ADRIAN PACED BACK and forth in front of the kitchen counter. Where the hell was Ruby? She’d been gone for over an hour now after announcing that she needed to “take care of something.” It was the first time they had actually been apart since they’d gotten on the plane in New York, and Adrian really didn’t like the uneasy feeling of not knowing what was happening with her.
He frowned. How would it feel when they got back to New York, after things between them ended? She could be hit by a taxi, and he wouldn’t even know it, let alone be around to help her.
Over the years, he’d found that the best thing to do when these kinds of uneasy thoughts surfaced was to force his mind on something else. Something specific and fact-based. Like Ruby’s Christmas gift.
He had stayed up late the night before, searching the internet for the perfect gift under twenty dollars that could be delivered by tonight. Unsurprisingly, his options weren’t very satisfactory. Admittedly, he didn’t know her very well, but he was pretty sure he was on the right track with photography. In the end, he ordered a book of erotic photographs as a sort of gag gift but had gone to bed unsatisfied. He needed to think of something else...that cost two dollars and fifteen cents. Right.
What did she want? All the camera components he’d looked up were far over the spending limit, and he didn’t know what accessories she already owned. The minimalist thing was yet another pain in the ass when considering presents. She’d mentioned getting her portfolio together this week, and he’d secretly checked out her photography website, which showed a contest she’d won. How the hell could all this translate into something she really wanted?
Then, the perfect idea came to him. He could give this other “gift” to her along with the book since, technically, it cost nothing. Arranging it would take some last-minute finagling, but he was almost sure he could pull it off. All he needed to do was get ahold of his sister.
Adrian stopped his pacing and found his phone, typing out a quick message. If Sydney could help him figure this out, it would definitely make this Christmas memorable.
He took a deep breath and let it out as the relief ran through him. Then he surveyed the neat line of bowls in the middle of the counter. Inside each bowl was an ingredient for tamales that he’d chopped or minced or rinsed in whatever way the recipe had specified. The large bag of masa was sitting at one end, along with a package of banana leaves. Had he missed anything? The chicken had to be—
“Honey, I’m home.” Ruby’s voice, bright with a hint of laughter, came from the front hallway of the cabin. “That’s fun to say.”
Adrian rested both his hands against the counter and hung his head in relief. He wasn’t going to look too closely at what his worries about her whereabouts meant. Just move on. He straightened up and headed for her.
“Wait,” she called as he entered the main room. “Turn around.”
He did. Her footsteps moved through the living room and into the bedroom. Then he heard her come out again.
“Okay. You can turn around now.”
He furrowed his brow in confusion, which she dismissed with a little wave.
“You’ll see later.” She walked across the living room and stopped in front of him. Then she put her hands on her hips and batted her eyelashes at him theatrically. “Did you make yourself useful while I was gone?”
“Maybe.” He gestured toward the kitchen. “You can decide yourself.”
Ruby’s steps slowed as she caught sight of all the bowls filled with ingredients. She turned to him, her eyes shining. “I should have known. Anything you do, you fully commit, don’t you?”
“How kind of you to notice.”
Her face lit up with laughter. “Aw, Adrian. Have I not been nice enough to you?”
He raised an eyebrow, but the effect was probably ruined by the real smile he couldn’t stop. In the past, her comments almost always had little barbs, critiques of his tendency to obsess over the details, to get things exactly right. He searched for traces of that now, but she seemed genuine. His heart raced as he took in the admiration in her voice. Was this new, or had she appreciated this side of him all along, too? Had he simply failed to notice?
Before he could fully process an answer, Ruby was in the kitchen, looking businesslike.
“So where do we start?” she asked over her shoulder as she washed her hands.
“I found a recipe from Cristina’s posts with the ingredients we have, so you should focus on cooking that. I can start assembling the tamales without chicken, since I already watched a video online that showed how to fold the banana leaves.”
He glanced up, and her expression was full of humor. “If that’s acceptable to you, of course,” he added dryly.
She widened her eyes innocently. “Of course it is. You know best, Adrian.”
So much for all that admiration he’d heard in her voice just moments ago. She was mocking him. Yes, maybe his ideas sounded a lot like commands, but he had spent the last hour prepping the food and coming up with an efficient plan.
“Of course I know best,” he said, because he just couldn’t resist.
