Or her?
Adrian pushed a hand through his dark hair.
Shauna straightened. “That’s the best excuse you could come up with?” A bitter-almond film of disgust tinged the back of Shauna’s throat. She let the distaste register in her expression and pushed to her feet. “You two can have each other. I’m done.”
“It’s not like that,” he warned.
“Bullshit.” She pivoted to the luggage and began shoving the pile apart.
“I didn’t sleep with her.”
Aw, come on, how can that be? The guy sleeps with everyone. Suitcases toppled and bounced on the pavement with heavy thuds. Even the nagging neighbor girl—if she nags him enough. She scoured for any one container she could identify as her own.
“Shauna, be honest. What’s the problem?”
“Problem?” She ripped one zipper open and began sifting through what appeared to be a tangle of sweaters and shoelaces. “Oh. I don’t know.” She sat back on her haunches. “Maybe that I’m still
burning people
.” she splayed her hand over her cotton candy complexion. “Not to mention, the obvious.” She moved to the next case. The zipper squealed open.
Jeans. Awesome.
“No, there’s more than that,” Adrian prompted.
She snorted in response and snagged one more bag that she knew belonged to her. Who cared what was in it. She’d make do. With arms loaded down, she lumbered towards the car.
“You need to stop running from me.”
Shauna heart rate kicked at the sound of Adrian’s footfalls close behind. “
I’m
the one who chased
you
down after all those years, remember?” She skirted for the trunk. “The nightclub? I figured you’d be there too.”
“Then why avoid me? I don’t like the chasing game.”
“Neither do I.” She dropped the bags near the back end of the car and dug the keys from her pocket.
“Then come at me, Shauna,” he fired back, hands coaxing toward him and legs braced for battle. “What do you want?”
“I wanted you. The whole package.” Jagged, metal keys dug into her palm. “I needed you.” She clenched her teeth together, willing the tears to stay back. “I needed you to fix this.”
He dropped his arms to his sides. “I tried. It didn’t work.”
She closed her eyes and took several painful swallows, fighting to keep her voice in check. “And was there—oh, I don’t know—some time before
this very moment
that you could have told me?”
“Like maybe—” The first fissure in her voice cracked open wide. “—before you used me?” Waterworks. Great. Way to own those emotions.
“Used you?” His tone sounded lost in a flurry of shifting equations and scenarios. “Shauna, I haven’t left. I’m standing right here.”
His hand covered hers as she reached for the trunk. “When were you going to tell me about this move?”
Her glance fled to the remaining suitcases.
“What kind of game are you playing?” His tone sounded…surprisingly pained.
Her voice dropped to a bitter note. “We were evicted. Today.”
“No notice?”
Shauna shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. Kimmy’s right. It isn’t safe to stay.” Not for either of them. No matter what deal Richard had planned.
He breathed a weighted sigh. “Come on. You’re staying with me.”
****
When Adrian glanced at the Technicolor goddess standing in his kitchen doorway, his grip tightened on the pan. He forced his attention back to the pale wedges of chicken that popped and sizzled in front of him.
Too late, though. He’d already caught it.
That robe drowned her. If the tie came loose, the whole thing could end up in a pile at her ankles, starting with the deep V shape that plunged between her breasts. Then all that rosy, heated flesh would be his for the taking.
He expelled a short sigh. “Forgot the luggage. Sorry.” Probably could have made it sound
a bit
more genuine.
“I’m okay for now,” she assured him. “Dessert?”
He paused. Her brows were pulled together in skeptical look. Like he wouldn’t take her up on that offer. He cleared his throat. “Dessert?” Wasn’t she pissed at him for one reason or another? She had plenty to choose from.
The Shauna he knew didn’t come off any grudge that easy. She probably still hated him for destroying that shirt of hers during the frat party years ago.
Some asshole had laced her drink with a cheap, mystery drug of some kind. He should have detected it before it got in her hand. He had tried to keep her from drinking it. What choice did he have but to knock it away?
The drink splashed down one side, and the damp, silky material had clung to her breast. Her bra didn’t do much to save her either. It formed a proud triangle frame around the tiny, blush-pink bud of her nipple.
