“I’m curious,” Gemma says.
“About what?”
“About that so-called confrontation you had with Andrew Forrester at the Warren nightclub earlier this year. You weren’t really fighting over a girl were you?”
I roll my eyes even though Gemma can’t see them from the front seat. “No, we weren’t. I went with a friend of mine to the launch party. She designed the club and I wanted to help her out by using my name to give her and the launch as much exposure as I could. That really backfired on me,” I admit, rubbing my aching jaw.
“You could say that,” Gemma giggles.
“Well how was I to know she hated being in the press? Most people love that crap! Sydney never told me who she was!” I hate having to explain myself, somewhat put out by Gemma making fun of me for my good intentions. “I also had no idea she was dating that bastard Forrester.”
“Hmmmm, I guess the media got one thing right.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
“That you and Andrew Forrester really do hate each other.”
“Yeah, we do, he’s the one who gave me this,” I say pointing at my face. Her eyes practically bulge out of her head but she thankfully doesn’t say anything. Zane glances up from his mobile at me for a quick second, then turns back to his typing.
We’re back on the road within thirty minutes of arriving at the hotel. I manage a quick shower to wash off the airplane stench and change into a nice suit, no tie. I’ve been assured that the event isn’t very formal. Zane decided to stay behind at the hotel while Gemma drives us the short distance to our destination.
Gemma is making me laugh by telling me a story about Ellie. We weave through the city streets towards Kew Gardens, which coincidentally, is right across the Thames from the Warren Hotel where Ellie and I met up last and where I’m staying again on this trip. I even booked the same room. Apparently I’m a sentimental bastard, I just never knew it until now.
I was at this Warren hotel in July for another nightclub launch since I was already in London to work on an album for a movie soundtrack. That time, I was too depressed to stay at the hotel, since I thought Ellie still hated me. I did anything I could to keep the memories from eating away at me, and staying at the Warren would have brought up a bunch of them.
“Here we are,” Gemma says as she pulls the car into the main entrance to the gardens and parks in front of a gorgeous old brick residence.
Panic floods my body and I have to keep reminding myself that this is Ellie, and Gemma has assured me that she wants me as much as I want her. Otherwise, my racing heart might actually detonate in my chest. I swallow and wipe my sweaty hands on the seat as I reach for the door handle.
“Christ!” I shout, jerking in my seat.
“What?” Gemma shrieks in surprise next to me. “What’s going on?”
“Sorry, my phone, it just buzzed in my pants. Scared the crap out of me.” I sheepishly show her my phone.
“Jesus Adam! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Gemma slaps me in the arm as I fumble to answer the phone.
“Ellie?” I ask after hearing the voice on the other end.
Gemma gives me a shocked look and mouths, “I didn’t tell her, I swear.”
She steps out of the car to give me privacy while I speak to Ellie.
“Adam? It’s really you?” she sobs.
“Yes Sweetheart. How did you get my number?” My heart is no longer in danger of exploding, now it feels as if it might come to a complete stop.
“Dax. I got it from Dax. I saw Liam the other day. I’ve been trying to get the courage to call him and ask for your number. He said you’re not in L.A. with him.” Her soft voice is trembling.
“I’m not, where are you?” I ask, even though I already know exactly where she is.
She sniffs and laughs a little before answering. “You wouldn’t believe me.”
“Try me.” I can’t contain the smile on my face as I get out of the car and walk up the path towards the brick cottage. Gemma must have already gone inside.
“I’m at Kew Gardens. My mum is getting married today, to her boss.” I hear muffled words. “Hold on, I’m stepping outside.”
I look up and see her. She’s exiting the cottage, one hand covering her ear, the other holding the phone up. She looks radiant, her blonde hair in a loose up-do that’s being tousled by the soft breeze, the blue dress she’s wearing is clinging to her curves just enough to be sexy but covering enough skin to be suitable for a fall wedding.
“Look to your left,” I whisper, now only a few feet away.
