the presence of this man and his muscular build. The telling smile on his handsome face was stretched from ear to ear and validated a similar thought crossed his mind. She could almost see the green in his eyes casting a blaze.
“You look stunning,” he breathed out and she took his hand and led him into the moderate sized suite.
After she offered him a seat on the couch, Denise moved to the kitchen to catch her breath. Her body seemed to come alive as soon as he was near. He was the definition of delicious in his light blue jeans and a white polo shirt that set off his wonderful complexion. The shortness of his hair and its spiky roughness had definitely grown on her and she loved how it gave him an appearance of raw manliness she wanted a piece of.
“Did you want something to drink?” she called to him as she stood in front of the refrigerator and enjoyed its coolness.
“No, I only want you,” he whispered in her ear as he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her body closer into his.
Shivers went down her spine. Without thought or hesitation, Denise happily sank back into his warmth and wanted to stay in his comforting embrace for as long as possible.
“Denise, I missed you. I know that does not sound logical given that we haven’t known one another long, but I can’t seem to help this feeling that you give me.”
She turned to face him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. She also saw the sadness, the hints of emptiness she had seen reflected many times in the mirror as she watched herself.
She placed a hand delicately to his cheek, only slightly rough from a day’s worth of short dark stubble. He turned his lips to offer her palm a soft kiss. Denise felt her folds moisten. Reason told her to pull back but her heart told her this was a good feeling, something she wanted – no, something she needed to experience.
“I know what it is,” she bowed her head, almost afraid to finish her thought allowed.
He placed a large finger under her chin and lifted her face until their eyes once more melded into one another’s.
“Tell me.”
“You bring me to life. I have been so alone and shut down for so long. With you – your touch, your smile, they awaken a joy in me that I allowed to slip away.”
She stopped and he cupped her face into his hands. His olive skin accented her light brown tone perfectly.
“Denise, I feel the same way.”
Ever so gently he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She responded softly at first then inhaled his scent of spice and pine and went deeper into the kiss. He eagerly returned the passion that stirred between them. They clung to one another, enjoying the taste of a love in bloom. It was only when Denise felt the cold from the open refrigerator slide across her shoulders she broke the kiss and laughed. It was a laugh of freedom, of a heavy weight being lifted from her mind and her soul. Finally, she believed that there was a chance of her reclaiming peace and happiness in her life.
Chapter 9
Seated on the couch, Denise sat atop Adam’s lap as he held her in his arms. Everything about the moment was so right, so familiar to them both. He held his face to her hair and used his free hand to stroke his fingers through her long tresses. She, in turn, allowed her hands to roam freely across his wide chest. She could feel the hardness of his muscles through the thin cotton of the shirt. She could also feel a delightful bulge growing through his jeans, but had chosen not to comment on that fact as of yet.
Denise snuggled down closer to him and exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?” he whispered as he caressed her back.
“Everything. Where are you from?”
“Reading, Pennsylvania.”
She giggled with delight.
“I’m from Chestnut Hill!”
He nuzzled her nose and said, “What are the chances?”
Making sure