Secret Crush Seduction, page 9
“Hell, yes.” His arms tightened around her. “You won’t be able to get out of our dinner date again.”
She laughed softly, delighted by the hint of possessiveness in his voice. She wanted him crazy for her. “Don’t forget. I like my steak rare, my champagne dry and my dessert...decadent.”
“You can count on me to deliver, sweetheart,” he said in a low voice that made her toes curl.
With frissons of sweet anticipation running down her back, Adelaide let her exhausted body drift off to sleep.
* * *
When he got home, Michael stripped out of his clothes and climbed into bed. He could still taste her on his lips and remembered the smooth coolness of her skin against his hands. Damn. The thought of her taking a cold shower because she burned for him drove him insane and turned him rock hard in an instant.
He reached for himself and squeezed, groaning roughly. Having kissed her and held her nearly naked body, he couldn’t stop wanting to bury himself deep inside her hot, wet core. He pumped his hand once, and hissed through his teeth. But he wasn’t about to spend himself on a towel when he only had a day to wait for the real thing. It was his turn for a cold shower. His second of the day.
Michael stood under the cold water until his teeth chattered, but it barely took the edge off his wild desire for Adelaide. Tomorrow. I’ll have you tomorrow.
* * *
The next morning dawned with the sun streaming through the gap in his curtains and the melodic song of cheerful birds outside. Michael gritted his teeth and pulled his pillow over his head. The monstrous morning wood greeting him after barely two hours of sleep made him cranky and beyond frustrated.
Maybe he should cancel his back-to-back client meetings, go kidnap Adelaide from her studio and bring her home like a caveman. Because he certainly felt like one at the moment.
He flung away the covers, headed straight for the shower and ran the water full blast on its coldest setting. He swore as he stepped under the punishing stream and methodically went through each issue he had to address in his meetings. Do not—EVER—drink and drive. You can freaking afford to pay for a cab. Don’t get high and go out on a burger binge. People will take pictures of you at your sloppiest and post it. He shook his head at the idiotic messes his clients made. It was frustrating as hell, but thinking about it had the desired effect of killing his more amorous feelings.
Once he was ready, he stepped out of his house dressed in his dark gray suit and sea-blue tie. Adelaide had gotten him the tie a couple birthdays ago. It was embroidered with little silver sharks with menacing grins. It suited his mood—lack of sleep and sexual frustration made him feel snappy—and it made him feel closer to Adelaide.
“Good morning, Mr. Reynolds,” the receptionist greeted him with a bright smile.
“Trisha,” he said with a stiff nod, and quickly made his way to his office. He didn’t want to bite anyone’s head off in his sullen mood.
The maintenance calls were kept short and sweet whereas the troubleshooting calls took many patience-testing minutes. But either way, the day stretched on like saltwater taffy, and his hair stood on its ends from running his hands through it repeatedly. The last meeting ran over and he didn’t leave his office until past eight.
As he drove out of the parking structure, heart pumping at the thought of finally seeing Adelaide, his phone screen alerted him to an incoming call.
“Did you miss me?” Michael said, picking up the call.
“Like crazy,” Garrett deadpanned.
Michael laughed, happy to hear from his best friend. “How’s the CEO gig? The company still standing?”
“Screw you, Reynolds. It’s doing better than ever and you know it. Your stock in the company must be making you a pretty penny these days.”
“Yeah, I’m rolling in dough. How are the East Coast Song ladies doing?”
“You won’t believe it. Sophie talks in phrases now. Nonstop. Natalie and I can’t believe how much she has to say.” He was right. Michael couldn’t believe the baby girl Garrett and his wife adopted was already a toddler. “Too bad I can’t understand half of it. Natalie seems to know exactly what she’s saying, though.” Garrett’s words flew out in a hurry, and he cleared his throat loudly.
“Are you nervous about something, Song? What’s going on?”
“Natalie’s pregnant.” Garrett sounded elated and mildly panicked.
“Congratulations! Are Natalie and the baby doing well?”
“Yeah. We just had our first ultrasound, and the baby’s heartbeat sounded like a chugging train. It was amazing. Truly amazing. Sophie nicknamed the baby Peanut because of the ultrasound image.”
“I’m so happy for you. You’ll do great. You’re already an amazing father.”
Michael pulled his car over, feeling overwhelmed. The news of his best friend and his wife having a child together filled him with joy and pride, but a shadow of pitiful envy tainted his happiness. Guilt stabbed at his gut. Garrett was his closest friend. How can I be anything but happy for him?
