Perfectly Flawed (9 page)

“What happened?”

Adrianna bit her lip. Maybe if she’d answered right away Sean might have believed her. But she hesitated. “I fell.”

His heart went out to her. For some reason, she was hiding the truth. And maybe Sean should have let it go. But he couldn’t. If anything or anyone hurt Adrianna, he wanted to know. He
had
to know. She meant something to him.

“I don’t believe you.” Sean said, holding her hand, unwilling to let her go.

“Why not?”

“Because the injury you are hiding is from a fist. I’ve been in enough fights to know.” Sean waited, but she didn’t argue. “And you were hesitant to tell me. You’ve been keeping your injury out of view, on purpose.”
Still no disagreement from Adrianna.

“I didn’t fall,” she said.

“What happened? Who did this?”

“I can’t discuss it here. I shouldn’t be telling you anyway.”

“I’m the one you
should
be telling.”

Adrianna went silent, as if thinking that over. Shifting in her chair and looking away, she tried to skirt the issue. Then, sighing, she said, “Why? Why should I tell you?”

Sean looked at her, emotion swirling inside him. “Because…I’m the one that cares about you.”

The moments that followed seemed dreamlike. Sean couldn’t believe Adrianna was leaving with him. There was no way he could work, knowing that something was wrong, something he needed to fix. Sticking his head in Emmett’s office, he let him know he was headed home; he and Adrianna would work on their respective assignments and email an update.

Sean helped Adrianna get her coat on and guided her to the elevator. The feeling between them was new. A barrier had broken down. Just a little, she’d let him inside by revealing the truth. Finally, he understood something about her, something intimate. It was a start. Once in the car, he headed toward his apartment.

Adrianna watched the scenery fly by. The day was dark and cold, the buildings stark. But all of it was a backdrop to her beauty in Sean’s mind. Thus, it was one of the more perfect days he could recall.

“Where are we going?”

“My apartment.”

“I didn’t hear you ask me.”

“I didn’t.” Sean kept driving, his eyes on the road, but acutely aware of the gorgeous woman next to him. Every move she made, every breath, and even her feminine scent was heady stuff. If anything, Sean felt a bit high, though he’d had nothing to make him so.
Except Adrianna. Beautiful Adrianna.

Chapter 12

It was a bad idea to go home with Sean. But she’d done it. Now Adrianna stood in front of the huge window of his apartment looking out to Boston Common, backed up to the tall financial district buildings. She gazed at the activity below, from high above, as if in an urban tree house.

The view was hardly a distraction from Sean’s presence. He stood behind her, so close Adrianna felt the heat of his body. She could have touched him. And she wanted to. But she dare not do so for fear that everything would all fall apart. The idea that she was alone, with this man she was impossibly attracted to, rattled her.

She hugged her arms around her body as security against what might happen next. Maybe Sean would take her in his arms, and she wanted that. But a part of her hoped he wouldn’t. That would make it harder—very much harder to resist. Questioning her motives for being there at all, she sighed.

“I didn’t know you lived so close to the financial district. You have a lovely view.” Adrianna admired the stark concrete buildings silhouetted against the deep blue sky, stalling for time.

“Yes.” Sean didn’t move. Just stood behind her.

Then his hand touched her shoulder, gently. Adrianna stopped breathing. All she’d ever known was harsh treatment and rough handling. The sensation of Sean’s hand was new—different. One simple touch conveyed kindness, care. More than she could easily tolerate. Abuse she knew; that she understood. But kindness unglued her from the inside, and Adrianna was at a loss.

Slowly, Sean turned her to face him, and looked at her with his hands on her upper arms. The feeling was sensual, and the electricity of being close to him, touching him, radiated through her. An entirely new emotion engulfed her body, one she didn’t recognize and couldn’t name.

Looking into Sean’s deep brown eyes was like falling—it was the sensation of falling into the warmth of a man. A warmth Adrianna was unfamiliar with. She wanted to drown in it, make him put his arms around her and never let her go. It was safe, secure, and something else—something vivid, if intangible. Her eyes half closed.

Reaching out, Sean touched her jaw with his fingertips. The gesture made her tremble. Lost, unsure what to do or how to act, Adrianna just watched his expression. His jaw was set, his eyes intense. In their depth she saw simmering anger, softened only by her presence. The tenderness he showed never wavered, despite a coarser emotion that threatened to surface.

“Who did this to you?” Sean looked at her cheek, and she was sure that under close scrutiny the swelling was evident.

