A Splash of Hope (8 page)

“I’m honored.” She meant it, he realized as she held his gaze steadily. He was going to kiss her again. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and he knew she knew it as well. She didn’t attempt to move away. He took it as a good sign, but he still moved slowly, half savoring the moment and half expecting a knee to the groin at any time. He brushed his knuckles along her jaw, enjoying the soft feel of her skin. When no blows landed, he encircled her nape with his fingers and tugged her closer. He lowered his head, touching his lips to hers. Keeping the kiss innocent. It held a hint of promise. Faith’s cell phone rang, breaking the spell.

She hastily stepped away from him and pulled her phone out of her pocket in one motion. A look of pure horror passed over her face as she pressed the phone to her ear. “Serenity, where are you? I’ve been trying to call you for days now.” She listened intently with her brows drawn together. “Your phone is breaking up. Are you still there?” Pulling the phone away, she glanced down at it. “Damn it.”

“A bad connection?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.

“I guess so.” She sighed wearily. “I could only hear about every other word, but I did get that she’s fine and will call me when she has better reception.” She watched him in silence. He recognized the moment was lost. Serenity was back, sitting between them as surely as if she were in the room with them.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, attempting to win back some of the ground he’d gained.

“So you do intend to feed me, then?” Her smile seemed strained but since she wasn’t demanding he take her to her car, he accepted it in the spirit it was offered.

“Well, I do happen to know of this wonderful little bakery that makes the most amazing donuts, if you’re interested.”

***

Once Adam fed Faith, he quickly reassembled her car to prove how easy it was and that it wouldn’t require hiring a mechanic. She surprised him by not protesting. He hoped it meant he’d made a good choice by not helping her in any other way with the problem. Slamming the hood closed, he turned to find her watching him silently with a look he couldn’t decipher. She made no move to leave and his mind scrambled for a way to convince her to stay a little longer. He wanted to offer her the moon. At the very least, he wished he could say something incredibly smooth that would blow her away.

“Don’t go,” he said, surprising even himself with the plea. Faith glanced away, but not before he caught the look of pure anguish crossing her face.

“Don’t do this to me.”

“Was it easy for you to leave me?” He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t stop pushing her, but she surprised him.

“I cried all day long the first day,” she admitted.

For Faith to confess even a hint of weakness to anyone was as akin to politicians admitting they lied. It was something he never expected to happen. He felt moved to make a confession, as well.

“I punched a hole in my bedroom wall and then stayed drunk for three days.”

Her eyes shot to his and a bright smile lit her face. “Really?”

“Well, you don’t have to look so happy about it,” he grumbled.

He smothered a laugh as she attempted to pull a solemn face, only to fail and have her smile pop back into place.

Before he realized what he was doing, he reached up and pulled the clip from her hair, causing it to spill down her back. Taking a curl between his fingers, he brushed his thumb over it, savoring the softness of it. He kept his eyes locked on the motion, not meeting her gaze as he spoke. “You’re so damn beautiful.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.”

He did meet her gaze then. She looked as if she wished she could take the words back, but it was too late.

“I’m going to kiss you again,” he warned.

He waited for her to argue but she held her silence. “Tell me ‘no,’” he said, unsure of why he was pushing her.

“No,” she responded, causing him to chuckle. He knew she was leaving it open for him to decide if she was saying no to his kiss or no to telling him no. He decided to choose the latter. Touching his lips to hers, he lingered, refusing to press her for more. For a moment, Adam simply wanted to enjoy the feel of her soft skin against his lips. He wanted to inhale her into his lungs. Although he wanted her in every way possible, he was happy to have this much.

“Quit being a pansy,” Faith whispered against his lips as she took control, deepening their kiss. His heart soared with hope and more emotion than he could name. As he pulled away, he noticed her fingers were gripping his shirt in a tight hold. The dazed look on her face had his heart skipping a beat.

Adam had never been one for poetry. However, he’d once read a book called
Night Poems
by Ben Ditmars, hoping to impress the hot girl that sat next to him in English lit. A line from one of the poems struck a chord with him and he’d never forgotten it. It said, “I held you briefly and we parted, shaking, jittery, but not from the cold.” He thought at the time, in his youth, they shook from lust. Looking at Faith now, he realized it wasn’t lust at all that left them shaking, not by a long shot.

Chapter Thirteen

Serenity: A month ago

Serenity hadn’t planned far enough ahead she realized as Adam crowded her with his body.

“We’re engaged now, remember?” he said, as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. His lips brushed her skin and her stomach churned. She’d been so stupid not to have realized Adam would expect more from her than to simply plan a wedding and a life together. His lips touched her skin once more and she shoved him away before she could think better of it.

“Don’t touch me!” she screamed before covering her mouth in horror.

“Why ever not?” he asked in mock surprise. “It’s not as if you’re already married or anything,” he added sardonically.

As if a light switch had been thrown, understanding dawned in Serenity’s mind. “You know, don’t you?” she asked, horrified. “You know everything.”

