Free Calm Like Home by Kaisa Clark Page B

left between us. Only us.
    His body works over mine, his scent and his sounds melding with my breath and my need. Every exhale of my name from his lips floats just above the pillowcases, swirling around my head, making me dizzy and weak. I feel him melting deep inside me, turning every last inch of me to silk, turning me to gold. And I swear he is perfect. I swear we were meant to be together. Just like this. Bodies perfectly aligned, skin brushing soft skin, chests inhaling and exhaling in complete harmony, until I’m floating, sinking, soaring all at once, with Adam’s voice in my ear and his taste in my mouth.
     
    We relax against the multitude of pillows on my bed, sheets tucked haphazardly around us. I nuzzle my cheek against his shoulder, contentment washing over me as his fingertips draw faint lines up and down the length of my back.
    “You have no idea how long I’ve thought of this,” he whispers.
    “What’re you talking about?” I ask with astonishment.
    “Don’t act so surprised. I’ve had it bad for you for a very long time.” He lets out a faint chuckle, but the look he’s giving me lets me know he’s completely serious.
    I’m blown away by his admission. All this time. All this flirting. It was always real. I feel giddy with the knowledge, completely overcome. I poke his side, grinning. “Well it took you long enough."
    ‘Yes,” he concedes, amused. “I had to work up the nerve.”
    “Work up the nerve? I pegged you as a seasoned veteran.” The thought that Adam Westbrook would have to work up the nerve to talk to anyone takes me by surprise. Never once has he given any indication he’s anything less than completely confident and sure of himself.
    “This whole time?” I ask in disbelief, winding my fingers in his, loving that I can. “I always thought you were just being friendly.”
    “Oh, it was friendly all right. I wanted to become very, very good friends with you.” He grins devilishly but pauses before going on, shaking his head slowly from side to side, looking astounded at whatever he’s about to tell me.
    “You’ll love this. I used to look up ways to make girls laugh on the internet so I could try them out on you at work.”
    “What?” I burst out laughing, shoving his shoulder playfully. “You mean this hasn’t been all-natural Adam?”
    “Some,” he says, his voice taking on a serious tone. “But not all.”
    “I feel so deceived.”
    I’m joking, but suddenly he isn’t. His dark eyes lock on mine. They are penetrating yet vulnerable, deep with truth and reservation, but he doesn’t look away, just whispers softly, “Trust me when I say it was always with the best of intentions.”
    He kisses my forehead tenderly and pulls his arm tighter around my shoulders. I wonder why his voice sounds so solemn, why he’s clutching me so tightly. His tone and his grasp and that look in his eyes make me think he’s telling me something more, if I only knew how to understand his meaning.
     
    We both have the day off from work and we spend its entirety in bed together. It’s raining outside, a soft summer shower. The droplets gently patter against the window, adding a perfect soundtrack to our day. There’s nowhere else in the whole world I’d rather be. Seriously. Outside of a fluke apartment fire, I don’t think there’s a single thing that could get me out of this bed.
    We’re laying together, heads pressed side by side on a single pillow, when Adam tilts his face to mine, inquisitive. “So has Annabelle been driving you nuts? She’s been a little, uh, eager.”
    My insides clench and I wonder what all she’s told him without my knowing.
    “You know Annabelle, when she gets an idea in her head she doesn’t let it go. There was this one summer in high school she was set on us making off with a Dick’s Sporting Goods sign from a build site because it said Dick’s Coming Soon.”
    He howls with laughter. “She’s just as bad as Damien!”
    I try my best to