He stopped walking when they were almost to the car. He put his hands on her waist and looked into her eyes. "Emma, I've been waiting for you to come back for sixteen years. I'm not going to run scared now, just because some insane a.s.shole did his best to leave you wounded. I told you-we can get through this." He leaned toward her and gave her lips a sweet kiss. "You don't have to warn me anymore. You didn't have to warn me in the first place. Now I'm going to take you home. And if there's a G.o.d, you're going to invite me in."

"I worry about the concept of us," she said. "I don't want you to be collateral damage when the detritus of Richard's crimes sprinkles down on me."

"I understand completely," he said. "Finished now?"

"Don't be a fool," she said.

"I won't."

All the way home from the restaurant, he talked to her softly of casual things, of the beauty of Napa, the way the cold drizzle of a Sonoma County winter had always made him crave soups and fires. She didn't have a fireplace of course, but he did. He was looking forward to showing off his house-it was over fifty years old in a quiet tree-lined neighborhood and he'd enjoyed renovating it. He'd done most of the work himself, tearing up old carpet and installing hardwood floors, texturing and painting walls. "I focused on the four most important rooms-living room, kitchen, master and bath. The new kitchen is so beautiful it almost makes me want to cook."

"Don't be hasty," she said.

He was seducing her with ordinary things, as if he knew how starved she'd been for a reality she understood-soups and fires, rainy days in a home that hugged her, the love of a good man.

After their lunch they went to her house. He held her hand the entire drive and when she let him into her little bungalow, he glanced around and said, "You've been busy."

"Just a little settling in," she said.

"Come here," he said, locking her door behind them and pulling her into his arms.

His lips came down on hers with an urgency and hunger she hadn't been prepared for. After one brief moment of surprise, she matched his pa.s.sion with the surging need of her own. It wasn't just her need for intimacy because it had been so long but her need for it to be him.

Clothing was removed while they kissed. It seemed that it only took seconds for them to be in her bed, skin to skin, lips to lips. Emma hadn't felt the touch of loving hands in years. Adam's beautiful hands, his lips, his strong fingers, did the one thing she didn't think possible-took her away. Far away. She thought only of him, intoxicated by his scent, his taste, his body.

He was thoroughly beautiful. He had long, strong legs, muscled arms and shoulders, a smooth, hairless chest. With his thick brown hair, expressive brows, emerald-green eyes and strong jaw, he should probably be sculpted and put on display. For this moment in time he belonged only to her. And she to him.

She inhaled his breath, licked her way into his mouth, opened for him and welcomed him into her body. He was gentle and smooth, teasing her into a frenzy. He responded to her arousal with heat, finally taking her on a powerful ride that had her crying out his name as she came. And came. And came.

He joined her, softly whispering her name, his large frame shuddering, his mouth at her neck, his big hands in her hair. She trembled with the aftershock of o.r.g.a.s.m and he chuckled, a deep rumble. He kissed her eyes, her ears, her chin, her lips. Her calm returned so slowly; he didn't leave her body, pus.h.i.+ng into her softly, again and again. "Still worried about the concept of us?" he whispered in her ear.

"You drugged me," she accused.

He pushed into her again. "A little bit. d.a.m.n, woman, I knew we'd be great together, but I didn't have enough imagination to know how great."

They continued kissing, soft and deep and lovely. He moved inside her, filling her, rocking with her in a smooth, deep motion. It didn't take long before she was clutching at him, pus.h.i.+ng against him, begging for more.

"I can't say no to you," he whispered. "I have a feeling I'll never be able to say no to you. G.o.d, why would I even want to?"

"I didn't say no, either, did I?"

"More it is," he whispered, pounding into her until they were both rising again, reaching for another mutual climax. The moment she started to clench and tremble around him, he went off like a rocket, a powerful blast that made her almost whimper in pleasure. And she finally collapsed under him.

Again he kissed her eyes, her cheeks, her lips, running his work-roughened hands all over her.

