Nikki said nothing, but her fierce gaze said a lot. Or was he only imagining the angry glint in her eyes? Maybe he was seeing what he wanted to see. It was gratifying to have someone on his side for a change. Someone he trusted and admired. Someone he might even be falling for a little bit.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” she finally said. “It must have been painful. But sometimes things work out for the best.”
He gazed back at her. “Sometimes they do.”
The moon was just rising over the treetops. Nikki closed her eyes and tipped her face to the pale light. “I have a confession to make.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I never said anything, but I remember you now. From that summer, I mean.”
“It’s about damn time.”
She laughed. The sound was light and melodic for such a serious woman.
Right then and there, Adam decided he was going to kiss her. He could just say good-night, get up and leave, and the evening would end pleasantly enough. But she leaned into him. Even placed her hand lightly on his knee. And that was all he needed. The kiss was definitely going to happen.
He relaxed and enjoyed the anticipation. The lightning bugs were out and the crickets. He could smell roses in her hair and honeysuckle from the neighbor’s fence.
“You said we first crossed paths at the Ruins, but that’s not true,” Nikki said. “I first saw you at the lake. You were doing backflips off the bridge.”
He nudged her good-naturedly. “Tell the truth. Were you impressed?”
“Very impressed,” she said earnestly. “You had long hair back then. And you were very tanned. All lean and sinewy muscles.” She caught herself then. “That’s the whiskey talking.”
He grinned and replenished her glass. “Keep going.”
“After that, I saw you at the Ruins. You tried to talk to me once, but—”
“You shut me down.”
“I was shy and insecure. I kept my guard up.”
“I think that guard is still up,” he said.
“Maybe it is, but I’m not the same person I was back then. The girl you saw at the Ruins is gone forever.”
“I hope that’s not true. She was pretty damn fascinating.”
“Most people would say I was just plain weird.”
He scoffed. “Most people are afraid of their own damn shadows. They don’t know how to react to someone who marches to her own drummer. I think that girl is still in there somewhere.”
“Adam...” She turned to him. “What are we doing?”
“Having a conversation.”
“You know what I mean. This banter. This...flirting. It’s not real life. It’s the whiskey and maybe a bit of adrenaline.”
“So?”
“Don’t you think we should call it a night?”
“Is that what you want?”
“No,” she admitted. “And that worries me.”
“Relax. Nothing’s going to happen unless you want it to happen.”
“That’s the thing, though...” She turned back into him, lips parted invitingly, moonlight glinting in her eyes.
One minute, they were gazing knowingly at each other, and the next, she was astride him on the steps, kissing him fiercely as she tore at his shirt.
Chapter Fourteen
Somehow they made it into the house, stumbling up the steps, crashing recklessly into walls and then pausing in the kitchen for a kiss that ended with her on the counter, arms over her head as he tugged off her top. His shirt hung open. She slid it down his arms and threw it aside.
They were both breathing heavily by this time. Impatient and greedy, Adam nuzzled her neck and then her breasts as she leaned back on her hands. He unfastened her jeans and yanked them down her legs. She kicked out of them and then found his zipper.
It was wild. Exhilarating. Totally out of control. It had been too long, Nikki thought, and she slid off the counter. They dropped to the floor, laughing at her scraped elbow and his bumped knee, and then kissing, kissing, kissing. In a flash, she was astride him again, pushing aside her underwear to take him in.
“DAMN, NIKKI.”
“I know.”
They lay panting side by side on the cold tile.
“I really wasn’t expecting the evening to end like this,” she said.
“Gives new meaning to the term ‘going out with a bang.’”
They lay on their backs gazing up at the ceiling, not quite touching as their breathing steadied. After a bit, Nikki reached for her jeans and shimmied into them. Adam did the same, and then they both lay back on the floor, not overly comfortable with one another, but not awkward, either. Nikki felt a little giddy. She wondered if it was the whiskey or the sex that made her feel so loose.
“What are you thinking?” Adam finally asked.
“The truth? That I’ll never be able to sit at that counter without thinking of you with your pants down around your ankles.”
“That’s blunt. And you’re welcome, by the way.”
She laughed and couldn’t seem to stop. “I think I’m drunk.”
“On a few sips of whiskey?”
“How else do you explain the insanity?”
“Which part? The giggling or the kitchen sex?”
“All of it. I’m normally a very serious person.”
He rolled onto his side and propped his elbow on the floor. “You have a serious job. But there’s no harm in having a little fun now and then.”
“That’s not altogether true,” Nikki said as she rubbed the back of her elbow. “We could have sprained something.”
“We’re not that old.”
She sat up and stretched, and then reached for her top. “Maybe we should at least move to a more comfortable location. These tiles are hard and cold. Or, you know, we could just call it a night.”
“You’re kicking me out?” he asked lazily.
“No. I’m giving you an easy exit.”
“Maybe I don’t want an easy exit.” He finished dressing and then pulled her to her feet. “Come on. We left the whiskey out on the steps.”
“Whiskey is the last thing I need right now,” Nikki said. “I have work tomorrow.”
“Just a nightcap and then I’ll be on my way.”
They went back outside and sat down on the steps. The breeze drifting through the garden was warm
