Tame the Beast (Ever After #1) (16 page)

She lifted her hips again and enjoyed the moan that ripped through his chest like a growl. Every muscle in Adam’s body tightened. Clara wrapped her arms and legs tightly around him as his body came crashing down on hers, leaving no space between them.

Her mind soared as she listened to him cry out her name. “Clarabelle.”

Never had it sounded so beautiful.

Chapter Fourteen

Adam slipped out from under the covers as Clara shifted in her sleep. Pulling on a pair of gym shorts, he took a moment to admire her. The sun was just starting to rise, casting the perfect glow on her bare back. He was beginning to fall for her. He could feel it. This was why he didn’t sleep with virgins or women who expected commitment. Too many messy emotions. This time, he hadn’t expected them to be his own.

Lifting Clara’s discarded clothes off the floor and grabbing his phone from the bedside table, Adam tiptoed out of the room. Her jeans were stiff from where the snow had melted then dried. Hopefully, he could wash them before she woke.

Down in the kitchen, Adam waited for the coffee to finish brewing. He didn’t know what the day would bring. Would Clara regret what they did? He hoped not. He was certainly looking forward to next time. But as his thoughts replayed the night, he wanted to shoot himself in the foot. He hadn’t worn a condom, something he always made sure to do. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. There was something natural about being with her, no barriers between them. It was like she was meant to be his.
And she was,
his possessive thoughts growled. He had something no man ever did. It was a good feeling. He’d be damned to let that go.

He was deep in thought when a consistent buzz from his pocket pulled Adam back. Luke’s name flashed across the screen of his phone.

“Yeah,” Adam greeted as he sipped his coffee.

“I have a huge favor to ask.”

“At seven in the morning?”

Luke scoffed from the other end. “We both know you wake up before the sun. Unless you’ve been drinking. Were you drinking last night?”

“No,” Adam replied.
Not unless Clara counted.
She certainly had the same intoxicating effect.

“Well, then I don’t see the problem.”

Wanting to get back to the gorgeous woman in his bed, Adam cut to the chase. “What’s the favor?”

“So I told Ma I’d watch Collin today, but Rose said she wants to meet for lunch.”

“Okay.” He tried following Luke’s dilemma. “Just take the little man with you.”

“Well, that’s the problem. One, I’m not ready for Collin to meet her. And two, I’m hoping to get a little action after. Come on, help me out. Watch Collin for a couple of hours?”

Adam laughed into the phone. He couldn’t leave his brother hanging, could he? “Okay. What time you going to lunch?”

“Thanks, man. I’m meeting her at eleven, so I’ll bring Collin over around ten thirty.” There was a slight pause. “I have one more favor to ask. I want you to invite Clara over too. I figured it would be cool since Collin won’t shut up about meeting her yesterday. Seriously, bro, I think he has his first crush.”

“I told him to back off,” Adam replied. Humor filled his tone. Glancing up toward the ceiling, Adam’s thoughts lingered on their night. He wasn’t ready to share that with anyone just yet, even Luke. “Yeah, man. I’ll give her a call.”

“Thanks. Deacon’s getting tired of me asking him to leave every time Rose comes over.”

“No problem,” he said with a laugh. “See you in a few.”

Ending the call, Adam poured a second cup of coffee and made his way back upstairs. Clara was sleeping soundly, just like he left her. She only stirred when Adam slipped between the sheets and wrapped his arms around her.

“Good morning,” he said as she twisted to face him. Even with sleep in her eyes and her hair spread every which way around the pillowcase, she looked downright beautiful.

“Morning,” she muttered through a yawn.

Adam pulled her closer into his arms. Her skin was warm from hiding under the blanket. “I brought you something.”

She shot up, adjusting the blankets to keep her bare skin covered. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her modesty. Last night she hadn’t been the least bit shy. He thoroughly enjoyed the contrast.

Her brown eyes beamed with excitement as he placed the coffee mug in her eager hands. “Thank you.”

Adam smiled as she sipped greedily. “When you’re done, you can shower if you’d like. Or take a bath. Your choice. My bathroom has both.”

“And will you be joining me?” she asked over her cup.