Adrian headed around the counter and took a step closer, then another. With each step he took, she backed up. The electric pull between them buzzed and sparked, charging him up. There was definitely hunger in her gaze, but there was also defiance. She took another step backward, then another until her back was flat against the wall. He rested one hand on the wall next to her as the smell of coconut flooded his senses, making him lose his train of thought.
“Just because I admitted I’m hot for you doesn’t mean you can order me around,” she whispered.
He struggled to keep his expression stern, but it was hard to when she was so close.
Her eyes narrowed a little. “You think you’re right about everything, don’t you?”
“I don’t think I’m right. I am right.”
The statement was arrogant as hell, but it felt so satisfying to say exactly what he meant. She huffed out a little breath, but her cheeks were flushed and her nipples were hard, poking through her dress. If this didn’t end with sex, he was going to need some serious time in the shower. And knowing Ruby, there was a good chance she’d hold out just to get on his nerves.
He, on the other hand, was long past any game that required him to hold back. He was all in. His head hung heavy over her as he took long drags of her scent. Resting his weight against one hand on the wall, he brought the other hand to her cheek. Her breath hitched, and her pulse pounded at the base of her throat. Still, her eyes were rebellious. His gaze wandered down farther, over her flushed cheek, to her lips, pouting at him.
“Does it turn you on to argue with me like this?” he whispered.
She narrowed her eyes. “Only if I win.”
Adrian’s laugh was rich and deep, wreaking havoc on her already keyed-up body.
Ruby was lying, of course. There was an ache between her legs that she was trying hard to ignore. Arguing with him did turn her on. The truth was that everything that happened between them turned her on. He was so close, almost touching her, and her body burned for his.
Ruby lifted a hand to his thigh. He stilled at her touch, his breath a sharp hiss. Slowly, she moved her hand higher, higher, until she reached his cock. It was straining against the material of his shorts. She gave it a stroke. He swallowed, and that look of smug satisfaction slipped a little. Good. He was playing dirty, using her attraction against her, so there was no reason she shouldn’t play dirty, too.
“Is this what you’re going to do in the office the next time you want to make your point? Close your office door and press your hard, aching cock up against me?”
His dick jumped against her hand, and his body stiffened. Ruby smiled up at him. She’d hit a nerve, the forbidden line they’d stepped over. And oh, it was so satisfying to get under his skin. So she went for it again. “But what happens if you catch me in a dark hallway with Raj again? You gonna make your point the same way?”
She had absolutely no intention of making out with Raj anymore, but she couldn’t resist bringing it up.
One look at the dark glint in his eyes told her that sentence had turned their taunting into all-out sexual warfare, and it made her giddy, light-headed.
He lowered his mouth to her ear. “You’re not making out with him at happy hour again.”
The rough hum of his voice was turning her inside out. She tilted her head, looking up at him. His mouth was so temptingly close, but she gave him her most skeptical look. “Is that so?”
“Yes. It is.” He moved her hand from his cock and pressed the long, hard length in just the right place, against her clit. She moaned, her whole body thrumming with need, and Adrian was watching her with his relentless stare.
So she stared right back. “Because you say so?”
“Because you won’t be aching for Raj. You’ll want my mouth, my cock.” He slipped his hand under her dress, sliding it up her leg until he came close, so close. And then he stopped. She glared at him, and he gave her his smug smile. “Right now I’m gonna fuck you against this wall so you’ll remember it. So you’ll be thinking about me whenever your back is against the wall.”
His voice was a low rasp, and his body was tense, like he, too, was holding on to his last ounce of self-control. And how she was dying to give in right now if it meant a relief to this aching need.
“Do it,” she whispered. “Make me think about you every single time.”
He let out a groan, and his mouth descended on hers. The kiss was wild, all hungry need. She slid her fingers into his hair, pulling him close, and he let out a deep rumble. He tilted his head, and their mouths fit together, like the missing piece of a three-year-long puzzle. Everything clicked into place. Frantic hunger turned into the long, sensual glide of his lips over hers. She met each stroke of his tongue with her own.
When he moved to her neck, Ruby tipped her head back against the wall, exposing every vulnerable part, and he let out a hiss of satisfaction.
“You taste so good,” he said, lips against her skin. “So sweet.”
He sucked at the base of her neck. The sensation shot through her body, hitting her core. She gasped. “Again.”
