Fire And Ice Ch 02 2

This story is evolving as I write it, the characters are stumbling from my fingers onto the page. So, if it seems slightly disorganized, I apologize. These characters have been warring with themselves in my head for a while, it was time to let them out. Keep up with me here. Thanks for reading, and enjoy.

Chapter 2

Over the course of the next few weeks, I found myself spending more and more time with Adam. It got to the point where my girlfriends were asking if I'd started dating him yet. The answer was always no—aside from that first time we'd studied at Espresso'd, Adam had never expressed interest in dating again. I didn't mind, though. It was nice to have someone to sit next to in all of my classes.

It was slightly strange how I hadn't noticed Adam before he introduced himself to me. I'm not the most observant person in the world, but that day in the parking lot, Adam's face was completely foreign to me. Couple that with the fact that he was in

every single one

of my classes, and you had yourself a real puzzle. I noticed that people seemed to ignore him unless he spoke to them first. He had a couple other friends that I had seen him walking around with, but he was more or less a loner. What completely baffled me was the lack of girls following him around. Adam was probably the most attractive man on campus, and nobody seemed to notice that. I was grateful that he had come around, though. With his help, I had passed my last test in microbiology, and we were working on studying for the final, which was coming up in the next week.

My evolution professor stopped droning on as the class came to an end and I started packing up my things. I shouldered my bag and glanced up at Adam; he was waiting at the door for me, as usual. He gave me the grin I was starting to know all too well.

"Wanna do lunch?"

I grinned and nodded, flipping a curled strand of hair over my shoulder. "Sure. There's that new sushi place..." I trailed off at Adam's face when I mentioned sushi.

"That stuff just smells nasty," he said. "But I'm willing to give it a try."

I smiled at him as we walked out of the building and out into the sun. It had snowed recently and the ground was a glittering field of white wherever students hadn't trampled a path. I turned to face Adam—he already had his shades on. "Let's just walk there. It's close and we're done with class for the day," I said, and Adam nodded.

We walked quietly in the bright light, Adam's footsteps and mine crunching into the snow as we walked. Bare branches hung above us, covered in the white powder. Everything was still quiet and serene, all sounds except for our footsteps muffled by the snow. Adam and I had grown used to walking quietly together. Silence was never tense—it was comfortable, and I appreciated that he wasn't one of those people who always had to have a conversation going on.

He was wearing a worn leather jacket with his shoulders hunched over, his hands in his pockets. Though in most people his posture would reek of low self-esteem, Adam pulled it off effortlessly. His gaze behind his sunglasses was direct, no matter where he looked, whether it was to make sure no one was coming before we crossed the street, or glancing at someone else as they passed by us on the sidewalk. His grin was always ready, hiding behind his lips. It was times like this that Adam stunned me—his masculinity was so attractive it made me feel like a foolish teenager.

As we arrived at the restaurant, he opened the door for me and ushered me in. I switched the shoulder that my bag hung on and walked up to the counter, Adam right next to me. Pointing to a few freshly-made sushi rolls, I had them plated up and walked to the register to pay.

I was rummaging through my bag, looking for my wallet, when Adam spoke up, "I've got this, Em." I looked up at him, surprised.

"You aren't even getting any food for yourself. Why would I let you pay for me?"

Adam laughed as he handed the cashier $10. "Too late, Em. I already did." As I stood there, staring at him, unsure of how to respond, he took my plate and ushered me over to a table, sitting me down.

"Where's your food, Adam? Not going anorexic on me, are you?" I picked up a sushi roll and shoved the entire thing into my mouth.

Adam just chuckled, "Nah. I'm just not that hungry. Nerves, I guess."

His sentence stopped me mid-chew, "Nerves? What are you nervous about?" I blushed when I realized that I probably should have swallowed before I asked that.

Apparently Adam didn't mind though. A little noise issued from his throat that almost sounded like a groan. I refused to believe that he was getting turned on by the sight of mashed-up sushi in my mouth and swallowed.

I shouldn't have let my mind wander in that direction. The image of Adam, turned on, was almost too much to bear. I could just see, in my mind, each piece of clothing coming off to reveal a body underneath that was too much like a god to be real. I gasped, blushing furiously, unwilling to let myself imagine his lower half. Taking a gulp of water, I tried to cool myself down, but it was too late and the image of his shaft, hard and throbbing rose unbidden into my mind. I felt myself getting wet.

