Page 31 of Saving Soul

Before he could respond, I bundled up my clothes and stormed back to the house.

That afternoon, I sat in the library, half-reading one of Betty’s romance novels and half-spying on Adam from the window seat. He was taking his grandfather for a walk around the gardens.

Why did it have to be him that night? I was perfectly happy keeping that memory under lock and key. Of course, I let it slip out for special late-night occasions, but I was only human. He did things to me, to my body, that I didn’t think were possible, and now I craved more.

As if sensing my desire, Adam peered up at the window, and my heart somersaulted. My eyes shot back to the pages in front of me, but I couldn’t process a single word.

Once they disappeared from sight, I snuggled under the fur blanket that laid across the seat and basked in the warmth of the fire Max had prepared earlier. If it wasn’t for the slight hiccup of Liam’s irritatingly gorgeous grandson and missing my son like crazy, this would’ve been the perfect job.

“What are you reading?”

Adam’s voice tore me out of another world. “It’s nothing.” I flustered with the bookmark until my page was secure.

He leaned against the door frame. “You’ve been up here for hours. It must be a page turner.”

“You could say that.” I held up the cover of a man and woman in an intimate embrace. I may as well get the ridicule out of the way.

“Rooomance,” he dragged out the word, making my face burn hotter. “I’d hate to spoil it for you…but they get together in the end and live happily ever after.”

“Ha-ha.” I rolled my eyes as he walked into the room.

“I never would’ve pegged you as a romance reader.”

“What about your grandmother? It’s from her collection.”

Adam’s face fell as he glanced up at the shelves. “Really?”

“Plus, it’s not about the ending. It’s about the journey of how they get there.”

His brow furrowed. “But doesn’t it get boring? Knowing the outcome?”

“Not at all. I like the certainty.”

His mouth twitched. “And the sex?”

I shrugged. “That’s pretty good, too.”

Adam knelt down and stoked the fire. “Don’t you think those books give women unrealistic expectations of men?”

“Are you worried about being compared to a fictional character?”

He dusted off his pants as he stood. “Like anything could compare to this.”

“I wasn’t talking about appearance,” I said, trying not to smile at his cockiness.

His arms crossed over his chest as he watched me. “Well, you tell me. What’s better…real sex…or book sex?”

“Book sex,” I replied without taking a breath.

Adam’s eyes penetrated mine. “You want to think about that answer?”

I shifted uncomfortably under his stare. “No.”

“Well…” He closed the distance between us. “I better up my game.”

My back straightened as he leaned over me. “Wha—what are you doing?”

With a chuckle, he grabbed my reading pile from the windowsill. “Research,” he uttered inches from my mouth before loading the books into his arms.