“Thanks, Michael. That means a lot to me.”
“It’s the truth. Congratulations, Garrett.”
He raked both hands through his hair once they ended the call. He was having difficulty dragging in a full breath. What the hell is wrong with me? He thought he’d gotten rid of his longing for a child of his own, but the devastation and shame of his infertility seemed to have clung stubbornly to the dark recesses of his mind.
He was done feeling sorry for himself. Natalie was pregnant, and it was the best damn news he’d gotten in ages. It was also a timely reminder why he couldn’t have anything long-term with Adelaide. She had grown up lonely, and he was certain she wanted children someday. Children he couldn’t give her.
When he made love to Adelaide, he had to keep a part of himself locked away. He couldn’t fall for her. He couldn’t stray from his decision not to hold on to her. It would just be for a short while. A couple months to store up on a lifetime of memories. He deserved that much. Didn’t he?
A few minutes later, he walked into Adelaide’s studio with his hair tousled, stubble on his jaw, tie askew and dark circles under his eyes. It was late, and he was surprised to find Mona, the student who’d taken a hiatus to raise her kids, Chris, and Cindy still hard at work.
Adelaide soon came into view and everything about her was perfect. She was wearing a soft pink sleeveless top, and black ankle pants that complemented her figure and coloring. Her head was bent over the desk with her long hair tucked behind her ears, and her fuchsia-stained bottom lip caught between her teeth. God, she’s sexy as sin.
“Oh.” She was so immersed in her sketch that it took her a few minutes to notice him standing by her desk. She blinked at him as though he’d manifested from thin air. “When did you get here?”
“Five minutes ago.” He smiled at the pure pleasure of hearing her beautiful voice. “I didn’t want to interrupt your work.”
She lifted her hand as though to touch his arm, but quickly withdrew it. Not only had they promised to keep their affair discreet, but any kind of touching in front of her design team would be unprofessional. Instead, they stood two feet apart, devouring each other with their eyes. Adelaide looked away first, clearing her throat. He enjoyed how much his proximity affected her, and a cocky grin spread across his face. She fanned the top of her shirt before throwing up her hands. Her gestures seemed to say, Fine. I want you. You win.
“Moving on. I had this idea about using a secret panel to make slacks that are well-fitted yet comfortable around the waist and zipper area.” As she spoke, excitement crept into her voice. “I got the idea while shopping for Natalie’s maternity clothes earlier. Garrett told you, right?”
“I thought they just found out she was pregnant,” he said. “Why would she need maternity clothes already?”
“Who said anything about her needing them? And that’s not the point.” She waved her hand impatiently, brushing off his question like an annoying fly. “The überflexible material they use for maternity clothes stretches an incredible amount then returns to its original form without pressing too tightly against your skin or hanging loose.”
“So you want to make stretchy slacks? How are they different from, say, jeggings? Or children’s pants with elastics in the back.”
“First of all, jeggings? Seriously? People can’t wear tight, stretchy leggings to a traditional work space. At least, not in good taste. Second, having the elastic in the back of the pants will increase discomfort. The elasticized area will be ridged, crinkled and scratchy.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “What I can do is create slacks from conventional materials but add a small secret panel behind the zippered front, so you can easily pull them on like sweats, but the waist conforms to the exact size you want, so nothing digs into your skin. Or hangs too loose, which would require a belt, and that probably feels like torture to people with sensory-processing difficulties. Nobody thinks belts are comfortable.”
“Breathe, Adelaide. I hear you. I can’t picture exactly how it’ll work, but the idea sounds brilliant.”
“But I’m going to need some input from the design team tomorrow. I should have some potential designs to discuss by then,” she mumbled, turning toward her desk.
“You work. I’ll go pick up dinner,” he said. Her head bobbed up and down, signaling her absentminded consent. So much for a romantic dinner at his place. He smiled wistfully as he left her side. “Would you three like some dinner? I could pick some up for you,” he said to the rest of the design team as he passed them.
“We’ll take a rain check on that. We’re leaving in a few minutes to grab chili cheeseburgers at Tommy’s.” Cindy spoke up for all of them. “But thanks for asking.”
“No problem. Have fun,” Michael said, and left the studio.