I watch as her head snaps up and her eyes dart around, searching. I can tell the exact moment she finds me because her hands fly to her mouth, phone and all, and she starts crying, nearly collapsing on the walkway.
I disconnect and close the final steps, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I’ve got you, Sweetheart. I’m never leaving you again, I promise. No one will take you away from me. Without you, I’m nothing.”
We stand there, holding on to each other for minutes, hours, days… I don’t know and I don’t care. All I know is that I have my girl in my arms and I finally feel complete. The hollow ache in my chest is gone and I can see a future.
“Adam,” she sobs, “I didn’t leave you.”
“I know, El. I know.” I let her cry into my chest while I stroke her back and press my face into her soft hair and thank God that I’m being given the chance to make this right.
Still weeping, Ellie pulls back and tilts her head so I can see her face. “I’ve missed you,” she whispers, sniffing to try and contain her tears.
“Me too.” I take her face in my hands and reclaim what should have been mine all these years. Our lips brush together lightly at first, hesitant after being apart for so long. Then something changes, the primal bond that we’ve always shared becomes stronger, our bodies instinctively remember each other, and our kiss becomes deeper, more significant. Tongues twist together and our hungry mouths ache to savor each other. My fingers skim down her sides and tighten on the silky fabric of her dress, pulling her hips against mine.
A gasp from Ellie has me ready to throw her into Gemma’s backseat and have her right here.
“Ellie,” I moan, “we have to stop. Your mum, the wedding…” My head is spinning, intoxicated her scent, her body, her taste.
Reluctantly, we separate, but never lose contact completely. I throw my arm over her shoulders and she slides hers around my waist. “Let’s go see my Mum get married,” she says, grinning. “We can catch up later.”
I look down at my girl and smile back. “We have all the time in the world, El. Like I said, I’m never letting you go.”
40
Ellie
The hire car drops us off in front of the Warren Hotel after a long, but fun evening at my mum’s wedding and reception. Adam got mobbed by guests all night, naturally, but otherwise we had a brilliant time. We danced and ate and drank and Adam was reacquainted with my mum and spent some time with Miles, her new husband. Mum was thrilled to see him, she always did love him.
Being alone with Adam, however, is what I’ve been waiting for all night, and now that it’s about to happen, I’m bloody nervous. I haven’t been with Adam in years, and we still have to talk about what happened after I left his hotel room that ill-fated day.
“What’s wrong Sweetheart?” Adam asks as he opens the door to his suite. His beautiful face is twisted with what I can only describe as concern. He removes his suit jacket and tie and drapes them over a tall chair, then unfastens the first few buttons at his throat and does the same for his cuffs, rolling them up to his elbows.
I shuffle past him and drop my coat and bag on the floor, kick off my killer heels and make my way over to the well stocked bar. “Drink?” I ask, my voice sounding hoarse.
“No thank you, I don’t really drink much these days. Why don’t we sit?” Adam gestures to the nearby couch. I flush with embarrassment, of course he doesn’t want a drink, he has alco
hol issues. Abandoning the liquor, I join him on the plush sofa, my hands twitching anxiously in my lap.
“Look at me El,” he pleads. “What are you thinking?”
I twist my hands together, forcing myself not to chew on my poor fingernail, determined to finally break that stupid habit. Reluctantly, I raise my chin just enough to make eye contact with Adam. He slides over until our thighs touch and puts his hands on either side of my face, leaning in to touch our foreheads together. We’re so close I can see every fleck of green and gold in his expressive hazel eyes.
“Adam… I don’t know where to start. I didn’t leave you, after the hotel,” I have to stop and swallow, my mouth suddenly very dry. Adam’s going to lose his mind when I tell him what happened, but I have to tell him.
“You texted me. Said we were done then blocked my number, El. That’s pretty final,” he says wryly.
My head jerks up at his words and Adam flinches back at the sudden movement. “I most certainly did not text you!” I shout. “In fact, I was in hospital and unconscious for four days, so that’s not even possible. Besides, when I woke, James said that my phone was broken…” My sentence dies off when I realize what must have happened. That controlling bastard! “James,” I whisper. “He must have texted you, not me.”