For the love of God, I was fantasizing about a man who was sitting right in front of me. To be fair, he had his eyes closed and was breathing slowly, as if he was trying to calm himself down. I took a couple of deep breaths and felt myself relax.

Adam cleared his throat. "You have to stop doing that, Em."

I looked up at him. "Sorry. You just surprised me. I meant to swallow first, I swear."

Adam chuckled. "Not that. The blushing. You blush a lot."

As he mentioned it, I felt the heat creeping up my neck and rising into my cheeks. "It's not something that I can help, you know." I was embarrassed, and it made me irritable.

Adam just laughed, then took a deep breath, "I know. Besides, it's sexy."

I sputtered a bit, "Sexy? You think I'm sexy?"

His eyes widened, "You don't?"

"I don't really...I mean I look alright, I suppose...God I don't know!" His comment wasn't helping the blushing at all, and it was a terrible cycle. The more I blushed, the more embarrassed I got, which caused the blood to rush to my face all the faster.

Adam was just looking at me with a cocky little grin on his face. I could feel his eyes following the red up my neck until he met my eyes. His gaze made my knees go weak and I could feel the heat pool between my thighs—it was a good thing that I was sitting down. I bit my lower lip and broke the gaze, looking down at the remnants of rice on my plate. I started pushing them around a bit, unwilling to look back up, until Adam placed his hand over mine, stopping the motion.

"Well you are. Sexy, I mean. The way you act all shy and demure—so innocent. It's sexy because it contrasts the perfection of your look and creates an irresistible combination that I find myself extremely attracted to. I've been trying not to come onto you too strong, but god, Em. You make it hard to do."

I could feel my eyes widening as he spoke. He seemed serious about what he was saying, telling me how he was attracted to me, but all I could concentrate on was his fingertips tracing along my skin leaving a trail of heat in their wake. This man was attracted to me? God, what was I supposed to do? He was perfection itself—I'd had one boyfriend previous to this, and it wasn't anything serious. Aside from a little making out, I was still a virgin. I'd never even felt this way for a guy before, and suddenly I'm fantasizing about a man who obviously had more experience than I did. And that damn heat was still pooling between my thighs.

Adam leaned across the table until his nose almost touched mine. My eyes closed gently and I felt his breath, soft, across my lips. I heard him inhale softly and could barely distinguish a slight groan, "You smell so good, Emma. You always smell. So. Good."

I wanted to kiss him so badly. I could see it, in my mind. Closing the last inch of distance between us and pressing my lips to his. The table would disappear and I would mold my body to his, clinging to him as our lips locked. He would taste like everything I'd imagined, and those little groans he'd been making all day today would get louder as our tongues got bolder. I could see it until I no longer felt his breath across my lips. Opening my eyes, I saw him sitting across the table, looking at me. His eyes were dilated, and he was breathing as hard as I was.

He cleared his throat, "We should...eh hem...go back to campus."

I nodded silently and stood up slowly, shakily, my legs still weak. Adam came to my side of the table and put a hand on my shoulder, steadying me. "You ok?" he asked gently, and I nodded, unable to look him in the eyes. As if he would be able to see into my mind and pick out every fantasy I'd had about him.

We walked out of the sushi bar and Adam seemed distant. He glanced over at me and gave me a wry grin, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable Em. I guess I'm more attracted to you than I thought. Sorry about that...smell thing."

I couldn't help the smile that crept across my face. "Yeah. That was weird. You're kind of a strange guy."

Adam glanced down at me and gave me his trademark grin. "Glad you think so, Emma." He reached out and took my hand, watching my face for a reaction. I felt my heart flutter and I gave his hand a small squeeze. That seemed to be the sign he was looking for and he gripped my hand tightly, entwining his fingers with mine.

I was unsure how I felt about his hand wrapped around mine. Granted, we'd been seeing each other almost every day for a month now, but my emotions about him were still scattered. He wanted to date me, he had said so. And dear lord, he was an attractive man. But other than that, I didn't know too much about him. He was smart, funny, confidant...he seemed genuine, but how could I know that for sure? Our main topic of conversation during all of our little 'meetings' wasn't ourselves, it was science. He helped me study and that was it. With his help, I would breeze my final.