Even when she was little, if Adelaide had a task to complete, she would work nonstop until she finished. He needed some finger food that he could feed her while she sketched. Sushi or gimbap? They had sushi a few days ago, and he couldn’t find good gimbap at this time of night. He got it. Bite-size dumplings would do the job.
The closest dumpling restaurant was in Chinatown, which was about twenty minutes away. He wouldn’t get back until past ten o’clock, but Adelaide wouldn’t even notice she was hungry. She’d be ravenous once she smelled the food, though.
Michael got in his car and headed toward LA’s Chinatown. He barely got there before the last call for orders and ordered half the menu. He made good time back to Hansol, his growling stomach hurrying him along. The food smelled amazing.
As he expected, Adelaide sat exactly where he’d left her with balls of crumpled paper overflowing from her trash can. She’d been working hard, but she probably wasn’t happy with her progress.
“Just don’t go hangry on me,” he said, plopping down the box of food on the shared table in the middle of the room. “Would you like to take a break for a few minutes and eat at the table, or do you want me to feed you?”
She glanced up and frowned, then looked back down.
Michael laughed, shaking his head. She was lost in her world, and he didn’t want to disrupt her creative process. Besides, he was looking forward to feeding her. It was nearly ten o’clock so they had the studio to themselves. Still he peeked out to the hallway to make sure no one was around. Feeding her dumplings while she sketched was innocuous enough, but he didn’t want to risk being seen.
“Open wide.” He pushed aside the dirty thoughts invading his brain, and popped a shrimp-and-chives dumpling in her waiting mouth.
“Mmm.” Finally. A semiverbal response.
Next he fed her a pork-and-shrimp shumai, and ate one himself.
“Again,” she said. He obligingly popped in another shumai. Next time, he would have to get two orders of it.
By the time they finished dinner, Adelaide had a finished sketch that she didn’t crumple up.
“See. You should never work on an empty stomach,” he said, gesturing to her design.
“I guess you’re right.” She looked up from the sketch and smiled widely at him. “This is pretty good.”
He reached out and cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his hand. “You’re never just pretty good. You’re exceptional.”
“I think you’re a little biased,” she said, blushing a lovely pink.
Unable to stop himself, he kissed her lightly on the lips. She moved to deepen the kiss, but he moved back after another soft brush of his lips. “You still have work to do. I don’t want to distract you. If you kiss me like you mean it, I might carry you out of here.”
She pretended to pout, shy pleasure in her expression. “You’re no fun, Reynolds.”
He laughed and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I’ll be at that desk over there minding my own business.”
“It’s late. You should go home and rest.” She grabbed his hand and threaded her fingers through his. “You don’t need to stay.”
He squeezed her hand, which was saying the opposite of her words. “I want to keep you company, and make sure you don’t spend the whole night here.”
“I’m too old to pull an all-nighter, but I guess you can stay. You obviously want to ogle me some more.”
“Like I said, I’ll be at that desk over there undressing you with my eyes,” he said in a low voice. Adelaide leaned into him as though mesmerized, and he kissed her sweet lips one last time. “Get to work, Song.”
Michael turned on his tablet and began his everyday recon for bad publicity affecting his clients. It was a good day without any publicity nightmares, but recon was the most mundane part of his job. When he was done, he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his dry eyes tight. A glance at his watch told him it was close to two, and Adelaide was still stooped over her sketchbook.
“How’s it going?” he asked, gently massaging her stiff shoulders.
She smothered a yawn behind her hand before relaxing into the massage. “I finished two and just started the third design.”
“It’s two in the morning. Maybe you can finish the third one after a few hours of sleep. You need to be able to function tomorrow. I’ll drive you home, so you could sleep in the car.”
“I don’t want to wake up Grandmother. She’s a light sleeper.” She smiled sweetly. “Can we go to your place?”
“Yes.”
He couldn’t say no when she wanted to be with him, but she needed rest. He wouldn’t touch her tonight. At least, he would try hard not to touch her. Very hard.
Nine
Adelaide must’ve fallen asleep in the car. She was jostled awake when Michael lifted her out of the passenger seat and carried her to his house. Once they were inside, he gently lowered her feet to the floor and set her away from him. He stared at his shoes for a second as though he was unsure about what to do.
“I’ll show you to the...” He glanced at her, then looked away.
Why the awkwardness? She frowned. They were finally alone, and she wanted him. Adelaide was barely awake and making words was hard, so she linked her fingers through his and led him up the stairs. She’d only seen the room he used as a boy, but figured he would have a bed and a bathroom in the master bedroom. He indeed had an en suite bathroom, but when she led him toward it Michael halted before the threshold.
