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Maybe it wasn’t fair to compare him to Jax. Adam was fighting to help, not to hurt. But what the hell had possessed him to fight in the first place?
“It’s not so simple.” His hand fell from my cheek down to the bed between us. “Until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t stepped foot inside a gym that had a fighting ring in it. For five years I stayed away . . . but not because I wanted to, but because I had to.”
He was on his feet, his hands fisting at his sides, and I could tell he was angry at himself, although I wasn’t sure why. “When I step into a ring, it’s like fire in my veins, lighting me up. Charging me. The adrenaline and excitement.” He shook his head, tearing his fingers across his short dark hair. “There’s something feckin’ wrong with me. It’s like a drug.” He paused, his words slowing as if it pained him to speak the truth. “And as much as I don’t want to be that man—the fighter—I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop until I’ve lost everyone important in my life and it’s too damn late.”
“I’m here.” I was on my feet, and I reached for both his forearms, bracing myself as I found his eyes.
His chest moved up and down as my fingertips pushed harder into the flesh of his arms, worried I’d fall under the weight of my feelings.
“Anna . . .”
Maybe he was saying my name as a warning, and maybe I should heed it, but I couldn’t.
I let go of his arms and reached for the strap of my robe. I untied it, and then pushed the robe off. I looked up to meet Adam’s eyes, craving his touch. I wanted to feel his skin against mine, to have the pressure of his pain lifted, to let him know he had me, even if it was only for two more months.
His arms were at his sides, the muscles in his jaw tight. He was trying to refrain from touching me, but why? Did he think he couldn’t, because of what I’d seen tonight?
“Touch me.” I reached down for his closed fist and brought it between us, unfolding each of his fingers, one by one. I traced my finger down his palm and then brought my eyes flickering up to meet his. “There’s more power in an open hand,” I whispered as I brought his hand to my chest.
“I’m not good for you.” His eyes flashed closed. The warmth from his palm and the awareness of my naked body made my skin tingle. “After a win—all of the energy—it can make me . . .” He opened his eyes. “I don’t want to be—”
“I won’t flinch when you touch me.” My other hand slipped to the towel on his hips, and I yanked it off. He tilted his head back as his hard length sprang free. “Be with me. Make whatever pain that’s hurting you go away.”
“Anna,” he cried, and then his lips slanted over mine. He hooked an arm around my waist and pulled our bodies flush against each other until my breasts smashed to his chest. A low growl escaped his lips as his hand parted my thighs and slipped to my center.
My head fell back, and our lips broke at his touch. With closed eyes, I savored every moment. The palm of his hand shifted up my chest, while the other delivered incredible sensations to my groin.
I was hanging on the edge. Maybe it was a dangerous edge, but I didn’t care. When Adam shifted me to my back, I knew that I was safe in his arms.
* * *
“Do you trust me?”
Adam was sitting on his black sports bike, the powerful machine between his legs. He was holding his arm out, a helmet in hand. I stared dumbly at his outstretched arm. Nervousness spiraled through me.
“Trust me, I would never let anything happen to you. I want you to experience the city the way I see it when I ride.” He pushed the helmet a little closer to me, and I unclasped my arms and reached out for it.
“What about you? Don’t you need a helmet?”
“Not if we don’t crash.” He smiled. “And I have no intention of doing that,” he said with a wink. He had ducked out earlier this morning to get clothes from his place, and when he came back, he had the bright idea to take out his bike.
After everything that had happened last night, was I crazy to be doing this? He still owed me a deeper explanation of how he became a fighter, and why he quit. I had let the truth of his past fall through the cracks last night because I needed him. And after our bodies had connected beneath the sheets, we’d both passed out hard.
“Okay,” I begrudgingly agreed. He helped me onto the bike and slipped on a pair of sunglasses. I secured the helmet and wrapped my arms around his body.
The day was beautiful. The morning sun splattered the horizon with soft shades of orange and pink. The temperature was cool, but not ice cold.
Still, we had been acting like last night didn’t happen. Was our cocoon still intact, or were we pretending?
No, the walls were flimsy and peeling. We had to talk about his fighting eventually.
“You ready, love?” He looked over his shoulder. I slipped the visor of the helmet down and nodded.
The engine purred, and I could feel its vibrations between my thighs.
Adam pulled away from the hotel and out onto the road. This was completely against my plan to keep hidden from public view. But my job was a whole other issue—one that I’d rather save for another day.
I realized we were heading out of Dublin after ten or so minutes, but where to? Adam, of course, hadn’t told me anything.