“What? Why were you in hospital? And why on earth would James text me?” Adam asks, the confusion on his face apparent.
As I tell Adam what happened, my brain is scrambling to put the missing pieces together. “The day after I saw you I went to work and then took the tube home. When I got there,” I tense up, steeling myself for Adam’s reaction, “Callum Murray drugged me and tied me up in my flat.”
“He did what?” Adam bellows.
My hand shoots out and grips his knee, determined to keep him seated until I finish talking. “I heard him on the phone, Adam, while he thought I was unconscious. It was Danny, he’s the one who sent him. He wanted pictures… of me, of my injuries, so he could send them to… to you.”
“Fucking hell.” Adam shoves his hands into his hair and starts yanking on it, clearly having a difficult time restraining his anger. “What did he do, El. Tell me.” His eyes are clenched shut, unable to look at me as I finish my horrific story.
“He, ummmm, he bashed my head on the floor. I guess I started having seizures. Then James came in and arrested him, nearly beat him to death,” I whisper. “Callum is still in jail. Will be for a long time I’m told.” I fidget while I speak, focusing intently on the plush beige carpet of the suite so I don’t have to see Adam’s reaction to hearing of his brother’s involvement.
“Did he… did he touch you, El?” Adam asks, his eyes still screwed shut tightly and his mouth contorted as if he’s in agony.
“No Adam. I think he would have, but he didn’t. I woke up four days later. James told me my phone was destroyed. I didn’t have your number anywhere else,” I sob. “I didn’t know he used it to send you that text.” My chest literally aches from the memories, from the pain I’m inflicting on Adam, from the way he’s cringing as I describe that terrible day. “He must have seen our calls, or read our texts. He knew. That bastard knew about us and lied to me. Used my fear of Callum to keep me with him.” Tears finally break through and I swipe them away angrily.
“It’s my fault you were attacked, El. Danny, he hired Callum to attack you because I cut him off.”
“What do you mean?” I never could understand how Adam’s brother knew Callum Murray or his history with Adam and me.
“Remember in school when I paid my brother to keep Callum away from you?” Adam rubs his hands down his face, scraping them over his dark stubble as they move.
“Yes. I remember.”
“I never stopped paying him to look out for you,” he admits, guilt evident in his eyes. “When you told me at the hotel that Callum attacked you… twice, both times while I was paying Danny to keep you safe…” he huffs loudly and clenches his jaw, “I paid him a visit and cut him off financially. That’s why he had Callum go after you, because I confronted him and took away his money.”
“Adam,” I reach over and take his hand, pulling it until it rests against my cheek, “it’s not your fault. They’re both criminals, violent ones. Callum would have come after me eventually no matter what. Now he’s in prison and he’s not a worry anymore.”
“Yeah, but Danny’s not,” he rasps, clearly harboring the guilt for the assault even though it’s not his burden to bear.
“He will be. Criminals like him are always caught in the end,” I say confidently. I move closer, shifting until I’m straddling Adam’s lap, my arms wrapped around his neck. My fingers gently brush across his neck, through the thick hair that barely touches his collar.
“El…” He slides his arms around my waist to pull me forward until we’re connected from hips to chest, our mouths just a fraction of an inch apart. “I need to feel you, know you’re safe, want to make you mine again.” His breath caresses my throat, sending shivers over my skin.
“Yes,” is all I need to say. I have faith that everything else will fall into place for us, like two puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly.
Adam’s hands tighten on my lower back as he stands and turns, ending up on top of me on the plush sofa. The weight of his body, the hard length pushing against my thigh as my dress rides up, the hungry kisses he takes, are all so overwhelming that within minutes I’m panting and writhing beneath him. I run my hands over every inch of him, tugging his shirt out of his waistband so I can feel the firm muscles of his back as they shift powerfully over me.
