Finding Joy (The Joy Series) (Volume 2) (11 page)

He was quoting
The Tudors
and apologizing while doing it. I wasn’t sure if he was apologizing for Lizzie or for Carissa because neither was his fault.

“Forgiveness is more than saying sorry. To forgive is divine. So let’s have a glass of wine. And have make-up sex until the end of time, time, time.” I quoted from
Just Friends
to lighten the mood.

“Way to go, Samantha James,” he said nodding appreciatively. His eyebrow arched before he continued, “Take me to pleasure town,” he said.

I licked my lower lip. “God, I want to lick your skin off,” I said. We could volley
Anchorman
and
Just Friends
quotes all night.

 “I’d prefer that you didn’t.” He finished and then went on, “But … I would like to extend to you an invitation to the pants party.”

I ran my hand down the front of his pants. “Mr. Burgundy. You have a massive erection.”

He sucked in a breath and then ran a hand around my backside before giving it a squeeze. “I don’t normally do this, but I felt compelled to tell you something. You have an absolutely breathtaking … hiney. I mean, that thing’s good. I wanna be friends with it.”

“I immediately regret this decision,” I countered with another quote from
Anchorman
. “I’m in a glass case of emotion.”

His gaze intensified and threatened to suck me in. “No regrets. None. Ever.” he said in a gravelly voice that clearly declared our game had ended. In one swift move, I was in his arms and being carrying to the bedroom. I glanced at the alarm clock. It was only 3:45. We had plenty of time before Marlene got here.

It was a good thing, too, because Adam was clearly in no mood to rush things. He laid me gingerly on the bed and began the task of removing my shirt. He pulled it from the waistband of my skirt. As he worked over each button, I closed my eyes and let relief wash over me. An hour ago, when I’d still been midway through the walk from hell, I would never have thought I’d be here now. Or that I would ever feel his hands on me again for that matter.

It was possible that I had overreacted. I was willing to concede that I might have a tendency to do that when it came to Adam.

I couldn’t help myself. I had come to expect the worst when it came to relationships. Despite Adam’s nearly constant reassurance that things would work out for us, I couldn’t help but feel like I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I should have given him the benefit of the doubt today. At the very least, I should have given him the opportunity to explain the situation before I reacted. But it was in my nature to expect the worst. He didn’t deserve that.

Wait. I didn’t deserve that.

“Allie, stop overthinking everything,” he whispered, interrupting my thoughts.

I opened my eyes and looked at the beautiful man hovering over me. Apparently, his ability to forgive me was endless. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I was just enjoying your hands on me.”

“Hmm. Well, let me give you some more of that to focus on.” He moved further down the bed. The zipper on my skirt slid down. I watched as he slid the article of clothing over my hips. Naturally, I wasn’t wearing any panties, and his eyes reflected his appreciation of that fact.

He continued to pull the skirt down my legs. As it brushed over my feet, I winced. Noticing my reaction, he inspected my battered feet.

“Allie,” he hissed. “What were you thinking? I can’t believe you walked all that way. Were you in heels?”

“Mmmm hmmm,” I murmured.

“Geez, they’re raw,” he said, sliding off the bed. “Don’t move.” He walked into the bathroom, and the light turned on. I listened to the bang of a cabinet door and then the sound of running water. He strode back to the bed and began wiping a warm, wet rag over my feet. “This is bad, Alexis. You’re not going to be able to wear normal shoes to work tomorrow.”

“It’s nothing a few band-aids won’t fix,” I said softly.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I think you need some TLC.” He picked up a foot and kissed each toe. When he was done, he gently returned that foot to the bed and picked up the other one.

This was a first. No one had ever kissed my feet before. To be honest, I wasn’t a feet person. They got me from point A to point B, and I was thankful for that … today especially … but I’d never found feet to be a sensual part of the body. I changed my mind about that as Adam kissed away my afternoon of bad decisions.

