Page 58 of Freedom's Kiss
“The labors of my overactive mind.”
He set the box inside the truck and turned back to her, scratching at the hair along his jaw, which had been thickening for the last few days into a full beard. “Excuse me?”
Olivia eyed the scruff. She’d always considered Adam attractive, but the added bit of facial hair gave him an edge of ruggedness she didn’t think he’d possessed when he was a slick attorney. She licked her lips and shrugged, hoping the flippant gesture would throw him off if he’d seen any interest in her eyes at her perusal. “I bake when I have a lot on my mind.”
That piqued his interest even more than her presence, if the way he tilted forward on his toes was any indication. “You baked?”
She chuckled at his eagerness. “Help yourself.”
Not needing a second invitation, he lifted the plastic see-through containers and stacked them on top of each other, settling the tower onto the small bar that he’d let down under the order window. He popped the lid on the quiche and sniffed, a satisfying sigh escaping. He bit into one and groaned, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. “This is amazing.”
Pleasure glowed from within at his praise. “Thank you.”
Wiping the crumbs from his fingers, he flicked the bill of his cap higher on his forehead, dipping his face down so he could capture her eyes. He had that look again. The one he always had before he’d take her hand or wrap her in a hug. The look that said he wanted to share her burden, shoulder some of her pain so she could have even a moment of relief.
Olivia looked down, toeing a blade of grass at her feet. She couldn’t give herself permission to get pulled in by those eyes, by the kindness and compassion that worked as an undertow. If she allowed herself into that current, she was afraid she’d never be able to free herself from it.
With slight pressure from a bent finger under her chin, Adam raised her face to once again meet his gaze.
His brows were drawn low in concern. “Want to talk about it?”
This magnetic draw she felt whenever she was around him? No, she couldn’t talk about that. But the other thing? She exhaled. “I don’t know what I should do. About searching for my bio parents.”
He lowered his hand to her shoulder, his thumb slowly moving back and forth over her collarbone. “What’s your gut tell you?”
Her gut? The thing that flipped cartwheels in her stomach, hiked her pulse, and shallowed her breath? She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. She could do this—move beyond her attraction—if she but focused. Tuning out her body’s visceral response to the manly scent of Adam’s soap, the heat emanating from his close proximity, and the tingles that danced their way from her collarbone down to her fingertips and back again, she sought her gut reaction—not to this man but to her predicament. What did her intuition tell her to do?
She opened her eyes. “I need to find her.”
He seemed to struggle for a moment, then said, “Let me help. I’ll talk to some friends at the clerk’s office and see what steps we need to take to get your original birth certificate.”
Olivia nodded, but her mind wasn’t really on the actual process. It had snagged on the root of indecision. She blinked up at him. “I’m scared, Adam. She gave me away before. What if she still doesn’t want anything to do with me?”
His arm moved to her back, and he crushed her to him, holding her tight. She fisted the material of his shirt at his waist and clung, knowing that allowing herself to soak up his strength was not a good idea but helpless to extract herself from the power of his arms. She breathed deep, filling her senses with him, then moved to push away, but he’d already gripped her upper arms and done it himself.
He bent his head, kidnapping her gaze with a forceful intensity. “Listen to me. Anyone who would deprive themselves of your presence is a fool and deserves the emptiness they’ll feel from missing you.”
“But what if—”
His mouth dove for hers, capturing it with the same fervor he’d just been arguing—only now he pled his case with a kiss instead of words. As if his lips could erase all her fears of rejection, they pressed in a firm line, devouring eachbut what ifdoubt that had ever crossed her mind. He seemed to know the moment each uncertain thought fled, because his lips softened, the force ebbing into a gentle passion that caressed and stoked, soothed and restored.
His beard scratched the skin around her lips, a delicious burn that begged the heat in her middle to flame higher. Her fingers lifted and trailed his cheek, letting the prickly stubble awaken every nerve in her palm. She pushed up on tiptoes, matching the movement of his mouth—another dance inherently known only to them. Like steps of a passionate tango, the kiss built and left her breathless.
But then she stumbled, her mind catching up when her body had left her behind. This was Adam—the man who consoled with a touch, offered support with a caress. This kiss was nothing more than a symbol of empathy to him.
With palms to his chest, she pushed away, noticing his rib cage rising and falling as rapidly as her own. Heat pricked her skin, but not from the burn that had ignited moments before. This felt of embarrassment and mortification. She peeked up at him for a second before averting her gaze.
“What was that?” she panted.
He’d let her put distance between them but hadn’t released his hold, his hand anchoring at her hip. His thumb stroked through the waistband of her stone-washed denim shorts even as he chuckled. “If you have to ask, then I definitely didn’t do it right.” His fingers pressed into her hip, urging her forward, toward him. “Let me try again.”
She took a step back. If he kissed her again, she wasn’t sure she’d have the fortitude to stop it. She crossed her arms in front of her, a measure of defense against the slant of his lips. Already she felt herself weakening under his inspection. Locking her knees, she glared at him. “Why?”
“Why?” He looked to the side, his cheek twitching. Was he laughing at her? He hooked his thumbs through his belt loops and grinned. “Because I wanted to. Because Ineededto.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”Please don’t say to make me feel better.
“You’d do great at cross-examination.” He laughed.
