Page 16 of Fighting Fate
“It’s very easy to go looking for crutches rather than solutions.” He squeezed her hand gently. “The right answers might not become clear all at once, but that shouldn’t stop you moving forward.”
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends,” she murmured.
“Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with hard-favour’d rage,” he quoted right back at her, and saw her mouth fall open with shock. “Yes, I can quote Shakespeare, and more than just rousing battle speeches, too.”
“On the other hand,” Rosie said cryptically, “maybe some things just do fall into your lap, after all,” and she shocked Adam by reaching up to put her arms around his neck, tugging him down towards her and kissing him full on the mouth.
***
Adam didn’t respond for the longest moment, which made Rosie panic and wonder if she’d read him completely wrong, if she’d just been imagining the appreciative way he’d been looking at her all evening. She was just pulling away, face flaming with humiliation, which his lips moved against hers and one powerful arm slipped around her waist, drawing her closer against him.
From tense and embarrassed, Rosie found herself melting as Adam kissed her back. It was a slow, measured sort of kiss, the tip of his tongue tracing her lips, dancing lightly with hers.
Rosie’s eyes drifted closed as she leaned into Adam. He was warm and incredibly firm; it was like leaning against a heated wall. He smelled good too, like salt air and a tinge of something woodsy and masculine she suspected was probably expensive aftershave. His jaw was smooth, and she was pretty sure he’d shaved especially for their date.
Someone cleared their throat loudly close by, and Rosie jerked back, looking around to see a mother with two young children in the seat behind frowning disapprovingly at her. Blushing, she glanced up at Adam through her lashes, finding him smiling down at her. He said nothing, but his hand found hers again, fingers interlacing, his thumb drawing delicate circles on the back of her hand.
Jill was giving her an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the other side of the boat, Rosie spotted, a broad grin on her friend’s face encouraging her to say the words which spilled out next, spoken in a low voice to avoid offending the woman behind them any further.
“Come to my cabin, once we get back to the island.”
Adam’s eyebrows went up, and she noticed for the first time a thin scar bisecting one of them, a darker brown than the rest of his skin, wondered if he had other scars from his years in the fight game.
“How intoxicated are you?” he asked, and Rosie gave him an expressive look.
“Hardly at all. I had two mojitos, with food, and we left the restaurant well over an hour ago. I’m fully capable of making an informed decision, I promise.”
“Then yes,” Adam said with a slow smile, making things clench up low in Rosie’s belly. “I’d love to come to your cabin.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
ROSIE jumped to her feet as the boat came in, ignoring the safety instruction to remain seated until the boat was docked. Adam followed her to the rear of the boat, laughing as she jumped to the dock before the gangplank was even lowered.
“Come on!” she beckoned to him, and he jumped the gap easily, grasping her hand in his.
“Easy.” Dark brown eyes twinkled down at her. “I’m not going to change my mind. Or are you rushing into this because you’re having second thoughts?”
“Definitely not.” She tugged him after her, up off the dock and across the grounds to the staff-only area of the resort, ducking down a narrow, unlit path the guests wouldn’t even notice as they disembarked the boat. Adam kept up easily, his long strides eating up the ground as Rosie scurried along, only pausing to punch in the code at the locked gate.
On the little veranda outside her cabin, Adam drew her to a stop and pulled her into his arms to kiss her again, but he was too much taller than she. Rosie groped behind her for the door handle, fumbling it open and almost falling through, one arm around Adam’s neck to drag him with her.
“Over here,” she panted, pulling him towards her bedroom. “Please, Adam…”
“I got you,” he said in a husky rumble before suddenly sweeping her off her feet and carrying her, bridal-style, into her room.
Delighted, Rosie clung to him, though his strength was such that she never feared for a moment that he’d drop her. She did think to check “Your elbow?” as he laid her gently on the bed.
“More than up to carrying you, beautiful,” he told her, reaching out and fumbling for the switch to turn on the lamp beside the bed. “Before we start, though, you got protection?”
She grinned and waved her purse, the strap still hooked around her wrist, at him. There was a still-sealed packet in there, and she refused to think about the fact she’d bought them hoping to get lucky with Luke. She was with Adam, here and now, and he deserved her full attention.
“Excellent,” Adam said with a decidedly wolfish grin, and he straightened up and began to unbutton his shirt.
Rosie watched with unabashed appreciation as he slipped it off, twisting at the waist to toss the shirt onto her dresser. “Just don’t move for a moment,” she begged. “Let me get a really good look.”
Adam laughed and stood still, arms hanging loose at his sides. “Want me to turn around for you?” he asked, teasing.
“In a minute, I’m enjoying the front view.” She most definitely was. Of course, Adam was shirtless when they met on the beach that morning, but she’d been in no fit state to appreciate him, in a distressed state of mind and with red, sore eyes from crying all night.