He stood up again at the end of the bed and pulled his Callahan Auto Parts t-shirt over his head and dropped his jeans. I mirrored his earlier appreciation when I realized that he had been going commando, too. With his clothing also removed, he returned to his task of kissing every last inch of me. He worked his way up my calf until his lips were brushing the inside of my thigh. I sucked in a breath as his lips found my very favorite spot. I might not be a feet girl, but I was definitely this kind of girl.

I buried my hands in his thick hair and tugged and pulled as he did the same. His tongue and fingers worked in tandem as he performed some sort of voodoo magic over my girly parts. Even though I was nearly losing my mind over him, and normally it would be more than enough, I needed more of him today. I needed all of him … every part that I had almost lost

“Adam,” I said, through ragged pants. “I need you.”

“I’m all yours,” he said, his words muffled.

“No, I need all of you. Inside. Me. Now,” I panted. “Please.” I was begging.

In a flash, he was over me. Ever accommodating, he pushed into me, filling me up. “I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you. I’ll never want anyone else. It’s only you. It will only ever be you. When will you get that through your thick skull,” he said, on a groan.

“Show me,” I continued to beg.

His previously slow, gentle movements became a pound. I ground my fingernails into his back in response. His mouth found mine, silencing me. The taste of me on him wrecked me. I wouldn’t have been able to see straight even if I could’ve opened my eyes. But there was no chance of that as he continued to work me over.

“I love you,” I said. It was simple and true. I loved him. The rest of the world be damned, I would love him forever if he’d let me.

He groaned in response. “Come, Allie. I can’t wait any longer … together.”

I didn’t need an invitation. The world as I’d known it earlier that afternoon split apart as he thrust into me again and again. Through the bits and pieces that fell down around me, all I could see was the two of us. It didn’t matter how it had started or the things we had done to hurt each other. There was only one ending for us, and I’d just seen it written in the stars.

He collapsed on top of me, and I breathed in his scent and reveled in his touch. “I should play hooky on Wednesday more often,” I said, still breathless.

“I can’t think of a better way to spend a Wednesday afternoon. Or a Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday for that matter. Why do you even go to work at all?”

I blew out a contented sigh. “I can’t remember.”

“No?”

“No. I think you just fucked me stupid,” I said sleepily.

“Good. Then you definitely shouldn’t go back to work again. Ever.”

I sighed, knowing that would never be an option. Daddy Harper was still in town. Though he had been wisely keeping his distance for the past two days, I knew he was secretly monitoring my every move. Well, maybe not every move, or he would have had a car pick me up this afternoon.

Adam rolled to the side of me and propped himself up on an elbow. He picked up a strand of my hair and twirled it around his finger, staring at it appreciatively. “I love your blond hair. Everything about you is so polar opposite of me.”

“We’re like two wrongs making a right?” I asked.

 “I prefer to think that we’re like two opposite magnets that nothing can keep apart,” he said with a smirk. “Hey, you’re taking Friday off, right?”

“Well, I was, but I guess I don’t need to now.”

“Take the day off. Let’s hang out. Just the two of us. I’ll plan something special. Burke wants us to go to a costume party at some club on Saturday. I want a day … just one day … when I have you all to myself.”

“I can’t wait,” I said on a yawn. I was getting drowsy. Maybe I could squeeze in a short nap before Marlene came.

“Hey, Adam,” I murmured.

“Yeah.”

“I’m really sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

“Don’t. Don’t apologize,” he said. “I’m sure it looked as bad as you thought it did.”

“Maybe. But I still shouldn’t have doubted you. Do you think it will ever be easy? Or will it always be this hard?”

“It will get easier. Give it time.”

“But everyone wants us to fail. No one is rooting for us.”

“Just remember one thing, okay?” he said.

“What?” I asked. I was only barely awake at this point.

“We made promises, Allie. And I won’t break them. Not ever.”

Neither would I. Not ever.

CHAPTER 6

Adam

As expected, the door fell open without any real effort on my part. I had considered the possibility that I might have to break it down, but I hadn’t really thought it would be locked. On the off chance that Amber might return in her absence, Lizzie wouldn’t have locked it. She wouldn’t take the chance no matter how small.

