“Let’s stay here tonight, then,” he suggested. “Just crawl under the covers right now to get as much sleep as we can.”

The rational part of Kerry—a part that seemed to shrink further and further every second she was with Adam—told her she shouldn’t stay, because actually sleeping together had to be a bad idea. But between the busy week she’d already had and all the magnificent things he’d done to her tonight, she could barely keep her eyes open.

Besides, what could one night in the same bed hurt?

“Okay.” Her voice sounded a little slurred even to her own ears. “I should go brush my teeth.” Because of course she’d packed her toothbrush, too. Be prepared for everything, both in life and during a wedding. She’d learned that from her mother.

But Adam was already pulling the covers over both of them and curling his big, strong body around hers. “You can do that tomorrow morning.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I had a great night with you, Kerry.”

Her usual walls were down far enough as she hurtled toward sleep that she didn’t question the urge to tell him, “I had the best night with you, Adam. The very best.”

And when he responded by pulling her even tighter against him, feeling more content and safer than she ever had, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The following day, Kerry ran from one meeting to the next, putting out potential fires left and right. By that night, she was nearly convinced that the previous one at the hotel with Adam must have been a dream. She’d been too busy all day to get in touch, and she knew from what he’d told her at the hotel that he’d had just as packed a schedule. That was one of the nice things about not actually dating each other, she told herself. Neither of them had to feel guilty if they couldn’t fit each other in apart from a handful of hours having hot sex every now and then.

By the time she left the office and made it home, she couldn’t wait to change out of her suit and heels, throw on her most comfortable jeans and a sweatshirt, and collapse on the couch. She’d left her sister several messages—voice mails, emails, and texts—about getting together as they’d planned the previous weekend, but it wasn’t until nine o’clock that Colleen finally answered one of them.

“Hey, Kerr, I won’t be able to make it over tonight.”

Kerry’s stomach immediately sank. She’d known this would happen, hadn’t she? Just like every time her sister told her they were going to have a girls’ Friday night in—and ended up bailing to go party instead. The last thing Kerry wanted to do was put real clothes and makeup back on, but if she could keep her sister out of trouble, she’d do it.

“Why don’t I meet you wherever you are? We could still have our girls’ night out.”

“There’s not exactly room for one more right now.” She could hear Colleen laughing with whatever loser she was with as he said he’d be happy to have her sister join them.

“Call me later, okay?” Kerry pleaded. “I can come join you any time if you change your mind.”

“Drinks are here, got to go.”

Kerry was about to press the call-back button on her phone, but stopped herself. If she pestered Colleen too much, then she might not call later if she needed help getting home. It was such a fine line trying to support and help her sister while not upsetting her so much that she pulled away entirely.

Kerry wasn’t at all sure that she was walking the right side of that line. If only there was someone she could talk to about this.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed again. But it wasn’t Colleen. It was a text from Adam.

HOW’S THE MOVIE AND PIZZA WITH YOUR SISTER?

Kerry’s heart melted. He was so sweet to even remember her plans for tonight, let alone check in to make sure it was all going according to plan.

As she typed in her response, however, she knew he wasn’t going to like her answer. She made herself send it anyway. The best thing about Adam—apart from all the super, crazy-hot sex they were having—was that they were always honest with each other.

COLLEEN CHANGED HER MIND ABOUT TONIGHT

Her phone rang a second later.

“Where is she?” Adam asked.

Kerry didn’t even try to hold in her worried sigh. “I don’t know. I offered to go with her, but she didn’t think that was a very good idea because she was already with someone. He, however, seemed to think it was a super idea to spend the night with two sisters.”

Though Adam wasn’t there, she could see his expression, knew his jaw would be clenching. The curse he uttered confirmed it.

“Did you get to the movie or pizza before she bailed on you?”

“No.”

“A friend of mine makes the best pie in Seattle. I’ll have him send one over to your place. See you in fifteen.”

* * *

Exactly fifteen minutes later, Kerry went to answer the knock at the door.

A quarter of an hour had been exactly long enough to tie herself up in knots about how things were supposed to play out between the two of them tonight. If they’d been meeting to have sex, kissing him hello would make sense. But since he was clearly just coming over to keep her company because he was worried about her—and also so that he’d be there to accompany her into the bad part of town just in case her sister called later—what exactly did that mean tonight was all about?

Kerry hadn’t wanted to examine anything beyond their incredible sexual escapades on Thursday, but the truth was that they’d done nearly as much talking as having hot sex. And she’d liked doing both. A lot.