He wanted to take me home and I didn't even know his last name; and for some reason completely uncharacteristic of me I found myself not really caring. I'd never gone home from the bar with a guy and never had sex with a stranger, but the idea of it was coursing hotly through my body. It was more exciting than I would have thought possible.
We had to walk past Rhiannon and Adele to reach the door and I had to admit to myself that made me even more nervous, but Adam just shot my best friends his devastatingly sexy grin while Adele wordlessly passed me my sweater and Rhi silently handed me her tiny clutch purse. I knew without looking that it contained a cell phone, enough money for several cab fares if necessary, and probably a few condoms. God bless my friends.
My legs wobbled uncertainly on Rhiannon's borrowed heels, but I managed to keep up with Adam's lengthy stride as we wound our way through the crowd and out into the cool spring evening. Adam waited in patient silence again as I donned my cardigan against the damp chill. I could feel his eyes taking in every inch of my torso before I drew the soft sweater over it and I somehow found myself at a loss for words at the unabashed appreciation which glinted in his emerald green gaze.
He reclaimed my hand without comment once I'd rearranged myself, and I followed nervously as he led the way from the brightly lit bar down to the end of the quietly dark street. "Which way?" Adam inquired with the same aplomb as if he was politely escorting me home after tea instead of taking me home for an entirely less honourable reason.
"Right," I said with only the smallest waver in my voice. The crowds and noise of the bar had given way to a dark and empty night and I was alone with a complete stranger who wanted to fuck me; I couldn't stop my small shiver of apprehension.
"Cold?" Adam asked huskily; there was such concern on his handsome face I instantly felt guilty for thinking bad thoughts about him.
"Not really," I fibbed. I wasn't willing to admit either that I was little frightened or that the spring air was chillier than I'd expected.
"Liar," Adam teased with his low, deep voice. He slung one long arm easily about my shoulders and nestled me against the warm length of his torso. We fit together perfectly, and even though he was in his shirtsleeves, I felt instantly warmer for the contact.
We walked silently for a time; I could smell the approaching harbour and that uniquely spring-like smell of freshly turned flowerbeds and newly sprouting leaves. The city streets were quiet as the old buildings flowed downhill to the sea.
"You up for a walk in those shoes?" Adam teased after a time, as I tripped again on yet another curb.
"Well, they're not mine," I explained with a shrug, relishing the solid weight of his arm across my shoulders. "But I think I can manage it."
"They belong to the brunette friend, I'm willing to bet," Adam laughed. "She seems like the type."
My curiosity burned. "What type is that?"
"The red lipstick, high-heel, tiny-purse, high-maintenance type." Adam's laughter was contagious.
"That she is," I admitted with a giggle. "But if not for her, I wouldn't have gone over to the bar and spoken to you."
Adam laughed huskily and gave my shoulders a squeeze. "I'll have to thank her later; but if you hadn't have come over to me I would have come to talk to you anyway, so the point is really moot."
"You would have?" I asked incredulously.
Adam nodded but said nothing.
"Why?" I blurted out, regretting the words instantly, hoping I didn't sound rude.
Adam shrugged. "Dunno. You looked like you didn't belong there, like you just wandered in and sat down by mistake; that intrigued me, I guess. That and I have an unholy weakness for redheads."
I laughed loudly before we settled into a comfortable silence. The buildings lining the old downtown melted away to reveal the vista of the harbour before us. The dark water shimmered with the soft light of reflected street lamps while the breeze off the water was softly cool and smelled like the sea. Inadvertently, we'd taken the long route to my apartment, but the progression had seemed natural; contentment settled deep in my bones.
"I love this city," Adam admitted gruffly. "I'm so glad I moved here."
"You're not an Islander?" I asked.
Adam shook his dark head and the lamplight glinted off his eyebrow ring. "Nope, grew up in Toronto actually, but when I was offered the job here I couldn't say no. The second I set foot on the Island I loved it."
"Yeah, it does that to you," I said with a laugh.
"You grew up here?" Adam stopped walking and pulled us up against a streetlamp on the edge of the quay; at our feet the black water lapped melodically against the wood.
"On the North Shore," I smiled faintly. "I'm a good, sturdy farm girl."
"I like sturdy," Adam admitted with a wink. "Sturdy is good."
"Thanks," I said laughingly; somehow Adam made me feel sexy, despite my sturdiness. When he wrapped both arms around me I just about stopped breathing.
"Why'd you become a journalist?"
I considered for a moment. "Insatiable curiosity, I suppose; I've always asked a million questions, even when I was a kid."
Adam chuckled deeply. "Yeah, I noticed that."
I ran a finger up Adam's forearm and over one of his swirling black tattoos; at first I'd been wary of them, but I had to admit to myself they were pretty sexy. There was something faintly Celtic about the way the lines curved and intersected. "What does this symbolize?"
He shrugged before reaching up and brushing a wayward lock of hair from my forehead. "I got that when I came home from France a few years ago; I guess you could say it's a celebration of sorts."
"It's beautiful," I whispered, tracing the matching tattoo on the opposite arm. "Are there more?"
"A few," Adam admitted with a chuckle. He pulled up a shirt sleeve to reveal the dark, undulating edge of a tattoo which encircled his bicep. "And there are some you can't see clothed."
"Really?" I enquired flirtatiously, not believing myself capable of being so coy; the fresh air had done wonders to clear the beer fog from my head, but still my attraction to Adam remained.
"Really," Adam assured me confidently. "Can we discuss this later though, Lilly? I'd really like to kiss you now."
I couldn't help but laugh at Adam's bluntness; his approach was so unlike anything I'd ever experienced and there was an earnest hopefulness on his handsome face which stopped the breath in my lungs with a jolt.
He wrapped his arms more fixedly around my waist and I gripped his upper arms with renewed tenacity, watching warily as he lowered his dark head to mine. He paused just above my lips, his mouth quirked in a sexy little grin which made me smile right back; my heart beat furiously and I was more nervous than I'd ever been with a guy, but I wouldn't have backed out of the moment for anything.
"Lilly," he whispered softly; and then he kissed me and everything changed. Electric, thrilling, dizzying: every adjective in the dictionary couldn't do Adam's kiss justice. The heat of his lips and tongue drove every thought of hesitation completely from my head; all I wanted to do every minute of the rest of my life was be kissed by Adam.
