Return to Sender - 17. Chapter 17 - Adam

CHAPTER 17 - Adam

I woke up a little before 7am and, stretching, looked beside me. And my first thought of the day was, - ‘wouldn’t it be nice if Kai lay there now?’

I could just imagine him there, still in slumber, me scooting backwards and pressing myself against his warm body, letting an arm encircle … fall asleep again, maybe, for just a few minutes before rising, silencing the alarm so it wouldn’t wake him. Then put on a bathrobe, go downstairs and grind the coffee beans, brew coffee and fetch the paper as the coffee percolates on the stove… read the paper headlines as I slowly walk back and return inside to the wonderful smell of a freshly made cuppa Joe.

That would be a perfect wake up, wouldn’t it?

Sighing deeply, I stretched again, then rose and put on the bathrobe, at least beginning my morning from that part of the fantasy. Once downstairs, I peeked around the door to the living room only to find Kai fully awake and the curtains already opened. The doors to the deck were open.

“Good mornin’!”

“You’re awake already? Good morning!”

I then noted the paper on the bed beside him and it was like a pickup needle scratching on a record, suddenly ending the music - it was folded rather haphazardly. Wrong! That wasn’t right. His eyes followed mine to where the paper lay. He picked it up and held it out for me to take.

“I heard the paper delivery, so I went out to get it. I’m sorry if I overstepped,” he said. Then, guessing correctly, “Did I mess with your routine?”

“No, no, of course not.” Yes! Yes he had. But that was fine. He should be doing his own thing. I smiled. “Alright, yes. A little bit. But I don’t mind. I’d better get used to someone being awake earlier than myself.”

“I’m always awake around 5:30 am,” he grinned. “I would’ve made coffee…”

“Don’t,” I interrupted. Let’s not take it too far. “Please? My morning routine is…sacred.”

He barely hid a laugh, but his eyes glittered. He probably thought me ridiculous.

“Right… so I committed blasphemy. See? This wouldn’t have happened if you just let me sleep up there,” he winked, pointing at the ceiling, “removing me from temptation might even seem a bit hasty now, no?”
Ha! I chuckled, seeing where this was going. Kai was rather playful in the morning. And very awake! But his using humor instead of pointing out the silliness of my routines did make me realize once again that this man was different. He didn’t seem to be bothered by them. “I’d have found a way to…occupy the time.”

I folded my arms and tried my sternest look, over my glasses. “Oh really? Hmm…and, just for clarity and ehm…academic purposes - what might that entail?”

He took a thoughtful pose, rubbing his chin. “Ahh, academically? Well, I would think that obvious. Counting sheep. Watch the paint dry some more. Oh! Please, sit with me. We can discuss, perhaps find other uses for the time?”

There was that thrilling feeling again. I shook my head. “No… No, I think I’m perfectly fine, right here.”

“Get your cute little butt over here, Adam,” he grinned, “I’d like a good morning hug.”

Oh, I would like that too! Making a motion with my hand for him to scoot over, I sat down and was drawn into a warm, tight hug. Gosh, he felt so warm! Sighing deeply, I enjoyed his warm embrace, then let out an inelegant yelp when he lay back down, dragging me with him.

He chuckled softly. “Come here, you. If I can’t wake up with you, I’ll take the next best thing.”

“Behave,” I muttered, my voice low. No, don’t behave! I’m enjoying this!

“Let me pretend to have just woken up. See? I’m opening my eyes, and Oh! There you are!”
I smiled.

“Silly man,” I softly said, drawing my legs up.

I guess it made me silly too then, considering I’d fantasized about the same thing not five minutes before. It was better than I had imagined, though. Settling, he lay close behind me, one strong hairy arm encircling. Oh yes, this was very nice. Then, when I heard him deeply inhale, close to my ear, I closed my eyes and sighed.

“Sleep well?” He softly asked.

“Mhm. Very well. And you? I imagine it’s strange for you, after being in hospitals for so long.”

“Are you kidding me? I slept like a log. I heard you scuttle about upstairs - I never heard something so wonderful in a long time. No beeping machines, no one bothering me to help wash my ass.”

“I might be persuaded…” and laughed when he growled playfully.

“Don’t tease me.”

“I heard you speak too. Late night call?”

“Megan,” he confirmed, then hesitated. “She thinks she might be harboring a fugitive.”

My eyes flew open. She was what? “Harboring a fugi…but why would she do that?”

Kai chuckled and tightened his arm for a second.

“God, you’re too cute - I meant that she might be pregnant, Adam.”

Oh. Okay, that wasn’t so….OH!

I sat up quickly and stared down at Kai who gazed back up, somewhat amused.

“But she’s known him for less than a week…”

“Well, if you’re running with the bull, don’t be surprised when you end up on the horns,” he winked, then explained, “she forgot to take her birth control pills.”

Well, that wasn’t smart. I frowned. “And Callum is the father?”

“He better be or she and I are going to have words,” he responded dryly. “Yes, it’s Callum’s, if it turns out she’s pregnant. He thinks she is.”

My eyebrows shot up. “He already knows?”

Ooooh, this intrigue was…new! Like a soap opera unfolding. Nan used to watch those, calling them ‘delicious voyeurism’. Already, my imagination got to work, envisioning scenarios.

“Ahuh. Now will you lay back down, please? I’ve not had enough wakeup-with-Adam time yet. No... turn. Face me.”

Smiling, I did as he asked and we talked a little more about Megan and Callum. And then I promptly fell asleep! Not long, just a few minutes, but feeling him warm against me, his nose lightly rubbing mine, I quickly dozed off. When I woke again due to fingers sliding through my hair, I opened my eyes, gazing into a pair of warm brown ones.

