He glanced at her, an innocent who me? look on his face.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Jason is playing too?"

He nodded.

"He's getting married in a couple of days. He can't get bruised."

Adam shrugged, not seeing her point. "What does bruising have to do with getting married?"

She huffed. Men. Some things they just didn't get. "Because," she said slowly, very slowly. "Minka will not be happy to have her husband photographed with a black eye, or any other mark that she didn't personally put on his skin."

"I promise you Jason won't be sporting a black eye. It's me they want, you know." He reached for her hand. "How come they never went after your ex?"

"They tried." She groaned, thinking of the many times her brothers tried to accidentally meet up with Nate.

"You stopped them from rearranging his face?"

"What's the point? He means nothing to me."

"If you were my sister, I'd beat him up."

Lily threw her head back and laughed, all anxiety from earlier leaving her body.

He brought her hand to his lips and turned the car to the street leading to his house. "I have a surprise for you."

She glanced at his profile. His features were relaxed; there was even a slight smile on the corner of his lips. And her heart did that little dance again.

Adam parked the car and was quickly by her side. He took her hand in his. "Let's go to the beach."

Puzzled, she looked at the direction of the water. The mellow autumn sunset lingered over the ocean, sending a cool breeze in the evening sky. She was wearing a light jacket and automatically began to pull up the zipper. Adam quickly removed his scarf and placed it around her neck. "I'll keep you warm."

His voice was low and incredibly s.e.xy. Lily moved closer to him. Not because she needed the heat; his mere presence would warm her even if they were stranded in Antarctica. But as always his emotional pull was strong.

In silence Adam led her to the private beach. Lily paused when she spotted the blanket and picnic basket on the sand. "What's this?"

He smiled. "I made you dinner."

"A picnic?"

"I'm trying to be romantic."

She laughed, tip-toed and pressed her lips to his. She released his hand and almost sprinted to the grey blanket with the Martha's Vineyard emblem in its center. She sat and crossed her legs. Chuckling, Adam followed and joined her. He leaned in, planted his hands by her legs, and kissed her neck, nibbling on her skin. Arousal surged through her body and she tugged at his sweater, pulling him closer.

"Can anyone see us?" The beach was private, but he had neighbors, not many or too close, but they had access to the beach as well.

"Still too early," he whispered between kisses that were now going up and down her neck, melting her bones away. "But I intend to make you come right here tonight."

"Promise."

He let out a short whisper of a breath as he exhaled. "It's a matter of life or death for me."

For her too. She needed to feel every inch of him inside her. Lily removed the scarf around her neck, slid her arms around his and lowered herself on the blanket, bringing his big body along. His lips grazed her collarbone, her jaw toward her mouth. He paused, brought his face to hers, his intense dark eyes holding hers prisoner. And the emotion she read in them rocked her axis. Adam ran the pad of his thumb over her parted lips.

"I've missed this." His voice was gruff, filled with need.

Then his lips crushed against hers with urgency, his tongue dipping in, kissing her deep and hard. She knotted her fingers in his hair, electricity pulsing through her veins. "Now, Adam," she panted and kept kissing him. "Let's go inside." She tilted her hips and rocked right into his erection.

She heard him groan and slowly peeled himself away from her. "Not yet." Arms by his side, his head tipped back, he drew out a deep breath into the cool air. "In my head this goes a certain way."

She sat up. "What happened to being spontaneous?"

Dark, heavy-lidded eyes turned to her. "I don't mean s.e.x."

Okay, he was confusing the h.e.l.l out of her. "Speak English."

"Stay with me, Liliana."

"I'm trying." She really was, but there was that s.p.a.ce between her legs that wanted, needed him right there.

Adam hoisted himself up. "I made you dinner."

She peered at the picnic basket then smiled at him. "It's very sweet."

He ran a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. "I never want to be sweet."

"Okay then, you're not sweet. Let's go inside and I can show you how unsweet you are."

He grunted.

Lily rose to her feet and walked into his arms. "I'm trying to stay with you, but you're confusing the h.e.l.l out of me."

He tangled his fingers in her hair, slanted his head and kissed her once more. "I told your parents I was going to marry you," he said against her lips.

"Okay."

He smiled. "The other night, you told me to ask you again. I spent all of yesterday shopping for a ring."

Lily blinked. Things were slowly starting to make sense. The sudden trip to Boston with Jason. The picnic. The beach. They first made love on the sand to the sound of the ocean in Chappaquidd.i.c.k on Jason's private beach. But a beach was a beach. Adam was being romantic. She smiled, tiptoed and wrapped her arms around his neck and shouted, "Yes!"

His arm circled her waist and brought her against his chest. "I haven't asked."

"Ask me, then."

His dark eyes grew serious. He brushed his lips against hers one more time then released her. Lily watched as Adam lowered himself to one knee and took her hand in his. Her eyes clouded. s.h.i.t. No tears. Not now.

"Liliana, in your arms I'm rooted. Will you marry me?"

She fell to her knees beside him. The tears were now flowing down her cheek but she didn't care. She cupped his face in her hands and let out a shaky laugh between her tears.

He kissed the palm of her hand. "Does that mean yes?"

Through stream of tears, she chuckled. "Yes." She could have sworn he looked a little relieved. Like she would ever say no.

Adam pulled her into him with such force that it knocked them both off their balance. His back hit the sand and she landed on his chest. "I'm going to make love to you all night and maybe all day tomorrow."

She laughed. "You have the football game."

"Football break to kick your brothers' a.s.ses, then more of you."

Chapter Twenty-Five.

"Intimacy is the act of connecting with someone so deeply, you feel like you can see their soul."