“What are you doing?” His husky voice spread warmth across her skin.
“I’m taking you into the shower with me so I can get you wet and naked,” she said, holding his gaze.
“I can’t. We can’t. You need to rest. I can’t become a distraction to your work.”
“But I need your brand of distraction right now. All work and no play makes me a very frustrated girl. I have needs and sleep isn’t on the top of my list right this moment.” She drew closer to him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, and allowed her voice to vibrate with her desire. “Listen, I’m going to scream and kick something if I don’t have you tonight.”
He sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes lit with a smoldering fire. But he continued to resist. “Adelaide, your work is so important to you—”
“Let me set some ground rules for this relationship. I get to have you whenever I want, wherever I want, and I want to have you right here tonight. Got it?”
She saw the shift in him immediately. The concerned groove between his eyebrows smoothed out and his lips tilted into a wolfish grin. The predatory air around him made her take a small step back. His grin turning cocky, he stalked her step by step until she was backed up against the glass shower door. Her breaths were already coming faster.
God, I’m so turned-on.
“So you want to get me wet and naked?”
She nodded emphatically. She was past the point of coherent speech.
“Do you want to watch me undress?”
“Yes,” she managed to rasp.
“How badly?” Now he was just teasing. She was so going to get him back for that.
“Badly. Please.”
He removed his watch with a deliberate movement and set it on the counter. Then he took his time releasing his cuff links and she got a glimpse of his wrist. It was so sexy. She was in so much trouble if she got hot over a flash of wrist. Then, with dexterous fingers, he undid his shirt buttons one by one, showing more and more tantalizing skin. When he shifted his shoulders and let the shirt drop to the floor, Adelaide gasped and bit her lip hard.
Her hands rose of their own accord and reached for his sculpted abs.
“Tsk, tsk,” he said, taking a step back. “I didn’t say you could touch me...yet.”
“What?” She actually stomped her foot like a bratty first-grader. But she was desperate. Her mind commanded her to touch, kiss and lick every inch of his body. Now.
“You can watch, but you can’t touch until I tell you to. Understood?” he said in a voice that demanded complete obedience.
She laughed softly, delighted by the hint of possessiveness in his voice. She wanted him crazy for her. “Don’t forget. I like my steak rare, my champagne dry and my dessert...decadent.”
“You can count on me to deliver, sweetheart,” he said in a low voice that made her toes curl.
With frissons of sweet anticipation running down her back, Adelaide let her exhausted body drift off to sleep.
* * *
When he got home, Michael stripped out of his clothes and climbed into bed. He could still taste her on his lips and remembered the smooth coolness of her skin against his hands. Damn. The thought of her taking a cold shower because she burned for him drove him insane and turned him rock hard in an instant.
He reached for himself and squeezed, groaning roughly. Having kissed her and held her nearly naked body, he couldn’t stop wanting to bury himself deep inside her hot, wet core. He pumped his hand once, and hissed through his teeth. But he wasn’t about to spend himself on a towel when he only had a day to wait for the real thing. It was his turn for a cold shower. His second of the day.
Michael stood under the cold water until his teeth chattered, but it barely took the edge off his wild desire for Adelaide. Tomorrow. I’ll have you tomorrow.
* * *
The next morning dawned with the sun streaming through the gap in his curtains and the melodic song of cheerful birds outside. Michael gritted his teeth and pulled his pillow over his head. The monstrous morning wood greeting him after barely two hours of sleep made him cranky and beyond frustrated.
Maybe he should cancel his back-to-back client meetings, go kidnap Adelaide from her studio and bring her home like a caveman. Because he certainly felt like one at the moment.
He flung away the covers, headed straight for the shower and ran the water full blast on its coldest setting. He swore as he stepped under the punishing stream and methodically went through each issue he had to address in his meetings. Do not—EVER—drink and drive. You can freaking afford to pay for a cab. Don’t get high and go out on a burger binge. People will take pictures of you at your sloppiest and post it. He shook his head at the idiotic messes his clients made. It was frustrating as hell, but thinking about it had the desired effect of killing his more amorous feelings.
Once he was ready, he stepped out of his house dressed in his dark gray suit and sea-blue tie. Adelaide had gotten him the tie a couple birthdays ago. It was embroidered with little silver sharks with menacing grins. It suited his mood—lack of sleep and sexual frustration made him feel snappy—and it made him feel closer to Adelaide.