Adrian’s laugh was low and satisfied, and he went back for more. The friction of his mouth, the heat of his big hard body against hers, it was so good. Ruby closed her eyes and pulled him closer, grinding against his erection.
He flexed his hips, dragging his hard length along her clit. White-hot sparks exploded inside her.
“What’s the matter, Ruby,” he whispered. “Do you need something from me?”
He was pushing her to beg. She knew it, and she was almost past caring. Almost.
“Is this what you want?” he coaxed, rocking his hips again. Another round of white-hot pleasure ran through her. “Do you need my cock? Tell me how badly.”
Her breaths were coming so fast, one after another. Damn him. He really was going to make her beg.
“You’re an ass,” she hissed.
Adrian laughed. “We both already know that. But I have a nice hard cock to fuck you with. So I guess you’ll have to overlook that part.”
“I should go back in the bedroom and take care of this myself,” she said, giving him her best glare.
He must have taken her at her word because he stilled against her. When he pulled back a little, his smug smile had slipped. Did he think he’d pushed her too far? Not even close. He took a deep breath.
“I am an asshole, Ruby. But the only thing I want right now is to please you.” He was so serious, and the truth of it, the vulnerability in his voice, hit her hard.
She slid her hands to his cheeks and gently tilted his face so they were looking eye to eye. “I know.”
His expression was unreadable, and she held his gaze, watching him closely. Finally, after a few moments, he nodded.
She stroked his cheek, and his cock throbbed against her. “Now fuck me,” she whispered.
His mouth crashed down on hers again, and a deep groan rose from his chest. She couldn’t get enough of his mouth, his body, everything. She lowered her hands to his waist, finding the button of his shorts, fumbling with the zipper. Finally, it came loose, and she shoved his shorts and boxers off. He kicked them aside, still kissing her. He broke off and tugged his T-shirt over his head in one swift move. Ruby pulled her dress off, dropping it onto the pile.
Then his hands were on her again, big, warm hands moving over her skin, sending trails of delicious fire over her stomach, her sides, her breasts. She moved to unhook her bra, but he shook his head.
“Just like this,” he rasped. “Please.”
Both of his hands came around her ass, and he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist so his cock settled between them, lighting sparks and making her dizzy. He pressed his cock against her, just the silky scrap of her panties between them.
“What do you want?” The question was out of her mouth before she could think better of it.
“You, Ruby. I want you.”
Then, before she could fully register his words, he moved her panties out of the way and sank deep inside her. His cock stretched her, sliding into her with the most beautifully satisfying friction. In those last inches, her body surrendered completely.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “So wet. So good.”
He was trembling, or maybe she was. Maybe they both were. It didn’t matter anymore because they were both winning now. Or maybe they were both losing.
Then he started to move, his thrusts long, hard and relentless. Over and over, he slid in and out. The pleasure was building inside, growing, blooming, taking her breath away. She tilted her hips and dug her heels in so his cock dragged along the perfect spot.
“Oh, my sweet Ruby,” he rasped, his head buried in her shoulder. “So sweet. I can’t take it.”
His biceps, his chest, his abs, everything flexed with each thrust. He was covered in a sheen of sweat, but he showed no signs of slowing. Just those thrusts, long and hard, until she was so close.
“Harder,” she whispered.
He bit down on her neck on the next hard thrust, and everything exploded. Ecstasy pulsed through her in wave after wave. She gasped for breath, and his name was falling from her mouth, over and over. “Adrian. Oh, Adrian.”
His cock grew inside her, and then he was coming, too, filling the room with growls. His arms tightened around her, and for one moment, everything else was gone. Just the two of them. He brought them to the floor, a tangled mess of arms and legs. She clung to him, his hard muscles under her hands, as her breathing slowed.
They were in Hawaii. Playing a fake couple. Except this didn’t feel very fake right now.
Adrian pulled back a little, his eyes serious, like he was trying to read her. Like he was making sure she was okay. It was intense, and it felt so good. Then he raised an eyebrow. “Did I give you something to think about?”
A bubble of laughter rose up inside her. “You’re being an asshole again.”
The corners of his mouth twitched up. “I know.”
“I can’t believe how much fun I’m having this week with such an asshole,” she mused.
A smile spread across his face, and this time he didn’t try to hide it. “You are definitely going to be the death of me,” he said, shaking his head. “But right now, I’m okay with that.”