to take off these jeans,” Adam purred, and then he began to kiss lower and lower.
The bet was on…
Chapter 15
Not surprisingly Adam won the bet by a rather significant margin. Yeah, don’t bet against Adam Ward. But right as I was begging him to take my jeans off now so he could do all the amazing things he was doing with his mouth without the damn denim in the way, someone knocked on the door of his study. Adam yelled, “Go the fuck away.”
But the knocking continued and was soon accompanied by the apologetic-sounding, yet urgent, voice of Max.
I yelped and hurried to make sure everything was zipped and buttoned, while Adam straightened his own disheveled attire. On his way to the door, he let a litany of creative curses fly. Once decent I plopped down in Adam’s chair and pretended to be examining those damn pictures, most of which were now scattered all over the desk. Adam shot me an apologetic look as he opened the door just enough for him to speak to Max. Good god, how embarrassing. Not to mention frustrating.
After a few moments of mumbled conversation—I had no clue what they were discussing, nor did I care—Adam closed the door and turned to me. “Maddy, I have to take care of something with Max. Will you be OK in here for about fifteen minutes?” I hesitated, and Adam added, “Unless you want to go home, of course.”
I didn’t want to leave for two reasons. First, I didn’t relish walking past Max. Not only had he been spying on me earlier in the day—though at Adam’s request—but I also felt sure he knew he’d interrupted something just now. Yeah, way too embarrassing. But the more pressing reason I had for staying was a fervent hope we’d pick up where we’d left off once Adam returned. Things had just been getting interesting. Suppressing a smile I was certain Adam deciphered, I said, “No, I don’t mind waiting.”
So Adam went out into the hallway with Max, closing the door behind him, but not before shooting me a look full of promise that we would indeed be continuing what we’d started. I glanced down at the scattered photos before me, many of which were now bent and crinkled from my writhing around on top of them. Smiling at the naughtiness of what had occurred, I began to gather the photos into a pile on Adam’s otherwise uncluttered desk.
Even though I’d lost the bet—meaning I was to never step foot in Billy’s ever again—I knew I’d have to break that promise at least once if Jimmy located the picture. But I’d worry about that when—and if—the time ever came.
Adam sure had been adamant about me staying away from that bar. Perhaps he didn’t relish the thought of his new girlfriend frequenting the establishment where his old girlfriend had committed so many acts of betrayal. Based on that assumption, it seemed prudent to keep looking into the mystery blonde on my own.
Once I’d organized the photos back into a pile, I spun around once, twice. Dizzy, I tried to imagine what it must be like to be Adam Ward. Being that rich and powerful tended to make people do exactly what you wanted. Even I hadn’t been immune to Adam’s charisma. It had to be intoxicating to be him. Hell, I felt it just by being in his presence.
I swiveled the chair left and right, and took a moment to inventory the study. Packed bookcases lined the room, an eclectic mix of literature and technical manuals. A few museum-worthy oil paintings graced a couple of the walls, and on a credenza under the window, there were framed photos of Adam’s parents as well as his sister.
There was a work area on the opposite side of the room, and by the looks of it, it was a tech-lover’s dream. Elaborately set up computers and peripherals, routers, and other hardware that held little interest for me. So I directed my gaze to the large window on the far wall, the one with the view of the ocean through the trees.
Night had fallen, but the blinds remained open. It was a little unnerving to think that someone—like Max—could have been out there watching us. Even though it was unlikely, and I was being a little paranoid, I still wanted them closed. But as I rose from Adam’s chair to do just that, something on the floor by the desk drew my attention. One of the