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They’dspent the preceding week working on the book (which was now over a hundred pages long, meaningHazelwould have no problem satisfying the deadlineSethhad given her), drinking hot chocolate by the fire in his cabin, taking long walks in the forest, reading, and having sex.Hewas pretty sure there wasn’t a surface in his cabin that hadn’t seen some action.He’dmade love to her in the shower, on the sofa, on the kitchen table, even on the stairs.Hewasn’t able to look at a single space in his cabin without thinking about being insideHazel.
Whichsuited him fine, because he was going to ask her to move in with him.Aftershe’d dropped the heart-bursting news that she wanted to move toGossamerFalls, he’d been turning it over and over in his mind.Wasit soon?Yeah, it was really soon.Butit wasn’t too soon.Shewas already practically living at his place, spending every night in his bed.
They’dtaken the train to the city, and then a cab toHazel’sapartment, which was clean and modern, but without much personality.She’dconfessed to him that she’d moved in shortly after leavingSethand it had never really felt like home.Morelike a place to exist while she licked her wounds and tried to figure out how to put her life back together.
Thefirst afternoon, they’d walked theHighLinetogether, talking about the book, the original work byMaryElizabethAxton, and brainstorming dialogue for the scene they were currently working on.Afterward, they’d spent a couple of hours strolling theMethand in hand.Oncetheir feet were sore and their stomachs were rumbling, she’d taken him to her favorite restaurant, a cute little pub calledGallagher’sTavern.They’dspent the night at her place, and he’d felt like a goddamn king when she confessed to him that he was the only man she’d ever had in that bed.
Ifhe asked her to move in with him and she said yes, he was going to buy a new bed, just so he could say the same thing.
They’dhad a lazySaturdaymorning, lounging in bed with coffee and bagels and theTimescrossword.Theweather was cool, but sunny, so they’d strolledCentralParkand then she’d taken him to some of her favorite bookstores.They’deach bought several books, leaving the store with paper bags weighed down with paper treasures, andAdamwas forced to admit thatNewYorkwasn’t the worst place on the face of theEarth.
Now, as the sun started to set over the city, he sat onHazel’sbed, flipping through one of the books he’d bought, half dressed for the night in his suit pants and unbuttoned shirt.Hazelflitted about, spritzing on perfume and putting on jewelry while she hummed softly to herself.
“Areyou just about ready?” she called from the bathroom, and he hastily tossed the book aside and started buttoning up his shirt.
“Almost,” he said, which was mostly true.He’dalready shaved and put most of his suit on.Hewas just reaching for his tie whenHazelstepped out of the bathroom, and his brain backfired. “Holyfuck,” he said in a low, guttural voice.
“Youlike?” she asked, doing a little twirl.Herhair fell down around her shoulders in loose waves, and her make up was subtle but pretty.Andthe dress…Jesus, he was going to lose his mind trying to keep his hands to himself at the gala.Itwas a soft blue color that brought out the burnished gold undertones of her skin, with thin spaghetti straps and a deepV-neck.Theslinky material clung to her, emphasizing her small waist and flared hips.Agenerous slit ran from where the fabric skimmed the tops of her feet to mid-thigh.
“Youlook ravishing,” he said, closing the distance between them and hauling her against him.Shewhimpered softly and he knew that she could feel that he was already half-hard for her. “Asin,I’mgoing to fucking ravish you later,” he said, lips brushing against the shell of her ear.
Shewound her arms around his neck. “Yes, please.”
Hewasn’t sure who moved first, only that they were kissing and he’d backed her against the wall, his hand sliding up her bare thigh.
“Oryou could just ravish me now,” she said, reaching between them and palming him over his pants.
Sohe did, hard and fast against the wall of her bedroom, holding back until she screamed his name and flooded his cock, making him spill inside her.
“OhmyGod,” she whispered, eyes half-closed, arms limp. “Ineeded that.”
“Happyto be of service,” he said, carefully pulling out of her and then setting her down.
Shelaughed softly and swiped a hand across her mouth. “IthinkIneed to redo my lipstick, given that you’re wearing most of it.”
* * *
Thegala was being held at a swanky boutique hotel inChelsea, the same location as always.Andas the cab wove through traffic and the familiar hotel grew closer,Hazelcould feel the glow from the fantastic weekend she’d had withAdamfading slightly.
Shedidn’t want to be here.Shedidn’t want to schmooze with people who saw her as nothing but a commodity, and she certainly didn’t want to play nice withSeth, even though that was the whole point of them going.He’dapparently read everything they’d sent over and was negotiating everything with the editorial team.Accordingto his last email update, things weren’t looking good for all of the reasons he’d gone into on the phone.
God, she didn’t want him to be right.Shecouldn’t handle smug, self-satisfiedSethtonight.She’dprobably do something colossally stupid, like throw a drink in his face.
“Yougood?” askedAdam, sliding his hand up her arm and to the base of her neck, where he massaged gently.Shepressed back into his touch, letting it soothe her.
“Yeah.Wehave to do this, right?”
Hetilted his head. “No.We’readults.Wedon’t have to do anything.But,Ithink we should.”
“Right.Becausewe’re adults.”
“Exactly.”
Thecab rolled to a stop, andAdampaid him, then jogged around to her side and opened the door for her, helping her out.Shecouldn’t remember the last time she’d worn a gown and heels, and she felt a little unsteady on her feet.
Ormaybe she felt unsteady because she knew what was riding on this.Notjust her career, butAdam’sdreams, too.Sheknew what writing meant to him, and if this project failed…Shedidn’t want that for him.Herheart hurt just thinking about it, and she’d do anything to make it work.Evenplay nice withSethtonight.
Sheslipped her arm throughAdam’sas they walked through the revolving door of the hotel.Thelobby was as swanky as she remembered, with an overly large chandelier hanging in the center and a swooping staircase.SheledAdamto the right and down a small hallway to a set of large double doors that were held open with massive white vases.
