“Hey, Sweetheart,” he greeted me, his rich voice filled with concern. He was clearly still worried about how I was coping with Rich’s treachery.
“Hullo,” I replied quietly, letting the warmth of hearing his voice fill my chest. “I’m downstairs. Are you okay for me to come up?”
“Of course. I’ll buzz you in.”
I hung up, paid the taxi driver and hopped out, my heart racing as I hurried to the entrance doors just as Adam let me in. My palms began to sweat as the lift took me up to his floor. It was strange but my reaction to being alone with Adam had only gotten worse over the last few years. Every time was like a first date, and yet I knew him better than I knew practically anyone.
When the lift doors opened my eyes met Adam’s. He was standing in his doorway across the hall, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb. He wore a plain white T-shirt and a pair of old jeans, his feet bare, his hair mussed, and he needed a shave.
He was so bloody hot it was a wonder I didn’t start hyperventilating on the spot.
I crossed the hallway to him and held out the bottle of wine I’d brought him. He took it with a quizzical smile and I sighed. “It was either a bottle of wine or a slap on the wrist.” I eyed his bruised knuckles pointedly.
Adam’s lips twitched. “Wine will do.”
I followed him into the duplex, my eyes drinking in the space as always. A large open staircase greeted you at the front entrance, leading up to two spacious bedrooms, a bathroom and an office. Beyond the staircase on the ground floor was just wide open space—a massive sitting area with floor-to-ceiling glass windows covering one wall, and at the very end of the room a stylish kitchen with an island, breakfast bar, and a dining table and chairs.
It was a luxurious property and one he could more than afford. Not only did Braden pay him extremely well, Adam had invested in his own rental properties these last two years and it supplemented his income nicely.
I took another look around the large space, smirking. Unlike my flat, Adam’s was completely clutter-free. All items were carefully chosen and had their place. In fact, if I didn’t know first-hand that he was the straightest straight guy ever (well, with the exception of Braden), Adam’s duplex might convince me otherwise.
“I think I’ll crack this open… I feel a lecture coming on.” His voice was teasing as he wandered toward the kitchen.
As I shrugged out of my jacket and took off my scarf, I tilted my head and watched his delicious arse walk away from me. The man had the most perfect bottom in the history of all bottoms. Laying my jacket over his huge corner sofa, I wandered toward the kitchen, watching as he pulled two glasses out of a cupboard and began to pour wine into them. Adam turned just as I reached him and I saw his eyes flicker over the bare skin between the hem of my top and the waistband of my skirt before quickly shifting away. I gave myself a secret smug smile. Good wardrobe choice.
“Here,” he said somewhat gruffly, handing me a glass.
Our eyes met as we each took a sip of wine, and as I lowered my glass I told him solemnly, “I came here to thank you.”
Adam shook his hand. “Ellie, you don’t need to thank me.” His face darkened. “It was my pleasure, believe me.”
“Braden said he had a hard time pulling you off of Rich.”
“He fucked with you, Els. I mean he really fucked with you.”
“Literally,” I murmured and Adam stiffened.
“Don’t,” he warned me. “I’m this close to finishing the scumbag off.”
I felt a small thrill go through me at the sincerity in his voice. I loved that Adam cared this much. He might not be willing to see me as anything but Braden’s wee sister, but it was a nice consolation prize to know he had some feelings for me. “I should be reprimanding you.”
I reached for his free hand, using his wounds as an excuse to touch him, and lifted it closer to me for inspection. His knuckles weren’t just bruised, they were swollen, and the middle one had a small, healing gash in it. I hissed in a breath. “How many times did you hit him?”
Adam stepped closer, staring at his hand in mine. “I hit the wall next to his head as a warning shot. He didn’t heed the warning, said shit he really shouldn’t have, and I think I got in four really good hits before Braden pulled me off.”
I lifted my gaze to his face, no longer feeling the thrill. “Did you leave him conscious?”
“Barely.” Adam’s eyes narrowed. “Do you care?”
“I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
His expression softened and he gently tugged his hand free from mine. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, according to sources I was nowhere near New Town or Rich last night. We’ve got a dozen witnesses who will all claim that I was at Bar Khol last night at the time of the said attack.”
I nodded but worried my top lip with my teeth.