“Good morning, Mr. Reynolds,” the receptionist greeted him with a bright smile.
“Trisha,” he said with a stiff nod, and quickly made his way to his office. He didn’t want to bite anyone’s head off in his sullen mood.
The maintenance calls were kept short and sweet whereas the troubleshooting calls took many patience-testing minutes. But either way, the day stretched on like saltwater taffy, and his hair stood on its ends from running his hands through it repeatedly. The last meeting ran over and he didn’t leave his office until past eight.
As he drove out of the parking structure, heart pumping at the thought of finally seeing Adelaide, his phone screen alerted him to an incoming call.
“Did you miss me?” Michael said, picking up the call.
“Like crazy,” Garrett deadpanned.
Michael laughed, happy to hear from his best friend. “How’s the CEO gig? The company still standing?”
“Screw you, Reynolds. It’s doing better than ever and you know it. Your stock in the company must be making you a pretty penny these days.”
“Yeah, I’m rolling in dough. How are the East Coast Song ladies doing?”
“You won’t believe it. Sophie talks in phrases now. Nonstop. Natalie and I can’t believe how much she has to say.” He was right. Michael couldn’t believe the baby girl Garrett and his wife adopted was already a toddler. “Too bad I can’t understand half of it. Natalie seems to know exactly what she’s saying, though.” Garrett’s words flew out in a hurry, and he cleared his throat loudly.
“Are you nervous about something, Song? What’s going on?”
“Natalie’s pregnant.” Garrett sounded elated and mildly panicked.
“Congratulations! Are Natalie and the baby doing well?”
“Yeah. We just had our first ultrasound, and the baby’s heartbeat sounded like a chugging train. It was amazing. Truly amazing. Sophie nicknamed the baby Peanut because of the ultrasound image.”
“I’m so happy for you. You’ll do great. You’re already an amazing father.”
Michael pulled his car over, feeling overwhelmed. The news of his best friend and his wife having a child together filled him with joy and pride, but a shadow of pitiful envy tainted his happiness. Guilt stabbed at his gut. Garrett was his closest friend. How can I be anything but happy for him?
“Thanks, Michael. That means a lot to me.”
“It’s the truth. Congratulations, Garrett.”
He raked both hands through his hair once they ended the call. He was having difficulty dragging in a full breath. What the hell is wrong with me? He thought he’d gotten rid of his longing for a child of his own, but the devastation and shame of his infertility seemed to have clung stubbornly to the dark recesses of his mind.
He was done feeling sorry for himself. Natalie was pregnant, and it was the best damn news he’d gotten in ages. It was also a timely reminder why he couldn’t have anything long-term with Adelaide. She had grown up lonely, and he was certain she wanted children someday. Children he couldn’t give her.
When he made love to Adelaide, he had to keep a part of himself locked away. He couldn’t fall for her. He couldn’t stray from his decision not to hold on to her. It would just be for a short while. A couple months to store up on a lifetime of memories. He deserved that much. Didn’t he?
A few minutes later, he walked into Adelaide’s studio with his hair tousled, stubble on his jaw, tie askew and dark circles under his eyes. It was late, and he was surprised to find Mona, the student who’d taken a hiatus to raise her kids, Chris, and Cindy still hard at work.
Adelaide soon came into view and everything about her was perfect. She was wearing a soft pink sleeveless top, and black ankle pants that complemented her figure and coloring. Her head was bent over the desk with her long hair tucked behind her ears, and her fuchsia-stained bottom lip caught between her teeth. God, she’s sexy as sin.
“Oh.” She was so immersed in her sketch that it took her a few minutes to notice him standing by her desk. She blinked at him as though he’d manifested from thin air. “When did you get here?”
“Five minutes ago.” He smiled at the pure pleasure of hearing her beautiful voice. “I didn’t want to interrupt your work.”
She lifted her hand as though to touch his arm, but quickly withdrew it. Not only had they promised to keep their affair discreet, but any kind of touching in front of her design team would be unprofessional. Instead, they stood two feet apart, devouring each other with their eyes. Adelaide looked away first, clearing her throat. He enjoyed how much his proximity affected her, and a cocky grin spread across his face. She fanned the top of her shirt before throwing up her hands. Her gestures seemed to say, Fine. I want you. You win.
