Page 63 of Life’s Too Short

And I’d be lying if I said being something to her wasn’t suddenly all I felt like doing.

CHAPTER 13

HE LAUGHED AT MY BODY

WHEN WE WENT TO

SECOND BASE!

VANESSA

Adrian looked up at me, pure amusement on his face. “And you thought this was advisable why?”

I did my best to look indignant, which was hard with my head stuck the way it was. “You know what? I don’t need your judgment right now. Not all of us are giants, some people need to use ladders.”

“The ladder part I get. It’s the ceiling fan proximity I have questions about.” He was laughing now. “It’s a good thing you gave me a key.”

He was in a tuxedo.

I thought Adrian had maxed out his ability to look attractive, but my imagination had failed me once again.

He had that gala tonight. I’d called him with my little emergency hoping I’d catch him before he left. I hadn’t. He was already at the venue. When I tried to hang up with him, he insisted I tell him what was wrong. I did and he immediately walked out to come rescue me—or to see it for himself. It was a crapshoot.

He started to climb the ladder to help me, and I braced myself against the wobble.

“What were you doing up here?” he asked.

“Something. I’ll show you later.”

The something was glow-in-the-dark stars I was sticking to my ceiling. I was putting some in the spot above the fan and I somehow managed to get my hair stuck in one of the votive lamps. I could not figure out how to undo it, and one of my hands was half-numb, which wasn’t helping. I finally gave up and sat on top of the ladder to wait for Adrian to get home, which mercifully was only fifteen minutes into my captivity.

There was no room on this ladder for two grown adults. He stopped when my knees hit his chest. “I can’t get up there unless…”

Unless I spread my legs and let him climb the last two steps between them.

Oh my God.

I’d been about to get into the shower when the maintenance guy showed up with the ladder I called for this morning. He wanted it back before he went home for the day, so I decided to blitz the project. So that meant I was in a dark-blue, thigh-high silk robe. No bra, no underwear. Just me and a thin slip of fabric with my head attached to a light fixture. Fuck my life.

I tucked my robe between my legs and opened my knees, wishing for the floor to open up and swallow me.

To his credit, Adrian didn’t glance down.

He climbed two more rungs and his zipper pressed directly into my crotch. I almost fell backward.

He put a hand between my shoulder blades and caught me. “Maybe you should hang on to me,” he said. “I don’t want you falling.”

GOD.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and died a little inside.

“You okay?” he asked, his chest practically rumbling against my cheek.

I nodded.

No, I was not okay. I hadn’t been okay all day.

I’d been to see the adoption attorney this morning.