***

Adam: Present day

Fire licked across Adam’s abdomen as Faith’s tongue traced each line
. Adam’s eyes shot open. His breathing felt ragged and the only item left on his king-sized bed was the pillow he held against his chest. Releasing his tight grip upon it, he shoved it beneath his head. Glancing down the line of his body at the raging hard-on staring up at him, he groaned. The dream seemed so real and the feeling it left behind was killing him. He wanted to touch her. Reaching down, he took his dick in hand. Damn, he could almost smell her scent. He stroked upward, squeezing tighter when he reached the crown, causing all his nerve endings to snap to life. A moan fell from his lips. He bit down on his bottom lip, holding in the sound and repeated the motion. Closing his eyes, he pictured her mouth there. Her lips parted as her pink tongue circled the head of his cock. He increased the speed of his hand as he imagined her throat tightening around his dick as her cheeks hollowed. It would never be enough. His balls drew up tight and a light exploded behind his eyes as a spurt of warm liquid soaked his chest and stomach. He squeezed out every drop and rode out every wave until the air began to chill his skin.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, Adam grabbed his phone from the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed. Catching sight of himself in the mirror above his dresser, he stared at his reflection. His hair stood on end and his eyes shone with the flush of arousal still high on his cheeks. He couldn’t keep living like this. He needed Faith. Staring into space with the phone dangling between his knees for a few more minutes, his desire to text Faith was so overwhelming he couldn’t stop twirling the phone between his fingers. He’d never wanted anyone the way he wanted her. Nothing satisfied him anymore. He could get sex. All it would take was one well-placed call, but it wasn’t about that. This was something more. She was an obsession to him. The fine sheen of sweat covering his skin was beginning to dry, but the throbbing between his legs was relentless. With one last twirl, he dropped back against the mattress and gave into temptation by tapping the message icon.

“
Send me a pic
.”

He sent the text off before he could lose his nerve. Worry ate at his gut as he stared at his silent phone. Would she ignore him? Most likely, he acknowledged. He was more than a little surprised when his phone buzzed. Smiling brightly, he read the message.

“
Why
?”

Adam decided the truth would work best. “
I woke up horny, and I need some inspiration
.”

“
You’re outrageous
,” she texted back immediately, and the small statement left him feeling ridiculously happy.

“
And you love it
,” he taunted.

His phone fell silent and the disappointment was monumental. A few minutes passed and he dozed a little, before his phone buzzed once more. Faith’s face popped up on his screen. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were sleep swollen. She looked as if his text had woken her up. Even in the middle of the night, she was still the sexiest woman in the world to Adam. Underneath her face her text read. “
Now go to sleep.
”

Smiling to himself, Adam closed his eyes, determined to do as told.

*

A smile lingered on Faith’s lips as she tucked the phone underneath her chin. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she curled into a ball, as if she could hold onto the last wisps of Adam that way. It was all she had left of him. Even though Serenity had left him standing at the altar, she’d obviously cared enough about him to marry him. She may not know where to find her baby sister, but she knew her well enough to know she’d never marry anyone if it weren’t out of love. The problem was Faith loved him too. She always had.

***

The time had come to go to Carter for help. Faith had almost talked herself out of it after hearing from Serenity, but after the late night text from Adam, she knew her heart would never survive not knowing the whole of it. She knew she could ask Adam, and he would be honest with her, but she needed to hear the story from her sister’s lips because she also knew, if there was a shred of love in Serenity’s heart for Adam, then there was no future with him for Faith.

The gray stone walls, cobbled driveway, and perfectly manicured lawn might have, on any other day, intimidated Faith, but today she was hell bent on having the truth. She didn’t expect to get as far as she did, especially once she caught sight of the impressive gate surrounding Carter’s property. To her surprise, upon hearing her name, security simply buzzed her through.

An elderly housekeeper met her at the door. “Mr. and Mrs. Monroe are by the pool,” she said immediately, leaving Faith to hide her surprise at learning there was a Mrs. Monroe.

Faith headed in the direction in which she was pointed and passed a maid dusting the corners of the hallway. She was overcome with the feeling they’d met somewhere before. Faith tried to get a better look at her, but the woman seemed determined to keep her face turned in the opposite direction. Shrugging off the feeling, Faith continued following the older lady’s directions until she found Carter relaxing at the pool’s edge in a huge wooden lounge chair, looking more at ease than she’d ever seen him before. Except for a pair of swim trunks, his body was bare. A pair of dark shades covered the sharp eyes that normally struck fear into the hearts of men.

It hit her how young he looked and she guessed he really was still young at forty-six, but she never saw him in this light. His body was trim yet hard with muscle from years of exercise. His skin was a golden brown from the sun. There wasn’t a single doubt where his son had gotten his looks, but all of those things were secondary and had nothing to do with the reason Faith was completely blown out of the water. As the housekeeper warned, Carter wasn’t alone. Curled into his side with one leg thrown over his, appearing to the entire world as if she was where she belonged, was Serenity. Neither of them seemed surprised by Faith’s sudden appearance. She wondered if she’d already been announced, or if they expected she’d eventually find her way here.

Rage was beginning to build inside Faith’s chest at Serenity’s betrayal. Not only had she allowed Faith to worry over her well-being, she’d jilted Adam for his father.

“How could you do such a thing to your own son?” Faith ground out between clenched teeth. She focused her anger on Carter while avoiding Serenity’s gaze for a moment since looking at her hurt the most.

“It was for his own good,” Carter replied, and Faith’s eye twitched. A jolt of anger climbed up her spine, causing her to fear for his safety. She had to look away. After a moment of counting backward from ten as she stared off into space, she sucked in a deep calming breath. She needed to face them both rationally. She wasn’t her parents and she could handle this like a levelheaded adult.

A blond kid with a deep tan skimming the pool caught Faith’s eye. The same feeling of déjà vu overcame her as when she passed the maid. She stared harder at him, trying to remember where she’d seen him before. He glanced up, meeting her gaze. Heavenly Scents coffee shop flashed across her mind along with the young maid/neighbor informing her of Serenity’s four-month-long empty apartment. Suddenly, everything fell into place.

“You,” she growled, watching as his eyes widened in surprise. The tiny bit of calm she’d managed to reclaim flew out the window as the magnitude of what was happening around her blossomed to life. She took two steps in his direction, determined to unleash her full wrath.