“This is nice,” Lizzie murmured eventually.
“Mmm.” He breathed in the essence of her and kissed the top of her head. If it was up to him, he could stay there all night, swaying with her and holding her close. Unfortunately, he caught his brother Ben’s eye who gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Changing direction, Adam steered Lizzie off the dance floor and into the lengthening shadows between the old barn and the new guest center. The smell of warm straw mingled with the sweetness of the wedding flowers in the sultry night air.
“Lizzie?” Adam put his finger under her chin, raising her gaze to meet his. “May I kiss you?”
“Yes, please.” she whispered, and went up on tiptoe to wrap one hand around his neck. Not that she needed to keep hold of him. He had no intention of going anywhere for quite a while. He licked a line along the seam of her lips, and she opened her mouth, letting him deep inside. She shivered, and pressed closer as he luxuriated in kissing her, relearning her taste, the things she liked, and the things she loved, as his hands roamed unhurriedly over her body.
Time was a precious thing to him these days and he wasn’t going to waste a second of it.
Eventually, Lizzie drew back, her gaze serious, her mouth already lush from his kisses, which made him want even more.
“Would you like to come home with me?” Lizzie asked.
He must have hesitated for a second too long because she attempted to retract her offer. “Sorry, that was presumptuous of me. I didn’t think—”
He kissed her again, this time quickly and urgently. “I’d love to.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “I just need to tell Yvonne that you’re giving me a ride home, and get my things.”
He nodded. “I’ll meet you in the lower parking lot, okay?”
After texting Ben, Adam walked down to the overflow lot below the barn. He knew that if he went home with Lizzie, they might have sex. Was he prepared for that? His body, long starved of physical affection, was totally on board with it. His conscience? Not quite so much.
None of which was Lizzie’s fault. It was all on him. He unlocked his truck and stuck the keys in the ignition before returning to stand outside. It was almost dark and pinpricks of starlight were appearing in the vastness of the sky, reminding him that his life and losses were a very small part in a very big universe.
He firmly reminded himself that they didn’t have to have sex. Lizzie was his friend, and they were perfectly capable of having a reasonable discussion about the matter without either of them getting offended. He shouldn’t get too cocky. Lizzie might not want him that way either. There really was no pressure on either of them.
* * *
Her apartment was still warm from the heat of the sun and strangely quiet without the presence of Roman. Adam took off his hat and stepped into the kitchen, which was striped with silver shadows from the full moon. Lizzie shut and locked the door behind them.
She came toward him and smiled. “Would you like coffee? I—”
He reached out, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her, making her gasp his name. He needed to taste her, feel her, and be with her.
“Adam . . .” She moaned as he kissed his way down her throat, one hand cupping her rounded ass. “God—”
He picked her up and walked through to her bedroom, which was also bathed in moonlight, and laid her gently on the bed. At least a dozen frilly cushions slid off the other side of the bed and onto the rug. Holding her gaze, he stripped, flinging his clothes to the floor until he was buck naked.
“Oh . . .” She sighed and licked her lips. “You are so perfect.”
“Yeah?” He climbed onto the bottom of the bed and set his hands on her ankles. “Not half as perfect as you are.” He kissed his way up to her knees and crouched between them, easing her thighs apart to reveal the soft blue lace of her panties.
She smelled like she wanted him, and it made him dizzy with need.
“I need to taste you,” he said hoarsely, and hooked a finger into her panties, drawing them down her legs to join his clothes on the floor. He parted her with his thumbs and set his mouth on her most intimate flesh, licking and teasing her as she bucked against his hand. He swirled the tip of his tongue around her swollen bud until it throbbed, and plunged two fingers deep inside her.