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She heard the smile in her mother’s voice before she saw it. Her head snapped up. “What?”
Maryellen tilted her head toward the door, where none other than Adam stood by, patiently waiting with a bouquet of pink roses in his hand. He gave her a small wave, and the rush of nerves that hit her almost knocked her down.
Her mother squeezed her hand with a smile. “Happy birthday, honey. I’m going to join your father for a drink.”
She left Lucy standing alone, and she suddenly had no idea what to do with herself. The one person she most wanted to show up to her party had arrived. He had been there as long as her parents, but he graciously let them go first. Her heart kicked into high gear, and she no longer cared that she was starving and the second round of appetizers was passing by on platters: tuna tartare and truffle fries. She only had thought for the man she met the night before who she already had an enormous crush on, and who was walking straight at her, smiling.
“You lied to me this afternoon, Lucy Green,” he greeted.
Warmth coursed through her. One, because he was there at all; two, because he looked hot as hell in jeans and boots and the same button-down from the bar and hair clearly mashed by a motorcycle helmet; and three, because he accused her of lying.
“Hi,” she said breathily. “I’m glad you came. And that’s impossible. How did I lie to you?”
He stepped closer, and a heady rush hit her. A wave of something light and fresh filled her nose, a scent that reminded her of kissing him on that sunny sidewalk. He set the roses on the bar and leaned on his elbow. “You lied to me because you said you came to the bar to talk, but I only got to listen. You left before I could say anything.”
He was right; she had bailed out of self-preservation. She was suddenly embarrassed. “I wasn’t sure you’d have anything to say after I...” She awkwardly waved her hand. “After all that.”
His full lips pulled up into a sly grin. “Oh, but I do have things to say. And thanks to your little fib earlier, I’m here crashing your birthday party out of necessity.”
He was a magnet drawing her in. She was sure she had scared him away. And yet, there he was.
“I don’t think it’s crashing if I invited you.”
“Fair point.” He reached for the roses. “Now, I know you said you wanted flowers for no reason, but I hope you will make an exception since it is your birthday and there’s really nothing I can do about that.” He handed them to her, and she realized he was reciting part of her list.
She took the half-dozen pink roses and touched them to her nose, inhaling the signature scent. “Thank you. They’re lovely.”
“Of course. So, I know we’ve only known each other for a day, but I feel like I should tell you that my last relationship ended three months ago and lasted just over a year. We weren’t planning on getting married, though that is something I see in my future someday. And as for kids, sure, but I could go either way, honestly. I have been known to give a mean backrub on a whim; I don’t know how to spend a weekend other than in bed; and I am an emotional 7-Eleven: Pixar movies and airport reunions make me cry. I hardly remember my own birthday, but I will be hard-pressed to ever forget yours, and I will do my best to commit any others you deem vital to memory. I do cook, though most of my culinary skills revolve around appetizers and cocktails, but I am a whiz with a takeout menu. You are without a doubt the most interesting person I’ve ever met, Lucy Green, and I would be honored to know what’s on your mind and to listen to your problems. I’ll even help you solve some, if you’d like. Given that I make mistakes, I don’t hold anyone to standards of perfection because that’s wholly hypocritical. And I’ve learned that taking things for granted is the best way to lose them. Finally, this is L.A., so I hope I don’t have to hold out for rain before I can kiss you again.”
She gaped at him and realized he just ran through her whole list. Not only had he listened, he memorized exactly what she wanted. And he’d been every bit as honest with her as she had been with him. He hadn’t run away; he was standing right in front of her, open and vulnerable. He didn’t make himself perfect either; he made himself real. And he brought her flowers.
Her knees wobbled. She gripped the bar for support.
He stepped even closer—there were only inches between them. She started babbling mainly because she wondered all over again if he was real. “Um, you... you left out the great sex part.”
He slowly nodded and gently reached for her face. “I believe it was amazing sex, and let’s at least get another kiss under our belt first, yeah?” His thumb brushed her cheek, and his face came close enough to see the gold flecks in his eyes.
The magnetism was irresistible. If anyone had told her she would end the night kissing a man she met the day before instead of getting a marriage proposal, she would have laughed hysterically. And yet.
Adam pulled her lips to his, and the warmth that spread over her like the bone-melting sun on an autumn day assured her she was right where she was supposed to be.
The kiss was soft and gentle this time, polite, until Lucy decided she wanted more. After the day she had, the discoveries she’d made, she wanted to be swept off her feet. The welcoming yield of Adam’s body said he was more than willing to do the sweeping.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he leaned in. His palms spread between her shoulders then he hugged her around her waist, bending her backward enough so that their chests pressed together. Lucy forgot they were in public; her hazy mind drifted to future possibilities if the kiss—the best one so far—was any indication of what was to come.
She moved her hands to his face, knowing they had to reel it in. They were two seconds away from full-on making out in front of her boss—and her parents. She brushed her thumbs over his flushed cheeks and kissed his lips again because they were right there and she just couldn’t help herself.
“Whoa,” Adam said, dazed, and it sounded so genuine, Lucy laughed. The dopey shine in his eyes made her weak in the knees, and she wondered if they could sneak off without anyone noticing she’d gone missing from her own party.
She heard Nina’s laugh ring out over the din, and she knew she wanted to share Adam with her friends as much as she wanted him to herself. Based on the promise in his kiss, there would be plenty of time for privacy later. By some miracle, and despite her most honest efforts, she had all the people she cared about in one place. She had to take advantage.
She pressed her hand to Adam’s chest, right on top of his heart. “I didn’t think you were going to show up.”
He wrapped his fingers around hers and held on. Somehow the contact felt more intimate than their kiss. “Are you kidding? I had to see how the story ended. Has the honesty curse been lifted?”
“I’m no expert, but I think it’s going to last until midnight.”
“Oh really? Hmm. Well, we could always test it again.”
