Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(34)

I shrugged his hand away and spun to face him. “No, you are getting to be ridiculous,” I spat. “Don’t you f*cking get it? I want to be left alone.”

Adam’s eyes flashed in anger, his jaw clenched. “Maddy,” he said sharply, “you can’t stay away from me forever. After all, you do live on my island.”

I crossed my arms across my chest, and Adam’s eyes glanced down to my exposed skin, making me feel oddly excited instead of angry. “What do you want anyway?” I huffed.

His eyes met mine. “At the very least, you owe me an explanation.”

“I don’t owe you anything,” I said, marching into the cottage with Adam right on my ass.

“Get out!” I yelled, turning and pushing at his shoulders. But I couldn’t budge him. The man was more solid than a damn rock.

I gave up on trying to get rid of him. Instead I grabbed the front of his white button-down shirt and said icily, “Why don’t you leave me be? Forget about me, and just go f*ck your little skank.”

“What are you talking about?” Adam snapped, genuine confusion in his tone.

I laughed derisively, tugging at his shirt as I said, “Oh, I don’t know. Does the name Lindsey ring a bell?”

Adam looked positively pissed. “Who told you about her?” he demanded as he attempted to pry my clenched hand from his shirt. But I held on tightly and glared.



“Fucking Helena,” he mumbled under his breath when he saw I wasn’t going to answer.

Releasing my grasp, at last, I took a step back. “So it’s true then?”

“Maddy, I don’t have to answer to you.” Adam chuckled darkly, looking down as he casually tucked his now-rumpled shirt back into his black dress slacks.

“You do when you practically asked me to be your girlfriend last week. Or were you just lining me up to be your newest piece of ass?” I accused.

“Is that what you think?” Adam asked in a disturbingly calm voice, his blue eyes meeting mine and flashing something far from calm.

I had to look away. “Uhh.”

“Answer me,” he said, quickly closing the narrow gap between us.

“I-I don’t know,” I stammered, taking a step toward the open door.

With lightning speed Adam slammed it shut, quickly spinning us around so that my back was up against the wood. His hands slid from his hold on my shoulders down to the bare skin at my waist. I inhaled sharply, surprised at how good his strong hands felt, despite how heated our argument had become. Or maybe that was why it felt so good? The fact that I could make him this angry sort of thrilled me.

“Did I somehow leave you with the impression that I was looking for just a piece of ass?” I tried to look away, but Adam nudged my chin. “A piece of ass that you were about to give up, I might add,” he said smugly.

“Shut up,” I said, but it sounded unconvincing, even to me.

Easing me back against the door, Adam pressed his firm body to mine. “Do you think I just want to f*ck you, Madeleine?”

I stifled a moan, and he laughed softly. “Or is that what you’re looking for? A good, hard”—Adam rocked against my hips—“f*ck.”



Despite my protestations, Adam’s intensity was enticing. The danger, a thrill. My breathing quickened, and I rasped, “No.”

“No, what?”

“No, that’s not all I want.”

“And,” Adam pressed, “do you really believe that’s all I want from you?”

“No, I don’t think that’s all you want either,” I finished, raising my hands from my sides to find purchase at his trim waist. This exchange was leaving me weak-kneed.

“Good,” he said softly, relaxing into me. “See how much nicer things are when we agree.”

Adam was so warm, so solid. He was right. Agreeing with him was much nicer. I sighed and shifted so that our lips were almost touching. But Adam pulled back and grinned wickedly. “What are you doing, Maddy?”

The laughter in his eyes told me he was no longer angry, so I admitted, “I’m trying to kiss you, dammit.”

“Madeleine,” Adam scolded teasingly. “I think we still have some things to discuss before we start back down that road.”

Good God, the voice of reason.



I leaned my head back against the door and rolled my eyes. “Fine, I’m still mad at you anyway,” I reminded him, although I was the one who obviously needed reminding.

Adam stepped back but, to my twisted delight, kept his hands on my bare waist.

“Yes, exactly why are you so angry with me? Surely not because of some woman Helena told you about. Did she also remember to tell you I haven’t seen that particular woman in quite some time?”

Oh shit. While I was elated to hear Adam hadn’t been in touch with his Boston babe lately, confirming what Helena had said, I still had to think of a plausible explanation for my behavior over the past week. I couldn’t exactly tell him I’d had my dad snoop into old phone records relating to his missing fiancée. Or that we’d found out that he was the person she’d been calling.



“Um, I don’t know if I can explain…” My voice faltered.

Adam sighed. “Does this have something to do with the real reason you’re here on my island? Did you come across something in your little investigation for your book that scared you off and made you run?”