Of course, back then he didn’t know how pink they were.
But last night things had changed. He closed his eyes. Why did all of his memories have to be wet ones?
She nodded to the clear, plastic container he’d picked up earlier that morning. “You’re really planning that for dessert? I thought you were a health nut or something.”
Adrian frowned.
“Well, you follow the whole vitamin franchise, and you’re brilliant with chemistry, so…”
He tossed her a lopsided grin. “Those just happen to be the ultimate confectionary masterpiece.” If he couldn’t have her, they would have to suffice. For now.
“A donut?”
He shrugged. “Doubt if you will…” He looked back to the pan “But some things are worth the consequences.”
“Okay, chef, if you say so.”
He matched her patronizing tone. “Thank you, professor. Loved the lab coat by the way.” And where did that go? He hoped she’d wear that instead—and only that.
Or he’d settle for a towel.
He’d overlooked the damn robe behind the door.
She ambled around the island countertop and peered into the pan. “And fried chicken? Wow, you really had me fooled.”
He straightened. “Why is that a surprise? It’s your favorite.” Nothing wrong with being a good host. Taking care of her. Making her comfortable.
Not just trying to get her alone again.
Certainly not
getting her to talk as she had last night.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “How’d you know I liked chicken?”
Adrian prodded the thick slices of meat across the bottom of the pan. “When we were kids. You invited yourself over for dinner. My dad wasn’t much of a cook. We had KFC.”
“Yeah, and you weren’t much of a host. You wouldn’t let me play with your toys.”
Adrian’s abdominal muscles clenched in surprise when she poked his ribs with her index finger.
A warm giggle sounded at his right. “You blocked the door completely and refused to let me in your room.”
He crowned the chicken with another sprinkle of fresh rosemary. Not that it needed more. But he had to keep his hands busy and his brain in neutral, otherwise he might suggest making up for lost time. He knew of one very eager, big-boy toy just begging to come out and play.
“Pretty flowers.”
He glanced to the oversized bowl brimming with a cloud of baby’s breath.
“Are these for cooking?” she asked.
“They’re mostly medicinal.”
“Oh. What kind of medicinal?”
His gaze rolled heavenward. Shit. How to respond? He returned his attention to seasoning-crusted pan.
It’s a spermicide. You know, in case you accidently blow your load. Like last night.
Or the real reason, because they reminded him of her nipples—among other things. He should’ve known. Shauna loved to accessorize. The glistening folds between her legs just happened to match in that same color.
He flipped the chicken over and an aggressive hiss filled the room.
Ignoring her. That’s nice.
“I got them for you.” There. That’s safe.
“To go with the chocolates?” she quipped.
Adrian snorted. “Yeah, you’ll never be getting those again.”
Shauna’s delicate fingers spanned the width of his bicep and charged his nerve endings with awareness. “Look…I’m really sorry about the way I acted last night. It was completely out of character.”
He paused. “
You’re
apologizing to
me
?”
What an ass. A load-blowin’, luggage-slacking, lazy ass—and let’s not even get started on the shielding potion. The one he still hadn’t managed to lift. Or the fairly suggestive color of her
entire body
. How many more man points could he afford to lose in one day?
“How was your shower?” He should’ve apologized before she bathed—or during. Maybe washed her back for extra credit. He really needed to stop putting off all these golden opportunities.
“The shower was…wet.” She brushed a hand down the length of her damp hair. “Do I need to be more specific about that too?”
“If you insist.” This time Adrian permitted the penile nod of approval, and he didn’t bother to hide his grin. His mind raced to the thought of what else might be a tad damp, and exactly where he could find it. How easy would it be to coax back the taste of honeyed freesia that he’d found there last night?
“I liked your shampoo,” she offered.
Adrian nodded. Him too. The wild orange serum in that bottle must have lifted her mood. “Anything else?” he prompted.
Shauna’s eyes narrowed to mischievous slits. “Nope.”
Okay. False alarm. Time to get down to business anyway. “Sounds like it cooled you down enough. Ready to talk?”
Shauna’s attention fled to the sizzling pan, then the sink. Hell, it bounced all over the room. “Is there anything I can help with first?”
