Picture Perfect (The Wilsons) (5 page)

As he approached her, he wondered if coming there had been a mistake. But he couldn't really think straight - all he could think of was lying down on top of her, wrapping her in his arms and feeling her softness against his body. He'd use his teeth to pull down one of those green fabric triangles that covered her breasts, exposing her nipple - would it be hard and erect? - and then he'd take it between his lips, sucking gently -

"Hi Adam."

Her voice broke his reverie, and Adam hoped his face didn't reflec
t how excited he was feeling. "Oh, hey."

"Decide
d to watch the sunset?"

Her lips were a soft pink, and they would be fun to kiss. Maybe after he'd dealt with that nipple.
"Um, yeah."

He had no idea what she said after that, so he made a non-committal noise and set up the chair beside her. Lea had closed her eyes again, and sitting next to her he could look down at the perfect view of her bikini-clad breasts.

"Sunset's in a few minutes," she said, opening her eyes again suddenly.

She sat up and her breasts moved with her and Adam admired how they sloped down and curved around. Sitting so close to her, he was aware of how sexy she smelled, like oranges and the ocean. It was so tempting to lean in press his face against her neck, and he squirmed in his chair, staring out at the ocean, trying to ignore Lea again.

He turned to her again - she was sitting cross-legged, leaning back slightly. "Do you want the chair?"

"No, it's fine." She smiled.

Adam wondered if she knew how aroused he was. His breathing seemed to have deepened, and he admired the way her damp hair framed her face. "How was your swim?"

She shrugged, her shoulders bare and beautiful. "Ok, I guess. How was your day?"

He shook his head. "I feel weird sitting up here in the chair while you're down there."

"I like it here."

She stood up and Adam had a quick glimpse of her bottom before she turned around. Her bikini bottom had far too much fabric, he decided, and he longed to pull her close and squeeze those perfect ass cheeks.

"We can share my towel," Lea said.

She bent to pick up the beach towel and her breasts swung down. Adam sucked in his stomach sharply and gasped softly at the view, hoping she hadn't heard him. He imagined her giving him that view again by bending down over him, and his thoughts got increasing jumbled and his erection more pronounced as Lea fussed with the towel, bending down again and arranging it so that he could sit on it.

She sat down on one side and looked up at Adam. He gulped and went to join her, sitting at the other edge of the towel and hoping she didn't realize how deeply she'd
aroused him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and the sun went down slowly. Adam was painfully aware of his hardness, and hoped that he was acting normal. The sunset was beautiful, but barely even registered in his mind - all he was aware of was Lea, sitting beside him. Her skin would be warm and her body soft; he tried to stop thinking of what they'd be doing if they were alone, but his imagination refused to listen to him.

Finally the sunset was over, and people started to leave the beach. It was getting slightly chilly, and Lea stood up, pulled a sarong out of her beach bag and wrapped it around her body like a dress.

Adam looked up at her in disappointment. Before he could stop himself, he'd blurted out, "You looked better without the sarong."

Thankfully Lea didn't fly into another rage or laugh at him. She just smiled, and he got up and folded the beach towel for her. She packed it in her bag and suddenly Adam was overcome by a fit of impatience. The longer he stayed out here with her, the greater his chances of making a fool of himself.

"I'll get that for you," he said, grabbing the bag out her hand and ignoring the burst of electricity he felt when their fingers brushed again.

He strode off to the car park, carrying his folded chair in one hand and Lea's bag in the other. He spotted her Jeep easily, and waited for her beside it.

When she finally joined him she looked bemused and slightly pleased. "Thanks for carrying the bag. You didn't have to, it wasn't heavy."

"I know." He grinned and Lea opened the Jeep door and tossed her bag in, before climbing up and closing the door again.

"See you at the hotel," she said, and he wandered back to his car.

***

Lea drove back slowly, feeling strangely pleased with herself. She hadn't seen Adam for almost two days, not since that breakfast together when he'd left so suddenly. They were staying at the same hotel and never even saw each other - she got the distinct feeling that he was trying to avoid her, though she couldn't imagine why.

So she was surprised and happy when he'd turned up at the beach. And she was pretty sure that he'd been checking her out. Her green bikini
was
pretty skimpy, and she'd have to thank Mel for making her pack it. Like most women, she had a few hang-ups about her body, specifically that her thighs were too fat and her stomach a bit too flabby.

Adam had a strange light in his eyes when he was talking to her, and though she told herself that she wasn't interested in him, it was definitely an ego boost if he
was
checking her out. When she'd bent over to pick up the towel, she was pretty sure she'd heard him gasp. Should she be annoyed and think that all men were pigs? Normally she wouldn't invite a wild-haired man's attentions, but Adam made her feel a bit strange.

There had been a heavy feeling in her stomach when he'd sat next to her, and when he'd looked at her after the sunset, she'd glanced away quickly, almost afraid of the heat she saw in his eyes.

Nothing was going to happen between. She didn't waste time with losers or nomads like him. But even as she drove back to the hotel she was aware of his car following her, of the knowledge that he was only a few feet behind her and soon after she parked and walked slowly into the lobby, she heard him drive up and park in a rush.

By the time she'd crossed the lobby and pressed the button for the elevator, Adam had joined her. They both stared straight ahead and she tried to think of something witty or relevant to say, but nothing came to her mind. Could she ask him if he had plans for dinner? No, that would sound too much like she was coming on to him.

