He examined her body. It was different, more curvaceous, and softer. Even more so than when he realized she was pregnant. The changes were subtle, but he noticed. The vision of Lily in his bed with his child growing inside her rattled him a bit.
The jolt he felt inside went beyond the pregnancy. He trusted her. Not the no-s.e.x-with-anyone-else trust, it ran far above their physical agreement. It was the kind of trust that resonates, forcing him to bare his soul and let her see the wretchedness behind his smile. Her delay in telling him about the pregnancy bothered him, but he understood her reasoning. She was scared, so was he. It didn"t shake his trust.
His heart swelled in his chest. Everything about Lily and their situation shook him up; the good kind of tremors. The kind that made him want to s.n.a.t.c.h the computer away and pin her on the bed, under him. In an attempt to stop his thoughts from taking over, Adam walked across the room and picked up a faded black Henley.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Making sure my students are doing their work while I"m gone," she answered, still typing away.
He smiled. "Are they?"
She looked up from the screen, an expectant look on her face. "For the most part." She chuckled and closed the MacBook Pro. "I also had to confirm my doctor appointment."
"In New Jersey?" he asked, a reminder they were still a long way off from marriage. Not that he expected last night"s event to sway her decision. Well, maybe he did. But more so, he"d wanted to confide in her.
She nodded, confirming his thoughts.
He pushed away the disappointment that stirred his insides, walked over to his side of the bed and picked up his cell phone. "When is it?"
"The Wednesday after I return home," she answered. Her voice revealed nothing.
Adam glanced at his calendar. s.h.i.t. He was scheduled to fly to Russia the day after the wedding for the Russian Grand Prix, one of the last three races of the season, and was planning on going back to Italy for a few days. In his mind, Lily would be by his side during this trip. He sat on the bed and ran a hand through his hair. "Come to Russia with me."
She let out a shaky laugh. "What?"
"After the wedding, I have a race in Russia." Adam caught the sudden stiffness of her body. His racing was not particularly ranked high on her list; he realized that at Vapor when she tried to break things off. What was it she said? He searched his memory for her exact words. Yes, she wanted tame. Racing wasn"t tame, but he loved it. Speed helped control the rage inside him. For the first time since he went on his quest to get her to marry him, he found himself wondering how much he"d have to give. Not wanting to dwell on the reality of their situation, he took her hand in his. "Come with me and we can fly back together for your appointment."
"Adam, that"s crazy," she said, glancing over at him in shock.
"Why?"
She laughed again. "Well, for one I have to go back to work."
He opened his mouth to tell her she no longer had to work but thought better of it. "Extend your vacation," he said instead.
"It"s tempting, but I can"t."
"It"s only three days."
She shook her head. "I have to work, Adam. I don"t have millions in the bank."
He stayed silent. No need to point out he"d earned enough in his thirty-one years that neither ever had to work again.
"Besides," she smiled. "I may need to use my days later as the pregnancy progresses."
"Liliana, I want to be a part of this. Don"t deny me that."
She slipped her hand out of his, cupped his face, leaned forward and kissed him. Adam exhaled, releasing some of the tension building in his shoulders.
"Never." She held his gaze. "But I understand you have a race, so come after if you"re not too tired."
"I can"t change your mind?"
She shook her head. "Not on this one. But..." Her hands brushed over his head and settled on the back of his neck. "I"m willing to try to change yours."
Knowing she was referring to his no-s.e.x stance, Adam chuckled. "You"re not going to give up on that, are you?"
"Nope. A girl has needs."
"What happened to Bob?" The battery powered boyfriend he"d gladly help operate.
She laughed. "He"s not nearly as s.e.xy as you are. And frankly, if I were to rank the satisfaction level, I"d say you"re much better at hitting the spot."
Adam laughed, amused by her persistence. Not that he wasn"t regretting his decision. h.e.l.l, last night he would have taken her, and just a few minutes ago he had to fight back another strong temptation. She lowered her head to his neck and nuzzled his skin, trailing open-mouthed kisses along the underside of his neck, sending hot shivering tremors down his groin. He sucked in a deep breath and gently pulled her away. Disappointment crossed her face. For safety reasons, his own, Adam stood up. She glanced at the aching bulge in his pants, and met his gaze. Amus.e.m.e.nt flickered in her eyes.