“I’m not letting you go again,” Adam rasps in my ear. I shiver at the warmth of his lips on my skin me as he speaks.
“Then don’t.”
Adam pushes up on his hands until he’s kneeling between my legs. He grabs the back of his shirt and tugs it up and over his head, exposing his gorgeous, chiseled torso. Without speaking he stands, offering his hand to me. I take it, reveling in his physical beauty. His dark hair is disheveled from my wandering hands, his cheeks and neck are flushed red, and his gorgeous mouth is swollen from our desperate kisses. But it’s his eyes that catch my attention. Adam’s pupils are so large that only a sliver of the color-shifting hazel is visible.
I shudder in anticipation as he hauls me to my feet and moves behind me, pressing the length of his body to my back. He swiftly reaches up, tugging down the zipper on my dress. Going so slowly that I feel as if I might burst into flames from the anticipation. When he reaches the bottom his warm fingers trail from my lower back up my exposed spine, sending goose bumps over my sensitive skin. Instead of pushing the dress off of my shoulders, he stops midway and slides his hands under the silky material, around the front to gently cup my breasts.
“No bra?” he asks, a hint of humor in the question.
“Can’t, straps would show,” I pant, groaning when his hands find my taut nipples and he deftly rolls them in his fingers. I throw my head back onto his shoulder and lean on him, afraid that my legs will give out without the support.
“You’re so fucking sexy, El. God I need you,” Adam murmurs as his teeth scrape along my exposed neck.
Suddenly, he stops, his hands vanishing from my tender flesh. Before I can ask why, he spins me around and grips my waist. “Bedroom, now,” he snarls.
I nod and he accepts that as my answer. Adam grabs my hand, pulling me along behind him, the urgency in his actions apparent. Just as abruptly as he maneuvered me into the bedroom, he stops to divest me of my dress and to shed the remainder of his suit.
Once we’re both naked, Adam leans in and kisses me tenderly, running his hands up and down my body until they settle on the back of my head, tangled in my pinned-up hair. He walks me backwards until I feel the bed behind my knees. Then he pushes gently, so I sit down and wait to see what he does next.
“I want to see you with your gorgeous hair spread out over my pillow.” His deft fingers start plucking pins out of my hair until it tumbles softly d
own my back. Adam stands back, regarding me with a look of such reverence that I feel my skin heat up. I have to avert my eyes from the intense scrutiny. “Don’t.” He reaches out to pull my chin up. “I haven’t laid eyes on you in so long, I need this. You’re beautiful El, let me see you. I love looking at you.”
He steps back again, and this time I manage to keep my gaze steady, taking the opportunity to study Adam as his eyes glide over my body. He’s just as stunning as he was years ago. My hands itch to touch the ridges of his abdomen and the defined muscles of his shoulders. I want to lick every inch of the dark, swirling tattoo that goes up one arm and now reaches down over the left half of his chest.
“When did you add to your tattoo?” I urge him closer so I can trace the black ink with my fingers.
Adam closes his eyes and throws his head back as my hands lightly glide over his chest. “After the hotel,” he rasps, his hands clenched at his sides.
I stiffen up at the mention of our last encounter, my hands frozen in place on his skin. “Why?”
He brings his chin down and our eyes lock together. “Because I knew I’d never love anyone else. Only you.” Adam places his hand over one of mine and guides my fingers over the black curves. “I put it over my heart,” he whispers as he traces our hands along the curved lines, “because that’s where you’ll always be, even when an ocean separated us.”
He lets go of my hand, letting his drop back to his side. I look closer, retracing the path that he followed and gasp. “That’s my name,” I say softly, running my finger over the letters that are hidden within the tribal design. It would be difficult, if not impossible to spot if you didn’t know what you were looking for.
He tattooed my name over his heart. I have to swallow down the lump in my throat before I can speak. “Adam, I can’t wait any longer.” I drag my hand down his torso, letting it drop to my side. Then I scoot further up on the bed and lay down, closing my eyes in a pathetic attempt to control my speeding pulse.