Authors: Joya Ryan
But it didn
’t.
His eyes were intense
, his demeanor so fluid and calming I could drink from it. What he made me feel wasn’t fear, it was awe. He radiated power and control and with every stolen glance at him, I felt stronger. Simply being in his presence made me feel secure, but the explanation for such a feeling was eluding me.
The next thirty
minutes dragged by and though I didn’t have a nervous breakdown, my heart rate stayed above ninety. His eyes never left mine and I felt the heat behind every gaze. Ignoring him was a lesson in improbability—one I failed miserably.
When the students left, he walked down the step
s toward the front of the room where I stood.
“
Hi.” I smiled, trying not to sound overly anxious. “What are you doing here?” My tone was accidently harsh, but damn it, my whole body was buzzing like I had been running a marathon for the last hour.
His tone
however didn’t falter. “I’m learning about sociology.”
“
Really?”
H
is eyes skated over me and I fought the instinct to cross my arms over my chest and huddle into a ball. Appearing small and meek was a great way to avoid confrontation. But standing in front of this man, I found myself wanting to be noticed. Instead of cowering, I straightened my stance and smiled.
He was in a black suit and tie with a crisp whi
te shirt underneath. Just as striking as I remembered. I grinned when I noticed his five o’clock shadow and couldn’t help glancing at the clock. It appeared I had been right about that.
“
Is something amusing you?” he asked.
“
Yes.” Maybe it was the adrenaline or the fact that I was coming down from it, but I couldn’t suppress the sheer joy that was rising in my gut. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had been certain I’d never see him again. But he was here. This was my chance. My makeover moment.
“
Did you like the blouse?”
“
Yes. Thank you. It really wasn’t necessary, though. I would have returned it to you—”
“
Why would you give back something you like?”
The
words caught in my throat. I stood there once again at a disadvantage, and I needed to rectify that. Licking my lips, I rallied my courage, and mentally chanted:
Coffee dates aren’t scary. You can do this. Will do this. Just ask his name, then ask him out.
“
What is your name?”
“
Adam Kinkade.”
Damn. E
ven his name sounded sexy— “Wait. Kinkade? Like Kinkade Enterprises down the street?” I walked past the tall glass skyscraper every day on my way to and from the university.
“
Yes.”
Kinkade
was a name associated with wealth and God knew what else, but I’d never imagined the man before me to be
that
Adam Kinkade. I was replaying how we’d met when reality hit hard. Every ounce of confidence I had called on instantly disappeared. He was a wealthy, well-known businessman, which was obviously why he was here: Business, not pleasure. Not a cup of coffee.
I glanced at my feet.
“Look, you don’t have to worry about me suing you or insurance or anything, if that’s why you’re here.”
He cock
ed his head. “
You
walked in front of
my
car.”
“
Well…yeah…but if that’s what you’re concerned about, then—”
“
I’m not concerned. I have an excellent legal team.”
My heart raced.
“So
you’re
suing
me
?”
“
You seem really worried about this idea of a lawsuit.”
My eyes had to look like saucers. I
might not be super rich or highbrow, but I wasn’t stupid and I knew when I was being jerked around. “Your cryptic answers are really starting to bother me.”
He smirked.
“Cryptic?”
“
Yes. Like repeating everything I say so you don’t have to answer a question.”
“
I answered your questions. You just didn’t like my answers. I can hardly be blamed for that.”
T
he urge to scream became overwhelming. This infuriating—sexy—man was messing with my emotions and seemed to be entertained by it. “Why are you here, Adam?”
“
To ask you to dinner.”
“
But that’s an entire meal…” I mumbled, then clamped my hand over my lips, making a mental note to think before speaking.
The corner of his mouth turned
up. “Indeed it is.”
“
I just…I was thinking more along the lines of coffee.” Was I interested in dining with him? Maybe. Yes. Well…sort of. I just hadn’t mentally prepared myself for that. One warm beverage was a baby step while food was a frickin leap.
“
We can get coffee after dinner.” The flicker of unease quickly dissipated when I got lost in Adam’s rough voice and contagious grin. Before I could say anything more, Brian and Megan walked in.
“
Hey, Kate. How was your first day?” Megan’s words trailed off as she and Brian descended the steps toward me. Her stare zeroed in on Adam and she instantly flushed. I couldn’t really blame her for that, though. The man was a masterpiece.
Brian
came to stand right next to me. He glared at Adam. But what concerned me more was the look Adam was giving Brian. His face appeared calm, but his eyes blazed like those of a poisonous snake ready to strike.
“
I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean to interrupt,” Megan said, tugging on Brian’s arm. He didn’t move.
“
Adam, this is Megan and Brian.” Apparently no one cared for my attempt at a polite introduction because neither man acknowledged the other. This must be was a pissing contest looked like. I just couldn’t figure out why the two men seemed to have a problem with each other. Brian was protective of me, but this was ridiculous.
When I felt threatened or nervous, I panicked. While Adam Kinkade did spark a lot of emotions, fear wasn
’t one of them.
“
You ready for dinner, Kate?” Brian asked me, looking at Adam the whole time.