"All right. Get up, we"re going out," he said hoa.r.s.ely.
She laughed, a nice, warm laugh. "How long do you intend on keeping this up?"
"Until you say yes."
Her eyes narrowed. "To marrying you?"
He held her gaze.
"What if I never say yes?"
He shrugged and pretended her question didn"t affect him. But it did. "Then we no longer have s.e.x. Come on, get dressed."
"Where are we going?"
"To my restaurant."
"Why? I thought you closed."
He shook his head. "Officially this weekend. Come on, we"re spending the day together."
Lily noticed the small group gathering in front of The Wharf"s Side the minute Adam pulled the Maserati into the restaurant"s entrance. She glanced at Adam and his jaws clenched but he continued to park the car. She looked back at the faces; they looked like tourists, stragglers, mostly women in tight pants and fitted shirts, exposing ample cleavage. Groupies. And they were waiting for Adam. Her man.
"Looks like some of your fans are waiting," she said, looking back at Adam. For the year they"ve been together this was her first encounter of this side of his life. At times, she had even forgotten he was famous.
Adam didn"t answer; instead he turned off the ignition and walked over to open her door. Within seconds, they were mobbed by screaming female admirers.
"Adam, can you take a picture with me?" a woman with a British accent asked.
"Can you autograph my b.r.e.a.s.t.s? Mine are bigger than hers," another said.
Ouch. That hit below the belt. No need to pick on her B-cup b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
"Who is this with you, Adam?" Another asked.
"Is this your girlfriend?" The questions continued.
"Relax," Adam whispered in her ear. "It"s all part of the career I"ve chosen, roll with it." He squeezed her hand. "I got this. I got you." With that he turned to the small mob around them. "This is my girlfriend, Liliana," he said to the crowd. His voice was calm and unhurried.
A low rumble swept through the group, upward roll of eyes. A few wrinkled their noses or pursed their lips in disappointment. All of this because Adam, the superstar Formula One racer, had publicly bestowed the t.i.tle girlfriend on her.
The announcement was news to her as well. The words stunned Lily, causing her heart to thump like a pistol. Girlfriend. They had officially entered relationship territory. When did that happen?
She already knew the answer. The day he found out she was pregnant.
"I"ll sign a few autographs and take a few pictures," Adam said to the group of women, "but after that I"d like some privacy."
Heads nodded with understanding. They smiled at him, completely under his spell. Lily grunted.
"Give me ten minutes," he said while pressing against her.
Adam released her hand and walked into the crowd. Lily stood back and took in the scene. A beautiful blonde threw her arms around him as her friend snapped a picture. Then two pretty women with a pair of magnificent racks crushed their forbidden fruits against him. Through it all, Lily had to admit Adam looked completely unaffected, and in his element. He draped his arms over their shoulders and smiled for the camera.
The madness continued for about five more minutes. But for Lily, it felt like eternity. Adam continued to laugh, smile, and pose for pictures. Arms crossed over her chest, she kicked a few leaves with the tip of her boots and tried to ignore the burning desire to walk over and kiss her boyfriend until he was breathless.
Boyfriend. Ha. She stifled a chuckle.
There was still so much to learn about him.
Who was his biological father? Was he still alive?
Did he even know the man who impregnated his mother? Was it one of her clients?
And more importantly, did he carry any side effects from the condition of his birth that might have been pa.s.sed on to their child?
On the external he appeared to be in good health but Lily knew not all wounds were obvious. Not that it mattered; her love for him ran deep and unconditional. Her phone vibrated. Knowing she had not connected with Minka yet, Lily smiled and fumbled through her purse until her hand found the phone. Her eyes stared at the number, she glanced over the text and her stomach turned icy.
Lily, I miss you. I love you.
Nate. She had deleted all of his information from her contacts, but after three years together, she"d recognized that number anywhere. Even after a year and well over him, the sudden text caught her by surprise. Still holding the phone, she stood for a couple seconds, contemplating how to tell her ex-fiance to go screw himself.
Common sense told her to ignore the text and hope he got the message but this was the same Nate who decided his goods were too good to only share with her and decided to spread the wealth. The same Nate she kicked out of her apartment. The same Nate her brothers were still threatening to kill.