Outside, walking through the cool air, my fantasies inside the sushi bar seemed silly. Adam was a friend, a great one. I looked down at our hands. How long was that going to last?

Adam looked down at me and gave me a smile that I hadn't seen before. It was tender, solid, and I felt warmth envelope me from my head to my toes. A chill travelled up my spine after that—this was moving too quickly. I tugged my hand away from his; when he looked down at me, I couldn't see any emotions behind the sunglasses covering his eyes.

I was unsure of what to do with my hand as it swung between us; eventually, I just shoved it into my jacket pocket. Adam had done the same with both his hands a while ago.

We walked back to campus, to where my car was parked. I stood in front of it for a moment, unsure of what to say. Was this ruined? Had I lost him because I didn't want to hold his hand? I turned to look up at him and he was looking down at me, his lips quirked in a small grin. I still couldn't see his eyes, but I knew that behind those shades, those strange colored eyes would be dancing. I felt the blush coming on and I turned away, rummaging through my bag looking for keys. Just as my fingers closed around them, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I glanced up at Adam, and his little grin had become a full smile.

"You don't have to hide your blushes, Emma. I didn't mean what I said about stopping. I like them. I like you."

I smiled shyly up at him, unable to speak for a moment. His hand dropped and I turned back to my car, fumbling, pressing the key into the lock and turning. I opened my door and threw my bag on the passenger seat. Before I stepped into the car, Adam spoke up,

"So, studying again tonight? My place, this time?"

I looked up at him and grinned. "Yeah, that'll work. Can you text me your address?"

Adam nodded, "I'll do that."

"Thanks. You know, you're the only reason I'm passing these classes. You're like a private tutor."

Adam faked a grimace, "Great. That's all I am, eh? A tutor?" His smile couldn't help but show itself a little behind the charade.

I grinned and looked up at him, "For now, anyways."

As I stepped into the car and Adam shut the door, I couldn't help but notice the look on his face. He was watching my every move. I clicked the seatbelt into place and he gave me a little grin and a wave, then turned and walked back to the center of campus.

I pulled up in front of my apartment just as my phone went off.

Hey, it's me. Come by at 7? My address is...

I smiled as I texted back that I would be there, and went up the stairs, unlocking the door to my apartment. It was only 2pm. Five hours seemed like a lot of time to kill. I dropped my bag on the couch and stepped into the bathroom, stripping. I felt grimy, like I had just run a long way. Sweating in front of a guy at a sushi bar will do that to a girl. As I turned the shower on, my panties fell down around my ankles and I stepped into the steaming water.

Closing my eyes in bliss, I felt the hot water run over my entire body, tiny rivulets running between my breasts and down and over my ass. It pooled around my feet before disappearing down the drain.

The shower seemed to clear my head; it got rid of those last cobwebs lingering from the fantasies that I had earlier. Adam's presence seemed to cloud my judgment, but with him gone, everything was clear.

Adam and I were friends. If I ever started to feel like it was something more, I'd just have to remind myself of that fact. Adam needed to get that straight in his head. No more "dates". I was going to be firm and clear, and he was going to be understanding.

I turned the shower off, stepped out, and toweled myself dry. Wrapping the towel around my midsection, I crossed the hall to my bedroom. I grabbed my robe from the hook inside my closet and wrapped the soft cloth around my body. Twisting my hair up, off my neck, I grabbed a book off the shelf. Ever since Adam had come around, my studies had been going so well that I actually had time to read for pleasure, and it was amazing. Curling up on the chair next to the window in the corner of my bedroom, I opened Jane Austen's

Emma

, a book perfect if only because of it's name, and settled in to read for a while.

My eyes were jerked open by the vibrating of the phone on my dresser.

Shit! What time was it?

I jumped out of the chair and ran to my dresser, picking up the phone and answering it.

"Hello?"

"Emma? It's Adam. I was just wondering..."

"Oh my God, I'm sorry Adam, I'm coming! I fell asleep and lost track of time and..."

"Whoa, chill. It's only 5:30, Em."

