accounts a decent guy, up until he died in a car wreck.”
“You were young,” she said.
“Five.”
“That must have destroyed your mom,” she said.
“I don’t know, to be honest. She’s not big on emotions and feelings. Or at least on sharing them.” He slid her a look. “Yeah, yeah, I inherited that from her.”
She smiled. “You do okay when you want to. You ever see her? Your mom?”
He shrugged. “Some.”
“She lives about an hour outside of Sunshine, right?”
“Yeah.” In a double-wide, which was all she’d let Dell and Adam do for her. It was no secret that Nila had given up custody of her boys, leaving them to face the foster system. Guilt kept her from accepting their help now. “Dell sees her more than I do,” he said. “He drives out there every other week and works a few hours, giving vet care to those who need it.”
“That’s sweet.”
“That’s Dell. I don’t go out there unless I have to.”
“Have to?”
“Once in a while something on her trailer breaks and I go fix it.”
“When you have to,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“How’s that not as sweet as what Dell does?”
Jesus. “Didn’t we do this already? I’m not sweet, Holly.”
“No, you said you weren’t cute.”
He wasn’t either of those things, and she knew it.
“When’s the last time you saw her?” she asked.
“A while ago. We had a disagreement.”
“About?”
“Water.” He and Dell had wanted to put some money into her well, to get her better-quality water, but she absolutely refused their help. Adam had done it, anyway, started the process to make the improvements, and Nila had called off the job. She’d made a rare appearance in town, at the animal center in fact, to tell him that his money wasn’t welcome. He’d looked into her dark eyes and known it was nothing less than one hundred percent pride. That she regretted not ever spending money on her sons, and in light of how things had gone down, she didn’t have a right to their money now. Adam didn’t give a shit about any of that. He liked to think he didn’t give a shit about her at all.
But he did. And all he’d wanted was to make sure she had some clean water, dammit.
But there was one thing Nila could do better than her sons. She could out-stubborn them. Adam told Holly the story in as few words as possible and she snuggled in a little bit more. “I don’t know,” she said softly. “Sounds to me like you have a little sweet in you, after all.”
He tilted his head down to give her a look.
“You do,” she insisted.
“I
don’t
.”
“You’re here with me,” she reminded him. “Because I asked.”
His arms tightened. “I’m here because I want to be.”
She ducked her face into the crook of his neck, but not before he saw the sheen in her eyes. He gave her a momentbecause the last thing he wanted was tears. He felt helpless against her tears.
“Adam?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell me again that we’re going to find him.” Her lips brushed his skin with each word, so that he barely was able to suppress a full body shiver.
“We’re going to find him,” he said.
She nodded, her frozen nose bumping into his ear. Snowflakes dusted her hair and shoulders. He found his hands sliding beneath the jacket, moving slowly up and down her back, warming, soothing.
Wanting…
She lifted her head and looked at him, then his mouth.
And like Pavlov’s dog, his body stirred.
“Adam?” she whispered.
The sound of his name in her low, sensuous voice was doing him in. This time he had to clear his throat. “Yeah?”
She licked her dry lips, just a quick dart of her tongue, and he nearly groaned. “We’re a bad idea. Right?”
“The worst.” But here was the thing. Some of his worst ideas had turned into really great ones. Sure, he’d been burned by most of them, but there was something in the way she was looking at him.
It was an invite that he couldn’t refuse. Cupping her jaw, he leaned in and covered her
“You were young,” she said.
“Five.”
“That must have destroyed your mom,” she said.
“I don’t know, to be honest. She’s not big on emotions and feelings. Or at least on sharing them.” He slid her a look. “Yeah, yeah, I inherited that from her.”
She smiled. “You do okay when you want to. You ever see her? Your mom?”
He shrugged. “Some.”
“She lives about an hour outside of Sunshine, right?”
“Yeah.” In a double-wide, which was all she’d let Dell and Adam do for her. It was no secret that Nila had given up custody of her boys, leaving them to face the foster system. Guilt kept her from accepting their help now. “Dell sees her more than I do,” he said. “He drives out there every other week and works a few hours, giving vet care to those who need it.”
“That’s sweet.”
“That’s Dell. I don’t go out there unless I have to.”
“Have to?”
“Once in a while something on her trailer breaks and I go fix it.”
“When you have to,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“How’s that not as sweet as what Dell does?”
Jesus. “Didn’t we do this already? I’m not sweet, Holly.”
“No, you said you weren’t cute.”
He wasn’t either of those things, and she knew it.
“When’s the last time you saw her?” she asked.
“A while ago. We had a disagreement.”
“About?”
“Water.” He and Dell had wanted to put some money into her well, to get her better-quality water, but she absolutely refused their help. Adam had done it, anyway, started the process to make the improvements, and Nila had called off the job. She’d made a rare appearance in town, at the animal center in fact, to tell him that his money wasn’t welcome. He’d looked into her dark eyes and known it was nothing less than one hundred percent pride. That she regretted not ever spending money on her sons, and in light of how things had gone down, she didn’t have a right to their money now. Adam didn’t give a shit about any of that. He liked to think he didn’t give a shit about her at all.
But he did. And all he’d wanted was to make sure she had some clean water, dammit.
But there was one thing Nila could do better than her sons. She could out-stubborn them. Adam told Holly the story in as few words as possible and she snuggled in a little bit more. “I don’t know,” she said softly. “Sounds to me like you have a little sweet in you, after all.”
He tilted his head down to give her a look.
“You do,” she insisted.
“I
don’t
.”
“You’re here with me,” she reminded him. “Because I asked.”
His arms tightened. “I’m here because I want to be.”
She ducked her face into the crook of his neck, but not before he saw the sheen in her eyes. He gave her a momentbecause the last thing he wanted was tears. He felt helpless against her tears.
“Adam?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell me again that we’re going to find him.” Her lips brushed his skin with each word, so that he barely was able to suppress a full body shiver.
“We’re going to find him,” he said.
She nodded, her frozen nose bumping into his ear. Snowflakes dusted her hair and shoulders. He found his hands sliding beneath the jacket, moving slowly up and down her back, warming, soothing.
Wanting…
She lifted her head and looked at him, then his mouth.
And like Pavlov’s dog, his body stirred.
“Adam?” she whispered.
The sound of his name in her low, sensuous voice was doing him in. This time he had to clear his throat. “Yeah?”
She licked her dry lips, just a quick dart of her tongue, and he nearly groaned. “We’re a bad idea. Right?”
“The worst.” But here was the thing. Some of his worst ideas had turned into really great ones. Sure, he’d been burned by most of them, but there was something in the way she was looking at him.
It was an invite that he couldn’t refuse. Cupping her jaw, he leaned in and covered her
Similar Books
