Wickingham Way (A Harbour Falls Mystery #3) (15 page)

Adam pushed my panties aside and slowly entered me, stretching and filling. I threw back my head and arched my neck. We made slow, careful love until we both found release.

“God,” I breathed out, once I was able to recover my voice. “That was—”

“Amazing,” Adam finished for me.

It seemed fitting, Adam completing my sentences. After all, he’d been completing me in so many other ways for a long while now.

Chapter Nineteen

W
hen Adam returned from work the next evening, I ran right into him in the entry hall.

After making sure I was all right, he suggested we take a little drive. I knew immediately Adam was up to something, something good.

“And exactly where will we be going?” I asked, knowing there were only a limited number of possibilities here on the small island, especially since the sun was setting.

Adam placed his hands on my shoulders and leaned down to whisper in my ear, “It’s a surprise, Madeleine. But do wear something nice. I have a few business things to wrap up, but let’s say we meet back here in the entry hall in”—Adam glanced at his watch—“thirty minutes?”

“Okay,” I agreed.

I considered asking for more detail on where we were going, but before I could question Adam any further, he was halfway down the hall, heading toward his newly remodeled study.

“Huh,” I mused out loud.

Thirty minutes wasn’t long, so I hurried upstairs to get ready for our mystery date. If Adam wanted me dressed up tonight, then that’s what he was going to get.

I showered in the en suite bathroom, dried off in the master bedroom. Most all of my clothes now occupied one entire side of Adam’s walk-in closet, so I tightened the towel around my body and stepped into the massive space. After a short deliberation, I chose a slinky black evening gown. There was a slit up one side of the gown and a plunging neckline, two little details I knew Adam loved in these kinds of dresses.

Perfect.

Adam remained downstairs while I readied for our date. I assumed he was finishing his business and getting ready in one of the many bedrooms and bathrooms available to him on the first floor. Adam rarely used any of those facilities—they were mostly for guests—but since I was monopolizing the master bedroom and bath, it made sense that he’d clean up and dress downstairs for our date.

Sure enough, when I started down the long, spiral staircase, Adam emerged from one of the hallways, looking stunning. I stopped in my tracks, teetering slightly in my heels.

“Oh my,” I muttered.

Adam glanced up at me and smiled, making him all the more alluring. Not that he needed anything more to add to his appeal. Dressed in a sleek black tux, as he was tonight, Adam was nothing short of exquisite.

I supposed I looked okay myself. Adam eyed me appreciably, and I viewed that response as a positive sign.

I felt even more confident, though, when I reached the base of the stairs and Adam purred, “You are a gorgeous woman, Madeleine Fitch. Don’t ever think any differently.”

I blushed as he offered me his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Ward,” I murmured. “You look pretty damn good yourself.”

Adam chuckled and thanked me. “Ready?” he asked.

“Still not giving up the goods on where we’re going?”

His blue eyes sparkled. “No way, baby. No way.”

*

When I was settled in the Range Rover, Adam reached over from the driver’s seat and blindfolded me.

“Is this really necessary?” I asked as he straightened the black, silky-feeling material over my eyes.

“Yes, it is, Maddy,” I was told.

I huffed, but purely in fun. I actually liked the excitement of not knowing where we were heading. Oh, sure, I had an idea we were going down to the lighthouse. It was the only place that made sense, as Adam had yet to personally show me the renovations he’d had done. But I had no idea why such secrecy was required.

Adam was quiet as we drove, but he turned the car stereo on to fill the silence. A song about
feeling
something
in the air tonight
poured through the speakers, reminding me of my first trip over to the island.

That had happened over seven months ago, and so much had changed since then. I found it amazing how one decision could alter the course of so many lives. My decision to investigate the Harbour Falls Mystery had led to
so
many changes. Some of those changes had turned out to be bad—like losing Jimmy. But (thankfully) many good things, as well, had come from investigating the mystery—the best thing being that I had reconnected with the man currently at my side. My high school crush, the love of my life: Adam Ward.

“What are you thinking about, Maddy?” Adam asked when I blew out a breath.

