Picking Up the Pieces (Pieces, #2)(61)

I heard the shower turn on upstairs as I strolled from room to room, admiring the framed artwork and photographs that decorated his home. A picture of Eva as a baby in Adam’s arms sat on an end table in the living room. He looked like a baby himself: only twenty years old, but forced to grow up so quickly. I picked up another picture of who I assumed were Adam’s parents. Of course I had no way of knowing because I’d never met them. But seated at the head of the table in front of a huge turkey was Adam. And the age of the people on either side of him, as well as their striking resemblance, told me they were probably his mom and dad.

Without realizing it, I followed a mosaic of pictures up the stairs. I’d always wanted a stairway filled with photos when I “grew up.” The problem was that I didn’t have any stairs yet. Or any pictures worthy of being hung for that matter. But Adam’s wall was full: pictures of Eva, other relatives, some photos of him playing baseball, hunting. I didn’t even know he liked to hunt. Looking at how full Adam’s life was only made me more aware of my own life’s emptiness.

As I ascended the stairs, I heard the shower shut off, and a rush of adrenaline coursed through me at the thought of Adam stepping out of the shower dripping wet with a towel around his waist. Entering his room, I took a seat on the bed, quietly waiting for him to emerge from the steamy bathroom, hopefully just as I’d pictured. And when he finally did, the real vision didn’t disappoint. His damp messy hair hung across his forehead, and as I let my gaze drift back down, my eyes stopped on the water that glistened off the soft hairs of his firm chest. I imagined catching a stray droplet with my tongue as it slid down his solid stomach.

But I didn’t dare move yet—not until I took in the entire image standing before me. I bit my lip, silently admiring the way he gripped the towel in one hand, pulling it tightly enough to allow me a glimpse at the outline of his dick. I thought I saw it twitch as he spoke. “See something you like?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as an invitation.

As if by reflex, I rose from the bed and moved toward him, slipping my hands around him. His warm damp skin smelled of aftershave and clean body wash. “I like everything about you. Especially this,” I said, running my palm above the towel to feel his thick shaft get harder as I massaged it.

Adam let his towel drop, giving me full access to his hard cock. I stroked his length slowly, teasingly, skimming the head with my fingers to rub around the bead of fluid that had accumulated at the tip.

In one swift motion, Adam had me in the air, moving me toward the bed and stripping my shirt off within seconds of placing me on my back. With a rough tug he removed my pants and tossed them aside. “No underwear again?” he asked. “I like this new habit of yours.”

He kissed down my stomach, blowing teasingly on the way down to his destination. I moaned in pleasure as he kissed, licked, and sucked at my opening. With each lap of his tongue, I begged for him to make me come, feeling myself get closer with every groan against my clit. His fingers invaded me gently, then harder until I thought I would explode at any moment. “Oh God, Adam . . . please.”

The sound of Adam’s phone was the only thing that prevented the release I craved. To my surprise, Adam stopped to grab his phone off the nightstand to answer it. Fuck. I imagined I felt like a guy did when a girl stopped sucking his dick right before he came. I thought briefly about finishing myself off while Adam was on the phone, but I was too distracted watching him pace the room giving monosyllabic responses to his caller.

“It’s Eva,” he said suddenly after tossing the phone on his bed. “I gotta go get her. The douchebag she went to the dance with was a jerk to her. She’s crying.” He threw on sweats and grabbed his wallet and keys from his dresser. “I’ll drop you off first.”

Wait, what? Can’t we finish what we started first? But I could never say that. “Adam, just get her first and then drop me off. The school’s closer.”

I could tell I’d caught him off guard with my comment, but I couldn’t figure out why. Until he told me.

“Uh . . . Lily." He looked at me cautiously, as though he were trying to gauge how I’d react to his next words. "I haven’t told Eva about us yet.”

Huh? Did I hear him right? “What?” My voice was strained, angry. “You told me you’d told her.”

“I will. I swear. It’s just weird. I don’t know what to say to her.” His hurried tone told me he was possibly more annoyed than I was. And I didn’t know how the f*ck that was possible. “Can we talk about this later? Let’s just go.”

“Sure,” I said because I didn’t know what else to say. I certainly wasn’t about to say what I’d been thinking. Mostly because, at this point, I didn't know what to think. About anything.





Chapter 23: Lily


The past week with Adam had been strained. I kept wondering when we'd stop making everything so difficult and just let our relationship unfold without all of the bullshit. And even though we'd talked a few times, there was still an occasional awkward silence, some internal questioning of how he would interpret things I said, and a vague feeling like something was missing between us. I couldn’t identify what that “something” was, but I felt its absence frequently enough to obsess about it. Typical girl shit.

And as I stood in front of my closet, trying to figure out what to wear, I decided to let it go. Whatever Adam and I were meant to be, we’d be. Things were bound to be a little weird. I’d cheated on him with a professional athlete. That kind of shit would scar any relationship. I just hoped that the scars would fade with time.