The Liar's Wife (Adam Levine Dark Romance)

Chapter 14: Fortune Teller

Adam rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn as he sat in the hospital room at his wife’s bedside. He hadn’t gotten enough sleep the past couple nights. Now he scoured his mind trying to think of a safe topic of conversation, but he was finding it difficult to concentrate. The topic dominating his thoughts was not one he intended to discuss out loud. It had been two nights now since he and the nanny had their little music lesson in the library. “Just one kiss,” he’d promised himself. But, of course, it wasn’t a promise he’d been able to keep. He couldn’t suppress the memory of it now, playing over and over in his mind.

He had kissed her gently at first, half expecting her to pull away, but she’d wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against him. He’d tilted his head and deepened the kiss, and she’d opened her mouth, following his lead. They’d ended up on the loveseat, silently making out for what seemed like hours – like a couple of teenagers who’d just discovered kissing for the first time.

He probably should have let it begin and end there, in the library, fully clothed. That would have been a good idea. Good ideas didn’t really seem to be his forte these days. Instead, he’d stood up and taken her by the hand, and led her through the hall and up the stairs and past her bedroom door. That would have been another good place to stop. Kiss her one last time. Say goodnight. But no, he’d led her right past her bedroom door to his own. And she’d followed him.

“Is this OK?” he’d whispered after he’d led her inside and shut the door. She’d nodded and put her hands on his chest, tracing the shape of his pecs through the fabric of his t-shirt. He’d pulled the shirt off over his head and then put his arms around her waist, kissing her again and backing her up toward the bed.

She’d been a total novice of course. That hadn’t come as a surprise. He’d asked her before if she had a boyfriend, and she’d sarcastically replied, “No, not a lot of boys hanging around at a Catholic girls’ home. Except for priests.” He’d had to teach her everything. Where to touch. Where to kiss. She’d gasped out loud when he finally let her see the full effect she had on him. “Should we stop?” he’d whispered, seeing the shocked expression on her face. She’d shaken her head. “Can I touch it?” she’d whispered back. It had been a long night.

He’d awoken sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the first rays of dawn just filtering in through the window. He’d watched her sleeping peacefully for a moment. Her skin was so smooth and white, like a fresh blanket of newly fallen snow before it’s been all trampled and muddied. He’d run a finger along the edge of her jaw. It wasn’t a beautiful face – not in any traditional sense. But there was something about her mouth, wide and full, that he found irresistibly inviting.

She’d opened her eyes at his touch and looked back at him. “You’d better get back to your room,” he’d whispered. “It would be weird for Adele to find you here.” She’d nodded, pulling the sheet up to cover her nakedness. She’d looked very young all of a sudden. Young and frightened. He’d put out an arm and touched her hip. “Are you OK?” But that only made her look like she was about to cry.

He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, looking down into her face.

“Are you going to fire me?” she’d whispered tremulously. He’d been shocked at the question.

“Of course I’m not going to fire you! Why would I fire you?”

She’d shrugged and then buried her face into his shoulder. “I don’t know. Because it’ll be weird for Adele?”

He’d put his hands on either side of her face and tilted it back up to look at him. “I’m an asshole,” he’d said with a wry grin, “But I’m not that big of an asshole.” She’d broken into a smile then, and he’d kissed her lightly on the lips. “Let’s just—let’s just see what happens, OK?” She’d accepted his words and crept back to her own room for the rest of the night.