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Yuri: That’s cool. I’m bringing my girl cuz she’s not leaving till Sunday morning. A long road trip will give her a reason to give me a road job.
Me: Cool. Tell Lena to save me some of that juice for later.
Yuri: Dude, I’ve got gallons of it on reserve for you.
I tuck the phone back into my pocket as Claire walks in with three bottles of Gatorade and one bottle of water. I shoot up from the chair to help her. She closes the door and locks it as I set the bottles on top of the desk next to the stack of textbooks. She approaches the desk and completely overlooks the box as she grabs her bottle of water. She unscrews the top and guzzles half the bottle in one long swig.
“Why did you only get one bottle of water and three bottles of Gatorade?”
“Because I can go back down and get water any time, but you have to stay in here all weekend. I heard some girls talking about you in the lounge, plotting to get their hands on you.”
“Really? So are you saying you don’t trust me to go to the vending machine by myself or you don’t trust those girls?”
I grin as I sit down in the desk chair again and pull her onto my lap. I swing her legs over mine and she wraps her arms around my neck.
“I wouldn’t trust those girls around you for a single second.”
She leans in to kiss me and I turn my face.
“Don’t you want to put down that bottle of water?”
She reaches over to put the bottle of water on the desk and she finally sees the box. Narrowing her eyes, she looks back and forth between the box and me.
“What is that?”
“A small token of my affection. It’s not a big deal. Just open it.”
She looks nervous. “You’re scaring me. What is it?”
“Open it and you’ll find out.”
She grabs the box and my heart pounds as she slowly lifts the lid.
Chapter Eight
Claire
THE SILVER LOCKET GLEAMS IN the lamplight and for a moment I’m stunned into silence as I trace my finger over the letter “A” engraved in the surface.
“The ‘A’ is for Abigail, not Adam,” he clarifies, and his voice wavers with nerves.
“I know,” I whisper as I pull the necklace out of the box.
I open the heart-shaped locket and find a picture of me on the left. The right side is empty.
“I left it empty so you could put a picture of her in there.”
I close my fist tightly around the locket and wrap my arms around Adam’s neck. “Thank you.” I clench my teeth together to hold back the tears. “Thank you so much. I love it.”
He pulls me closer and I tighten my grip on him as I press the side of my face into his solid shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he asks, but I don’t respond.
I can’t tell him that I’ve been trying to avoid looking at Abigail’s picture ever since her parents backed out of our meeting. He knows how upset I was when it happened on Tuesday, but he doesn’t know how horribly I’m coping with it. I stuffed all my pictures of her into the manila envelope Chris gave me four weeks ago, then I asked Senia to hide the envelope.
The pain starts at the base of my ribs and spreads like fire into my chest and throat until I have no hope of answering his question.
“Claire? What’s wrong?” He tries to pull away so he can look at my face, but I hold tightly, too afraid that I’m going to ruin this moment.
He brought me a beautiful gift and I can’t even accept it without becoming a wreck.
“I’m sorry. It’s beautiful. I swear I love it,” I whisper as I clutch my fist so tightly the clasp on the necklace digs into my palm. “But I can’t wear it. I’m sorry. I put all her pictures away.”
His shoulders slump and I finally let go of him so I can look at his face. “Why didn’t you tell me? Man, I feel like such a dick now.”
“No, don’t feel bad. This is beautiful and I do hope to wear it someday. It’s just too much right now… not knowing if I’m ever going to see her.”
He pulls my arms off his shoulders and opens my fist. “I’ll hold onto it if it’s too painful for you.”
“No!” I cry as I clench my fingers around the locket. “No, I want to hold onto it. I really do love it; I just want to put it away for a little while. Is that okay?”
“Baby, you could throw it in the fire and that would be okay. Whatever makes you feel better.”
I heave a deep sigh of relief and kiss his cheek. “I love you.”
He chuckles as my lips skim his jaw and land on his neck. “I’m so happy to be here with you.”
I lick his neck and he moans softly. His hands slide under my shirt as I press my lips to the sensitive area behind his ear. I drop the locket onto the desk and grab fistfuls of his hair as I pull his mouth to mine. His lips are so soft and warm.
“I’ve been dreaming about this all week,” I murmur into his mouth.
His hand slides under my knees and he scoops me up in his arms. My stomach flips as he stands from the chair and carries me to my bed. He sets me down gently, our lips never losing contact as I reach for the waistband of his jeans and pull him down on top of me. Just feeling the weight of him on top of me sends me over the edge and my body trembles with my need for him.
“Are you okay?” he whispers as he kisses my neck and I nod hastily. “Good ‘cause I’m about to wreck you.”
I giggle nervously as he spreads my legs open. “Go easy on me. It’s been two weeks.”
He groans and I lift my hips as he grinds into me.
“Please take this off,” I beg as I yank his shirt up.
He chuck
les as he pulls his shirt over his head and gazes down at me with that sexy smile that I’ve missed so much. His body is so perfectly smooth and sculpted from all the training. I reach up and lightly trace my finger over the tattoo on his chest, the compass filled with waves, and he grabs my hand. He kisses the inside of my wrist then lays my hand down at my side. His hand slides sideways over my belly then under my lower back. He lifts me up so my back is arched and plants a soft kiss just above my belly button. The smile in his eyes as he looks up at me makes my chest heave with anticipation.
His fingers whisper over my skin and I sigh as they land on the button of my jeans. He takes his time undoing the button and I feel my body growing hungrier and more impatient by the second.
“What do you want me to do to you?” he asks as he drags the zipper down and lays a soft kiss on my abdomen.
I hate when he asks me this. I get so flustered when I talk about this stuff.
I reach down and run my fingers through his hair as I look him in the eye. “I want you to make me… scream your name.”
I whisper the last three words and he laughs softly. “You’re so fucking adorable. Do you need a joke to relax?”
He grabs the waistband of my jeans and I lift my hips so he can slide them down, taking my panties with them. “Yes, please.”
“This one’s going to be dirty,” he says as he tosses my jeans and panties onto the floor and kisses my hipbone. “First, take off your shirt. I want to look at you.”
I tear off my shirt and slip out of my bra then lie back as he sits up on his knees to look at me. It’s a testament to how comfortable I feel with Adam that I don’t even flinch at the fact that the lights are on. Adam has never made me feel anything other than completely beautiful.
His eyes take in every inch of me, his gaze skimming over every valley and curve before landing squarely on my face. “I’ll save the joke for later.”
He slides two fingers inside me and I close my eyes as I hold my breath. His fingers slide in and out of me as his thumb massages my clit.
“Oh, my God,” I breathe as I roll my hips against the motion of his hand.
“Look at me.” I shake my head as the pleasure builds inside me and he laughs. “Come on, baby. I want to see your eyes.”
I open my eyes and he smiles as he slides his fingers out of me right before I come.
“That’s not fair,” I protest.
He ignores my grumbling as he lies on top of me and kisses me hard. I’m breathless, lost under the weight of his body and the power of his kiss. His hands roam over my waist and he takes my breast in his hand.
“I’m always fair,” he whispers in my ear then he moves down, laying a soft trail of kisses straight down the middle of my torso until he reaches my center.
