Page 75 of It'll Always Be Her
All the things he couldn’t explain by science flooded him—fireworks, bursts of heat, and this intense, aching pull to get even closer to her. To get inside her.
And she’d let him; he sensed her willingness with a certainty as deep as the earth. It was in the sway of her body against his, the way she curved one arm around his waist, gripped his shirt, and parted her lips. She responded as if she’d just been waiting for him to kiss her again.
He pulled her closer, sliding his tongue into her mouth. She made a noise low in her throat. Her breasts pressed against his chest. Everything about her was so sweet.
His defenses crumbled, letting in all the poetic things he’d never considered. Cherry blossoms, sun-soaked summer days, the taste of ripe fruit.
“I don’t want to be more than friends.” He trailed his lips across her cheek to her ear and breathed in her vanilla scent. “I want to bemore thanmore than friends.”
She gave a breathless chuckle and rubbed her hand over his chest. “I’ll bet there’s some sort of exponential equation for that, isn’t there?”
“I can come up with one if you want.” He nuzzled his nose into her hair.
“No need. Your proof is poking me in the stomach.”
Adam laughed and lifted his head away from her. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not. Neither am I.” She patted his chest, her forehead crinkling slightly. “But I think we should probably keep this between us for now.”
Though he knew she was right—aside from the fact that they both had to be professional, between the library’s problems and his position as director, things could get messy if anyone found out they were romantically involved—he didn’t like the idea of keeping his feelings for her under wraps. He wanted everyone to know that he was starting to fall for her—hard.
Hell, maybe he’d already fallen.
“Hey.” He looked at her as an idea struck him. “Can you get some time off at the library later this week?”
“Probably. Why?”
“The library is closed on Halloween, right?”
She nodded.
Adam gripped her hands. “You’ll think this is nuts, but will you come with me to my parents’ fortieth-anniversary party?”
Bee blinked. “The party in Washington, DC?”
“That’s the one.”
She stared at him before another laugh burst from her. “Are you serious?”
“Completely.” He tightened his hands on hers. “The party is on November second. I planned to leave on Wednesday, stay for a few days over Halloween, and come back on the third. I’m not looking forward to it. My parents run in an exacting, judgmental crowd, and obviously, I’m the community’s big scandal. But if you come with me…we’d have a chance to get away from Bliss Cove, and I’d actually enjoy it. Heck, if you’re there with me, I might not want to leave.”
She smiled, though hesitation shone in her eyes. “You really want me to meet your parents?”
“No, but I want them to meet you.”
“What about the show?”
“We’ll be done shooting on Tuesday, and I’ve cleared the time off already. I’ll get into postproduction and editing when I get back.”
Bee shook her head, still looking stunned.
“Can you get your staff to cover for you?” he asked, urgency lighting inside him. “Look, I’m not going because I’m being a martyr, but because I don’t like hiding. And my sister has been planning the party for months, so I don’t want to let her down by not showing up.”
“But if she’s been planning it for months, won’t everything get messed up if you bring me on such short notice?”
“Laura told me the other day that there’s room for me to bring a date.” He tugged her closer, willing her to agree. “So will you be my date, Bee Delaney? Please?”
She hesitated again, and he almost saw her thoughts whirring and clicking around in her head. His heart stuttered. She bit her lip and met his gaze.