“Moving on. I had this idea about using a secret panel to make slacks that are well-fitted yet comfortable around the waist and zipper area.” As she spoke, excitement crept into her voice. “I got the idea while shopping for Natalie’s maternity clothes earlier. Garrett told you, right?”
“I thought they just found out she was pregnant,” he said. “Why would she need maternity clothes already?”
“Who said anything about her needing them? And that’s not the point.” She waved her hand impatiently, brushing off his question like an annoying fly. “The überflexible material they use for maternity clothes stretches an incredible amount then returns to its original form without pressing too tightly against your skin or hanging loose.”
“So you want to make stretchy slacks? How are they different from, say, jeggings? Or children’s pants with elastics in the back.”
“First of all, jeggings? Seriously? People can’t wear tight, stretchy leggings to a traditional work space. At least, not in good taste. Second, having the elastic in the back of the pants will increase discomfort. The elasticized area will be ridged, crinkled and scratchy.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “What I can do is create slacks from conventional materials but add a small secret panel behind the zippered front, so you can easily pull them on like sweats, but the waist conforms to the exact size you want, so nothing digs into your skin. Or hangs too loose, which would require a belt, and that probably feels like torture to people with sensory-processing difficulties. Nobody thinks belts are comfortable.”
“Breathe, Adelaide. I hear you. I can’t picture exactly how it’ll work, but the idea sounds brilliant.”
“But I’m going to need some input from the design team tomorrow. I should have some potential designs to discuss by then,” she mumbled, turning toward her desk.
“You work. I’ll go pick up dinner,” he said. Her head bobbed up and down, signaling her absentminded consent. So much for a romantic dinner at his place. He smiled wistfully as he left her side. “Would you three like some dinner? I could pick some up for you,” he said to the rest of the design team as he passed them.
“We’ll take a rain check on that. We’re leaving in a few minutes to grab chili cheeseburgers at Tommy’s.” Cindy spoke up for all of them. “But thanks for asking.”
“No problem. Have fun,” Michael said, and left the studio.
Even when she was little, if Adelaide had a task to complete, she would work nonstop until she finished. He needed some finger food that he could feed her while she sketched. Sushi or gimbap? They had sushi a few days ago, and he couldn’t find good gimbap at this time of night. He got it. Bite-size dumplings would do the job.
The closest dumpling restaurant was in Chinatown, which was about twenty minutes away. He wouldn’t get back until past ten o’clock, but Adelaide wouldn’t even notice she was hungry. She’d be ravenous once she smelled the food, though.
Michael got in his car and headed toward LA’s Chinatown. He barely got there before the last call for orders and ordered half the menu. He made good time back to Hansol, his growling stomach hurrying him along. The food smelled amazing.
As he expected, Adelaide sat exactly where he’d left her with balls of crumpled paper overflowing from her trash can. She’d been working hard, but she probably wasn’t happy with her progress.
“Just don’t go hangry on me,” he said, plopping down the box of food on the shared table in the middle of the room. “Would you like to take a break for a few minutes and eat at the table, or do you want me to feed you?”
She glanced up and frowned, then looked back down.
Michael laughed, shaking his head. She was lost in her world, and he didn’t want to disrupt her creative process. Besides, he was looking forward to feeding her. It was nearly ten o’clock so they had the studio to themselves. Still he peeked out to the hallway to make sure no one was around. Feeding her dumplings while she sketched was innocuous enough, but he didn’t want to risk being seen.
“Open wide.” He pushed aside the dirty thoughts invading his brain, and popped a shrimp-and-chives dumpling in her waiting mouth.
“Mmm.” Finally. A semiverbal response.
Next he fed her a pork-and-shrimp shumai, and ate one himself.
“Again,” she said. He obligingly popped in another shumai. Next time, he would have to get two orders of it.
By the time they finished dinner, Adelaide had a finished sketch that she didn’t crumple up.
“See. You should never work on an empty stomach,” he said, gesturing to her design.
“I guess you’re right.” She looked up from the sketch and smiled widely at him. “This is pretty good.”
He reached out and cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his hand. “You’re never just pretty good. You’re exceptional.”
“I think you’re a little biased,” she said, blushing a lovely pink.
Unable to stop himself, he kissed her lightly on the lips. She moved to deepen the kiss, but he moved back after another soft brush of his lips. “You still have work to do. I don’t want to distract you. If you kiss me like you mean it, I might carry you out of here.”