They were quiet for a while as their breathing evened and their bodies began to cool. He reached down to pull the duvet over them. Rolling onto his side, he brought her with him, gently holding her against him.

"Are you going to stay inside me forever?" she asked.

"Would that be inconvenient?" he asked. "Because it really feels like exactly where I should be."

"Funny," she said. "Feels that way to me, too."

"Friends.h.i.+p with you has perks," he said.

She was quiet for a moment. "Good," she finally said.

He laughed. "I don't want to be friends, Emmie."

"You don't?"

"Of course not. I don't share that with friends. There was nothing casual about that and you know it."

"Oh?"

"Wasn't a friendly f.u.c.k for you, either," he said. "That was some of the finest love I've ever made. Might be the absolute best ever."

"You think?"

"I know," he said.

She smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, even though it was probably not a good idea."

He raised up, looking down at her. "I think it was the best idea I ever had."

She couldn't keep from touching him, tenderly running her fingertips over the planes of his face. "I guess you're not going to come to your senses anytime soon..."

He shook his head. He gently brushed her hair back from her face. "You know how I feel. I think you've always known. Do you think you can talk me out of it?"

"Well, I thought I could..."

"You can't..."

She bit her lip and just looked into those fierce green eyes. She sighed. "Thank G.o.d," she said.

He smiled at her.

"Could be problematic that I just slept with my new boss's brother..."

"None of Riley's business who I sleep with. None of her business who you sleep with, for that matter."

"Do you think she'll agree with that?"

"Do you think I care?" he asked, raising a brow in question. "Come on," he said, pulling her closer so she was nuzzling into his chest. "Enjoy the moment. You'll have plenty of time to worry later."

She let herself be cuddled. "I do feel considerably more relaxed than I did a couple of hours ago."

"There you go," he said with a laugh. "G.o.d knows I do." After a few minutes of silence he asked, "You going to sleep?"

"No. I'm afraid I'll wake up and find out it was just a dream."

He kissed her forehead. "Nothing like that's going to happen. The bad dreams are over. The good dreams are just beginning."

The rest of the weekend was ideal, the kind of perfect Emma had given up on. After lying around in bed for a couple of hours, Emma showered and primped. When she came out of her bathroom, Adam was puttering comfortably around her little kitchen, making tea and checking out the refrigerator, taking inventory. He wore his jeans, his s.h.i.+rt hanging open over that gorgeous chest, socks on his shoeless feet. He looked so delicious like that she wanted to take a bite out of him.

"If you want to go out for dinner, I'll take you out," he said. "If I can talk you into staying in, I'll go get us something."

"You want to stay in?"

He grinned at her. "Oh, yeah."

Then his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, looked at the ID and picked up. "Hi, Mom." He listened for a little while, nodding as though his mother might hear it. "You need me to fix that now?" A pause. "You did? I wish you wouldn't do that. I know it was irritating but what if you fell? All right, all right, I didn't mean to offend you, but really... Don't do it again, all right? Well, thanks, but I'm actually going out tonight so tomorrow I'll have errands and have to get ready for school. Oh, nothing too exciting." He winked at Emma. "Just having a gla.s.s of wine with a lady friend. I don't think so, which is how I'd like to keep it for now. Listen, if you need me to help with those Christmas decorations... Jock is? Okay, I appreciate the pa.s.s and I'll get the lights up after school one day this week, so no ladders. Talk to you tomorrow? Great."

He put the phone back in his pocket. "Her smoke alarm was beeping because the battery was dead and she climbed up on a stepladder in the stairwell and changed the battery. She's perfectly capable, but I hate thinking of her up on a ladder. That's what I'm for." He made a face. "I change them regularly to keep her off the ladder."

"You mentioned Jock?"

"He's pulling out the big boxes for Maddie and Mom. Maddie must have asked him. Gives them a chance to hang out for a while."

She shook her head. "She asked who you were going out with..."

"She just asked, 'Do I know her?'" His smile was devilish. "I'm going to get a shower before I go shopping."