Adrianna looked down, away from Sean’s piercing gaze. He wanted to know all, and she wasn’t sure if she was prepared to tell him. Secrecy had always been a part of it, a key to her torment. Things that were done were mistakes, anger she prompted with her errant ways. Thus, it was taken for granted that she wouldn’t reveal the source of the blow, struck in momentary upset and regretted immediately.

“It was Kevin, wasn’t it?”

Adrianna put her hand over her face. If only all of this would go away; if only magically she would wake up from the bad dream. She’d find out the things she suffered from never happened. They couldn’t have; they were too awful. Definitely too awful to talk to Sean about.

“He didn’t mean to,” Adrianna said in a quiet voice, as if to diffuse any upset. “I provoked him.”

Sean was silent.

“He apologized afterwards. It’s just something that happened. You shouldn’t even know about it. I did my best to cover up the injury. I probably should have stayed home today. I just can’t afford to lose this contract.”

Even as she said it, Adrianna knew that wasn’t all of it. The prospect of seeing Sean had dissuaded her from staying home. Again, she’d made a mistake. The error of opting to go where she knew Sean would be, over taking the safe route, now had her standing in his apartment telling more than she should.

Through the veil of regret and guilt, Adrianna felt Sean’s arms wrap around her and pull her body close to his. The feeling was so good, so unexpected. Without a word, he held her to him. Feeling the hardness of his chest against her face, and his strong arms wrapped around her, Adrianna relaxed, just a little. If Sean were there to protect her, life would be different.

That would never be. But Adrianna blotted that out. Nothing mattered except Sean, his feel, his touch, his kind words. The silence was a welcome reprieve and she was grateful he didn’t press for more, just took what she offered. And seemed to care. That was what she couldn’t fathom: he seemed to care. She closed her eyes, unwilling to break the spell, and just let him hold her.

Sean stroked her hair and ran his fingers down her spine. But it wasn’t sympathy she felt. No, it was a hot sensation, as if his desire for her burned through her with each touch. Yet he didn’t make a move, letting Adrianna settle next to him, trust him. She wanted to trust him, really she did. But that wouldn’t be easy.

After an eternity, Sean leaned back just a little and lifted her chin until her eyes met his. The softness of his caramel eyes melted her. The sensuality he exuded made her weak. There was no resistance in her, not to his disarming nature. Rubbing the pad of his thumb across her lower lip he caused a tingling sensation inside her.

To his credit, Sean didn’t take advantage of her weakened state; he didn’t make a pass at her. Instead, his eyes crinkled into a smile.

“Come,” he said, and led her to the kitchen. He lifted her onto one of the low countertops and went to the cupboard. After pulling out a bottle of whiskey and a small glass, he came back.

“I don’t drink.”

“Today you do,” he said. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got my eyes on you. I know you have rules. Two bites, right?”

Adrianna smiled despite herself.

“Okay then. Two sips.” Sean poured out just the right amount and handed it to her.

Holding the glass of amber liquid, Adrianna realized the stress she’d been under. She put the glass to her lips and sipped. The burn felt good, and when it hit her lungs she coughed. Then she laughed.

And Sean laughed too. He lifted the whiskey and swigged directly from the bottle.

“Again,” he said, nodding toward her glass.

And Adrianna took her second sip. Unused to alcohol, she felt it immediately. A slight dizziness hit her and she gripped the edge of the counter.

Sean moved in front of her, pressing his hips against the granite. Resting between her legs, he took another swig, larger this time, and then set the bottle aside. Adrianna looked up at him.

He reached out and brushed back her hair so it drifted behind her shoulders. Grazing his fingers along her jaw, he said, “Now. Tell me.”

Adrianna’s normal inhibitions jarred loose with the sips of whiskey, but not that much.
Though calmer and feeling a little better, she had no inclination to confide in him.

Sean stared at her. “I know you don’t want to tell me. I understand why. But you can’t keep their secrets anymore. I won’t let you.”

As her cheeks warmed and her body flushed with the heat of the alcohol, Adrianna felt less certain of her silence. The attitude Sean exhibited, as if it were normal to talk about things, urged her to speak about subjects she never had before.

“I know you are afraid that I’ll go find Kevin and beat him to a pulp. Don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind. But I’m here with you, Adrianna.” Sean looked at her, unrelenting. “I want to know.”

Tears burned down her cheeks, and Adrianna was powerless to stop them. No one had dared cross the barrier before and ask her. Yet Sean was bold enough to demand that she tell him. All she could do was cry. The words wouldn’t come. She didn’t know where to start.

Sean held her against his chest while she sobbed, never interrupting, or telling her everything was okay. She knew it wasn’t, and he knew it too. How he knew, she wasn’t sure. But the only reason she considered opening up to him was because he didn’t do the normal stuff or say the normal things. Admitting it was bad, and allowing him to know too, was more than she ever expected.

