Chapter 28 28. Elicit Behavior!
Adrienne POV
I returned quickly with a tray loaded with fried okra, sardines, boiled potatoes, coffee, and a pitcher of water. After a night spent drinking, nothing else would do. A simple, restorative courtesy I had learned from my mother.
He looked up at me with such raw gratefulness in his eyes, a genuine smile of thanks that momentarily chased away his usual guardedness and made my heart soar. In that suspended moment, I wanted to use any means necessary to secure him.
"Thank you!" He wasted no time, grabbing a handful of sardines and shoving them into his mouth with an urgent hunger as I placed the tray before him. I was irrationally overjoyed that he had accepted food from my hands, leaving my mind momentarily relaxed and profoundly content. I settled quietly into a chair, absorbed in my thoughts, intently studying the man sitting across from me. For the first time, Emilio seemed genuinely friendly, at ease, and completely present in my company.
Perhaps I was guilty of reading too much into a simple gesture, but I was caught up in the pure, reckless excitement of the moment, momentarily forgetting about the silent, snoring presence of Jacob in the next room. He paused mid-chew, his eyes locking onto mine with a sudden, serious gravity that banished the easy smile.
"So, what's the deal with you and Jacob?"
The question shattered the moment. It was the last thing I expected him to ask when I was prepared to confess my deepest feelings.
"We are neighbors,"
"I know you said that” Emilio pressed, his eyes holding mine. "But that's not what I was asking."
I had to be extremely careful. I couldn't decipher his thoughts; this felt less like a conversation and more like a carefully laid trap. I couldn't admit that my feelings for Jacob were purely conditional, or he'd instantly categorize me as the kind of girl who flitted indiscriminately from one man to the next. I scrambled furiously for an answer, terrified of losing this singular, precarious opportunity.
"He likes me a lot... but I also like you."
"Why? You don't even know me."
"I would like to get to know you," I insisted.
"What about Jacob?" The poignant question,
I paused, then pushed the boundary, my voice deliberately airy. "Yes... what about him?"
His smile faded completely, dissolving the last bit of warmth from his features. Oh no, did I just say something wrong? I certainly didn't want him to think I was so callous, so willing to instantly throw Jacob away. Forcing a gentle, fragile smile and sensing the sudden, dangerous chill in the air, I decided, in a rush of self-preservation, to instantly steer the conversation onto a different, safer path.
"Jacob told me you were from Briller." I watched his face carefully for any flicker of recognition. Briller was a slightly smaller town than Chameau, but everyone knew each other there. And my father was the renowned medicine man in town, that was how my mother had always known so much about herbs and natural remedies.
"I am. Why did you ask?"
"Nothing," I lied smoothly. "I was just wondering if you knew a man named Benoit."
"No. Who is he?"
"My father. He's a medicine man, so I thought you might have heard of him since he's quite famous over there."
"I haven't lived in Briller for long, and I move around a lot. That's probably why I don't know him," he replied, dismissing the connection just as easily as he dismissed my question.
Emilio must have been genuinely starving; he ate almost every item I had brought him. I wondered if Jacob would get angry when he learned that I fed his favorite snacks to Emilio.
I watched him attentively as he took the last cooling sip of water. My focus sharpened, especially when he licked his lips, looking quite satisfied. I was intensely turned on by the sheer simplicity of his tongue maneuvering around his mouth. I wanted to kiss him so badly I could almost taste him.
The only way I could explain the reckless, blinding action that followed was that I was utterly possessed. A sudden wave of reckless impulse. A tidal surge of desire crashed over my self-control, and I completely lost my mental grip. I rose quickly from my chair and stepped in front of him. Before the shock could even register on his face, I swung one leg over his, then the other, settling myself directly into his lap so that I was facing him. My knees pressed into the cushions on either side of his hips, gently but firmly pinning him against the chair back. I was now looking directly into his eyes, our bodies sealed together from the waist down, the heat palpable where we touched. Emilio was too stunned to push me away immediately, his body rigid beneath mine with a sudden, tense hesitation.
I kissed him, hard and fast, swallowing his protests and making it impossible for him to refuse the invasion of my mouth. I could feel the tension of his worry for Jacob in the rigid, uncompromising line of his jaw.
"What if Jacob wakes up?" The question was a desperate, hot breath against my lips, more a strained reminder than a genuine query.
"He won't. He's too drunk."
"What if he wo…."
I crushed my mouth to his again, stopping the words before they could be fully formed. My fingers worked quickly, efficiently, unbuttoning his pants and sliding down the zipper. I felt a spike of triumphant satisfaction at the evidence of his instant, eager readiness. His hands, no longer hesitant, slid under my skirt, and his breath hitched; a sharp, ragged sound, when he discovered the bare skin beneath.
"You are a naughty girl," he murmured, his voice now thick with desire and a delicious hint of accusation.
Beyond words, I was capable only of the raw act of kissing him, of feeling the heat rising between us. My entire body shivered as his large hands gripped my bare buttocks, guiding my hips with sudden, fierce intention, aligning me perfectly with the promise of him.
"You are so sweet," he whispered into my ear, the words a hot, thrilling vibration that instantly melted any remaining resistance in my bones.
Then he slowly entered me, a deliberate, deep, filling pressure that made my entire frame tremble. I loved the forceful feel of his hands holding my cheeks so tightly, anchoring me to the moment, pinning me to his gaze. For the first time in weeks, I felt truly seen by him, understood in the most essential, primal way. His movements beneath me settled into a deep, relentless, and claiming rhythm. My own desperate, erotic sway threw his head back against the chair, his eyes clenched shut in intense pleasure. My mind was instantly overwhelmed by a pure, blinding euphoria; my world narrowed violently to the singular, consuming feeling of him deep inside me. This moment with Emilio was indescribable. He ignited every fiber of my womanhood, making me forget everything, especially the fact that Jacob lay unconscious in the very next room.
Continue......