The Fifth Lesson (The Bay Boys #2) (16 page)

He swallowed past the lump in his throat and moved to the counter.
 
He had no idea where her wine glasses were, but he lucked out when he spotted a pair drying on a dish towel near the sink.
 
He snagged them and then gently lifted the riesling from her wine rack.
 
He recognized the label.
 
Hell, they were friends of his family.

Adam made quick work of the cork and then he poured an appropriate amount of the white wine into each glass before carrying one over to Christie.
 
She’d been observing him.
 
She momentarily broke character with a flirty smile before she remembered their roles.

“Thank you,” she murmured, gingerly holding the glass by its thin stem.
 
Her icy blue, almost grey eyes seared him.
 
And she was looking up at him underneath her lashes, effectively transforming his brain into mush.

“Um…” he stared, mesmerized.
 
Her bangles jingled when she leaned forward to clink glasses with him, breaking him out of whatever trance he’d been in.
 
“Right.
 
Uh, you’re welcome.”
 
He took a hasty sip of wine, the tips of his ears burning.
 
He could handle his alcohol pretty well.
 
He chalked it up to years of drinking with his buddies well into the early mornings.
 
So, he knew this little glass of wine would have little effect.
 
But the pleasurable burn still calmed him as it lit a pathway to his belly and he savored the feeling.

Is music too cheesy?
he wondered, glancing at a stereo system next to what looked like Christie’s studio.
 
He itched to have a closer look at her paintings, but he had a role to play first.
 
And a beautiful, sexy woman to get naked.

If that didn’t motivate him, he didn’t know what would.

Adam imagined what his friends would do in this situation, even though two of them were now in committed relationships.
 
He concluded none of them would have a problem.
 
Women threw themselves at his friends all the time.
 
Alex would give his signature broody stare that the ladies loved.
 
Luke would give a charming grin and an over-the-top pick-up line to break the ice.
 
Caleb would…well, do nothing.
 
Caleb had the bad boy vibe going on.
 
Plus, he had no use for women, except in the bedroom, so he didn’t make an effort.

But him?
 
Well…he would stutter and stare like a deer caught in the headlights.
 
There was a reason why most of his ‘base rounding’ had been accomplished in college, where alcohol was in ample supply.

He steered Christie towards the soft grey couch in the center of her living room.
 
Crossing to her small stereo, he examined the stacks of CDs lined up neatly next to it.
 
He smiled when he noticed her taste in music was quite eclectic, although he wouldn’t have expected anything less from her.
 
Nora Jones, Lana Del Rey, The Beatles, Miranda Lambert, Pink Floyd, Louis Armstrong.
 
There seemed to be a CD from every genre.

He spotted a mixed CD in a clear case labeled ‘Sexy Mix.’
 
He shrugged, figuring it was smooth jazz or classical music, and popped it into the CD player.
 
He hit play and returned to Christie, sitting so close to her that their thighs touched.
 
She leaned into him and tucked her long legs underneath her with a small smile, waiting for the music to start.

The first song definitely wasn’t classical music.
 
In fact, Adam was ninety-nine percent sure it was Nine Inch Nails.
 
And when the chorus came on, he realized that he’d made a terrible error in judgment.
 
‘Sexy Mix’ was indeed quite sexy…minus the ‘y.’
 
It was a mix about pure, dirty sex.

As Trent Reznor wailed, “I wanna fuck you like an animal, I wanna feel you from the inside,” Adam choked on the sip of wine he’d been taking.
 
Coughing, he cast an embarrassed look at Christie, who looked equal parts surprised and amused by his choice in music.

Breaking her character, she teased, “Well, your seduction technique is quite direct, I’ll give you that.
 
Do you really want to fuck me like an animal, Adam?”

“No!” he burst out, trying to clear his airways.
 
Well, maybe he
did
, if he was being honest with himself, but he didn’t need to say it out loud.
 
Or admit it.
 
“I thought,” he gave a rasping cough, “the CD would be something slow.
 
You know, to set the mood.”
 
His face burned.
 
Not only from the lack of oxygen, but from his mistake.

Christie giggled as the chorus started up again.
 
And despite his embarrassment, Adam smiled at the sound.
 
It was musical and sweet.
 
He could listen to it on repeat and never tire of hearing it.

Without thinking he wrapped an arm around her so that it rested on top of the couch.
 
His fingers threaded through her blonde hair, gently stroking the strands and her scalp.
 
Her giggling stopped and she leaned into his touch, a little sigh escaping her lips.
 
She really
did
love being touched.

They sat in silence, almost forgetting about the music.
 
Christie’s eyes were closed and as the seconds passed, she slowly settled her weight more firmly against his side, leaning into his embrace.
 
Adam shifted on the couch, setting his wine down on the glass coffee table, before cradling her in his arms.

The song finally changed.
 
But it was no better than the last.
 
Following closely behind good ‘ol Trent was Buckcherry’s ‘Crazy Bitch.’
 
Adam chuckled this time.
 
Now that his initial embarrassment washed away, he could see how ridiculous this mix was.

“Did you make this?” he asked, gazing down at Christie’s peaceful features.

She snorted and her eyes opened lazily, revealing the brightness of her gaze.
 
“No.
 
One of my ex-boyfriends.
 
I don’t remember which one.”

Ah
.

He hadn’t realized it at the time but the handwriting on the mixed CD had been quite masculine, with its sloppy block letters.

He pushed past the hot flash of jealousy that reared its ugly head, reminding himself that Christie wasn’t interested in a relationship with him.
 