She glanced at Adam and their eyes met. He smiled at her. Not the dreamer speed chaser smile, but the one that gave her a piece of him. Unanswered questions or not, she was his girlfriend. They had crossed the just f.u.c.king phase. She was pregnant with his child, desperately in love with him, and her past had just come knocking.
Only Lily knew it was best to leave some doors closed. She was about to text Nate back, probably with a polite go bark up another tree you f.u.c.king cheater when Adam signed one last autograph, said something to the herd of women, to which they all sighed. And then he headed over to her. Lily would bet all of her savings that all of them had wet their panties. No need to check hers, she wasn"t drooling, at least not openly.
She placed the phone back in her purse with a mental note to respond with a simple Please don"t contact me again.
"Liliana!"
Adam"s scream caught her attention but Lily became aware of everything too late. A cacophony of sounds. .h.i.t her ears like a tidal wave as a black car swirled to her left, inches away from where she stood by Adam"s Maserati. With barely any time to react, she shuffled back, one foot caught on a small dip in the pavement. She staggered in her heels and fell forward.
From a distance, she heard wild notes of hysteria from the group of women standing not too far away. Normal reflex dragged her hands up in front of her face. Her arms grazed along the ground and skin tore from them, pain screamed through her palms in a horrible sting, her head b.u.mped her arm shortly afterwards, then her body connected to the concrete, hard. For a split second, Lily went numb, then winced at the stabbing flash of pain that needled from her knees, throughout her body. Everything hurt. She lay on the ground, and tried to catch the breath that was knocked out of her when she fell.
"f.u.c.k!" She was on her hands and knees when she heard Adam swear from somewhere nearby. Then his strong arms circled her waist protectively and scooped her against him. Adam. He was here. He"d make everything okay. She clung to his broad shoulders, and lifted her eyes. His features were fuzzy but she felt safe.
"Liliana," he said her name delicately.
Even in pain, his voice rippled in that seductive accent in her ear. He pulled her against his chest and Lily felt his heart accelerating.
"Please tell me you"re okay," he whispered in her ear, stroking her hair.
Her head hurt like h.e.l.l and maybe spinning. Yes, definitely spinning, but other than that, she felt fine. She nodded. "Help me up."
"No." His voice was stern. "I"ll call Forrest."
A shadow fell over them. Lily squinted until Guillermo"s face came into focus.
"Lily," Guillermo called out, slumping over by her side.
She smiled and hoped it was a rea.s.suring one. "I"m okay, just a little sore. Help me up please."
Guillermo looked at Adam for confirmation. After a slight nod from Adam, the two men slowly helped her to her feet. Feeling dizzy and sick, she leaned a little on Adam to gain her equilibrium. Once she felt somewhat stable, Lily straightened herself, wiped her hands down the thighs of her jeans, and tried to make herself unseen as she noticed the shocked and concerned faces of the women who had just violated Adam.
"Go inside with Guillermo," Adam said, gave a chin jerk toward the restaurant, and then stared straight ahead.
Lily followed his gaze and surveyed who she a.s.sumed was the person responsible for her fall. The man was of olive complexion with dark curly hair under a fedora. Not particularly tall, but he walked with purpose as he approached them. Something about him made her stomach churn.
He looked at her, Guillermo then at Adam. A mad glint lingered in his eyes.
"Adam." She gripped his arm, crippling with fear.
He looked at her; his eyes were deep and dark. Adam said something to Guillermo in the language she recognized as Portuguese and nudged her into Guillermo"s arms. He took one step forward and looked down at the man. Everything about his vibe told Lily he was ready for a fight. In whatever form it came.
"No f.u.c.king interview," he said, his voice dangerously low, reserved to chill the bone marrow.
Lily shivered.
"Get off my property or I will call the police."
"You can"t continue hiding," the man said in a shifty voice.
There was a hint of an accent Lily couldn"t place.
"If she"s hurt," he glanced over his shoulder at her, then back to the man. "You"re a dead man."
The stranger sneered. "This isn"t Italy; your parents have no power here."
"Get off my f.u.c.king property." Adam waved a dismissive hand.