The Fifth Lesson (The Bay Boys #2) (15 page)

Christie looked down to her lap, feeling uncomfortable.
 
She saw Adam’s fist clenched at his side.

Charlie came out through the french doors.
 
Relieved, Christie smiled at him and when he presented the dessert for the evening, she complimented him on how delicious it looked.
 
Coconut creme brûlée with fresh fruit.
 
And fresh wine…the most important part.

He poured a glass for everyone except Mrs. Thornton.
 
She hadn’t had alcohol at dinner either.
 
But before Charlie turned to leave, she stopped him.
 
“Can you please bring me a glass as well, Charlie?”

The chef looked a little off guard and he sent a look to Adam before responding, “Of course.
 
I’ll be right back.”

“Mom,” Adam started, shaking his head.
 
“No, you—”

But his mother cut him off by smiling and saying, “Thank you, Charlie.”

The awkward silence returned.
 
Adam was agitated.
 
She was uncomfortable.

They all distracted themselves by digging into the dessert.
 
Christie ate slowly, so she would have an excuse not to talk.
 
Not that anyone else was speaking.
 
And the tension only intensified when Charlie returned with a small glass of wine for Mrs. Thornton.

Once she took her first sip, she began to return to her normal self.
 
Or at least the woman Christie had enjoyed talking to over dinner.
 
She asked her husband about his day and then asked Christie more about how she and Olivia met.

But Adam didn’t say a word.
 
He barely touched his dessert.
 
Every sip that his mother took of her wine set him more and more on edge.

When they’d all finished and conversation seemed to be dying down again, Adam glanced down at his watch discreetly.
 
Christie caught a glimpse of the time.
 
It was almost 9:30.
 
They’d been here for almost three hours.

“We should get going,” he announced, climbing to his feet.
 
He helped Christie up.
 
“I have an early start tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, alright then,” Mrs. Thornton said, disappointment evident.
 
Christie understood why Adam had such a hard time of dissuading her out of this dinner.
 
The woman could lay on the guilt thick.

The four of them made their way to the front door.
 
It was a long journey so Christie chatted a bit with Adam’s mother about her friend’s flower shop.
 
By the time they reached the door, she was happy that they were departing.
 
The first couple hours had been wonderful.
 
But the evening had slowly spiraled into the Beyond Awkward zone.

Christie accepted Mrs. Thornton’s hug.
 
“Thank you so much for having me.
 
Dinner was wonderful.”

“Of course.
 
Promise to come again soon.”

Christie smiled, glancing at Adam for a brief moment.
 
“As long as Charlie feeds me a whole pot of those mashed potatoes.”

Her lips quirked.
 
“I’ll give him advanced notice.”

Christie shook Mr. Thornton’s hand, since it seemed weird to go in for a hug.
 
“It was nice to meet you too, Mr. Thornton.”

He simply nodded.
 
Adam said his goodbyes to his parents and then tugged open the front door.
 
It seemed chillier out front than it had on the patio and she suddenly wished she’d brought a sweater.

Adam’s parents stood in the doorway until they reached the Mercedes.
 
Christie hopped in while Adam rounded the front.
 
When he pulled open the door and settled into his seat, he let out a deep sigh and then turned his key in the ignition.

“Are you okay?” she asked, concerned, as they drove back towards the gate.

He blew out a shallow breath and flashed her a small smile.
 
“Yeah.
 
Sorry.
 
I know it was kind of…uncomfortable.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” she murmured.
 
“Dinner was great.”

Adam nodded and rolled up to the gate.
 
Christie figured there was a motion sensor hidden nearby because it started to open automatically.
 
While they waited, Adam quietly said, “My mom is better when my dad’s not around.
 
She shouldn’t have been drinking tonight.
 
She’s still on her antidepressants.”

“Has it…always been that way?
 
Between them?” Christie asked hesitantly, unsure how much Adam wanted to admit.
 
Family issues were always a sore subject for her.
 
Why wouldn’t it be the same for Adam?

“Yeah.
 
Since I was in high school.”

“And your mom would never…” she trailed off, realizing too late that her question was entirely too inappropriate.

“Leave?” he guessed.
 
His lips twisted into a mocking smile she didn’t like seeing on him.
 
It didn’t fit him.
 
“No.
 
Despite everything, my mom loves the lifestyle.”

“What do you mean?”

“The money.
 
The parties.
 
The luxury.
 
It’s what keeps her going.”

Christie frowned just as Adam turned back onto the highway.
 
“That’s harsh, Adam.”

“It’s the truth.
 
Don’t get me wrong.
 
I know my mom loves me.
 
I
keep her going too.
 
But she’s been involved in that lifestyle for so long that if she were to leave… Let’s just say that I don’t know what would happen.”

His tone revealed a dark implication.
 
“You think your mom would intentionally try and hurt herself?” she asked, shocked.

“She’s done it before,” he admitted quietly.

Christie’s breath left her.
 
Her mind reeled at what he was saying.
 
“Oh my God.
 
Adam…”

Suddenly he cursed, as though he just realized what he’d said.
 
“Shit.
 
I’m sorry, Christie.
 
I don’t want to unload all this on you.
 
I’m upset.
 
Just ignore me.”

“You know you can tell me anything.
 
We’re friends, Adam.
 
So, don’t apologize for something like that.”
 
She took a deep breath.
 
“When?”

He was quiet for a long time.
 
She almost started to believe he’d decided to ignore her question entirely, but then he finally responded.
 
