Need You Now (Martha's Way Series Book 2) (14 page)

She was deep in euphoria when she heard
Adam say
fuck
and joined her. Shuddering in her arms,
he let out a low, hoarse sound and squeezed her ass as he lost himself in her.

For a moment, neithe
r of them moved. Adam buried his head into the crook of her
neck, his broad shoulders rising and falling against her body as he caught his
breath.

With
shaking
legs, Lily attempted to
adjust the heel of her boots from his back, but he held her still.

“Not
yet,” he
said against her neck. He was buried inside her, his hands still cupping her
ass.

“You will cramp up.”

He chuckled, his breath hot against her
skin. Then he lifted his head to see her face. “You underestimate me. I’m
tougher than I look.”

It was h
er
turn to laugh. Since she’d met Adam, she’d never questioned his toughness.
Everything about him screamed brute strength. Still, he slowly withdrew from
her and brought her to her feet.

“Let’s go to bed.”

Lily smiled. “You’re done with me?”

Raw desire
flashed
in his eyes. “Liliana, I intend to violate that beautiful body of yours in the
most sensual way. I meant what I said, no stopping until you’re sore.”

He kept his promise and took her over
and over. Starved with an insatiable appetite only Adam coul
d satisfy, she let him. Passion, rich and lush, flooded
every sense as she met him move for move, giving as well as receiving. Their
harsh breathing and muffled groans filled the room;
the
salty smell of sex flooded her nostrils and filled her lungs. She w
anted to go on forever.
To never end.
To be lost in this sensual dream with him
for eternity.
Much later
when they finally
collapsed on the bed, out of breath, Adam rolled unto his
back and brought her with him and pulled the covers over them.

Every muscle
in Lily’s body ached. Pain had never felt so good.

“I need to text Minka.”

“Why?” he asked, eyes closed.

“To let her know I’m spending the
night.”

“I bet you one million dollars they’re
not expecting you back.”

She scraped her finger nails across his
ches
t. “You’re so cocky.”

He chuckled. “I like when you say cock.”

“I didn’t say cock.”

“You just did,” he said. His eyes still
closed.

Lily smiled. He was teasing her. The old
Adam was back. Her heart did a little dance.

“We’ll drive over and get your stuff t
omorrow. Now sleep.” He nudged her with his elbow and
tightened his grip on her. “I sleep better when you’re around.”

“I bet.” She chuckled against his chest.

“It’s true, Liliana. You bring me
peace.” He placed a kiss on her head. “Now sleep.”

With her
thigh
between his, Lily tried not to make too much of the way her heart swelled. Of
course he liked her. Even if their relationship was only on a physical level,
she’d always known he cared.

In the night, she listened to Adam’s
even breathing, fast asleep
next to her. She touched
his chest and his arm automatically tightened around her. Lily smiled in
amazement at how a person who was once a stranger could suddenly, without
warning, become her entire world.

* * * *

When she stirred and opened her eyes, it
was morning and she was in Adam’s arm. She peeked at him,
still asleep. She slipped out of his grip and as quietly as possible, pulled
one of his T-shirts out of the dresser and over her body. She glanced back at
him; still sleeping. She walked over to hi
s side of
the bed and appraised his appearance. His hair wildly tousled and stubble
darkened his jaw. He looked disheveled, feral, sensuous, a perfect reflection
of their night together. She
lifted a hand
to touch him but stopped.
Her chest tightened with
guilt and her stomach flooded with nausea.

Shit.
Morning
sickness.
Lily turned toward the adjacent bathroom but quickly
realized that was too close for comfort and rushed down the stairs. She
walked-ran hastily down the hallway, hands over her mouth to the
closest bathroom and heaved.

Clinging
the porcelain toilet, she hurled again and again. Infinitely grateful that Adam
was fast asleep
, she took her time coming to her feet. Splashed some cold
water over her face and rinsed her mouth. She needed to sit dow
n and reflect, better yet, find her purse, take her
pre-natal and think of a way to tell Adam the truth.

