water talking to a wedding planner.”
“I’d have known if that were the problem,” she said with a shake of her head. “This was different. Like they were both determined to push at each other.”
“But they’ve gotten this far, right? To the point where she’s wearing a ring that he gave her and they’re talking with the best wedding planner in the business.”
That got him a small smile, which he was glad to see. “True.”
