12. Adam

As Tessa beamed at me, my heart kicked harder and faster in my chest. “So we’re going to take cooking classes together?” I prompted.

She waggled her brows. “We are. It’s going to be fun. We’re both going to learn something.”

I lifted my almost-empty bottle of beer. She held hers up, and we clicked them together. I found myself internally stumbling a little. I wanted to linger in the moment, and that wasn’t something I often felt.

Her cheeks started to go pink again, but she looked down and quickly stood from her stool. “I’ll clean up.”

Reluctantly, I followed her lead, and we quietly folded up the empty take-out boxes to put in the recycling bin. Tessa insisted she needed to rinse our plates.

She turned, her hand resting on the counter. “So should I?—”

“Stay.” That single word slipped right out before I could think it through.

“For the night?” Her eyes widened.

“Please.”

We studied each other before she nodded, just once. She glanced at her watch. “What do you normally do before you go to bed?”

“I watch a show and usually work on my laptop.”

“Let’s watch something. What do you normally watch?”

“Well, for the past week or so, it’s been the weather report. I’m really into it,” I teased.

Her lips pressed together as her eyes twinkled with warmth. “What else?”

“I have a few favorites, Schitt’s Creek, Ted Lasso, The Office, any of the crime shows where they solve it in one episode.”

Her eyes brightened. “I like all those shows. They’re good to rewatch. They’re comfort shows.”

“You choose. I’ll watch any of them.”

“Well, which streaming service do you have? Because they’re not all on the same one.”

“I have them all.”

“Of course you do. I take turns with them,” she said.

“I probably should too.”

“Let’s go with The Office. It’s been a minute since I saw that,” she finally said.

And so I found myself plunking on the couch with Tessa. Her gaze scanned the living room. “I don’t know where your bedroom is. Do you usually watch in here?”

“It’s probably not ideal, but usually in my bedroom. I work and stop when I’m sleepy.”

“You know that’s not great for your sleep,” she said pointedly.

“I know. I’ve never been a good sleeper, though.” I shrugged.

“Let’s go to your bedroom.” Her cheeks flushed pink again, and I loved it.

A few minutes later, we were propped up in my bed. Tessa had insisted on making popcorn. Surprisingly, I had some on hand because McKenna had given me a gift basket of various gourmet microwave popcorn for the holidays.

Tessa had recognized the selection immediately because she got the same thing. “We can tease McKenna for her lack of creativity,” she had said when she was putting the bag in the microwave before spinning around. “Wait, no! Don’t say anything about us!”

I held both hands up in surrender. “No worries. McKenna would never let me hear the end of it if she knew about us.”

Maybe an hour later, when Tessa dozed off curled up on the pillows beside me, I looked over at her. This can’t be serious. You have to keep this uncomplicated.

But you asked her to stay, my cynical mind lobbed back, pointing out the obvious.

I hadn’t spent the night with anyone since college.

I climbed out of bed, careful not to wake Tessa. I tossed the empty popcorn bag in the trash, turned out the lights in the kitchen, and returned to my bedroom. Tessa was sleeping soundly. After a quick stop in the bathroom, I slipped back into bed and lifted the lightweight down comforter up over her shoulders.

I turned off the light and lay in the darkness for a few minutes, my thoughts churning. When Tessa shifted and snuggled close to my shoulder, a familiar tightness in my chest eased. Moments later, I fell into a deep sleep.

Something woke me. As my mind pushed through the layers of sleep, I sensed something different. Usually, when I woke up, it was with a jolt.

I was deeply relaxed. When my brain started to flicker online and catalog the sensation of Tessa against me, I discovered I was deeply aroused.

I was spooned around her with her bottom nestled against my aching cock. Waking up this turned-on was new for me.

I took a slow breath, telling my body to stand down. But Tessa wiggled, pressing her luscious bottom against my arousal. I felt her breathing shift and knew she was awake.

“You can ignore that.” My voice was rough from sleep.

“What if I don’t want to?” she whispered.

I sucked in another breath and buried my face in the sweet curve of her neck, inhaling her scent. She was warm and smelled a little sweet and a little musky.

I let out a low groan, unable to keep my hips from rolling against her when she shimmied her bottom against me again.

“Tessa,” I rasped.

“What?” Her voice was velvety soft from sleep and a little husky. I could hear the hint of laughter in her tone.

Fuck me.

I slid my hand around and up and under her T-shirt. Well, my T-shirt. I didn’t want to think about how much I loved seeing her in my shirt last night. I slid my palm up over the sweet curve of her belly and trailed my knuckles along the underside of her breasts before cupping one and teasing my thumb over the ruched nipple.

She let out this satisfied little sound in her throat before wiggling her bottom again.

“Tessa,” I growled against her neck before nipping lightly.

She shivered, arching into me. “Fuck me, Adam.”

Her throaty command was all I needed to slide my palm down, dipping past the elastic band of her panties to cup over her mound and tease my fingers into her folds.

She was slippery wet and made these breathy little sounds that sent lightning in sizzling bolts through me.

“Fuck, Tessa,” I groaned.

I could feel cum leaking out of the tip of my cock.

“Fuck me, Adam,” she clarified with a little giggle.

This version of Tessa—sleepy, sultry, sassy—was enough to bring me to my knees inside. My need, my want, my raw lust for her was a raging bonfire roaring through me.

She shifted a little, bringing her hand up to drag her panties down her legs. I shifted away, reluctantly removing my fingers from where they were buried inside her to get my boxers off.

A moment later, I rocked against her, the underside of my cock sliding along the silky soft skin of her bottom. Somehow, we got her shirt off. I felt almost overtaken. There was no finesse. I wanted, I needed... Tessa.

“Adam…” she pleaded. She pushed her bottom back against me. “I need you.”

So much for taking it slow. If she wanted me, she had me.

I reached between us and positioned my cock at her entrance from behind. She shifted to meet me, and I slid in, filling her in one slow surge.

I pressed hot, open kisses on the side of her neck. “Fuck, sweetheart, you feel so good,” I slurred.

Tessa shimmied again, and we slowly rocked together. I fucked her deeply. The encounter was intimate and intense.

My own release rushed, whipping through me. I clung to the edge of my control, sliding my hand down her belly. I circled my fingers over her plump little clit.

“Don’t stop,” she ordered.

As if I would ever deny her anything.