All I Ever Need Is You (The Sullivans #14)(21)

As they stepped into the elevator, Adam wished he had the right words to make her feel better. His brother Dylan would have known just what to say right now. Rafe probably would have, too. But Adam had always been one to comfort by action rather than words, just as he was doing right now. Still, he wanted to do more, wished there was some way he could take care of Colleen’s problems for Kerry.

No woman had ever made him feel so protective. And not because she was weak. Beneath the veneer of gloss and elegance, Adam believed Kerry Dromoland just might be the toughest woman he’d ever met. Not only did she run her business with perfect precision, but she also wasn’t the slightest bit afraid to head into the worst parts of town to help her sister.

They got off the elevator, and her front door was only a few steps away. At first glance, as she let them inside, the space wasn’t too different from her office—perfectly decorated, from the furniture to the artwork and even the patterns on the rugs. But unlike her office, there were little things throughout that gave away hints as to the real woman beneath the gorgeous veneer. The jar of candy on the counter. The sweatshirt thrown over the back of a dining room chair. And especially the pile of romance novels by the side of the couch.

“If you could bring my sister into my guest room, that would be great.”

Following Kerry down the hall, he’d only just stepped over the guest room’s threshold when Colleen suddenly groaned. He knew that sound, and it was never a good one.

“Where’s the bathroom?”

Kerry pointed, and he moved as fast as he could without jostling Colleen too much.

But just as he put Colleen down on her feet on the tiled bathroom floor, Kerry moved in to put her arms around her sister. “You’ve been amazing, but I can’t let you do any more for her tonight. You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

She’d barely finished her sentence when Colleen’s eyes fluttered open and she said, “I’m going to be sick.”

“Please, Adam,” Kerry said. “She’ll hate knowing you saw her like this.”

He shut the door behind him a beat before Colleen’s retching and crying started. Adam knew exactly how this was going to play out. Kerry would take care of her sister, then stay up all night watching over her.

But who would take care of Kerry?

By the time Adam made it out to her kitchen, he’d decided that he would.

No doubt Kerry would need coffee when she emerged from the bathroom. He sure as hell would in her position. Adam’s mother had made sure he and his brothers weren’t useless in the kitchen or around the house, so he easily knew his way around a pot of coffee.

As he found everything he needed to make it, he thought about family and all that came with it. He’d always been thankful for his, for the way they all stood by each other no matter what, and he liked knowing Kerry clearly felt the same about her family.

But from what he could see, there was a big difference between his family and hers—no one in his family had ever pretended to be perfect. His parents had never expected it from Adam and his siblings. They’d simply expected them to be kind, and hoped that any mistakes they made would be something to learn from. Adam hadn’t met Kerry’s mother, but from what she’d said at dinner about her mother doing spot checks on her “empire” all the time, he had a sense of just how much weight her mother expected Kerry to carry on her shoulders. And to do it effortlessly, as well.

An hour later, Kerry’s hair was damp and curling softly around her shoulders as she walked into her kitchen. She’d not only showered, but had also changed into leggings and an oversized University of Washington sweatshirt. She looked utterly unlike the perfectly polished woman he’d first met a week ago—and totally adorable. Even more beautiful, in fact, than he’d already thought she was.

She stopped in her tracks halfway into the room. “What are you still doing here?”

“I was thinking you could probably use a cup of coffee.”

He poured it for her and brought it over before she could tell him that she didn’t need it. He’d seen how hard she worked to take care of everything herself, but sometimes you needed support, whether you wanted to admit it or not.

“How did you know coffee was exactly what I needed right now?”

She took the cup from him and drank. Not dainty sips, but big, thirsty gulps.

Staying to make her coffee hadn’t been about sex—yes, they’d had an amazing night together, but after seeing what she was going through in helping her sister, he’d simply wanted to take care of her. Still, he wasn’t going to blame himself for enjoying the sight of her perfect walls falling away or for thinking she was even sexier behind those crumbling walls.

After Kerry had finished the cup and gone to pour herself a refill from the pot, she said, “You’re good at silence. At letting a person process their thoughts.”

“You can thank my father for that. He’s the best listener there is.”

She gave a faint little smile. “From everything Rafe and Brooke and you have told me, your parents sound really amazing. I can’t wait to meet them at the wedding.” But too soon, her smile fell away and she sighed as she picked up the coffee cup and took another sip.

He’d given her a little silence and coffee. Now he’d give her the chance to get some of tonight off her chest if that’s what she needed. “Do you want to talk about it?”