I glanced at the clock on my wall. He was right, thank god. I felt slightly embarrassed as I cleared my throat, "Oh. So...why are you calling then, Adam?"

I could hear a chuckle through the phone. "I was wondering if it would be alright if we pushed the time back a little. 7:30 would work better—I forgot that I have to meet with a couple professors until 7:00, and I don't want to be late."

I nodded, indicating that 7:30 was fine, until I realized that we were talking on the phone and he couldn't see me. "Ah, yeah, 7:30 is fine. I'll see you then. Same address, right?" I grinned.

Adam laughed. "Hasn't changed yet, anyways. See you later, Em."

I heard a click as he hung up the phone. Still two hours to kill. I sighed as I padded softly to my closet and opened it up. Dresses hung up of various styles and colors, but nothing that I wanted to wear. I decided to wait on the outfit and simply go style my hair.

I walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, tilting my head from side to side. Taking the twist out of my hair, it fell around my shoulders, thick enough that it was still damp from my shower earlier. I flipped on the hair dryer and within a few minutes my hair was dry and frizzy as hell. I made a face in the mirror.

Why can't I be one of those girls whose hair does exactly what it's supposed to at all times?

I sighed and started to brush it out. At least it was a rich brown color. That made the frizziness an okay thing.

Giving up on my hair for a while, I strode back into the bedroom to choose an outfit. After picking through every outfit I owned, I was frustrated with myself.

What the hell is wrong with me? We're just studying. This should not be that difficult.

Eventually, I had it all figured out. I had slipped on a pair of skinny jeans and a cute lacey top. Boots crept up my thighs, over the jeans, and a long, loose blue sweater jacket completed the casual attire. I was proud of myself—I looked good, but it didn't look like I had tried too hard. I curled the ends of my hair, swiped a little mascara over my lashes, and brushed a stick of chapstick over my lips.

Finished.

I checked myself out in the mirror, hands on my hips. That wasn't that difficult, what had taken me so long? Crossing the hall back into my room, I grabbed my book bag, my keys, and my phone. Locking the door behind me, I took the steps two at a time and strode into the cold night air, unlocking and stepping into my car.

Around fifteen minutes later, at 7:25, I pulled up in front of the apartment building with the address that Adam had given me.

This can't be right,

I remember thinking.

The apartment complex was made of red brick. Large windows covered the south wall, and the entire area was well taken care of. Small Christmas trees decorated with white lights framed the entrance. The entire area was well-lit, completely opposite from the small, dark area of town in which I lived. I actually felt a little nervous as I walked up the sidewalk to the main hallway; there was no way that a college student would ever be able to afford to live here. Either Adam's parents were rich off their ass and paying his way for him, or he was going to be up to his ears in debt once his students loans came due. I didn't favor either option.

I walked up the stairs, all the way to the fourth floor, and found his door. A black address hung on the door, "4B". Lifting my hand, I rapped my knuckles against the hard wood, then stepped back and waited.

The door was suddenly yanked open, and there was Adam, grinning from ear to ear.

"Em! Glad you made it. Sorry I had to push it back. Come on, make yourself at home."

I smiled at Adam as I stepped through the threshold, then stopped dead.

His place was gorgeous! The floor was hard wood that gleamed, almost as if you could eat off of it. To the left, I could see a door way leading to a dark bedroom. To my right, a sitting room; a black leather couch and loveseat set framed a modern-looking glass table. A large TV sat against the wall on a long, narrow glass television stand. The hardwood floor was covered with a crème colored rug that implied heaven to those who walked on it barefoot. Blood-red throw pillows sat on each corner of the couch, and the empty grey wall had a picture with a modern design on it, mirroring the same red color of the cushions.

The kitchen was straight ahead and to the right, across from the living room. A counter jutted out, dividing the two rooms, and cabinets hung above it. The entire counter was an "L" shape, because the entire back wall of Adam's apartment was windows. The city skyline was displayed, in all its glory, from the back wall of his home.

Directly across from the kitchen, still in front of the windows, was the eating area. It looked pristine, like it had never been used. A long, glass table filled the empty space, and a total of six chairs surrounded it. The wall directly opposite the kitchen was covered by a large painting of another strange design, still red.