I scanned the apartment. I just needed one picture of them together. Finally, I found what I was looking for on a short bookshelf in the corner. Lizzie and Amber were laughing at something. Lizzie appeared to be about 7 or 8 at the time. I wondered if she’d had any occasion to laugh with her mom like that since. I had serious doubts.

After one last look around, I pulled the door shut behind me … careful not to lock it. Then I headed toward the stairs with the picture tucked in my pocket.

Alexis

I looked down at my bare feet, which were propped up on the arm of the couch. Band-aids were wrapped around six of my 10 toes. Adam had been right. I hadn’t been able to wear my usual heels today.

Even though I’d gotten up early this morning, he had gotten up earlier, and he’d already been gone. However, sitting next to my favorite ‘I brake for squirrels’ coffee cup was a brand new box of Barbie band-aids. A note on the counter had read, ‘Morning, my beautiful blond Barbie. No strolls around the city today, please. Love, Adam.’

A shit-eating grin had been plastered across my face the entire time I had wrapped up my damaged toes. And then I’d slipped into a pair of ballet flats and headed out the door.

Nothing extraordinary had happened today. Unless you counted the visit from my father, and that had actually been quite extraordinary.

He had been sitting in my office when I’d limped in. I expected another showdown, but he hadn’t put up the usual fight. Instead, he had seemed resigned … as if he was giving up when it came to Adam. It was uncharacteristic and still had me on edge.

“I have to go home today, Allie girl, but your mother and I have been talking,” he had said. “We want you to come home for Thanksgiving next month. Normally, I wouldn’t need to extend an invitation like this … we’d just expect you to show up … but I guess things are different now.”

“I’m sorry, Dad, but I’ll be spending the holiday with Adam,” I had responded. It wasn’t up for negotiation.

“We suspected that you would say that, and we want you to bring him.” It had been an invitation, but his tone had lacked the sentiment.

I had eyed him suspiciously. “What’s the catch, Dad?”

He had winced in response. Until very recently, I always referred to my father as ‘Daddy.’ Even at the age of 26 and a half, I had used the childish greeting without embarrassment. Now, he had been relegated to plain old ‘Dad,’ and it wasn’t because I was finally growing up. It was because I was growing away.

He recovered quickly, however, and resumed his brusque invitation. “There’s no catch. Just bring him. Your mother and I want to get to know him.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I had said.

“What? Getting to know him?” my dad had snorted.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. If you would give him a chance, you would see that none of this was his fault and that he doesn’t deserve your mistreatment. If you would give him a chance, you’d see why I love him.”

As I had suspected it would, the ‘L’ word had caused my dad to visibly bristle. No matter what he said, he wasn’t ready to accept Adam in my life.

But then he had leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs. “Look, are we happy with the situation? No. Is this what we would have chosen for you? Absolutely not. But we’ve never wanted anything other than your happiness.” He’d actually seemed sincere.

“You’re our only daughter. We just want what is best for you, and if you can honestly tell me that you think Adam is it for you, then we want to get to know him.”

I had stared at him intently for what had seemed like minutes. Hours. I had almost believed him. Or maybe I’d just wanted to. “I can’t promise anything,” I finally said. “But I’ll talk to him.”

He had simply nodded as he’d stood up. Then he left my office without another word. I sat in a stupor wondering if the infallible Garrett Harper had cracked or if he was putting on one of his Emmy-worthy courtroom shows. I would have to wait and see. Actions speak louder than words.

I still hadn’t told Adam about our unlikely invitation, though he’d only been home a few minutes.

“You’re going out tonight, right?” he asked, as he walked through the room.

“I was supposed to go to Dawn’s with Carly tonight. She’s hosting some ‘Wine & Waxing’ thing at her house. But I’m not going.”

“Wine and what?” he asked. A smirk played across his face.

“You heard me. Waxing. I guess they bring in some beauty technician and we all take turns getting whatever service we want. Kind of weird, huh?”