Adam caught the waiter’s eye and waved him back over. “We’ll try them all.”
“You want to order every dessert on the menu, sir?”
“Yes.”
When Adam turned back to Kerry, she was staring at him as if he were crazy. “I didn’t actually mean it.”
He could barely keep from reaching out to run his thumb over her gorgeous lower lip, still damp from her tongue. “Yes, you did. One bite of each, Kerry. Think how good that’s going to taste.”
“So good,” she said back, her voice low and husky as she stared into his eyes as if she’d completely forgotten that Rafe and Brooke were still at the table with them. “Too good.”
All night—hell, all week—Adam had been on edge waiting for this night with Kerry. But in that moment when she forgot to hide her desire for him, he nearly hit his breaking point.
He wanted her naked and in his arms as soon as possible, but he also wanted her to have what she wanted. Sugar, he already knew, made her happy.
And tonight was all about making Kerry happy.
Really, really happy.
Thirty minutes later, the four of them ended up doing a pretty good job on the desserts, even if Kerry barely had more than a taste of each one. Kerry and Rafe both tried to pay for dinner, but Adam beat them both to it, having told the maître d’ to charge it to him when he’d made the reservation.
Finally, it was time to say their good-byes, and while Kerry and Brooke were hugging, Rafe asked him, “You heading home now?”
“Not quite yet.”
“Still got that hot date?”
Guessing that Kerry had overheard Rafe’s question because the restaurant happened to go quiet just in that moment, Adam made sure she could hear his response. “Crazy hot.”
Her cheeks were flushed again as she turned to let him help her on with her coat. “It was nice to see you again, Kerry,” he said.
And by the time she turned back to face him, her skin wasn’t just flushed—her pupils had dilated, too, her breath coming just a little bit faster. “It was nice to see you, too. Thank you for dinner.”
“It was my pleasure. I’m looking forward to seeing you again soon.” He leaned close, pressed his lips to her cheek and whispered for her ears only, “Really soon.”
With that, he waved good night to the three of them and headed toward the back of the hotel to the elevator that went up to the penthouse suites.
* * *
“I can’t believe your brother is going on a date with someone else tonight!” Brooke was frowning as she and Rafe stood waiting outside the hotel for the valet to bring their car around. “The sparks jumping between the two of them were so hot I almost felt like a voyeur a few times during dinner. And he’s already admitted that Kerry’s perfect for him. So why won’t he do anything about it?”
“Actually”—Rafe couldn’t resist kissing her gorgeous mouth—“I wouldn’t be so sure he’s not doing something about it.”
Brooke’s eyebrows rose even as she moved closer to the man she loved and knew she’d never get enough of. “Wait, so even though he said all that stuff about hoping she finds some perfect guy one day, you think he’s going after her anyway?”
“I think he believes every single word he said to us. Not just about how great she is, but about how he still isn’t looking for anything serious.” Rafe ran a hand over Brooke’s hair. “But if you ask me, the way he looks at her says exactly the opposite.”
“She was looking at him the same way, wasn’t she?”
Rafe nodded. “She was.”
“How long do you think they’re going to fight the inevitable?”
“It didn’t look like either of them was fighting too hard—at least when it came to the heat they were generating.”
In fact, Rafe now had a pretty good idea about the identity of Adam’s “crazy hot” date. He’d been able to read his brother’s lips when he’d told Kerry he was looking forward to seeing her really soon. But just in case he was wrong, he didn’t want to get Brooke’s hopes all the way up quite yet.
“That’s a good first step, I guess.” Brooke bit her lip as she mulled over the situation some more. “But do you think there’s anything else we can do to give them both a bigger push in the right direction?”
“I’m pretty sure we’ve done more than enough already by sending him in for that meeting with her this week and then getting them together for dinner tonight.”
Looking a little guilty about their machinations, Brooke said, “I just want Adam to be happy.”
“I know, sweetheart. We all do. But the truth is, there’s only one thing that will do that for sure.”
Brooke scrunched up her face. “No more matchmaking.”
“No more matchmaking.”
She sighed. “You’re no fun.”
“You sure about that? Because I have some pretty fun ideas about what we should do tonight when we get home.” And when he leaned in even closer and began to whisper those wicked ideas to her, Brooke finally forgot about anyone but the man she couldn’t wait to marry.
CHAPTER SIX
Kerry’s heart pounded faster with every floor the elevator rose. Though she’d never done anything like this before, she’d still convinced herself that she could be cool. That she could walk into a hotel suite knowing she was going to have hot sex with a man she barely knew without blinking an eye.
Who had she been kidding?
Kerry could feel Adam’s intense gaze on her the moment she stepped out of the elevator onto the penthouse level. They each already had their keys, but he hadn’t waited for her in the room. She wondered if it was because he’d known how close she’d be to going back on her vow not to run. Not because she didn’t want him. On the contrary, she’d never wanted anyone or anything this much. But simply because she was so far out of her comfort zone right now that she almost felt as if she were watching herself from a distance.
One step, and then one more, and then another—that was all it took to meet him in the middle of the hall, in front of the door to their suite. But when he didn’t open the door with his key, she realized he was waiting for her to decide whether or not she truly wanted to do it.
Being a wedding planner meant Kerry dealt with people making big decisions all day long. She always told them that while it was great to take the time to consider all the options, they shouldn’t worry about making the wrong choice. Because whichever way they went, she could absolutely promise them she would do whatever it took to make sure they were happy.
Happy. Kerry so badly wanted to be happy, too. If only just for one night with a beautiful man who set her every nerve alight.
Because the truth was that Adam Sullivan had made her smile more than any man ever had before. Remembering the way he’d ordered every dessert on the menu so that she could have a taste of each one made her smile through the nerves that were riding her. So, for tonight, she told herself as she lifted the key to the electronic pad, she wouldn’t let herself worry about making the wrong choice.
She’d simply let herself be happy.
The door clicked open and she stepped inside first, with Adam locking the door behind him.