"Adam, they can't know," she said. "I'm sorry, but Riley can't know..."

"I wasn't planning to tell her," he said. "But I wasn't planning to keep it a secret, either." He frowned. "Is that your plan?"

She bit her lower lip as she nodded. "Until she decides it's okay I'm back, until I prove to her I'm an a.s.set as an employee, please-let's keep it between us."

"You're afraid she'll be angry," he said.

"Of course. She isn't too sure of me yet. She was very clear-giving me a job had nothing to do with making up or being friends. She isn't ready for me in her life. You are a huge part of her life."

"Do you want to stop this right now? Me and you? Because I can leave. I wouldn't like it, but if you need more time..."

"I can let you go but, heaven help me, I don't want to give you up. Not if you want to stay. Not even for Riley." She smiled a bit tremulously. "You should really think about this."

He smiled at her. "I'm going to take a shower, go to the store and stay as long as you'll let me. And if it's important to you that we keep it from Riley for a while, I can do that. I want you to feel safe."

"Thank you. I just need a little time to settle into my job. Not only do I need the job, I also want to prove to Riley that I don't expect any favors, that there's no debt to settle."

"If that's the way you feel."

"It is."

"Then that's how it will be," he said.

"Can I go shopping with you?"

He smiled at that. "So you're not hiding us from the world, just from Riley. Just for now."

"That's about right. Can you live with that?"

"It's okay, Emma. I know the ground still feels pretty shaky. But I think everything is going to be okay."

She hoped so. But she knew things would only become more difficult if Riley and Adam were pitted against each other because of her. And that would be terrible.

An hour later they were back at home with potato-cheese soup, mini ham sandwiches and antipasto from the deli, plus a nice bottle of wine. They ate on the couch in front of the TV then curled around each other for a while before going to bed. Adam didn't ask if he could stay; he just stayed as long as she didn't ask him to leave. She hung on to him all night long as if lost at sea, and rather than try to shed her clinging arms, he held her firmly to him.

In the morning they had bagels and cream cheese with their coffee and then went for a walk through the quiet town. Then back to Emma's place for more cuddling on the sofa.

"So this is normal, is it?" she asked, relaxed and blooming under his touch.

"You'll get used to it," he said.

Chapter Nine.

After Thanksgiving dinner, Riley checked on a few of her cleaners, but only by phone. Of course they had clients who couldn't even wash their own dishes on a family holiday. Some people entertained on Thanksgiving, and while she found the fact that they hired help away from their own families on such an occasion somewhat tacky, it was also profitable. Riley made it profitable for her employees, too. And from what her people in the field said, all went smoothly.

It was a tradition for Riley and Maddie to help June decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving. Riley dropped Maddie off at June's then went out to run a few errands. By the time she got back to her mother's, Jock was in the garage, getting out boxes for Maddie and June.

"I didn't expect to run into you today," she said. "Isn't the store busy?"

"Worse than busy. I was there for a couple of hours this morning when they opened the doors to the crowd. And I'm going back later to work tonight. It'll be a zoo all weekend."

Black Friday was sale day and nothing sold like electronics. Computers, TVs, everything from headphones to cell phones. Jock was the manager now at least and had a little more control over his schedule, and though she hated to have to admit it, he put in some hard weeks.

She went into the house. She didn't like to look at him. He was still so good-looking that it kind of p.i.s.sed her off. Couldn't he at least age badly? But he was still drawn to sports, worked out, played a little football, a little basketball, golf-and he was as fit as he'd been in high school. He still looked like the guy who'd stolen her heart and then broken it.

June was in the kitchen getting out all her Christmas cookie cutters. "I didn't expect to see him here," Riley said.

"I think Maddie asked him to come," June said.

"Why didn't she just ask Adam?"

June sighed in some aggravation. "Because Jock is her father, I suppose. And much as it galls you, they enjoy each other."

"It doesn't gall me," she lied. "What can I do?"