“Hi.” Inhaling deeply, then sighing, I stretched again, forgetting that this bed was not that wide - only a quick grab from Kai prevented me from falling off. He chuckled softly. “Careful, sweetheart.”

He kept looking at me, his eyes traveling over my face and leaned in, covering my mouth, letting his warm lips linger for a little, then withdrawing. Then I got a pat on my behind.

“I trust you don’t hand out this sort of service to every guest?”

I cheekily winked. “I just might. This will be known as the Cuddles & Kisses Inn, what do you think?”

He growled softly, and hearing that live was even more thrilling than over the phone. He brought his mouth closer again, lightly brushing his lips over mine, the barest touch.

“I don’t think so,” he whispered, then parted mine, sliding in warmly.

Oh my, his bedroom kisses were so different from what I was used to! So raw, with barely held-in passion, even hungry! Incredibly thrilling! I felt myself being pushed back and then pressed deeper into the pillow as he used some of his weight to rest half on top. He growled again when I moaned unwittingly in my throat, deepening the kiss, stirring lust that I hadn’t felt for quite a long time. Raising his head slightly, ending the kiss, he looked down on me, his eyes drawn to my mouth again when I licked my lips. I registered a half-whispered ‘so sweet’ before he dove in again. Gosh, that was so true, he tasted sweet in my mouth too.

It seemed to take some effort for him to stop. I didn’t want him to.

“What are you doing to me?” He growled against my lips, pressing himself against me. I felt elated, even happy, registering that. Then he softly laughed. “We’d better stop, or we’ll run the risk of indecent exposure.” I could feel him pressing hard against me. As for myself, my bathrobe had slipped and the loose boxers I wore left none to the imagination. “You’re very tempting.”

Yes, so was he! And I wished he’d touch me there: he did seem to want to, and his hand, resting on my hip, did creep closer. But then he inhaled sharply, withdrew it and balled his fist, bringing it to his mouth, biting it, using a sound as if the effort to not do so were very hard for him. It was funny.

“Shall I remove temptation from your presence again?” I asked, covering myself.

He was right - the curtains were fully open and anyone could see us - yet, for some reason, I did not care if that were the case. I liked that he knew what he did to me, as I knew what I had done to him. And I think it would’ve felt very nice to feel his hand encircle me.

Amazing, that was. I’ve never been ashamed to let my partners see me - it’s a completely normal bodily reaction and one he should feel free to explore, as I would want to as well. But I have always been in favor of doing so in comfortable privacy. So to re-utter Kai’s words - what was he doing to me?

After a long few seconds, he looked down at me, sighing wistfully and winked.

“Yeah, you better.” He sighed again. “So does coffee come with this wonderful wakeup service?”

Ah! I nodded and sat up. “Would you also like breakfast?”

“Not gonna say no to that.”

“Why don’t I get started on that and you wash up?”

Agreeing, he swung his legs over the side and stood.

“Help me up the stairs?”

I nodded and then swallowed audibly when he turned. Oh my!

Indecent exposure indeed!

**********

After helping him up the stairs, which was a rather humorous affair, especially when he darn well knew the bathroom he was supposed to use was to his left, not the one in my room - ‘Can’t blame a guy for tryin’ - I pointed out where he could find towels and such. He would get clothes from his own room, he assured.

I got a quick peek at how trained Navy men were when, as I left, he removed the t-shirt he slept in. Kai was all hard male. Push my belly and your finger will sink in half an inch - I bet if I pushed his, my finger would bounce back. His chest was covered in sexy rough hair, tapering down to his bellybutton. And that’s not all I saw before I closed the door.

He saw me peeking. The grin he sent me had my cheeks burning all the way down the stairs, especially because he pulled the cord of his sweatpants, which slid to the floor from his hips.

He wore nothing underneath…

**********

He sent a message that he was done washing up and dressed. In the meantime, I’d quickly put the coffee brewing, boiled eggs and laid out the dining room table. It was all rather rushed and that was definitely not my usual start of the day. I even forgot to let Arya out into the yard, until she made her displeasure at being ignored known. It would take some time to get used to this because it felt as if I were running after the facts.

Perhaps a topic of conversation, as we ate? I still wasn’t dressed myself, which I never do before breakfast.

And I hadn’t even read the paper yet!

**********

We’d just arrived back downstairs and in the dining room, about to sit down when a female voice, high pitched, shouted, ‘Yoohoo!’ in a singsong manner, from the back of the house. Then a quick knock. “Where are you guys?”

Who comes calling at 8:15 am. No, no, no! I wasn’t even dressed yet! Non-stay guests should not see me in my bathrobe. Kai chuckled when he saw my consternation.

“That’s Megan.”

“Now? But…I…” I simply plonked down on a chair, having a hard time processing all these changes. When I looked up, not sure what to do now, Kai appeared a little guilty, even expressing some pity.

“I’m sorry,” he said, softly. “We’re a rowdy bunch at times, and just barge in on each other. I should have said something. I did invite her, but never specified a time. Want me to get rid of her? She won’t mind…”

Oh gosh, that would be even worse! Turning visitors away at the door?

“No! No, we can’t do that. That’s rude. Of course not. I would never turn someone away.”

He made a gesture as if trying to calm me from afar.

“Okay. Alright. I’ll go get her and you just….sit here. It’ll be fine. We’ll get some food in you, and some coffee. There’s coffee, right?”

I just pointed at the pot on the sideboard.

“Stay here.”

Just as he was about to leave the dining room, I thought of something. “I-Invite her to join us. She probably hasn’t even eaten yet. A pregnant woman should eat.”

He raised an eyebrow, uncertain.

“You sure?”

I just nodded.

Oh my. This would be a major adjustment.