This was a one time deal and then they’d go back to being friends.
 
He already felt guilty for dragging her into this situation.

“Did your boyfriends always make you such…
stimulating
mixed CDs?” he asked.

She smiled into his chest, but answered hollowly, “A lot of my relationships were about sex.”

Adam frowned, suddenly glad that she couldn’t see his expression, cuddled into him the way she was.
 
He remembered her words in his car on the way to Napa, how her past boyfriends hadn’t touched her unless it would lead to the bedroom.
 
Anger burned in his chest on her behalf.

But then with a start, he realized he was no better.
 
He was trying to seduce her tonight.
 
Wasn’t he too taking advantage of her, just like her exes?

Abruptly, he stopped stroking her hair and leaned back.
 
Christie’s eyes darted up to his own and she asked with a frown, “Why’d you stop?”

He didn’t answer her question.
 
Instead, he asked, “Are you okay with this?
 
Really?
 
I know I asked you before, but I don’t want this if you don’t.”

Her eyes widened at his solemn expression and she pushed off his chest, leaning back into the couch so she could be at eye level with him.
 
“Adam, I didn’t mean that about us, the whole sex thing.”
 
Shaking her head, she pointed out, “We’re not having sex.”

He pushed up his glasses.
 
The mixed CD changed to a slow R&B song about ‘making love.’
 
Adam only half-listened to the smooth notes as he replied, “I know.
 
But we’re still…doing things.”

“Doing things?” she repeated, quirking a brow.
 
She smiled secretly.
 
“You’re so adorable.”

His cheeks burned again.
 
He was beginning to hate that word.
 
It always served to remind him how inexperienced he was with the opposite sex.

But he was amazed when Christie read his mind.
 
“Sorry,” she apologized.
 
“I know you don’t like that word.”

“You’re right.
 
I don’t.”

“Why not?” she asked curiously, reaching for her glass of wine.

He shrugged and glanced away.
 
“Adorable is a word you would use to describe a puppy or a newborn baby, you know?
 
Women don’t like ‘adorable’ when it comes to men.
 
Trust me.”

“Then you don’t know anything,” she responded matter-of-factly.
 
“Because I think you’re sexy, handsome,
and
adorable, all at the same time.
 
You don’t have to be one or the other.”

He shook his head, not really believing her.
 
But what reason did she have to lie?

Then again…

“You thought I was gay,” he pointed out dryly.

“No, I didn’t,” she protested.
 
“Really.
 
I only said that because Livy kept trying to set us up.
 
I’m not looking for a relationship and she just wouldn’t let it drop.
 
I’m sorry.
 
I shouldn’t have ever said anything, but I was getting pretty desperate.
 
Do you forgive me?”

He sighed, knowing he couldn’t be mad at her.
 
“I already did.”

She smiled softly, her features relaxing, and scooted closer.
 
“Then, will you touch me again?”

Like he could ever deny her.

“Only if you tell me about your ex-boyfriends,” he added, holding up his arm so she could settle back into her original position against his chest.

Christie pouted, but only for a little bit.
 
He realized they stopped role playing.
 
At least for now.
 
But Adam preferred the sassy, flirty Christie to the shy, coy one any day so he wasn’t complaining.

After a moment of deliberation, she slid into him and breathed out, “Fine.
 
But rub my back too, okay?”

He grinned and teased, “What are you, five?”

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” she protested, but her voice lost its fire the moment his fingers found her scalp.
 
She gave a little content moan and then breathed, “Oh, that’s nice, Adam.”

His cock twitched.

In an attempt to distract himself, he urged, “So, your ex-boyfriends?
 
How many are there?”
 
He tried to convince himself that he wanted to know purely out of curiosity.
 
But it was more than that.
 
He wanted to know how many men he would secretly glower at, how many men who had had the privilege of holding Christie like he was holding her now…

“Counting middle school and high school?” she asked, her voice growing drowsy.

“Sure.”

“Hmmm…seven, then.
 
But four of those happened before I went to college.”

And here he was, sitting at a solid zero.

He swallowed.
 
“Were any of them really serious?”

Christie was quiet before she answered, “Only two.
 
Or at least I thought so.”

Unsatisfied, he nudged her and trailed his hand down her back as an incentive.
 
She arched into him and he smiled.
 
“Go on.”

She grunted and mumbled, “Manipulation.”
 
He laughed, but she eventually relented.
 
“I was kind of a wild child before college.
 
I partied, snuck out late, kissed a lot of boys I probably shouldn’t have.
 
I just never wanted to be home,” she confessed softly.
 
“So, no.
 
None of the boys before college were ever serious.
 
They were just flings.
 
Fun and exciting while they were happening, but they never amounted to anything.”

“And after high school?”

“I had a long term boyfriend for almost two years in college.
 
His name was Kyle.
 
He was my first serious relationship and everything was great for a year.
 
But something was always missing,” she murmured, almost as an afterthought.
 
“It was respect, looking back now.
 
I was young.
 
I didn’t realize that I deserved to be treated better.
 
Sex with him was great, but I always felt…
dirty
afterwards.
 
And not the good kind,” she added, smiling sadly.

“Christie,” he whispered, his breath drifting across her skin.
 
“I’m sorry.”

“Anyway, we fizzled out.
 
When we broke up, he told me that I,” she made quotes in the air, “‘Had really good pussy,’ and he made it clear that’s why he stayed with me.”
 
She snorted.
 
“He was a dick.
 
I can’t believe I was ever attracted to him.