Page 47 of Slow Burn
I was so ready for this.
Until the shrill sound of a phone coming to life rudely interrupted what could have been a wonderful moment. I wanted to curse. Adam did. One profanity after the other rolled off his tongue. He dropped his hand and with a few backward steps, he put unwanted distance between us.
Somewhere in the living room, the phone was still ringing. I wanted to grab it and smash it to the floor and possibly stomp on it too. Not that we could go back. The moment was gone, and judging by the look on Adam's face, it was going to stay gone.
When the generic ringtone finally died down, silence filled the room. And for the first time since I'd arrived, I felt awkward. A quick glance at Adam confirmed he felt ittoo. His hands were shoved into his pockets while he tried to stare a hole in the floor.
A complete and utter miserable feeling descended over me. This sudden uneasiness that hung thickly in the air was the last thing I wanted. Honestly, if I could backtrack, I would.
I turned my attention to the couch where Sheldon was curled up into a little ball, happily snoring away. He wasn't going to be happy with me for disrupting his sleep, but he would just have to suck it up because there was no way I could stay.
Smoothing my hands over my hips, I opened my mouth to tell Adam I was leaving when our discarded dinner caught my eye. He'd worked hard on that meal; the least I could do was clean up.
Avoiding Adam, I slipped into the kitchen and started gathering the plates all the while cursing the stupid manners my mom had instilled in me.
"What are you doing?"
He might've spoken softly, but I still jumped at the suddenness of his voice. For such a big man, he sure had light feet. Or maybe I was too busy sulking to hear him approach.
My eyes locked onto his. There was so much emotion swirling in those dark irises; pity I couldn't decipher even one. "I'm clearing the table."
His brows pulled together. "Why?"
I couldn't stand the way he was looking at me. It made me feel hot all over, but it also held so much warning. Focusing on the plates in my hands, I spat outthe words as quickly as I could. "I think I should go, but leaving you with all these dishes feels wrong."
He startled me once again when without warning he pulled the plates from my hand and shoved them onto the table. "Maddie, I—" The damn phone started up again. I shut my eyes and dropped my chin to my chest.
I didn't believe in fate and the universe giving us signs but damn if this one didn't have bright neon lights flashing around it.
"Shit," Adam muttered. "Let me just turn the ringer off."
He started to move, I quickly opened my eyes and gripped his forearm. His skin was warm and the muscles beneath my fingers jumped. "It's okay. I really should get going."
Adam parted his lips but seemed to think better of what he wanted to say and snapped them shut again. Nodding stiffly, he said, "All right, if that's what you want."
Talk about being all over the place.Iwas the one who wanted to go and yet when he didn't ask me to stay, my heart filled with disappointment. No wonder women were always being accused of not knowing what we wanted.
Because clearly, we didn't.
"Thank you for dinner." I removed my hand from his arm, and his gaze immediately shot to the spot I'd been holding on to. Deep lines marred his forehead as he studied it with the intensity of someone solving a difficult math problem.
Turning my back to him, I gathered the dishes once more. I didn't get very far before his raspy, "Leave it," rolled over my skin. Everything about this night, this man, rattled my bones. Perching my fingers atop the table, I kept my gaze in front of me.
"Are you sure?" I asked. "I don't mind—"
"I'll do it." He didn't sound angry, but he definitely wasn't happy either.
With a quick jerk of my head, I spun around. "Okay." Taking a wide step around him, I snatched Sheldon from the couch and headed to the front door. My heart sank a little when our goodbye was almost as awkward as our first meeting.
My mind spun in a million different directions and by the time I was safely tucked into my bed, there was only one thing I was certain of.
Adam whatever-the-heck-his-last-name-was was messing with my head and I didn't like it.
23
ADAM
Like the idiot I was, I didn't stop Maddie from leaving when every cell in my body begged me to. Instead, I stared at her retreating back like a damn idiot. Thing was, I was scared shitless.