Anonymous After another deep, wet kiss, Lily gave Adam a gentle shove and pulled up to her feet. She slipped off her jacket, yanked her sweater over her head, tossed it somewhere on the ground, and stood in a body-hugging black tank. Still lying on the cool soil, he watched her, eyes twinkling with amus.e.m.e.nt.

"What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, Lily kicked off her boots, pulled off the tank. In bra and a fitted pair of jeans, she threaded her fingers to the waistband of her pants. Adam braced himself to his elbows. Dark brown eyes heated to a whiskey color, no longer amused. She threw the jeans to the side and stood bravely in matching black panties and bra, sending a clear message of her intent.

He rose to his feet, removed his shoes then stood still for a beat. His thick hair tousled from the light breeze with strands blowing in his perfectly carved face. He was intoxicating. Lily watched him take two easy strides to close the s.p.a.ce between them. She stood there, with their bodies oh, so close, goose b.u.mps on her skin, not from the coolness in the air, but with desire, and the heat he generated.

"Our neighbors are going to think you're crazy," he said in a low, gruff voice that only increased her arousal.

"Do you care?"

"No," he answered without giving the question much thought.

She didn't think so. "I'll race you to the house." She grinned and he smiled. A slow dangerous smile that told her she stood no chance of winning whatever game she wanted to play. "Winner gets to do whatever they want."

He raised his eyebrows, curiosity piqued. "Anything?"

She smiled wickedly. "Anything."

"I'm going to win," he a.s.sured her.

Adam was bigger, taller, and definitely faster. She knew all that, but at this moment her heart was beating more profoundly, dancing with joy. And she felt like living on the edge.

He playfully pulled a strand of her hair. "Can BOB come out and play? I'd like to watch, or maybe help him find your sweet spot."

The idea of pleasuring herself while Adam watched sent a sensation down the pit of her stomach to that hyper-sensitive area between her thighs. "You'd have to win the race," she said over her shoulder and bolted toward the house. Lily didn't think Adam made any effort to move until she was halfway there; still he caught up with her.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," he said by her side, not even out of breath.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins, keeping her breathing steady, she pushed harder and sprinted a bit quicker as the cool air bit into her lungs. He stayed by her side with no effort, slapped her a.s.s playfully then left her eating his dust. "You cheated." Her playful scream was met with ripples of laughter.

Lily entered the house a few seconds, okay, minutes after. While her breath came in short gasps, Adam looked as if he barely moved. "You cheated," she repeated.

He chuckled, came to stand in front of her. His fingers delved into her hair and held on. "You're a sore loser." He kissed one corner of her mouth, then the other. "Pay up." In one swift movement, he swept her off her feet into his arms and carried her up the stairs, drugging her with a molten-hot kiss.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard Adam kick the bedroom door open then plopped her on the bed. He stood back, tilted his face down, and with smoldering eyes drank in her body.

"I'm beginning to show a little bit."

He nodded, eyes hooded. "I'm taking it all in." His hand slid under her, cupped her behind and pulled her to the edge of the bed. Deft fingers glided over the thin silver bar going through her navel, the round of her stomach before finding her silky thighs and slowly removing her panties.

"Do you like?"

Adam placed one knee on the bed, his arms resting on each side of her body, holding her prisoner. He gave her a very hot look. "I'm feeling a lot of things right now, like is the least of them." He claimed her lips into a hot, tongue-thrusting kiss.

At the words, the touch, her body liquefied. Her immediate reaction was to arch her back and pressed her chest against his, deepening their kiss which garnered a low, s.e.xy growl deep from his throat.

And then her bra was gone, tossed carelessly aside somewhere in the room. Adam's teeth sc.r.a.ped over her nipple. He then took one brown bud into his mouth and sucked vigorously as he slid a hand into the liquid heat between her legs.

"You want me?" he asked.

"Always."

He smiled. "Show me."

She knew what he meant. s.e.x between them had always been uninhibited, free, and easy. They had no problem pleasing each other or themselves while the other watched. He took her hand, entwining their fingers, and led her to the liquid heat between her legs.

"No BOB, just you and me."

When she started, he pulled his hand back and watched her stroke the delicate spot. It went on for a beat, their gazes locked on each other the whole time. But then she increased the speed of her stroke and lost herself in the sensation. She couldn't help but close her eyes. Oh G.o.d, her body edged to the point of ecstasy. "Adam." She let out a fervent plea.

"Open your eyes, Liliana," he demanded and she obeyed. Adam removed her hand, captured her finger in his mouth and suckled on it, tasting her.

Lily arched her back, needing to fill the void. He responded by sliding his own blunt masculine fingers deep into her delicate softness, then another, making her buck forward.

"Adam."

"Tell me what you want, Liliana."

"You," she stammered, "in me."

He shook his head. "Not yet," he said, before sliding to his knees between her legs. He cupped her a.s.s again and pulled her a little more to the edge of the bed, placed her legs over his shoulders. "So f.u.c.king beautiful," he rasped, then ran his tongue over her mound.

Lily let out an incoherent cry, her muscles tightening against him. Adam stroked, touched, and licked every single inch of her until she was breathing like a lunatic as her body floated into ecstasy. It took a few minutes before the shaking stopped and her breath settled. But she wanted more, so much more.

When she was finally able to open her eyes, he brought himself up to his six foot-plus height. He quickly stripped off his clothes and stood magnificently naked with a raging erection. So when he brought her legs to his chest, shoulders, dragged her further to the tip of the bed and made room for himself between her thighs, she hoisted her hips then closed her eyes to welcome him home.

"Open your eyes, Liliana." He smoothed her bangs away from her temple and tilted her chin so their gazes locked. "I need you to see me, us. Look with me."