When the doors opened, they both stepped in silently and Lea placed her beach bag on the floor. The lobby was quite empty at this hour. Most people were probably out, or getting dressed for dinner. Lea decided to ask him…

Her eyes met his and she forgot what it was she'd meant to ask. His eyes were dark and intense, the desire on his face obvious. The elevator doors closed behind them with a soft metallic thump and they continued to stare at each other.

After what seemed like ages, Adam reached out and placed his hand on her lower back. His hand felt large and warm through the thin fabric of her sarong, and he pulled her close to him.

The heat radiated off his body and Lea was inches away from his chest. She lifted her arm gently and placed it on his arm. His muscles were hard and taut and she wanted to place her hand on his chest and stroke downwards to his stomach.

Adam stepped closer suddenly, closing the tiny gap between their bodies, and she felt herself pressed against him, her breasts crushed against his hard chest. When she looked up, his face was inches from hers, and his eyes were glowing with a passionate hunger.

Nothing could have prepared her for his kiss. His lips came down softly on hers, but what started out as gentle and teasing quickly evolved into something hungry and desperate. Their lips fought with each other, and his tongue penetrated her mouth roughly, greedy and demanding. He tasted hot and spicy, like peppermint and lust, and she found herself sinking deeper and deeper.

His hand moved down from her back, moving along the curve of her buttocks and then squeezing tight. She moaned into his mouth, feeling the dampness between her legs, and found herself melting into a puddle of desire. She pressed against him, wanting more, and then suddenly, she found herself pulling away and moving quickly to the other side of the elevator.

She pressed the button for her floor and looked away. The metal of the elevator wall felt cool against her back and Adam stepped forward, grabbing her wrists in his hands and pulling them up high above her head.

The sudden movement made her thrust her breasts forward, and holding her wrists steady with one hand, Adam moved the other down to her chin, forcing her face up as he brought his lips gently down on hers again. 

He moved away and traced his fingertips down her throat along the curve of her breast until he found her nipple. He pinched it gently between his fingers and she made a hoarse noise in the back of her throat. She closed her eyes and felt him twist the nipple, elongating it and making her wetter.

This isn't happening.

Lea opened her eyes and said hoarsely, "We can't do this."

Adam immediately let go of her wrists and nipple and stepped back. Disappointment flooded inside her, and she said, "This isn't going to happen."

"Ok then."

His voice was hoarse. He handed Lea her bag and said, "It's up to you."

The elevator had arrived at their floor, and Lea pressed the button to open the doors again. She stepped out and looked back at Adam, half-hoping he would try to convince her otherwise. But he just stood there, with his arms folded, and his eyes blank.

"Let me know if you change your mind."

The elevator doors closed between them, and it headed down again.

It was the right thing to do
, Lea told herself as she walked briskly to her room. She didn't do one-night stands, and there could be nothing between them. He was a reckless war-journalist and they had no business being together. She ignored the gnawing disappointment that Adam hadn't tried harder to win her over, to get her to change her mind, and hoped she could forget how his lips felt against hers.

***

When Lea woke up the next morning, she couldn't decide if she should have breakfast at the hotel's breakfast bar or not. Chances were high that she'd run into Adam, and she didn't know if she wanted to or not. Last night she'd slept fitfully, and images of what might have happened and what did happen kept replaying themselves over and over in her mind.

One thing was for sure: she and Adam could never be together. They didn't have any future together, and if two brief kisses could send her into such a frenzy of hormones and lust, she didn't want to have anything more to do with him.

By the time she made up her mind and headed down to the breakfast bar, it was quite late and she was sure that Adam would be out by now. But as soon as she stepped into the room, she saw him sitting at her customary table, reading the paper with a cup of coffee in front of him.

He glanced up as soon as she entered. He was wearing a white shirt today, and it made his tan look deeper. His hair was as messy as ever, and the moment his eyes met hers they glinted dark, a mix
ture of desire, regret and something else she didn't understand. It felt like he could see right through her, and despite the tropical heat, a chill went through her body.

Lea hadn't intended to say anything to Adam even if she did run into him. But now that he was here, right in front of her, she found herself drawn towards him. She couldn't just walk away without speaking to him one last time.

As she approached his table the corners of his lips went up in a mysterious smile. Lea kicked herself mentally - he probably thought she'd changed her mind and was coming to tell him that.

I'm doing no such thing, she thought in annoyance. She pulled out the chair opposite to him and sat down, crossing her legs and leaning forwards.

"This isn't going to happen," she said in a low voice.

Adam leaned back, the smile never leaving his face. "And good morning to you too."

Lea scowled at him. "That kiss, the elevator - it never happened. Nothing can happen between us."

"I agree," he said smoothly, and Lea's heart dropped again.

Despite herself, she'd been expecting him to protest, to try to convince her otherwise. Clearly he wasn't that interested in her. So that was a good thing, right? Less trouble for her.

As if he'd read her mind, Adam said, "We're too different, we've got no future together and you're clearly not looking for a fling. You want a relationship, marriage, commitment, the works."

The scowl left her face, replaced by a look of mild surprise. "That's right."

"So I'm not about to force you into anything. You know how I feel about you. The ball's in your court now."

His eyes bored into hers and Lea felt her face flush. The waitress approached their table and asked Lea if she was ready to order.

She glanced up into the waitress' greenish-blue eyes and then looked back at Adam. The air above their table seemed to be throbbing with electricity and she was surprised that no-one else in the room noticed it. No, she couldn't sit through an entire meal with Adam and think straight, let alone engage in some kind of conversation.

She pushed her chair back and stood up. "I think I'll skip breakfast today."