Liam’s brow rose. “Well, I’m glad she did. You need it. You’re under far too much stress.”
Adam’s gaze didn’t shift from mine. “Did you sleep well, Cassidy? Or did you stay up all night…reading?”
My stomach clenched. “I fell straight to sleep.”Lie.
The truth was, while reacquainting myself with the book Adam stole, I discovered he’d underlined an incredibly steamy sex scene, and I couldn’t move on. The fact that he’d read those words and pictured those erotic scenes was not only embarrassing but an unbelievable turn-on. He didn’t even have to touch or look at me to induce pressure below, and now I was on edge.
“Bullshit,” Adam muffled with a cough.
“What was that, son?” Liam asked. “My hearing is going.”
His grandson barely flinched. “I asked if you’d like to play some chess.”
“Oh yes.” Liam sat a little straighter in bed. “The board is in the library.”
“I’ll get it for you,” I said, desperate to put some space between Adam and myself. As I raced out of the room, heavy footsteps followed. “I said I’d get it.”
Adam sidled up beside me. “You have no idea where it is.”
“I’m sure I can find…” my voice trailed off as I entered the library and panned my gaze over the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and ornate cabinets.
“It’s up the ladder to the right.”
With a grumble, I grasped the edges of the ladder and climbed. “Which shelf?” When he didn’t answer, I glanced down to find him holding the ladder while admiring my ass. “Adam!”
“What? I’m making sure you don’t fall.”
I stomped back down until my feet connected with the floor and spun around. “It’s not even up there, is it?”
His mouth curved into a smile. “Nope.”
“Adam…” I growled. “Stop messing with me.”
His blue eyes danced with mine, teasing…beckoning. “I’m trying, but you get worked up so easily.” His finger hooked over the waist of my jeans. “In more ways than one.”
“Adam,” I hissed, ignoring the pulsating heat between my legs. I attempted to push past him, but his hands grasped the ladder behind me, trapping me in.
The tip of his nose grazed along my jawline. “Maybe you should finish that book and take a load off. Masturbation can be quite the stress reliever.”
I gasped as I shoved him away. “You’re disgusting.”
“When you’re done, we can compare our favorite passages. I underlined a few.”
“Is that what that scribble was?” I resumed my search for the chess board. “Didn’t your nanny ever teach you not to write in books?”
Adam snickered. “So, you did read them?”
I began opening cabinets one by one, slamming the doors a little harder each time. “No.”
“You should.”
I turned to him with crossed arms. My patience obliterated. “And why is that?”
His Cheshire grin pulled my eyes away from the chessboard in his hands. “Because I plan to bring every one of those fuck-filled pages to life.”
From that moment, under absolutely no circumstances would I allow myself to be alone with Adam Harlow. He had no intention of keeping his hands to himself, and I couldn’t trust myself to stop him. How I let that kiss happen was beyond me. The intense energy swirling between us was more powerful than I’d ever anticipated. I felt it that night in Manhattan, but I had assumed it was all me. Adam was the first man I’d been with since Dominic, so it made sense for me to be confused emotionally. But now I wasn’t sure about anything.
All I had to do was get through the weekend. Without Adam’s parents around, I was on full alert, only leaving my bedroom to sporadically check on Liam or head to the beach to cleanse my crystals.