Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(49)

Adam plopped back against the pillows, chuckling. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said slyly. “Let’s say…eventually.”

I huffed, feigning indignation, and tried half-heartedly to roll to the other side of the enormous bed. But he easily caught me in his arms and eased me back to lie against him.

We’d reached an impasse, of sorts, but, for this night, I was fine with where we were.

“Good night, Adam,” I said, closing my eyes.

“’Night, Maddy.”





Chapter 13



I woke up only once in the middle of the night, entangled in Adam—stretched across his bare chest, his arm draped over my shoulder, I tilted my head back just enough to watch him sleep. He seemed so peaceful, so at rest. Wishing for Adam to find that kind of contentment in his waking life, I laid my head back on his chest and allowed his steady heartbeats to lull me back to sleep.



The second time I woke up, though my eyes remained closed, I could tell it was morning. Something velvety trailed across my cheek, tickling my skin. I lifted my hand to brush it away, smiling, and heard Adam chuckle. Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was Adam and, in his hand, a vibrant red rose.



Tentatively I touched the petals, the texture as velvety as when he’d brushed them across my cheek. Adam stretched out across the bed, already dressed for the day in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. “For you,” he said, handing me the flower and wowing me with one of his drop-dead smiles.



I took the rose and inhaled the sweet fragrance of the bloom. “How’d you locate a red rose here on this island on such short notice, Adam?”

He leaned close, trailing kisses along my cheek, following the path he’d made with the rose. “For you, Maddy, I can make anything happen,” he murmured.

No doubt he could. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.” I smiled, truly appreciative of his sweet gesture.

“Oh, there’s one more thing.” He rose from the bed and made his way over to the doorway. As he disappeared into the hallway, he called back, “I hope you’re hungry.”

I was kind of hungry, now that he’d mentioned it, so I sat up and craned my neck to see what Adam was doing in the hallway. He soon appeared in the doorway, holding a breakfast tray laden with a delectable presentation of food. “Wow,” I mouthed, impressed by the presentation, not to mention the image of this gorgeous man bringing it to me.

Once Adam reached me, he placed the tray across my lap and sat down next to me. “A vegetable omelet, toast, fruit, and orange juice,” he said, pointing to each of the items on the tray as he listed them off. “Hope this meets with your approval, Ms. Fitch,” he added as he slipped the red rose from my fingers and slid it into a slender, water-filled vase on the corner of the tray.

“Thank you. It looks delicious,” I said, touched that the powerful Adam Ward was serving me breakfast in his bed.

I took a tentative bite of the omelet and found myself pleasantly surprised at just how mouthwatering it was. “Mmm, Adam,” I said between enthusiastic bites. “This is so good. Did you make this yourself?”

“I did,” he replied, chuckling. “Is it that shocking that I can cook?”

I thought it over for a minute. “I guess not. You certainly seem to excel in everything you do.”

Adam cocked an eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes, despite the fact that I was actually rather anxious to find out just what kinds of other things Adam excelled in. But instead of sharing those thoughts with him, I said, “You know what I mean.”

“I do,” he purred. “But believe me, Maddy, I make it my mission to excel in everything I do.” He trailed his hand down my bare arm, leaving goose bumps in his wake. “And I do mean everything.”

I wanted Adam in every way imaginable. I was sure he knew his words made my body ache for his touch. But it was more than that. Despite everything I was clearly falling for Adam a little more with each passing day. I just didn’t know if he felt the same way. True, he’d made it clear he didn’t view me as just some new sexual plaything, like Lindsey. But could he ever truly fall for me?

Lost in those thoughts, I failed to respond, and Adam coughed a little. Sensing my hesitation he smoothly changed the subject. “We’d actually better get going soon. Max is expecting us.”

“Right,” I mumbled into my orange juice. I’d almost forgotten about pressing charges against J.T. Almost.



Before Adam drove me back to my cottage to change, I reluctantly threw on the clothes I’d worn the day before, grimacing when the smell of stale whiskey hit my nose. And after showering back at my own place, I was only too happy to throw the offending shirt in the trash. Actually a part of me wanted to burn it. Damn J.T., what an ass.

Wanting now to get this over with and forget about it, I hurried back downstairs. I practically ran to the front door, passing by Adam as he stood waiting for me in the living room. “OK,” I yelled over my shoulder. “I’m ready.”

Adam caught up to me. “You don’t have to do this, Maddy. You know that, right?”

“No, I do. I really do,” I whispered, leaning my forehead against his chest. My voice was soft but full of conviction.

So we drove down to Max’s modest bungalow, where it took only ten minutes for him to take my formal statement. I basically recounted exactly what had transpired at the café, while Adam held my hand. After I concluded, Max pressed the stop button on the recorder he’d set out on the coffee table and then informed us that J.T.—who was back in Cove Beach—would be taken into custody later in the day. Max explained how J.T. would be processed and then admitted to a rehab facility. As opposed to the alternative, jail, it seemed more than fair.