She pulled in and then slowly released a
deep breath, opened the door and gasped as she almost bumped into Adam. He
stood there in low slung jeans, his
face a dark mask,
holding her hostage at the threshold.

“Adam.”

He tilted his head.
“None other.”

The coldness in his eyes chilled her to
the bone. He leaned back and she walked past him, refusing to look at him. She
made her way to the family room and l
ocated her
purse. She knew he followed. His presence was not something she could ignore.
Still, she tried.

“I’m going to give you two minutes to
tell me what I’ve finally figured out.”

Heart in her throat, she found the
pre-natal bottle and palmed it in
her hand.

“I need water,” she said and
escaped
into the kitchen. To her
relief, he didn’t follow. After swallowing the pill, she pulled out her phone
and scrolled to Minka’s name.

Hey Minka, I’ll be over
soon.

Her friend texted back.

Tell him.

She placed the phone on the counter,
took a deep breath and squared her shoulders as she
walked
into the family room.
She found
Adam
standing by the large window
overlooking the
private beach, his back ramrod-straight.

“It crossed my mind last night,” he
said
,
his back to her. “Your
breasts are different.
Fuller.”

Damn. She hadn’t given much thought to
the slight changes of her body. Truth be told, she didn’t think he’d noticed.

“I know every inch of your body,
Liliana, probably better than I know my own.”

The hitch in his voice tore through her.
Pain…she paused, analyzing the sound; disappointment, that’s what it was. She’d
disappointed him. Unsure of what she should do, Lily wrapped her arms over her
chest.

“I’m pregnant,” she said softly, her
heart hurti
ng with each word for not telling him
right away.
“Starting my seventh
week.”

He turned to face her, his gaze cold and
unyielding. “When were you planning on telling me? Or was that not part of your
equation?”

No. He had it all wrong. Of course she
wanted
to tell him. She started to take a step
forward
but stopped
. Tension crackled in the
air. Everything about him told her not to dare come too close. “I tried…”

He sneered. “When did you try? Was
it the time you broke things off via a fucking text?”

He looke
d at
her, rage in his eyes, skin bloodless beneath his tan. She looked away.

“Or maybe the other night at
Vapor?
God damn it, Lily! You’ve had how many
opportunities to tell me?”

The sound of her shortened name cut her.
She could count on one hand the time
s he had
addressed her by it.
They
had disagreements before,
but over mundane things. Her heart pulsated against her chest. The last thing
she wanted to do was to cause him grief.

“I’m sorry, Adam. I had every intention
of telling you. I just needed…some t
ime to sort
things out.”

 
“
And did you sort them out?
Was us fucking all night part of the sorting out?”

There was a strange note in his voice.
In spite of her pain, she smiled. “No. We fucked because you’re my weakness,”
she admitted.
“A weakness that I
was trying to overcome.”
She waited for him to
interject. When he didn’t she continued. “You touch me and set my body on fire.
I want you in the worst way, your taste and the feel of your skin next to mine.
You’re not the only one who is addicted, Adam, bu
t
physical attraction is not enough to raise a child.” Lily exhaled. “That’s why
I didn’t tell you.”

He just looked at her for what seemed
like eternity, his eyes blazing. “There’s something else
.
Tell me what it is. Tell me
the whole truth before I lose m
y fucking mind.”

“I knew if I told you, you’d want to
marry me. I don’t want to marry you.”

Chapter Thirteen

“It is much easier to become a father
than to be one.”

Kent Nerburn

The silence in the room was deafening.
Lily
braced herself
for the explosion, the
questions, maybe even accusations. What she found was
even
worse
—
a stoic expression, revealing nothing.
Adam stood there, his posture stiff. The only hint of some sort of reaction was
the way his rigid bicep muscles flexed involuntar
ily.

He didn’t say anything, but she felt the
tension vibrating
from
his body. She’d hurt him. The
realization made her queasy because honestly, she hadn’t realized she could
cause him any type of anguish.