Adam’s body snapped to attention. Just like that, the little vixen was back. In Adam’s experience, there were two types of women. The lady to bring home to Mom and the temptress to take to bed. Clara was the very definition of a lady. It was in the way she held herself. The way she spoke. But last night there were flashes of a temptress waiting to be unleashed. He could see it in her eyes now. There was nothing ladylike in the way she gazed up at him.

“As much as I would love to, I would be too tempted and you need time before we do that again,” he replied. After placing a light kiss on her forehead, Adam tilted her chin so she could see the full desire in his eyes. “And trust me, sweetheart, there will be a next time.”

Her dark eyes danced with excitement. She was a puzzle he couldn’t put together. It left him both frustrated and intrigued. And if she kept looking at him with those tempting eyes, next time was going to come a hell of a lot sooner than he intended.

Needing his attention focused on a safer topic, he said, “We’re also going to have company today. Luke wants me to keep an eye on Collin while he goes out with Rose. Mind helping me out?”

“Sure. I liked Collin. And you probably shouldn’t be left alone with children,” she teased. “What time are they going out tonight?”

“Actually, they’re going out for lunch. Collin’s coming over at ten thirty.”

“What?” she shouted as she leaped out of the bed, no longer concerned about modesty. “I have to get dressed. I have to go back to my dorm and get new clothes. Where are my clothes?”

Adam smiled as he watched her search the room with a frantic look in her beautiful eyes. “Calm down. I threw them in the wash. They’ll be dry soon and I’ll bring them up to you. And you’re in luck. I’m even going to make you breakfast.”

“Adam Beaumont knows how to cook?”

If he weren’t so busy staring at her flawless ass, he would have thought up a better response. Instead, he said, “Mrs. Thompson taught me a thing or two. I can whip up a mean scrambled egg.”

“Sounds promising. But I still have to run back to the dorm. I can’t have Collin see me in the same shirt I wore yesterday.”

“He’s six,” Adam argued, “And a boy. I doubt he even noticed, let alone remembers.”

“It’s the principle of it!”

Adam sent her the best puppy dog look he could muster. “But breakfast ...”

“You’re such a child,” she scolded, but the smile on her face said she was enjoying his little performance.

“Stay right there.” Hopping off the bed, Adam disappeared into his closet. The entire walk-in was bursting with clothes. He should have gone through it ages ago and discarded the items he no longer fit into, but he always found something better to do. This time, his procrastination might actually pay off. Deep in the corner of his forgotten youth, hung a simple, red V-neck. The shirt would still be a little baggy on Clara, but he had been a smaller guy in his early high school years. At least, she wouldn’t look like she was swimming in it. Satisfied with his find, Adam returned to the bedroom. “Here you go. You can borrow it.”

Clara eyed it as if the shirt was going to jump out of his hands and bite her. Finally, she reached out and said, “Thank you.”

Adam answered with a nod before leading her to his bathroom. “Help yourself with whatever. I’ll be downstairs in the kitchen.”

Clara gripped the shirt against her bare chest as Adam pulled her into a kiss. It was light and sweet, and yet it still robbed her of all breath.

That boy’s going to be the end of me
, she thought as she watched him walk out the door.

Alone in the bathroom, Clara gazed at the room. No wonder Adam never entertained women here. Between his perfected bedroom skills and the grandeur of his home, who would want to leave?

The jetted bathtub looked promising, but with Collin coming over, Clara didn’t want to chance it. That didn’t stop her from daydreaming about trying it out with Adam. Her fantasy took a new turn as she stepped into the shower. There was plenty of room for two, and the six showerheads would provide enough warm water to share.

Of course, she would not expect a relationship. No, it was better not to. Safer even.

But she was no longer going to deny the intense attraction that ignited every time they were near each other. She enjoyed the feeling far too much. Despite the initial pain and undeniable soreness of the morning after, Clara thought about his promise of next time. A shameless smile formed on her lips. The way he made every inch of her skin prickle was addictive. Would she know when to quit?

Cutting her thoughts and the shower short, Clara stepped back out into Adam’s room. As promised, her freshly washed clothes sat on the bed. She stuffed yesterday’s shirt into her purse and rummaged through the contents in search of the two items Rose made Clara take with her.