Adam turned down the stereo, and I said, “Oh, I don’t know. Mostly, I was thinking about us.”

Adam reached over and squeezed my hand. “What about us?”

I sighed. “Lots of stuff… But all that really matters is that in the end we reconnected with each other.”

“That we did,” Adam murmured as the Range Rover rolled to a stop.

Before I knew what was happening, Adam’s hot mouth descended upon mine. The blindfold had allowed him to catch me off guard, and I liked being able to
feel
Adam without seeing him. It made his every touch more intense, particularly when he slid one hand into the plunging neckline of my dress.

I gasped as his fingers expertly plied a nipple. “No bra,” he rasped against my mouth.

“No bra,” I confirmed with a whispery little moan.

“Do you want me to stop?” Adam asked. “We don’t have to do this here.”

“I want to do this here,” I insisted, my breaths growing more and more ragged.

Adam began to undo my blindfold, but my hand covered his. “Leave it,” I whispered.

I couldn’t see Adam, but I sensed he was smiling. He wanted that blindfold left on as much as I did.

Slowly, Adam’s hand slid under the slit in my dress. When he found I’d nixed not only a bra but underwear as well, he
tsk
ed. “Oh, Madeleine, you are very naughty.”

With the blindfold on, everything was dark for me. Although I assumed full darkness had fallen outside. I hoped so, since I didn’t have any clue as to where we were parked.

Hopefully not in the middle of Main Street for all to see,
I thought.

Even though I was pretty certain Adam had parked in a discreet location, the idea that he might not have turned me on even further. I was feeling wild tonight, wet and wanton. Blindfolded as I was, I wanted Adam to take me in a raw, primal way. Like he had before I’d been injured.

Thankfully, I got what I wanted.

I heard Adam unzip his pants, right before he pulled me on to his lap. He adjusted all the silky material of my gown until it was bunched up around my hips. My bare center pressed to Adam’s hard length, but he made no move to enter me, even though he had to feel me throbbing against him.

“Adam,” I begged, but he silenced me with his mouth, opening my lips to accept his tongue.

Without breaking the kiss, he undid the clasp behind my neck that held the top of the dress in place. The material fell away, exposing my breasts to Adam. He cupped the heavy flesh, kneading and plying. And then, without warning, he shifted and plunged into me.

I yelped, caught unexpected, still blindfolded. Like this, I was a slave to sensation. My breasts bounced as Adam slid me up and down his length. His mouth descended to one nipple…then the other…and I threw my head back in ecstasy as he worshipped my breasts. Adam held me in his grasp, moving with me and within me as I writhed on his lap.

When he raised his head from my chest, he growled, “Tell me you’re mine.”

He thrust up into me, hard, three times…four times…five.

“I’m yours, I’m yours,” I cried out as we came, my walls spasming around his pulsing cock.

I was overwhelmed, and tears spilled from my eyes. I wasn’t sad, I’d just never felt this incredibly happy.

Adam removed the blindfold and dabbed at my eyes with the material. His indigo blues met my gaze. “Hey, I’m yours just as much as you’re mine,” he said softly. “You know this, right?”

I nodded. “I know, Adam. I know.”

And I did. We belonged to no others, only to ourselves.

Adam helped me re-clasp and straighten all the material of my gown. He did up his pants while I checked my face in the mirror. Surprisingly, my make-up had held up quite well.

Now that the blindfold was off, I took in my surroundings. It was very dark out, the sky a velvety black. Adam had parked in a secluded spot, high above the cliffs overlooking the lighthouse.

What I didn’t notice though, until we got out of the SUV, was that someone had strung yards and yards of clear lights along the path leading to the steps cut into the cliff.

“Ooh, this is so pretty,” I said to Adam as we walked, the path lit up and glowing before us.

Adam smiled, and taking my hand, he led us to the edge of the cliff, to where the steps descended to the lighthouse.

“Oh, Adam,” I exclaimed.

The scene below was beautiful. The clear lights extended all the way down the steps and then continued along the widened path that led to the lighthouse.

The lighthouse itself, it was a sight to behold.