“I’m pregnant.” Her voice cracked on the
word this
time.

After what seemed like eternity, he let
out a short breath and ran a hand over his face. His palm moved to his corded
neck and stayed there for a beat.
The act was
unintentionally sexy and just so totally Adam. Her heart twisted
.

“I had every
intention of telling you,” she said quietly.

His eyes
flicked through the room then moved back to her face.
The hardness in them sent
chills down her spine. He took a step forward, she shuffled back.

“I found out two days before I arrived
here.”

He said no
thing.

For good measure, she added. “And he’s
yours.” Somehow, it seemed fitting to refer to their baby as
he.
A
version of the man standing before her.

“I don’t believe I questioned you about
that.” His voice was
deceptively
calm.

She didn’t trust it. The
way his jaw flexed, eyes sharp and cold just like the rest
of his facial features, told her he was fired up and ready for war.

An awkward silence settled in the room
while they stared at each other. Lily eventually looked away, grabbed her purse
and turne
d to walk out of the room. As she brushed
past him, one hand caught her waist and held her still. The movement caused his
T-shirt she wore to ride up a bit, exposing her bare thighs.

“Where are you going?”

She cleared her throat.
“To get dressed.
I booked
a room at Martha’s Way.”

“Cancel it.”

“Adam…”

“We’re not done,” he said in a menacing
whisper. “I let you speak; now you’re going to listen.”

Lily swallowed, her gut clenched with
anticipation. His hand fell away from her waist, but he was still standing
way too close.

“We are
getting married,” he said, his voice low and definitive. “It is not about what
you want. You’re pregnant with my child. We get married. End of story.”

What? No
. And just like that her
temper f
lared. “I told you I don’t want—
”

He cut
her off. “I told you, this is not a choice to be made. Not
for you or for me.”

Because she needed all the strength she
possessed, Lily stepped back, tilted her head up and looked at him. He was
totally serious, not a hint of amusement on his handsome face.
This couldn’t be happening. “You’re willing to be
miserable for the rest of your life for the sake of a child.” It wasn’t a
question; this had been her fear all along.

He looked unperturbed. If anything, she
caught a hint of a smile. “We won’t be miserabl
e. The
sex is good.”

She let out a chuckle, not of amusement,
more out of the ridiculousness of their conversation. “We’re over, Adam, and
now you know why.”

A do-not-fuck-with-me look crossed his
face. “We’re not over. We are just beginning.”

The finality
of his words made her stomach hurt, but more than that, it made her mad. If
Adam wanted a fight, then he’d get one. One of the many things she learned
growing up with three pain-in-the-ass brothers was a woman needed to grow a
pair once in a while. Chin u
p, she walked right to
him and stabbed a finger into his hard chest. “You don’t get to tell me what to
do,” she said between clenched teeth. “We’re over.” She turned on her heels and
walked past him.

Lily reached the doorway when Adam
caught her hands. The
whole thing happened too fast.
His fingers laced in hers, chests pressing against one another. With his weight
he directed her to the wall, raised her arms up over her head, and caged her
in. Not one to cower, she looked straight into his eyes.

“You don’t
love me,” she
whispered.

His jaw tightened, but he made no
attempt to dispute otherwise. Her heart scattered in tiny little pieces. She
hadn’t expected a declaration of undying love, but the reality still stung.

“
I need love, Adam.
That mad, passionate lo
ve.
It should be experienced
at least once in a lifetime.” She examined his stoic expression, and her
posture sagged. The fact she was forever bonded to a man who didn’t love her
smacked her in the face. It shouldn’t. She already knew that. But…still, real
ity sucked. “That’s not who we are.”

She waited for him to speak.

He didn’t. Instead he sent her a long,
pained look then slowly released his grip and put some distance between them.

Lily swallowed hard, her heartbeat
slowing
to a grinding thud
. This was h
er life, pregnant and
in love with a man who wanted to marry her for the sake of their unborn child.
Feeling small, weak, and defeated, she turned to leave.