Aunt Ava always says you never leave home without mascara and lipstick.
Rose’s words echoed in her mind.
In this case, take the tinted lip gloss.

She wondered if Rose suspected what would happen after the date. She would have to grill Rose later … if she had the courage to talk about it. As she debated how much she would share with her friend, or anyone for that matter, Clara slipped into Adam’s red shirt and let the fabric fall to the middle of her thighs. Pulling the extra material into a knot, Clara eyed her reflection. Collin would be there in a few hours and even though she was excited to see the little guy again, she dreaded seeing Luke. As Adam’s best friend, there was no way he wouldn’t pick up on the change between her and Adam.

Pushing open the bedroom door, Clara left her worries in the room. Right now, a very gorgeous Adam was downstairs, waiting to make her breakfast.
I could get used to that,
the romantic in her mused. She would deal with the rest later.

Chapter Fifteen

Adam stood at the head of the pong table, sinking each shot. He was on his game tonight, which pissed Corin off to no end. When Corin arrived at Beaumont two and a half years ago, he had expected to rise to the top of the social ladder. And why not? Everyone in his hometown loved him. The Sander family had a legacy all their own, so when he met Adam in the dorms, taking shots and seducing upperclassmen, it only made sense that they would become close friends. Corin’s family couldn’t be happier with the connections he was making, but he didn’t expect the rise to the top meant hitching a ride in Adam’s shadow.

What pissed him off the most was the way Clara seemed to want to worship the ground Adam walked on. Corin spent two years trying to flirt his way into her life and she rejected every one of his advances. Any girl would be damn lucky to have him, so what did Adam have that Corin didn’t? He refused to believe Clara was that much of a gold digger. No, his Clara was sweet and caring and just the girl his mother was constantly telling him to bring home.

“I’m going to knock that goofy ass smile off your face,” Luke called to Adam from the other end of the pong table.

“I can’t help it,” Adam replied as he sunk another shot. “I’m on fire tonight. Must be this amazing mood I’m in.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Luke mumbled. “You’re getting laid.”

“Oh no,” Adam said with a smug smile. “It is far more than that. I’m a changed man, my friends.”

Coughs concealing the word “bullshit” echoed throughout the room. Corin sat on the sofa, ready to crush the glass cup in his hand. Instead, he drained the contents and moved toward the kitchen for another. He didn’t want to entertain the possibility Clara was sleeping with Adam. Not his Clara. It wasn’t possible. They grew up together, more or less. Sure, they didn’t play together as children, but their mothers served on the same committees, ran in the same circles. All he heard his whole life was what beautiful girls the Wright daughters were. How smart Clarabelle was.
Those are the girls you settle down with,
his mother’s words gushed through his head.

“I’m telling ya,” Adam continued, “Clara’s changed me. And the sex—”

The sound of Corin’s glass cracking against the counter put their little party on pause.

“What the hell, Corin?” Luke asked.

But Corin was too focused elsewhere to reply. “You can drop the act, Adam. We all know Clara’s too good to touch someone like you. You might be getting laid, but I’d bet money it’s not by her.”

“Oh yeah?” Adam’s eyes narrowed as his smug grin stretched across his face. “How much are you willing to lose in that bet?”

“You’ll ruin her,” he replied, closing the distance between them. His breathing quickened with each step.
Don’t hit him
.
Don’t hit him,
Corin chanted in his mind. The urge to take a swing at Adam’s arrogant mug was tempting, but Corin kept his rage in check. With quiet disdain, he said, “I give it a month before you get bored and leave her in tears. It’s what you do. We all know it. So excuse me if I don’t stick around to watch you break another heart. Marcus and I have somewhere else to be.”

“We do?” Marcus piped up. The seething glare Corin sent him almost made Marcus choke on his drink. “I mean … we do. Course we do. Later, ladies.”

“Lock up before you leave,” Corin added as he stormed out of the apartment.

The sun was just beginning to set. Soon, the sky would be just as dark as Corin’s mood. He would wander in the dark all night if it meant he didn’t have to spend another second in the apartment. Adam was becoming unbearable. At least, when Adam was nailing random chicks, he was honest about it.

“Sooo …” Marcus began, “Where are we going?”

Corin kept his eyes forward, focusing on nothing in particular. “I just needed to get out of there.”