He knew that look. Shauna was about to evade. “Here.”
Her pert lips hinged open with surprise when he picked her up. The gasp she expelled came so softly, he ached to catch and swallow it whole.
“Front row seat. How’s that?” He set her down on the counter. “You can supervise.” It went better in his mind when she’d wrapped those silken legs around his waist. Maybe tugged herself closer to him with a deliberate flex of her thighs, and the feel of the damp heat between her legs pressed against him.
He planted both fists on the counter to either side of her. “The first thing you need to know is that I never meant to hurt you.”
Shauna leaned back a bit. “Nice introduction. Sounds like something very bad is about to head my way.”
Yep.
Her line of sight veered to the nearest cupboard, which of course, she opened. “Impressive spice rack,” she murmured. “I can’t even pronounce some of this stuff.”
“Let’s keep it that way.” He moved to close the small door.
She opened it wider.
His gaze returned from its skyward roll of annoyance to catch Shauna with a smile of victory curving her lips.
She returned to the shelves. “Where’s Kimmy? Is she in on this conversation too?” She collected several dark vials from the front row and placed them on the counter.
“She’s resting.” With the amount of sedative he sifted over her, she’d be doing that for a very long time.
“You remember my father,” he started.
Shauna’s attention remained on her stolen collection as she unscrewed a vial of lavender and took a sniff. “Sure. Your dad used to run the pharmacy by the hospital.” She left the first bottle open and moved to the next, lifting to inspect the label. “I’d ride my bike down there in the summer whenever I got money. One of the few places that still had penny candy.” She dabbed a bit of vanilla behind her ear. “He was nice to me.”
The oil mixed with Shauna’s own pheromone to form a come-hither scent that stretched toward Adrian and surrounded his brain in a heady fog. The muscles that enveloped his rib cage grew tense and a rush of heat swelled his cock with a pulsing chant.
Adrian cleared his throat. “He liked you. Thought you would make a perfect rival. Teach me about the better parts of this world. From a safe distance.”
“I was a young girl. What did I know?” She moved back to the lavender.
“It’s what you didn’t know. The innocence of youth. Girl parts are the best kind this world has to offer, and at that age, they’re off limits.” He lifted a hand in consideration. “Safe distance.”
He kept his palm open and urged her to hand over the oil with a crook of his fingertips. Instead, she ignored him and up-ended the tiny vial on her wrist.
“Don’t do that,” he groaned, closing his eyes.
“Contaminating your precious chemicals?”
“Something like that.” He massaged his temple. Barely managing as it was, and then she had to go enhancing his temptation.
Chapter Eighteen
“You weren’t an infatuation. Or so my father thought. How could a boy so young find the girl of his dreams on the first try? It’s unheard of.”
She frowned. “You’re unheard of. You’re nuts. The best you did was avoid me growing-up. Otherwise, you were deliberately spoiling my fun.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“You weren’t my babysitter.”
He chuckled. “I remember those words. I pushed you away—”
She set the vial down with a
bang
and thrust a pointing finger toward the waterside view. “You
pushed me
into a muck-infested lake!”
“Because I had no choice. My father discovered my fascination with you. He forbade it. Said you were dangerous. I believed him.”
Shauna twisted the lids back on at a feverish pace. “That’s bullshit. How can you say that?” Accusations fired off as she slammed each vial back to its rightful place on the shelf. “You’re a grown man. Look at all the women you’ve been with. Flings left and right. I had to beg for your attention last night. If you really wanted me that bad, then you would’ve…” She froze. “Wait. You knew.” She rounded to face him slow as the knowledge hit. “You knew about my problem. Even before I did? Is that why he called me dangerous?”
He shook his head. “I created
that
problem.”
She snapped her mouth shut.
“It’s not something I’m proud of.”
Pain threaded through the fine lines on her brow. It glistened in the copper pools of her gaze. “The burning…why?”
Adrian took a deep breath, fighting the ache in his chest. “I heard what those guys were planning, and I stopped it. It wasn’t the best approach—I know. I didn’t realize the effect would be so severe. Or that it would last—”