Free A Splash of Hope by Charity Parkerson Page A

a spurt of warm liquid soaked his chest and stomach. He squeezed out every drop and rode out every wave until the air began to chill his skin.
    After a quick trip to the bathroom, Adam grabbed his phone from the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed. Catching sight of himself in the mirror above his dresser, he stared at his reflection. His hair stood on end and his eyes shone with the flush of arousal still high on his cheeks. He couldn’t keep living like this. He needed Faith. Staring into space with the phone dangling between his knees for a few more minutes, his desire to text Faith was so overwhelming he couldn’t stop twirling the phone between his fingers. He’d never wanted anyone the way he wanted her. Nothing satisfied him anymore. He could get sex. All it would take was one well-placed call, but it wasn’t about that. This was something more. She was an obsession to him. The fine sheen of sweat covering his skin was beginning to dry, but the throbbing between his legs was relentless. With one last twirl, he dropped back against the mattress and gave into temptation by tapping the message icon.
    “ Send me a pic .”
    He sent the text off before he could lose his nerve. Worry ate at his gut as he stared at his silent phone. Would she ignore him? Most likely, he acknowledged. He was more than a little surprised when his phone buzzed. Smiling brightly, he read the message.
    “ Why ?”
    Adam decided the truth would work best. “ I woke up horny, and I need some inspiration .”
    “ You’re outrageous ,” she texted back immediately, and the small statement left him feeling ridiculously happy.
    “ And you love it ,” he taunted.
    His phone fell silent and the disappointment was monumental. A few minutes passed and he dozed a little, before his phone buzzed once more. Faith’s face popped up on his screen. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were sleep swollen. She looked as if his text had woken her up. Even in the middle of the night, she was still the sexiest woman in the world to Adam. Underneath her face her text read. “ Now go to sleep. ”
    Smiling to himself, Adam closed his eyes, determined to do as told.
    *
    A smile lingered on Faith’s lips as she tucked the phone underneath her chin. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she curled into a ball, as if she could hold onto the last wisps of Adam that way. It was all she had left of him. Even though Serenity had left him standing at the altar, she’d obviously cared enough about him to marry him. She may not know where to find her baby sister, but she knew her well enough to know she’d never marry anyone if it weren’t out of love. The problem was Faith loved him too. She always had.
    ***
    The time had come to go to Carter for help. Faith had almost talked herself out of it after hearing from Serenity, but after the late night text from Adam, she knew her heart would never survive not knowing the whole of it. She knew she could ask Adam, and he would be honest with her, but she needed to hear the story from her sister’s lips because she also knew, if there was a shred of love in Serenity’s heart for Adam, then there was no future with him for Faith.
    The gray stone walls, cobbled driveway, and perfectly manicured lawn might have, on any other day, intimidated Faith, but today she was hell bent on having the truth. She didn’t expect to get as far as she did, especially once she caught sight of the impressive gate surrounding Carter’s property. To her surprise, upon hearing her name, security simply buzzed her through.
    An elderly housekeeper met her at the door. “Mr. and Mrs. Monroe are by the pool,” she said immediately, leaving Faith to hide her surprise at learning there was a Mrs. Monroe.
    Faith headed in the direction in which she was pointed and passed a maid dusting the corners of the hallway. She was overcome with the feeling they’d met somewhere before. Faith tried to get a better look at her, but the woman seemed