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“A ben what?”
“They’re good. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.”
He smiled and kissed her. She couldn’t help but notice a few heads turning. She told herself it was because Adam was undeniably sexy, not because as a couple they appeared to be mismatched. She wondered if they would have gotten the same stares if she’d donned her new leather.
As they walked past the outdoor seating area, a couple rose from their table near the railing. Without hesitation, Adam wrapped his hands around Madison’s waist and lifted her over the wrought-iron fencing to stand next to the vacant table.
“Hold our seats. I’ll go order from the counter.”
He kissed her and then hurried toward the entrance, which had a line. People waiting for tables, she presumed. She glanced around to see if anyone had seen Adam’s disregard for protocol. Yep, more staring. Blushing, she scooped her s
kirt beneath her thighs and sat at the prime table he’d snagged, absorbing the ambience of the locale. The sweet scent of fried confections teased her nostrils and made her belly growl. It reminded her of funnel cakes at the fair, and she smiled nostalgically. She’d spent a lot of time at fairs and rodeos in her teens, and she always splurged on funnel cakes—sometimes sharing them with her sister, sometimes eating one all by herself. She doubted that ben-gays, or whatever Adam had called them, were anything like her favorite county fair treats. They were French, after all.
Madison could just see one of the spires of the cathedral on the far side of the park-like square across the street. She hoped Adam was up for exploring the building. She loved architecture. She couldn’t remember ever telling him that. They spent most of their time together in the bedroom, and as much as she enjoyed every moment spent exploring his body, it might be nice to discover other interests they had in common. Did he like old buildings? She knew he drew animals in ink and charcoal—did that mean he liked nature? There was still so much she wanted to learn about him, but she knew as soon as he reappeared, her hormones would kick into high gear and her thoughts would wind up straight in the gutter. As usual.
Nearby, a musician played a low, haunting melody on the saxophone. Blues was not a type of music she listened to, but she couldn’t deny that the sound tugged at her soul. She watched a horse pulling a buggy trot by, admiring the graceful stride of the beautiful animal. She needed to find some time to ride Ginger. She supposed that now that she was jobless, she’d have plenty of time to exercise her trusty mare. Elbow on the sticky table, she rested her chin on her fist and frowned. She still couldn’t figure out how Joanna had found out about her relationship with Adam. Adam hadn’t been to the office for several months. He’d finished his year-long probation and because he’d stayed out of trouble, he was no longer required to go to counseling. Had Joanna been sitting on the information about Madison’s affair for that long? It seemed strange her relationship with Adam would become an issue now and not when the two of them had first taken their liaison to a deeper level. Thinking about having sex with Adam in her office had Madison crossing her legs. Damn, that had been hot. Even hotter than New Orleans in June. Not that central Texas was much cooler, but the humidity here was liable to give her heatstroke. She turned her face toward the gentle breeze coming in from the gulf and closed her eyes to relish the mild cooling sensation.
“Madison?”
She opened her eyes at the sound of her name on a stranger’s lips. She was none too happy to discover who in New Orleans knew her by name. She frowned. The guy who’d followed her through the airport was not on her list of people she wanted to hang out with.
“Hello, Chris,” she said, her upbringing forcing her to be friendly to the guy. Dammit. “Are you enjoying the city?”
“Very much,” he said. “Hey, I was wondering if you’d like to go out tonight.”
“I already have plans with my boyfriend,” she said.
Chris eyed the empty chair next to her skeptically. “Not sure what you see in him,” he said and laughed.
“He’s inside ordering.”
“Whatever you say, sugar lips,” Chris said. He saluted her with one finger and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Madison shook off the feeling of uneasiness brought on by seeing the guy again. What were the chances? She supposed the odds weren’t astronomical. They were both tourists in a very touristy part of the city, but she had to admit that running into him set her on edge. He didn’t seem dangerous or particularly creepy, just interested. A bit too interested. Or maybe she was flattering herself. Chris hadn’t tried to push himself on her much at all this time.
“Beignet for your thoughts,” Adam said.