She pretended to pout, shy pleasure in her expression. “You’re no fun, Reynolds.”
He laughed and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I’ll be at that desk over there minding my own business.”
“It’s late. You should go home and rest.” She grabbed his hand and threaded her fingers through his. “You don’t need to stay.”
He squeezed her hand, which was saying the opposite of her words. “I want to keep you company, and make sure you don’t spend the whole night here.”
“I’m too old to pull an all-nighter, but I guess you can stay. You obviously want to ogle me some more.”
“Like I said, I’ll be at that desk over there undressing you with my eyes,” he said in a low voice. Adelaide leaned into him as though mesmerized, and he kissed her sweet lips one last time. “Get to work, Song.”
Michael turned on his tablet and began his everyday recon for bad publicity affecting his clients. It was a good day without any publicity nightmares, but recon was the most mundane part of his job. When he was done, he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his dry eyes tight. A glance at his watch told him it was close to two, and Adelaide was still stooped over her sketchbook.
“How’s it going?” he asked, gently massaging her stiff shoulders.
She smothered a yawn behind her hand before relaxing into the massage. “I finished two and just started the third design.”
“It’s two in the morning. Maybe you can finish the third one after a few hours of sleep. You need to be able to function tomorrow. I’ll drive you home, so you could sleep in the car.”
“I don’t want to wake up Grandmother. She’s a light sleeper.” She smiled sweetly. “Can we go to your place?”
“Yes.”
He couldn’t say no when she wanted to be with him, but she needed rest. He wouldn’t touch her tonight. At least, he would try hard not to touch her. Very hard.
Nine
Adelaide must’ve fallen asleep in the car. She was jostled awake when Michael lifted her out of the passenger seat and carried her to his house. Once they were inside, he gently lowered her feet to the floor and set her away from him. He stared at his shoes for a second as though he was unsure about what to do.
“I’ll show you to the...” He glanced at her, then looked away.
Why the awkwardness? She frowned. They were finally alone, and she wanted him. Adelaide was barely awake and making words was hard, so she linked her fingers through his and led him up the stairs. She’d only seen the room he used as a boy, but figured he would have a bed and a bathroom in the master bedroom. He indeed had an en suite bathroom, but when she led him toward it Michael halted before the threshold.
“What are you doing?” His husky voice spread warmth across her skin.
“I’m taking you into the shower with me so I can get you wet and naked,” she said, holding his gaze.
“I can’t. We can’t. You need to rest. I can’t become a distraction to your work.”
“But I need your brand of distraction right now. All work and no play makes me a very frustrated girl. I have needs and sleep isn’t on the top of my list right this moment.” She drew closer to him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, and allowed her voice to vibrate with her desire. “Listen, I’m going to scream and kick something if I don’t have you tonight.”
He sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes lit with a smoldering fire. But he continued to resist. “Adelaide, your work is so important to you—”
“Let me set some ground rules for this relationship. I get to have you whenever I want, wherever I want, and I want to have you right here tonight. Got it?”
She saw the shift in him immediately. The concerned groove between his eyebrows smoothed out and his lips tilted into a wolfish grin. The predatory air around him made her take a small step back. His grin turning cocky, he stalked her step by step until she was backed up against the glass shower door. Her breaths were already coming faster.
God, I’m so turned-on.
“So you want to get me wet and naked?”
She nodded emphatically. She was past the point of coherent speech.
“Do you want to watch me undress?”
“Yes,” she managed to rasp.
“How badly?” Now he was just teasing. She was so going to get him back for that.
“Badly. Please.”
He removed his watch with a deliberate movement and set it on the counter. Then he took his time releasing his cuff links and she got a glimpse of his wrist. It was so sexy. She was in so much trouble if she got hot over a flash of wrist. Then, with dexterous fingers, he undid his shirt buttons one by one, showing more and more tantalizing skin. When he shifted his shoulders and let the shirt drop to the floor, Adelaide gasped and bit her lip hard.
Her hands rose of their own accord and reached for his sculpted abs.
“Tsk, tsk,” he said, taking a step back. “I didn’t say you could touch me...yet.”
“What?” She actually stomped her foot like a bratty first-grader. But she was desperate. Her mind commanded her to touch, kiss and lick every inch of his body. Now.
“You can watch, but you can’t touch until I tell you to. Understood?” he said in a voice that demanded complete obedience.
