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“The wedding,” I breathe.
“Even if it wasn’t real, he wanted to see his mom walking down the aisle like she always dreamed of. Alexa and I agreed to the ceremony for Rowan’s sake. We all knew it was just pretend, but it made Rowan really happy to scratch that off the checklist.”
“I don’t know what to say.” My heart trembles at his confession and the pure whiplash of guilt mixed with relief. Tears fill my eyes. “You’re still mine?”
“Always.” Adam pulls my face to his. “There’s no one else in this world for me, Nova. Until the day I die, it will only be you.”
My heart is roaring with too many emotions to sort out. It’s like being battered by wave after wave in the middle of a storm.
Adam catches a tear with the pad of his thumb. “Darlin’, don’t cry.”
Unfortunately, my tear ducts have sprung a leak. There is no stopping the emotions from pouring out.
Adam’s lips settle on me as if he’s desperate to offer more comfort than mere words would allow.
I hold his wrist, rubbing my thumb against the back of his hand as his excruciatingly gentle caress soothes the strain of our brutal separation.
“You could have told me it wasn’t a real wedding,” I say, my mouth moving against his as I scold him.
“I wanted you to come back to me on your own,” he admits. “How could I chase you when you were feeling smothered?”
“I wasn’t, Adam,” I tell him urgently, my head tipped back to meet his eyes. “I just wanted you to have the space to do what you needed to do.” My heart squeezes painfully. I hate that I hurt him. I hate that I made him think, even for a second, that he’s not the most amazing, kind and patient man in the world. “Adam, you don’t smother me. You uplift me. You make me a better person. You allow me to see the humanity in people. You ground me. You balance me. You push me higher and support me when I fall. You were the one who made me believe I could be the CEO of a company like Vision Tech. You were the one who stood up for me when people tried to shame you for your choice. I have never, for a day in my life, felt anything but grateful to you. The more you gave me, the more I wanted to give back.” I glance away. “It’s why I take it too far when it comes to clearing a path for you.”
He clips my chin gently and turns my face to his. “You’re always trying to fix things, Nova, but you don’t have to anymore. I’ll fix everything. All you have to do is stand there and watch while I conquer the world for you.”
I stare up at Adam, feeling this deranged pull stretching between us. My usual restraint and good sense are lacking. With all my emotions lying on the surface, raw and exposed, upturned by Adam’s startling revelations, I’ve got no defense against my devastating attraction for him.
I am not a woman who gives in to impulse.
But it’s like I’ve never evenheardthe term self-control when I lunge at him.
Adam catches me around the waist as I descend on his mouth, kissing him so furiously that it snaps his head back.
My fingers scale into his hair, scraping and caressing and pulling. I’m all lust. All animal. All wild beast. It’s my fault for starving myself from him, stumbling around on crumbs and pain and miscommunication.
My own fault.
It’s been too long. So naturally, I should adjust myself slowly. Anyone who’s been starving for a while knows that stuffing their face after not eating is a bad move. And yet I can’t heed that advice. I melt against him, gasp against him, take all the sustenance I need in one big bite.
Adam’s kiss is just as unhinged and dangerous. He moves over me like he’s trying to consume me, greedy and demanding of every flutter of my lips. Every sigh. Every moan. Every whimper.
His lips are pure wickedness against mine, totally domineering, reminding me that even if I try my worst, he can still be even dirtier.
Challenge accepted.
I rise on my tiptoes and open my mouth over his. He accepts my invitation, sweeping his tongue in like the police rushing in on a drug bust. Pressure builds and builds between my legs and I tremble.
Every grunt, every sweep of his tongue, every nip of his teeth makes me even hungrier. Was I supposed to be filled? Was this supposed to satisfy me? It’s only driven me mad with need.
As frantic as the kiss is, it also calms the restlessness that was a constant shadow since I spit those evil words at him in my office.
I’m sorry, Adam.
I’m grateful.
I missed you.
Each stroke of his mouth over mine whispers that I wasn’t the only one longing for the pain to end. I wasn’t the only one missing him, missing us.
