Adam’s hair was a mess, all rumpled. His skin was sallow, which was to be expected after lounging about all day. But his blue eyes were every bit as captivating as she’d tried to forget. He blinked at her several times and lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the light. It was only then that Bella realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt. She gulped, hugging the pillow to her chest as she took in the muscles, the valleys, and the smoothness of his skin. Her knees sagged and she leaned against the huge four-poster bed for support.Holy guacamole.
“What are you doing here?” he moaned, rubbing his temples. He wasn’t wearing his mask, neither the black one nor the clear one. She’d heard from Mrs. Poole that the doctor said he only had to wear it at night now. He must be relieved, and yet she wondered if he was at all comfortable having his scars on display. Maybe that’s why he’d hidden away in here. And that made his appearance in court to rescue her—as much as she hated to admit that was what he’d done—all the more heroic. To have put himself on display like that … for her …
She yanked her eyes to the headboard and said, “I’ve something to show you.”
He lifted one side of his mouth in an amused yet haughty expression. So he’d caught her checking him out. Well, fine. She wasn’t ashamed. She was a female, after all, and a man like that couldn’t expect her not to notice his exquisite body. Her cheeks warmed.For goodness’ sakes!
“Get up.” She hit him in the arm with the pillow.There! That felt much better.
“No.” He threw it back at her.
“Quit sulking and get out of bed. You’ve an empire to run, and I’m sick of taking care of your issues.”
“My issues?Myissues.” He scrambled out of bed and loomed over her.
She caught the scent of sleep and fabric softener and a touch of his body wash. Good heavens, he smelled wonderful. She steeled herself and reinforced her blasted knees, which wanted to melt from the heat coming off his skin.
“You ran off half-cocked and almost cost me Phase II.”
Wait—what? She scowled. “You have the temper control of a five-year-old.”
He growled but didn’t reply, because she was right and he knew it.
She folded her arms. With a sigh, she tried again. “Please come with me. I’d like you to see something.” Truly, when the long row of dump trucks had arrived that morning, looking like ants marching off to the colony, her first thought had been of Adam. He’d had the vision that was being built, and he ought to enjoy seeing it come to life.
He growled again. “Fine. But we’re not going outside the gates.” He stomped off to his giant walk-in closet.
“We won’t have to.” Bella leaned to the side so she could get a better view of his closet. Yes, it was the closet she wanted to see. Not his sculpted body. The walls were lined with dark wood shelves and rods where suit after suit hung equally spaced apart. In the middle of the room was a bank of dressers in the same polished wood.
Adam stepped out and smirked. “Are you done ogling … my closet?”
Bella rolled her eyes. “Aclosetlike that is every woman’s dream.” She sighed gustily and gave the room another sweep of her eyes.
Adam chuckled. “All right. You’ve got me out of bed and dressed. Where are we going?”
Bella clasped her hands together. “It’s a surprise.”
He rolled his eyes and bowed. “Show me the way.”
She hopped once as she turned—like a coed who’d gotten her first A—took him by the hand, and led him out of the room. His hand was big, square, and rough, but gentle. When it became obvious that he wasn’t going to back out, she forced herself to let go.
* * *
Adam
Adam felt the loss of Bella’s hand in his as keenly as he’d felt the loss of his freedom after the attack. She was warm, safe, and strong, and drew him to her in a way no other woman had done before. Though plenty had tried. He’d grown up knowing he was handsome; it was one of the family traits, and his dearly departed mother was a classic beauty.
His gaze swept over Bella as she walked just ahead of him to the garage. She had many of the features that would label her beautiful, but it wasn’t her straight nose or her big eyes where her beauty originated. Her features were an outward manifestation of the beauty she carried inside.
The lights automatically came on as they entered the garage. He hesitated, not wanting the world to see the Beast he’d become. Of course, the pictures from the courthouse were all over the internet. He looked as bad as he’d feared. Bella didn’t make out that well either. It seemed editors were determined to cast him and those he associated with in shadow.
Bella didn’t pause when he did. She walked right over to the hot-rod-red golf cart and turned the key, filling the air with a robotic beeping noise. His nerves calmed slightly. If they were taking the golf cart, it was unlikely she’d spirit him outside the gates. He wasn’t keen on the idea of the residents seeing him without a mask, but at least he could count on their discretion. He reached into his pickup and retrieved a ball cap to keep the sun off his face.
He settled in and she put the accelerator to the floor, turning tightly so she didn’t hit his Bugatti. He grabbed for the safety bar. “Do you think you could manage not to throw me from the vehicle?”
She laughed, throwing her head back. They zipped over the lawn, the motor silent but the grass crackling beneath the wheels. Small pieces of hair slipped from her low bun and trailed across her face like a lace veil. Her eyes were clear and bright, and he suddenly realized that whatever they were about to see delighted her. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
She took them down the main road, which sloped to the gate. They went down into a gully and then back up the rise, and a peculiar sight greeted them. Dump truck after dump truck disappeared around the bend to the shoreline. Now that the wind wasn’t whistling past his ears, Adam could hear the gentle sound of the waves, the call of a bird, and the rumble from so many diesel engines.