Not only was the structure a bright white tower in the distance—even in the darkness—but the beacon at the top glowed brightly as it rotated round and round. And every time the bright light made a pass in the direction of the cliffs, a huge sign that had been placed in the curve of cliff rock to our left was illuminated.

The sign, written in Adam’s concise script, read: “Maddy, please say yes.”

I looked up at Adam and coyly asked, “Say yes to what, Adam?”

This stunning man who I always found myself looking up to lowered himself to one bended knee and presented me with the black velvet box I’d seen in the jewelry store. He popped the lid up, and a platinum ring with an emerald-cut diamond shimmered in the moonlight.

In a low voice, Adam gazed up at me and quietly murmured, “Marry me, Madeleine Fitch.”

Chapter Twenty

“
Y
es,” I said. “Yes, yes, of course I’ll marry you.” I bounced on my toes and threw my arms around Adam as he stood to his full height.

I kissed that man like there’d be no tomorrow. But there would be a tomorrow, and I’d be an engaged woman when it dawned.

I said this to Adam, and he replied, “No waiting until tomorrow, Maddy. Let’s make it official, right here, right now.” He slipped the dazzling ring onto my finger and said, “
Now
you’re officially engaged.”

“To you,” I whispered.

“To me,” Adam replied as he leaned down to kiss me once more, this time more deeply, more soulfully.

“I love you,” he said when our lips slowed to a stop.

I tilted my head back slightly and looked up into his eyes. “I love you too, Adam. And I can’t wait to become Mrs. Madeleine Ward.”

Adam quirked an eyebrow. “So, you’ll be taking my name, then?”

He appeared very pleased to hear my admission. I knew Adam had an old-fashioned streak, and things such as these were important to him.

“I’ve given it a lot of thought,” I said. “And I’ve decided I’d be honored to share your name.”

“What about your books?” Adam queried. “You use your real name. All your readers know you as Madeleine Fitch. Nobody will know who Madeleine Ward is.”

“I’ve considered that,” I replied, thoughtful about it even now. “I don’t want to
not
use your name, though, so I’ve decided to hyphenate our last names for my novels.”

Adam loved the idea and showed me how much when our lips met once more.

Eventually, after a bit more making out, Adam suggested we start down to the lighthouse. “There’s more to this surprise than just a proposal up here on the ledge.”

“The proposal would be enough,” I said. “Honestly.”

And it would have been, but I knew Adam had much more planned for our evening. I just didn’t know what.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as we carefully negotiated our way down the steep set of steps cut into the face of the cliffs.

“Actually”—I held tightly to Adam’s arm as I spoke—“I am.”

“Good. Dinner is all set up in the lighthouse.”

“Aw, the lighthouse,” I said. “I knew it figured in to your plans tonight.”

“Smart girl,” Adam retorted.

When I’d ventured down to the lighthouse with Max, I’d viewed the exterior only. But now I’d have the chance to check out all the improvements Adam had had made to the interior.

When I stepped inside, I was in complete awe.

The lighthouse was beautiful inside. What had once been dim and musty was now bright and airy. The interior had been painted a soft white. And there was all new lighting, giving off a warm, welcoming glow.

I wasn’t sure who Adam had employed to get things ready for this evening—the workers, Max, maybe even Erin—but what they’d accomplished was impressive. A small, round table was set up in the center of the lighthouse, with two chairs placed on either side. Vases of various heights were filled with fresh-cut flowers. They lined the floor and iron staircase. Candles adorned the table, as well as a bottle of chilled champagne, crystal flutes, and two china plates topped with silver-domed covers.

Adam stepped over to the table and offered his hand. I placed my hand in his, and he led me to one of the chairs.

When Adam pulled the chair out for me, I took a seat. “Thank you,” I murmured.

Adam lifted the cover on my plate and presented me with a feast: baked stuffed lobster, haricots vert, wild rice, and a cup of drawn butter. “Mmm, everything looks delicious,” I murmured.

All the food was still warm, and I had to ask, “Who set this up, Adam? He or she must have just finished. How did I not see anyone leaving?”

Adam sat down and lifted his own plate cover. “I have my ways, Madeleine, I have my ways,” was all he would say.