Adam looked like he was about to rip
Brian’s throat out with his teeth. Finally, he took his death stare from Brian and locked it on me. “I was unaware you had plans this evening. Especially since you seemed so adamant about coffee.”
I didn
’t have time to form a sentence before Megan piped up, “Oh! No, it’s totally fine if you two were going out. Brian and I will catch you next time, Katelyn.” Megan was all smiley and I could have sworn she wiggled her eyebrows at me.
I was going to argue, and from the looks of it, so was
Brian, but Adam didn’t give either of us a chance. He leaned forward and placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me away.
“
Good,” he growled at Brian. He gave Megan a lazy grin. “Thank you, Megan.”
T
he girl looked like she was about to fan herself. Adam Kinkade, with his abrasive swagger and lethal smirk, could melt the panties off any woman.
And I was currently in his clutches.
I sat in the back of Adam’s town car while his driver wound through the city. Lights from the local shops and streets were bouncing off the wet pavement as we passed through downtown.
“
Where are we going?”
He looked over at me and I checked the urg
e to sigh. He was so damned handsome it was kind of hurting my chest. Of course, remembering to breathe would have helped.
“
The best seafood restaurant in the city.”
He didn
’t say any more, and neither did I. Tension ran thick, though I couldn’t really say why. It had been awkward with Brian and Megan earlier, but that shouldn’t make him mad. Right?
We pulled up to the restaurant. It wa
s packed, glamorous, and sat right on the waterfront. The large glass skyscrapers surrounded us and two open towers serving as parking garages made every car look like a Lite-Brite piece of a bigger, luminous puzzle.
Adam got out, walked around
, and opened my door for me, then silently ushered me inside. The host sprang to attention. “Mr. Kinkade, it’s a pleasure to see you this evening.”
Adam simply nodded, his palm remaining on the small of my back.
As if the host
’s internal gears had shifted into turbo boost, he showed us to a private table at the back of the restaurant. White linen covered the circular tables, dazzling chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and vibrant art lined the walls. Everything screamed class and wealth and not…me.
“
So, Adam.” After pulling my chair out for me, he seated himself. “Do you come here often?”
“
Yes.” His eyes bored into mine and I fidgeted with my hands in my lap. So much for small talk.
The waiter came and Adam ordered wine
and food, never once glancing at the menu. He didn’t ask me what I wanted. His actions didn’t offend me; rather, they made me feel a bit more at ease. Being out of my element, I had to trust his expertise in this.
Once our wine glasses were full, the waiter left.
A long swallow of the crisp grigio left tingles on the roof of my mouth.
“
What is the situation between you and Brian?”
I almost sp
at out my wine. “What? What do you mean?”
He leaned f
orward, ensnaring my gaze. “Are you two currently, or have you ever, fucked?”
Th
is time I coughed and the wine burned as I forced a swallow down the wrong pipe. “That is none of your business. What kind of question is that?”
“
An honest one. I like to know in advance if there are any obstacles.”
“
I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Obstacles to what?”
“
To fucking you.”
My mouth hung open. The waiter brought a tray of oysters and Adam put one
on my plate. No one had ever approached me in this manner, let alone so bluntly and seemingly emotionless about it. Was this how dating worked these days? I didn’t have any experience with this—what with literally keeping everyone at arm’s length—but surely it wasn’t this forward.
“
I can hardly have a dialogue with you if you remain speechless.” His tone was somewhere between anger and boredom.
“
I’m sorry.” Shock flared through my system. “I’m just trying to figure out what kind of asshole it takes to pull off this kind of ‘seduction.’”
A wide grin split his face and I got a glimpse of those straight white teeth. My
God, it was an incredible sight. “Not many people have the nerve to call me an asshole.”
“
Maybe not to your face,” I mumbled before taking another sip of wine.
He sat back in his chair and looked me up and down
, that sleek confidence radiating from him. “And here I was giving you a compliment.”
“
Compliment? By asking me first about my sex life, then informing me you want to be a part of it?”
“
No,” he snapped, and sat forward. “I want to be all of it.”
My brain short
-circuited. This man was sexy, rich, and powerful. Was this how he spoke to people? Just expected them to fall at his feet?
Part of me
—and I knew which part—wanted to give in to him, because while I might be lacking experience, this man obviously wasn’t.
“
I see I have you thinking about it.”
My cheeks flu
shed and my eyes shot back to his. There was no way he could have known what I was thinking.
“
You’re very expressive,” he said, as if once again reading my mind.
“
I—” I started to stutter, then just decided to stop attempting to talk. “Excuse me.”
I got up from the table and headed to
ward the ladies’ room, desperate to get out of his presence. He brought out things in me that I didn’t like. Like emotions in general. My eternal balance was being tilted. Too far in any one direction could be bad. I needed to shut it down before it took me over. This man was tempting me. Sucking me in. And damn if I didn’t want to get lost in it.
The way he spoke to me. Looked at me. Not an ou
nce of pity was ever present. Yes, he was blunt. But he didn’t know me or my past. Didn’t think of me the way Megan and Brian did. They loved me and had only good intentions, but they assumed I was damaged and couldn’t handle myself. Adam Kinkade made me feel competent. A few short encounters had me feeling like something beyond an adult.