Сандра Браун - Adam's Fall

"Because I wanted to," she shouted. Baby Milly flinched at the sudden noise.

"Why?"

"Curiosity," she said breezily. "It was long overdue. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about."

"Liar." Her jaw dropped open. "You were responding to the chemistry that has arced between us since the first time we met," Adam said, moving his face closer to hers. "Ever since you said, 'How do I do what?' I've wanted to take you to bed and find out. You were attracted to me, too, even though both of us refused to admit it.

"But it finally happened. We surrendered to it, and it was great, but it scared the hell out of you. Because you've successfully bluffed your way through every other relationship in your life, you couldn't handle the real thing. When you discovered what all your sexy back talk was really about, you tucked tail and ran."

"You're full of crap, Cavanaugh."

"You're a coward. You ran out before something could go wrong."

"And why not? I wasn't about to stick around, nursing you along until you could go running back to Snow White von Elsinghouse — "

"Hauer. Von Elsing hauer ."

"Whatever. I wasn't going to watch you go running back to her on winged feet!" To her acute mortification, Lilah realized she was crying. She angrily rubbed the tears off her face. "Damn you, you Irish idiot! You know why I went to bed with you. I fell in love with you. And yes, I would have done anything, anything, to give you back the use of your legs and the lifestyle you had before.

"More than I wanted my next breath, I wanted to watch you take your first steps to me. But I didn't want to watch you walk away . I was not going to stay with you and be disposed of when you didn't need me any longer. I wasn't going to let you go on making love to me, mistaking gratitude for grand passion and honing skills to be used on other women. And finally, I don't think you're ready for crutches yet. Don't you know the damage you could be — "

"Lilah."

" — doing to yourself? You fool. And that — "

"Lilah."

" — therapist who replaced me must be a fool too. Because any expert would agree that you're rushing it."

"Lilah."

"Another thing," she said, taking a swipe at her flooding eyes, "I knew something would go wrong if I ever slept with a man. Sure enough something has. My period is already a week late. I could kill you, Cavanaugh!"

He squeezed her jaw between his fingers. "Dammit, I've only found one means of effectively shutting you up."

He pressed his mouth against hers. That's all it took. A heartbeat later they were arcing over baby Milly to kiss each other ravenously. Finally tearing his mouth away, Adam snarled, "I should strangle you for putting me through such hell. Don't you ever leave me like that again. Never."

"Did you miss me?"

"Hell, no. I missed the clutter and the noise and the absolute chaos that surrounds you."

"You missed having someone around to fight with."

"Hmm. I like fighting with you."

"Really? Why?"

"Because when you get mad, your breasts jiggle." He reached around the baby and beneath her sweater to press the raised center of her breast with his palm. "It's enough to give a dead man a — "

"Are we interrupting?"

Lilah and Adam turned toward the door. The Randolphs were standing there. Elizabeth was staring at them wide-eyed and flabbergasted. Thad was trying to contain a boisterous laugh. Adam withdrew his hand from beneath Lilah's sweater but he was in no hurry.

The four of them didn't quite know how to cover the awkward moment. Finally Lilah said, "Well, don't just stand there gawking. Come get the kid so Adam and I can go to my apartment and diddle."

"What am I going to do with your fresh mouth?"

Lilah's grin was unmitigatedly wicked. "I have a wonderful idea."

He looked at her warily. "I don't want to hear it."

"Yes, you do. You're dying to hear it." She whispered her idea in his ear and the rim of it turned red.

"You're right," he said huskily, "that is a wonderful idea. We'll jump right to it as soon as we get a few things settled. Like what I'm going to do about your fresh mouth when we're not lying naked in bed and there are other people around. Important, stately, dignified, moneyed people who patronize my hotels."

"Am I going to be around that much?"

"If you're Mrs Adam Cavanaugh, you're going to stick to me like glue."

"Am I going to be Mrs Adam Cavanaugh?"

"Damn right. A period that's a week late is grounds for marriage if I ever heard one."

"Is that the only reason you're marrying me?"

"You don't think I'd marry you if I didn't have to, do you?" Sinuously, she rubbed her body against his. He groaned. "On second thought, maybe I would." She smoothed her hand down his front. He grunted with pleasure when she found him smooth and taut with arousal. "Okay, okay, I'd marry you anyway."

She brushed her lips back and forth across his. "And I promise to always be nice."

"Not too nice, I hope. Just warn me before you do or say something really outrageous so I can hide. And never, never be nice in bed." He rolled her to her back and braced himself above her.

"Nice trick, Ace," she quipped, smiling up at him. "Who taught you that?"

"A real pain in the butt therapist I once had."

"As I recall, you were the one with the pain in the butt. Remember those decubitus ulcers?"

"The bedsores?"

"All gone now." She ran her hands over his buttocks. They kissed. When he finally raised his head, his eyes were troubled. "What?" she asked quickly. "Are you in pain?"

He shook his head. "No, no, it's not that." He gazed beyond her head for a moment before bringing his eyes back to hers. "My prognosis is still uncertain, Lilah. I saw Arno the other day. He put me through a battery of tests. He's still convinced that one day I'll be as good as new, but there's an outside chance that I might always walk with a cane, with a pronounced limp.

"I think if I had had to, I would have thrown down that crutch and chased you through the hospital corridors until I caught you." He paused. "But I might never be able to chase you anywhere. I just wanted you to know that."

She tilted her head to one side. "Cavanaugh, you really provoke me. Don't you know by now that I'd love you if all you could do for the rest of your life is crawl around on your belly? If you can put up with my fresh mouth, the least I can do is overlook a cane or a limp."

He drove his fingers into her hair and held her head still while he kissed her ardently. "God, I love you."

"Well, hallelujah. I thought you'd never get around to saying it. And just for the record, I didn't pick up anybody in the Sugar Shack that night I went to Lahaina."

He had kissed his way down her chest. His lips were lightly plucking at her nipple. "I know."

"You know?"

"Hmm. We were well on our way to this by then. The only man you wanted that night was me." His nimble tongue traced damp patterns across her breasts.

Moaning and arching her back reflexively, she sighed. "Fairly confident of yourself, weren't you?"

"Not at all." It was a sacrifice, but he ceased what he was doing and looked up at her. "Falling off that mountain was nothing like falling for you, Lilah Mason. You know how Elizabeth is always saying I stay on the move, how I leave everybody breathless in my dust?" Lilah, mesmerized by the sincerity in his eyes, nodded dumbly. "Well, you not only slowed me down, you brought me to a skidding halt. And I'm not talking about when I was flat on my back unable to move. You toppled the mighty Adam Cavanaugh the first time he saw you in those irreverent black leather pants. From that moment on I didn't stand a chance, and I knew it. That's why I fought it so hard."