She straightened in her chair and smiled up at him, ridiculously glad to see him. He set a basket with three square pastries before her. The donut-sized treats were completely covered with powdered sugar.
“Oh,” she said, “those look good!” She inhaled deeply, and her mouth watered. “And they smell even better.”
Her stomach growled in agreement. And upon the first bite, her taste buds concurred. The beignet was similar to a donut, only chewier. And a bit messier. She soon had powdered sugar everywhere. Adam sat across from her and sipped his coffee.
“Something wrong?” he asked. “You were frowning when I walked up.”
She shook her head. “Just thinking.” She grinned at him. “I can actually do that when you’re out of sight.”
“Well, if thinking makes you frown, I guess I better stick around fulltime.”
“You’ll hear no complaints out of me,” she said.
“You thinking about your job?” He pinched a corner off one of her beignets and popped it into his mouth.
“Yeah,” she said. “Just wondering why Joanna waited until now to fire me. You haven’t been to the office for a few months. How long did she know about us?”
Adam shrugged. “It is strange. I wish you’d allow me to have a little chat with her.”
“I think I’ll try talking to her again,” Madison said. “I was so stunned when she fired me, I didn’t plead my case very well. Now that I’ve had a little time to digest the situation, I might be able to get my job back.”
Adam reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “If that’s what you want. If you change your mind about needing me, just say the word and I’m there.”
She turned her hand over and laced her fingers through his. “I do need you,” she said. “I just think this situation requires a little finesse.”
He licked the sugar off the fingertips of his free hand. “You don’t think I’m capable of finesse?”
Uh, no. She knew he wouldn’t be able to maintain his composure if her boss talked to him the way she had talked to Madison. “She basically called me a slut and said I should have kept my legs closed.”
Adam slammed a fist on the table, sloshing coffee from their cups. “That fucking bitch. She better not talk to you like that in front of me unless she wants a fist in her mouth.”
She smiled, knowing he was mostly talk, but also knowing his attitude wouldn’t help her cause. “Exactly the finesse I was talking about, sweetie.”
She took a sip of her coffee, surprised by the rich, somewhat spicy flavor of the brew. “This is really good,” she said, taking another sip.
“It’s the chicory.”
“No idea what chicory is, but I approve.”
The beignets were fantastic as well and now that Adam was near, her thoughts turned away from her problems and focused once again on him. Maybe it wasn’t practical to center her world around him, but she much preferred it to sulking about her reality. Even though her eyes were on the fascinating people strolling by and her ears were treated to the practiced horn of the nearby musician, she was aware of Adam on a level she’d never experienced with another person. It was similar to how she knew her twin sister was near, but the awareness tugged at her from a different place. Only part of the reaction was sexual; she didn’t have a name for the rest of it.
“Madison?”
She turned her head to meet his gaze, and was instantly drowning in his smoky gray eyes.
“You have a little something . . .” He leaned across the table and kissed her, his tongue trailing lightly over her lips.
Completely under his spell, she leaned forward, groaning in protest when he drew away.
“Sugar lips,” he said with a grin that showed off the deep dimple near one corner of his sensual mouth. “Even sweeter than usual.”
Sugar lips. That guy, Chris, had called her that earlier. She’d completely forgotten about his unexpected reappearance. Should she mention him to Adam? No. There wasn’t really anything to tell. It wasn’t like the guy had harassed her. And seeing him had just been a coincidence. Half the tourists in New Orleans were probably in the French Quarter at any given moment.
Having already devoured her first beignet, she picked up another and rubbed
powdered sugar all over her mouth. “Oh,” she said, “I seem to have a little something . . .”
Adam chuckled and leaned in for another kiss. She melted beneath his attention, kissing him back with as much passion as he showed her. Beneath her skirt, his hand moved to the bare skin of her knee. She was already so fired up that the simple touch of his fingertips against her skin sent waves of tingling pleasure up her thigh to pulse deep within her pussy.
“Is it time to go to that club yet?” she asked breathlessly when he tugged his lips from hers.