“What about you, Liliana?”

The question ripped through her. She
stopped, but didn’t dare look at hi
m. Still, she felt
him move to erase the distance between them once again. His hands gently
grabbed her arms and turned her to him.

“Look at me.”

Slowly, she tilted her head and met his
gaze.

“You’ve told me how I feel.” His gaze
swept over her face. “But
you haven’t told me how you
feel.”

The heart had a way of wanting what it
wanted.
Of aching to override
reason and common sense.
Even now, wounded, dulled with sadness,
hers still ached for Adam. Hearts were wild creatures that way.

I’m in love with you.

The pain in her chest hurt like a deep
gash. She took a deep, laboring breath and tried to get a grip
of
her
emotions, but the liquid sadness flowed down her cheeks,
leaving a wet trail in the path.

* * * *

Oh, damn. Adam could taste the tears as
if they
were his own. And true enough they were
rolling down her cheeks. He could handle a lot from a woman but tears; yeah, he
was fucked. He reached for her, but Lily turned on her heels and ran down the
hall. Seconds later, the door slammed, hitting him like a
sucker punch.

All of a sudden the room felt too large.
He stood there feeling smaller and smaller as he searched
for
the right words, the right action, and the right way to feel. A cannon ball had
blown through him and left a gaping hole in his stomach. H
e was going to be a father.
Dad.
Padre.
Pere.
Vater
.
It didn’t matter what language he translated it into, it was scary as hell.
They had to marry. No ifs, ands, or
buts
about it, but bringing Lily around to the idea was
clearly going to take some work.
Hi
s gaze
landed on his cellular phone on the coffee table. He picked it up and pressed
on the names
of the three men he viewed as brothers.

Meet at Vapor in twenty.

Within seconds the phone buzzed back. He
scanned their responses.

Can’t…patients.
Full day
today.

Forrest’s office was always busy with
so-called “sick” patients.

Blake’s text
followed.

In a meeting with Jason and his father.
Sorry, bro.

Adam responded
.

Twenty
.

Blake and Forrest responded almost
simultaneously.

Noon.

Jason added.

This better be good,
asshole.

Adam checked the time on his cell. He
had less than two hours to kill. His thoughts on auto drive, he started toward
the bedroom and stopped. A vision of Lily’s quivering lips still fresh in his
mind. He’d give her time. Hel
l, he needed time.
Changing direction, he made his way down the stairs to the laundry room. From
the clean bin, he pulled out a wrinkled, long-sleeved T-shirt and changed into
sweats. Tension caused his leg muscles to tighten. A good run and a cold shower
should bring him some relief.

At exactly noon, the four men
sat
at the round table on the far left of the bar.
Other than a few
stragglers left for the last wave of the foliage, the place was empty. Maxie
placed chilled beers on the table.

“Thanks, Maxie,
”
Adam muttered.

“Want some food?”

All four shook their heads. She smiled
at them then walked away leaving the three other men waiting for Adam to
explain. He took a swallow of cold beer then let out a breath.

“You look like you just saw death,”
Jason was
the first to speak. “Want to spill it?”

“Lily’s pregnant.”

His three friends nodded.
None
of them appeared
overly surprised by the news. They usually took great
pleasure teasing him about hooking up with Minka’s best friend. He caught
them
exchanged quick,
solemn looks. Apparently everyone knew about Lily but him.
What the fuck!

“Why does it feel like I’m the last one
to know?”

After
an
endless moment, Jason
spoke. “I didn’t know for sure. Minka never said
anything.”

“She looked a little pale last night dur
ing dinner,” Forrest added.

“She stopped drinking,” Jason said, then
took another sip of his beer.

Adam
remembered Lily choosing
sparkling water the
other
night at Vapor. Shit.

Why did he not pay closer attention?

He already knew the answer. The last few
d
ays, he’d been thinking with his other head.

“I thought you two were casual,” Blake
said carefully.