Page 69 of Cocky Prince
“What about your dad? Are you close to him?” I never found out what his dad wanted to talk to him about tonight, but his father made it clear I wasn’t welcome in the conversation. I can’t imagine Adam’s dad knows about the teacher rumor. Whatever was bothering him, I doubt it had anything to do with me.
“I’m closer to him than my brothers are, but that’s not saying much.”
“How can six men who lost the woman in their life not band together?” I want to understand him. And comfort him. And if I’m going to, I need to know more about him.
He’s quiet for a long moment, and then he says, “After my mother died, my father checked out. In a way, we lost both of them that day—our mother to cancer, and our father to Club Tahoe, where he put all of his energy. The only difference between my brothers and me is that I tried to stay close to our father. I lived the lifestyle he did, I worked for him—I did whatever he asked. Since stepping away to work at Blue, I’ve realized those choices I made never brought us closer. And they never made me happy.”
His body is tense, a war of emotions playing out on his face—a handsome face that rarely reveals what he’s feeling, always masked by that sexy veneer. But I don’t see that Adam anymore. I see beneath the pretty exterior to the person filled with kindness, caring, intelligence, and sometimes pain. “What makes you happy?”
He shrugs lightly. “My brothers gave up their trust funds to live their lives the way they want. I thought I couldn’t live without the money.” He peers down and his gaze softens. “But here I am. With you. And I can’t imagine a better life than one filled with jars of flowers and a beautiful girl who walks around in her underwear eating chocolate.”
I grin, and he squeezes me to him. “When my father approached my brothers and me tonight, I realized it wasn’t the lifestyle I craved. I wanted his time. Doing what he said meant I was close to him in some way, but it was never enough.”
I crawl on top of Adam until my body is aligned with his, and tuck my face into his neck, my arms cradling his head. I don’t want him to feel alone. Ever. “What did your dad say to you tonight?”
Adam flattens his hands on my lower back. “He said we should spend more time together as a family.” His chest rises on a deep breath. “I can’t even tell you how ridiculous that statement sounded after so long. He offered what I’ve wanted since my mother died, and I couldn’t take him seriously.”
I tilt my head to see his face. “Maybe you should. People can change.”
He shakes his head. “My father—he snaps his fingers and expects us to follow orders. I get the reason why my brothers have butted heads with the old man. He doesn’t know how to…”
“He doesn’t know how to love you?” I say.
Adam looks down, then kisses my forehead. “I don’t know what I’m trying to say. This is the first time my father has reached out to us. It’s odd.Heis odd lately.” He chuckles. “My dad’s suggestion had one predictable effect. Levi, Wes, Bran, and Hunter stormed out.”
“Maybe in time you can give your dad a chance. If he’s not used to trying, it couldn’t have been easy for him to make the request, and he may not have known what to say to you and your brothers.”
“Maybe.” He pulls me up until our mouths are aligned. The pain in his gaze lingers, but it’s quickly being overtaken by a naughty glint I’m beginning to recognize. “That’s enough of that talk. We have a few hours before work. How shall we spend it?” His eyes sparkle as they skitter over my mouth to my breasts pressed against his chest. “We could tick off a few items frommyhoney-do list.”
“Are you trying to avoid talking about your father?”
“Just maximizing our alone time.”
“I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” I say with a long-suffering sigh that’s entirely insincere.
“Not if I use my mouth.” He quirks his eyebrows and my heart races.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hayden
In the spiritof taking it slow, Adam only stayed four nights over the last week. Okay, so that’s not exactly slow. I’ve wanted to see him, and he’s been especially ardent in his attentions. Who knew we’d get along so well?
“Hayden, have you seen my tie?” he says from my bedroom.
“Which one?” I call from the hall bathroom. “You have about five hundred.”
“The navy woven checked.”
I walk over to where Adam is standing in front of the walk-in closet he built me, dressed in his suit pants and an unbuttoned dress shirt. I glance inside the door, and a chorus of angels sings inside my head—not really, but my closet is so beautiful I could cry. Adam finished it a couple of days ago.
Two of the three walls in the closet hold narrow shelving for maximum shoe capacity. I allowed for one wall of clothing bars with an extra shelf on top, on his insistence. You know, for those extra shoes I might purchase. And somehow a few of Adam’s clothes have made it onto a bar.
If I’m a shoe hound, the man is a clotheshorse.
“It’s not here?” I ask. “You’re sure you brought it last night?”
His gaze hovers on me, taking in my black silk bathrobe. He snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me close. “I can’t see anything with all your shoes filling the space. Weren’t you going to get rid of some?”
