Sweet Peas in April by Clare Revell Read Free Book Online Page A

came the reply from the kitchen. “None.”
    “Seriously?” That did surprise her. “A good looking bloke like you and no women.”
    “No. Don’t you remember that we already had this conversation? You haven’t dated since we separated and neither have I.”
    Sam rubbed her head. It was swimming now. Maybe Adam was right and she was a little tipsy. But on one glass? It had never affected her like this before. Ever. Had Peter put something in it while she went out to the loo? She dismissed the idea as ridiculous. Peter liked her. He’d made that plain on more than one occasion. And she liked the attention.
    But if she were honest, there was only one man she wanted the attention from.
    Adam came into the room, his cologne preceding him. He held out a mug of coffee.
    “Thanks.” She took it, her fingers brushing against his. She sipped it. “Good coffee.” She took a few more sips and set the cup down. She wanted to sit and glanced around for the sofa but lost her balance as she stepped towards it.
    Adam’s arms immediately circled her. “You OK?”
    The answer to that was no. No, she wasn’t all right. She wouldn’t be all right for some time, but being here, with his arms holding her, made things seem a little better.
    She wrapped her arms around him. “Missed you. Missed this.” His firm body still felt the same as all those years ago—although a little broader around the chest now.
    His hands rested on her arms as he tried to pull away. “Sam…”
    “Just hold me for a minute. Please. For old times’ sake.” She looked up. His face was inches from hers. His gaze met hers and she shivered.
    Adam’s right hand cupped her face; his fingers caught her ear as they slid into her hair. His touch was warm and familiar.
    “Adam…” she whispered.
    The kiss was deep and passionate. She wasn’t sure who initiated it; all she knew was that she didn’t want it to end. His left hand held her in place against his firm body. Her hands slid down his back, caressing and pulling him closer.
    Breathless disappointment engulfed her as he drew away.
    “Sam, no, don’t…”
    “But you want to,” she whispered, not letting go of him.
    “It’s not right.” He stepped away, leaving her bereft and cold.
    She grabbed his hand and curled his fingers, touching his wedding ring. “We’re still married.”
    “And you’re not thinking straight,” he said as he tugged his hand free. “Drink your coffee while I go and change.”
    Sam dropped her hand to her side and moved away. “Fine.” She slumped on the couch and rubbed her hands over her face. Had she really fallen so far that not even Adam wanted her? Peter was the first bloke in years to have given her more than a second look, and he had turned out to be a jerk. As nice as the attention was, albeit slightly full-on and creepy, he’d gotten her arrested.
    Arrested…
    What if it had been someone from church who’d…? She broke off.
    It had been David, the bloke she’d sat next to at the church meeting. He’d been the one who’d tapped on the window: his partner telling him to call the uniformed cops as soon as they smelled the booze on Peter’s breath.
    Now it would be all over Headley Baptist. She’d be thrown out of membership. No one would want anything to do with her now.
    Adam came back into the room wearing faded blue jeans and a red polo shirt. He sat and nursed the coffee in his hands. He studied her with a far-off look she knew only too well.
    “What are you thinking?” she asked.
    “Just wondering how you were converted,” he said swirling the coffee. “You said it was three years ago, so it wasn’t your brush with death.”
    “Attempted suicide,” she said bluntly. “And you’re the first person I told about that. Hence the fact I don’t have a psych record or anything. I got converted after Mum died. I just got thinking what’s going to happen when I die. Mum was so sure of where she was going, and I just started reading and