When she stopped crying, Sean held her face between his palms and repeated: “Tell me.”

Adrianna could see the black of her mascara smeared everywhere. Sean grabbed the hem of his shirt and, wadding it in his hand, lifted it to her eyes to dry them. Then he waited.

With her legs against his hips and his arms around her, Adrianna started to talk—a little at first, then more. Once she started, it seemed impossible to stop. Some of what she told him was just the tip of the iceberg. Yet it was more than she’d ever revealed to anyone before.

Her relationship with Kevin was the easiest to face; it was more recent. Going back, Adrianna skimmed over some details about her father: how he got angry with her so easily, slapped her, berated her. Thus, men like Kevin seemed to be all she knew, so like her father, hated yet unavoidable. But—she didn’t tell all. She couldn’t.

Sean didn’t cut in, merely prompted her at the right times. He listened intently, interested. If Adrianna stopped, regaining her train of thought or finding the next bit to tell, he just waited. As a result, she found herself pouring her heart out. Why she felt so comfortable with him, Adrianna couldn’t explain. Having no defense against something she’d never experienced before, she fell prey to Sean’s openness.

She’d never met anyone so kind; it was foreign to her. But she reacted to it as anyone would, her trust growing with every word she uttered. On and on she talked until she felt like she’d said it all, at least for then. There was no way to relay a lifetime of torment concisely. That would take time—
if
she even told more later. Adrianna would have to see.

Finished talking, she sat there looking at Sean, unsure what his reaction would be. Of course, she hadn’t told him everything. But she had shared more than she ever had with anyone. Nervously, she waited for his response, fully prepared for criticism. It was all her fault anyway.

Sean gave her a smile. “Are you hungry?”

Breakfast had never happened, and lunch had slipped by without notice. Sean had not only gotten her to talk, he’d gotten her to talk a lot. Hours had passed, seeming like minutes.

Adrianna’s stomach growled, giving Sean his answer. They laughed together.

He scooped her off the counter, her body sliding against his until her feet touched the floor. There she was, backed against the counter with Sean pressed against her. Adrianna’s heart raced. He leaned down, so close she felt his hot breath on her skin. His lips touched hers, just as they
had when he’d danced with her.

Only this time, he kissed her. It was a tender kiss, light, teasing. But he lingered, their lips touching—for so long. He wanted more. She wanted more.

“Adrianna.” The sound of his deep voice seduced her. Just saying her name was enough. The way he said it—it was more than she’d ever had before.

Then Sean slowly pulled back, his face flushed. He pulled her toward the door, grabbing their coats on the way out. “You like Italian?”

“Sure.” Adrianna let him help her with her coat, loving how his fingers touched her shoulders as it slipped on.

*****

Sean wanted Adrianna more than anything, and it would be so easy to take her. She trusted him. The way she looked at him.

But not that way.
He didn’t want her that way, when she was vulnerable. But Sean couldn’t imagine what had gotten into him. Never had he held back—not with a woman. It went against his nature, and he fought it. Everything inside shouted at him to take her. She wouldn’t resist; he knew she wouldn’t.

But Adrianna was different. She was unlike any woman he’d known. There was something special about her. And Sean would have her—
had
to have her. But it would be when she wanted it too, for the right reason. Not because some creep had knocked her around and Sean came to the rescue.

No, he was no hero. Desire for Adrianna flamed inside him He had no delusions that he would be gentle when the passion exploded. So Adrianna would need to be equally inflamed, wanting him just as much as he wanted her.

The look he saw in her beautiful blue eyes told him that moment wasn’t far off. Patience was not one of his virtues; it occurred to him that Adrianna must really mean something to him. And he didn’t want to blow it. He wouldn’t be able to take it if she said no. Not again. This time she wouldn’t refuse him.

*****

The warmth of the restaurant wrapped around them. Music, an Italian harmony, played through the speakers in the ceiling. They were too early for the dinner crowd and the place was virtually empty. The dim interior was lit by candlelight at the tables. The maroon and gold décor against dark wood floors and furniture was sexy.

Everything was sexy. It seemed so. Since the moment Sean had swept her away, life had been like a dream, a wonderful dream. Adrianna admired the rough, muscled man across from her. Sean had removed his leather jacket, and she could see the mascara smears on his shirt, which he hadn’t bothered to change. The cotton shirt fit snugly, outlining his well-developed
pecs.

“You must work out.”

Sean looked up from his menu and smiled. “Checking me out, huh?”

Adrianna nodded. “I like what I see.” She couldn’t believe she’d said that. What had gotten into her?