A comfortable silence settles over us as we eat our dessert and finish our wine. I could get used to this. Adam makes a nice addition to our broken family, and I hope he sticks around.
Lizzy pushes her empty plate aside and moans. “Everything you cooked today was amazing.”
That puts a huge smile on my face. I made this meal for her just so I’d get that reaction. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“More than you can possibly imagine.” Lizzy stands and clears her plate. On her way into the kitchen, she calls over her shoulder. “I haven’t eaten this good since you left. I’ve missed it.”
“I’ll feed you for however long you stay.”
She returns, hugs me, and kisses my cheek. “Keep cooking like this and I might not leave.”
“Promise?” I know she’s joking, but I pin her with my most serious stare.
“You never know.” She hugs me tighter before standing with a sigh. “I better get my stuff together. Sara and her boyfriend will be here soon.”
“All right, sweetheart. I packed some food for you all. Let me get it.”
“You didn’t have to do that. I can fend for myself.”
“I know you can, but I want to.”
Lizzy runs to her room to gather her things while I pack up the food I made. Within fifteen minutes, she’s ready to head out the door.
“You all set?” I ask as I hand her the care package.
“Yep. We should be good.” She hugs me tight and kisses my cheek. “I’ll take lots of pictures.”
A honk outside pulls Lizzy from my embrace. “They’re here. Gotta go.”
“Have fun, sweetheart.”
With one last kiss, she waves goodbye and leaves Adam and me alone in the dining room. As soon as she’s gone, I feel Adam’s eyes on me, but I’m too nervous to look at him. Instead, I sit down and take a sip of my wine. With every second that passes, the tension in the room intensifies. I want him to stay, but I don’t know how to express my desires. I haven’t done this in decades, if ever for that matter. I was so young when I met Mark, and dating isn’t something I did a lot of before meeting him.
He clears his throat, pulling my eyes up to meet his. “Let me help you clean this up before we call it a night.”
I nod before I stand. I don’t want to call it a night. At least not a night where he leaves, and I go to bed alone. I need to find my bravery and figure out how to tell him exactly what I want.
We loadthe last of the dishes in the dishwasher in silence. I’m standing at the sink, washing my hands, when Adam snakes his arms around my waist and kisses my neck. I involuntarily melt into him. It feels good to be in his arms again. I’ve missed these little touches. These seemingly small moments when we let the other know we’re here and we care. Since Lizzy arrived, we haven’t had many of these. Tonight, I hope we take it further. I want him to kiss me like he did that night in the foyer.
Only this time, I won’t stop him.
“Thanks for inviting me to stay. I enjoyed the evening very much,” he whispers in my ear before kissing my cheek. “I’m gonna head out, so you can get some sleep.”
I spin around in his arms, my shocked gaze meeting his. “Don’t leave. Not yet.”
He tightens his grip around me, pressing my chest close to his. “But it’s late. You’ve had a busy day, and you have to be tired.”
I cup my hands around his face and let my fingers run down the smoothness of his beard. Finding my strength, I press up on my tiptoes and lightly kiss his lips. “I’m fine. I don’t want you to leave.”
His hands fist in the back of my shirt, and he nods as he drops his forehead to mine. I can do this—tell him what I want. I start to speak, but his mouth is on mine before the words are out. His kiss starts out slow, yet deep. His tongue brushes across my bottom lip, and I part mine to give him access. The second his tongue finds mine, the kiss intensifies, and every cell in my body is on fire.
He steps into me and pushes his hips against mine. Every bit of his desire is evident in the bulge pressing against my stomach. The feel of him hard for me sends a tremor through me, and I gasp. My body is screaming for him to touch me everywhere. I want his hands on me and in all the most sensitive places.
I haven’t made out like this in the kitchen in years. Not even with Mark. Our sex life was great, but we had been married for so long, it had been years since we stole private moments like this outside the bedroom.
I squeeze my eyes tight and silently scold myself for comparing Adam to Mark. They are two very different men, and neither of them deserve my constant comparison. Mark is gone, and Adam is here. And he is here in the most spectacular way. His mouth is hot and heavy against mine. He kisses me so fierce and firm, it’s like he’s branding me.
He loosens his hold and steps back, both of us breathing heavily. I reach for him, missing his warmth, but he’s out of my reach. “Sorry, I got carried away there.”