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“I understand,” she said softly.
 
“If you ever want to, you know I’m here.”

“I know.”

They were quiet the rest of the drive back to her apartment.
 
When Adam parked in one of the guest spaces at her apartment complex, she didn’t protest when he said he wanted to walk her up.
 
If it was any other guy, Christie would think he was looking for a hook-up invite.
 
But Adam truly wanted to see her up safely.

At her door, she pulled Adam in for a hug, savoring his warmth and smell.
 
It felt nice to simply be held.

When they pulled away, he ran a hand through her hair and murmured, “Thank you for coming tonight.
 
It means a lot to me.”

“Of course.
 
I’m glad I got to meet your parents.”
 
Christie smiled up at him, her heart thumping in her throat.
 
“Are you sure you don’t want to come inside?” she asked.

Adam grinned tiredly.
 
“As tempting as that sounds, I’m going to have to pass.
 
This isn’t an ‘it’s not Sunday’ type of thing.
 
Trust me, if it were any other night…” he trailed off when she smiled knowingly.
 
“But I need to be alone right now, to process some things.
 
I hope you understand.”

“I do,” she said softly.

“Good,” he replied.
 
Leaning forward, he pressed a friendly kiss to her cheek.
 
“I’ll call you later.”

“Okay.
 
I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“Looking forward to it.”

THIRTEEN

Adam tapped his steering wheel nervously while waiting at a stoplight near Christie’s apartment.

It was Sunday.
 
The sun was just setting behind the hills of Martinez.
 
Christie had invited him over for their second lesson and they’d planned on eight o’clock.
 
Adam was a little early, but nerves had chewed at him all day.
 
If he’d waited one more second in his house, he would’ve driven himself mad.

He parked neatly in one of the guest spaces of her apartment complex but stayed in his car, trying to calm his breathing.
 
Once he’d achieved some semblance of composure, he journeyed up to Christie’s apartment.
 
He studied the peeling paint on the door after he’d knocked.
 
Maybe he should give it a fresh coat of paint for her…

A click on the other side of the door made his heart jump and then Christie’s alluring smile greeted him.
 
Her jasmine scent immediately enveloped him.
 
Trapped.
 
He was helpless against her pull.

“Hi,” he murmured.
 
His voice had gone all grumbly again.
 
He cleared his throat.
 
“You look beautiful.”

“You always say that,” she teased, opening the door wider so he could enter.
 
Adam was momentarily distracted by her legs.
 
Golden and bronzed from the sun.
 
They went on for miles.
 
And they looked fantastic in her bright coral shorts.
 
A loose, flowing cream blouse was tucked into the waistband.
 
Her familiar gold bracelets and bangles completed her casual, yet dressy look.

“Do I?” he asked, stepping inside.
 
“I guess I should stock up on my compliments then.”

“Probably.
 
Women like to be complimented.
 
They’ll be all over you if you use them right.”
 
She winked.
 
“Did you eat yet?”

“Yeah.”
 
He’d been too anxious to eat much of anything, but he’d managed to force something down before he left.

“So, you wanna just get right to it?” she asked, smiling.

He laughed nervously, “Depends on what you have planned.”

She stepped closer, trailing her fingers over his chest.
 
He sucked in a breath of surprise when her fingernail scratched lightly over his nipple.
 
Even through his shirt, it was erotic.
 
“I was thinking that you should initiate something tonight.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, his cock already hardening in his jeans.

“Well, you want to learn how to seduce a woman, right?
 
Let’s say you walk up to a woman in a bar.
 
You hit it off and take her home.
 
What then?
 
She might be shy.
 
Or unsure.
 
Or nervous.
 
You’ll need to take charge to get what you want,” she told him, her hot gaze focused on his lips.
 
“So, I’ll pretend to be that girl.
 
And if you play your cards right,” she smiled wickedly, “I may even let you see me
naked
.”

Adam’s lips quirked even though a tidal wave of blood rushed to his cock.
 
“Those are some high stakes.”

“They are,” she said, nodding gravely.

“Okay.”

Her eyes shone with anticipation.
 
“Okay.
 
So, what would you do first?
 
If, hypothetically speaking, you’d picked me up from a bar tonight?”

Adam swallowed, his heart beating in his throat.
 
Why was he so nervous?
 
This was just Christie.
 
A woman who, at least by his definition, he’d hooked up with before.
 
Hand jobs through jeans counted, right?

“I guess, I’d…” he thought about it.
 
She was supposed to be shy and nervous.
 
Christie was neither, but she would pretend for his sake.
 
And what calmed people down better than wine and a little music?
 
He cleared his throat and gave her a small smile.
 
“Would you like something to drink?
 
I have,” he cast a look at her small wine rack, noticing it was mostly filled with white wine, “Some chardonnay or riesling.
 
Or, if you prefer reds, some malbec.”
 
He’d never role played before…well, except in computer games.

Christie raised a brow, intrigued.
 
And a little surprised.
 
Good
, he thought.
 
It felt good to surprise
her
for a change.

But she caught on quickly.
 
Her eyelids fluttered to the ground, suddenly shy, and she wet her bottom lip.

His cock gave another treacherous pulse.

“I’d love some riesling, if it’s not too much trouble.”
 
Even her tone was soft and hesitant.

This would be an interesting night, he decided.
 
And by interesting, he meant a complete mind fuck.
 
But a pleasant, pleasurable mind fuck.