Page 57 of Never Till Now

“No, I said I need to be well caffeinated.” I place his coffee on the nightstand with an extended arm in order to not get too close. “I know you will take up a good hour of my morning and I’ll end up with an iced latte.”

“You can drink it off my body.” He winks and slips his hand under the covers.

“Is this really why you called me over? For a booty call at eight in the morning?”

He sits up and reaches for his coffee. “No. I just wanted a better start to the conversation I plan to have with you.” He clears his throat and looks down.

My throat jumps as anxiety swirls in my stomach. Don’t ask for more and make me want to call off our relationship. He’s the first guy to know my past truths and not run. Is my past too dark for him to handle and I’m a constant downer when he sees me? I don’t want to say goodbye to his dick this soon.

Sensing my nerves, Adam pats the spot on the bed beside him. My legs halt. As if the paper cup is capable of masking the fear running across my face, I take a long sip of my latte as an attempt to hide behind it. If he’s calling it off, I don’t think I can emotionally go through the probability that no man will ever be able to live up to his skill set.

“Hey,” he calls out in a soft voice. “I didn’t mean anything that will scare you. I just wanted to talk about why my brother is in town.”

“Oh.” I drop my shoulders and feel more relaxed. “He’s close to my age, right? The one who is still in school but travels?” I sink into the mattress beside Adam.

“He’s twenty-six,” Adam replies with slight irritation. “Emmett is trying to be well rounded, as some would say.”

“How is your relationship with him?” I realize that might be too personal. “Never mind, that’s probably irrelevant.”

“He’s the youngest, so getting his way has always been easy for him. It doesn’t help that he’s many years younger than Kelsie and me. My mother really milked the baby stage with him.” Adam takes a long drink of his coffee. “Emmett brought a chick home this time, so my mom is completely distracted with her and their love life. I’m sure he paid this chick to pretend to be his, so my parents focus on her instead of caring about his position in the family business. He mentioned he’s interested in my role.”

“Which means what for you? They wouldn’t give it to him, would they?”

“No, but it could mean that I get promoted.” He doesn’t sound too thrilled.

“Or you could come clean and tell your family how you really feel and what you desire to achieve in the next chapter in your life.” I let hope spew out of my voice for encouragement.

“I can’t let them down.” He shakes his head. “My father asked me to head out of town for a few days to make sure the Aspen location is going well. He and my mother want to start passing more responsibilities on to me.”

Could that mean moving out of town? I don’t bring myself to ask.

“Well, that’s cool. A little getaway could be good for you. Aspen seems like a cozy place.”

“I fly out tomorrow for three days.”

“How does that make you feel?” I don’t know why I’m taking a page out of my psychology class, but the words filter out before I stop them.

“Tired, I guess.” He shrugs. “I’ll be a couple days behind work here, so that’ll mean extra hours when I fly back.” He gives me a smug grin. “I’m more frustrated that I won’t be able to explore your sexy little body while I’m gone.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive.” I laugh and lean into him.

My hands rest on his chest as I take in his intoxicating, manly cologne. His scent is enough to get my lower stomach swirling with desire. The muscles and sharp jawline help too. His hand slips under my—his—hoodie and grips my hips to pull me on top as if I’m weightless. I straddle his waist and grind against his growing erection. I lean down to meet his lips, but I can’t connect with the moment. As much as I want to, the pit of my stomach can’t shake the fact that I’ll never find another man as skilled as him. He breaks our kiss and looks up at me.

“Come to Aspen with me.”

“What?” I was not expecting that.

“I’ll have to work, but we can have meals and evenings together.”

“Adam, I have work relying on me here.” I search his brown eyes for disappointment, but he’s good at hiding it. “I can’t ask for time off to go have orgasms in another city.”

“That seems like a very justifiable reason.” He gives me a smug grin as I place my hands on his chest.

“Booking a last-minute plane ticket is pricey.” I also want to save the money for my heartfelt project. I watch his cheeks suck in like he’s fighting back words. “You have your own jet, don’t you?” His eyes dart around the room because he doesn’t want to admit how bougie his life truly is. “Of course, you do. I can’t leave the hospital on short notice. Again, they rely on me.”

“I know. I admire your work ethic and heart to help others.”

“Thank you.” I smirk and feel his dick twitch under me. “Now, you better make this orgasm good enough to last for three days.”