I left it at that. I’d long since learned I didn’t need to know everything. Some secrets were best kept.

Adam and I ate and talked, enjoying our candlelit dinner.

“The lobster is amazing,” I declared at one point.

Adam poured us each a glass of champagne. “Try this with it. I think you’ll find it’s an excellent complement to this particular dish.”

I took a tentative sip and had to agree with Adam’s assessment. He certainly knew his fine vintages.

When Adam and I were just about finished with our meals, talk turned to our relationship…and the many twists and turns it had taken.

“What were you thinking the first time I brought you down here to the lighthouse?” Adam asked as he leaned back in his chair.

I took a small sip of champagne as I thought back to that dreary fall afternoon when Adam had showed up at the café. The evening prior I’d been caught trespassing on his property. When I’d ended up in Adam’s living room, we’d sparred verbally, but we’d also flirted outrageously. In some ways, that night, we rekindled an attraction that had sparked in high school. So when he showed up at the café the next day and asked me to accompany him for a stroll, I’d accepted.

I’d had no idea at the time where we were heading, but the lighthouse was where we’d ended up.

“I was nervous that evening,” I admitted as I set my glass on the table. “I wasn’t sure what game you were playing.”

Adam leaned forward, his curiosity seemingly piqued. “Can you elaborate?”

“Well,” I began, “first off, I didn’t know how much you knew about why I was on the island.”

“I knew everything, Maddy.”

“Yeah, I kind of suspected as much when you told me I should consider writing about the mystery right in front of me.” I could laugh about it all now, and I did just that.

“Ah, yes.” Adam’s blue eyes sparkled as he smiled. “My first attempt to get you to come clean. An attempt that had no effect, I might add.”

“It did, though,” I insisted. “I wanted to tell you what I was up to as soon as you asked.”

“So why didn’t you?” Adam asked softly.

I looked down at my empty plate. “I don’t know. I guess I was afraid of you, Adam. As much as I wanted answers, I was still fearful to find out what role you may have played, if any, in Chelsea’s disappearance.”

Adam reached over and touched my hand. “I’m sorry if I frightened you that day…or any time after that, really. Scaring you has never been my intention.”

I glanced up at him through my lashes. “I know that now.” I sighed. “Although I have to admit it was all kind of exciting, too. Thinking you could be dangerous like that.”

Adam shook his head. “Only you, Maddy… Only you would thrive on the possibility of that kind of danger.”

Perhaps he was right. Oh hell, Adam was definitely right. My fear of him in those early days stoked my attraction to him.

Thinking of the first time Adam’s lips touched mine, all those months ago, I quietly murmured, “Remember when you took me up to the lantern room?” I gestured to the iron staircase that spiraled up the inside of the lighthouse.

“Of course I remember,” Adam replied. “That’s where I first kissed you.”

“Well, kind of,” I corrected.

Adam raised an eyebrow. “Kind of, Maddy?”

“Yeah, your lips touched mine, true. But then stupid Nate called and interrupted everything.”

“Ah, that’s right.” Adam’s eyes met mine meaningfully. “Do you want to go up there now and I’ll kiss you properly?”

I sure do!
I cleared my throat and nodded demurely.

Five minutes later, Adam and I were up in the lantern room. Adam turned off the beacon so we’d not be blinded by the bright light. And wasting no time, he backed me up until I was pressed up against the storm panes.

The view to the outside was obscured by fog, just as it had been our first night up in the lantern room. Adam’s lips brushed over mine, in the same soft way I remembered from that fall evening.

“Did it feel like this that first night?” Adam asked against my mouth.

I shook my head, my lips brushing his. “No,” I breathily answered. “This is better.”

And what was better improved further still. This night, unlike that first night, there were no interruptions from Nate. And light kisses soon turned into much, much more.

I was glad the fog obscured any potential view from the outside when my dress ended up a puddle of fabric on the floor. And I was even more thankful the storm panes were made of apparently very heavy glass. Because Adam Ward had no qualms about taking me right there at the top of the lighthouse, with my bare body pressed up to the glass.

What had started so many months ago had finally come full circle.